Posts Tagged ‘criticism/reviews’
Not a bad mission statement
Broadcaster Keith Olbermann recently gave an insight into his motivations and goals for a controversial segment of his show… “This ordinarily is where you would see our ‘Worst Persons in the World‘ segment,” Olbermann said Monday late into the broadcast. “For more than two months, I’ve struggled with its value. We suspended it for a […]
Leonard Cohen: A remarkable life. Indeed.
A dear friend gave me this terrific book for Christmas. I love and am inspired, challenged, chastened — simply moved by Leonard Cohen. (‘I know his melancholy is your joy, Peter, but can we change the music please?’ my beloved wife said to me once.) The book is a must-have for serious Cohen fans (and […]
Adam – a movie about Asperger syndrome
I recommend you watch Adam, a terrific film about the struggles of someone with Asperger syndrome. What a lovely, moving, poignant story! See this movie if you have anyone in your life who you think could possibly have Asperger’s tendencies. It will help you empathise (is this my word for 2011?) with their journey and […]
What does your ‘opinion’ reveal about you?
People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character. — Ralph Waldo Emerson Everyone is entitled to my opinion. — attributed to pop singer Madonna Now, there’s a powerful pair of thoughts. Expressing one’s ‘opinion of the world’ through writing is, by its very nature, the result […]
The Ridiculist – catchy title, nice approach
In a case of ‘sometimes if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry’, from The Spruiker’s Lament … Peter Aranyi makes fun of spruikers and travelling salesmen as if they were actually ridiculous… At the time I hadn’t seen Anderson Cooper’s The Ridiculist (“a new hypocrisy-exposing segment on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360“) … but I like it. […]
The Spruikers’ Lament
Q: Why is that guy Peter picking on us? A: There can be only one reason: He must be in ‘direct competition’ with us! Yeah! Oh yes. Actually, maybe there’s another reason: He’s a hypocrite. That’s it. A nasty hypocrite. Because (how does it go again? Oh yes, I remember…) He’s in the exactly the […]
U2 360 Auckland
Pretty impressive night, in all ways. Great crowd, too.
Cher Lloyd: Good on her
A friend of mine spotted this young woman on YouTube — Cher Lloyd — she’s a contestant in the current British ‘X-Factor’. Watch her audition. I like it that she credits the artist, Soulja Boy … and the Keri Hilson ‘version’ of Turn My Swag On she performs. Nice. I like her a lot. She’s […]
A sharp foil is a wonderful thing
I am reading and SO enjoying Your Movie Sucks, a collection of reviews by Roger Ebert. My goodness, he’s got the skills. Wonderful. A review of the collection over at Blogcritics includes this line: Like most critics, these negative reviews are an outlet for the creative side of Ebert’s writing to shine. That’s well said. Yes, […]
There’s sometimes a price for HOW you state your opinions
No, actually, I’m not talking about Paul Henry. Over the weekend CNN anchor host Rick Sanchez was fired after a misguided book promo/radio show appearance turned into a rant where he accused The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart of being a ‘bigot’ towards Hispanics, of working with the ‘north east liberal elite’ to keep ‘people like Rick’ […]
Don Draper is the devil?
Here’s a fantastic review of Mad Men, by Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times, suggesting Don Draper is … the devil. While everyone has been sidetracked by tortured-soul vampires and loveable werewolves, Don has been quietly taking over the world, one manipulative half-truth at a time. She makes a good case. (Very good writing […]
Paul Henry: gracious in victory
So, in keeping with my general policy of confronting and directly answering criticism, here’s a response… OK, that’s actually what I said (sorry to quote myself) but it seems Paul Henry subscribes to the same philosophy. Henry’s acceptance speech at the Qantas Awards is worth watching (video below the fold) because his delivery is almost […]
Backstabbing, conniving, and insensitive — just what we need?
From a New Yorker profile of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg: “He stole the moment, he stole the idea, and he stole the execution,” Cameron [Winklevoss] told me recently. The dispute has been in court almost since Facebook was launched, six years ago. … To prepare for litigation against the Winklevosses and Narendra, Facebook’s legal team searched […]
A gift
To quote Robbie Burns: Oh wad some power the giftie gie us To see oursel’s as others see us! It wad frae monie a blunder free us, And foolish notion. With appreciation to Steve Goodey for offering me a gift this week. I mean it. Thanks for the feedback. Steve still hasn’t published my 31 […]
When ‘gurus’ attack — HOW you do it is important
From a review of The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life … It’s full of tips and advice but the one I like best comes from Buffett via Dale Carnegie, author of How To Win Friends and Influence People: “Criticism is futile, said Carnegie. Rule number one, don’t criticise, condemn or complain.” … […]
