Bismo texted the sad news that Leslie Parrish passed away, apparently towards the end of last year.
Mourning for Parrish
Holding a Mirror to America
These weekly news summaries from the UK tabloid The Mirror are as accurate as they are amusing.
Post-war Perfection
Three movies that make the case for 1949 as perhaps the greatest year in post-war British cinema.
David Lean, two Dickens adaptations after Brief Encounter, returns to the subject of romance.
Directed by blacklisted Edward Dmytryk, Obsession stars the superb actor Robert Newton, in his most refined villain role. Note: Phil Brown, who plays Newton’s would-be victim, was Luke Skywalker’s Uncle Owen in Star Wars.
Powell and Pressburger returned to the war to provide dramatic tension in The Small Back Room. Its leading lady is the incomparable Kathleen Byron.
Returning to the Old Normal
More GOP wishful thinking to avoid raising taxes.
“There’s nothing magic about the 40-trillion number,” Bessent said. “We can grow our way out of that.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/20/bessent-budget-deficit-trump.html
We’re still recovering from the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis!
After roughly two decades of ultralow interest rates, a period of rapid readjustment is ahead for the United States
I’m going to cash in on Bessents’s short-term borrowing binge.
NCS Redux
It feels as though I just attended the Reuben Awards dinner, but that was already two weeks ago.
While admitting that I am only an “adjacent” member of the NCS, I very much agree with this decision by the board of directors.
81st Annual Reuben Awards and NCS Conference San Diego, August 12–14, 2027 You may be thinking — didn't we just go to San Diego? We did, in 2024! And we're going back on purpose. A few years ago, with feedback from members, the NCS board decided to trial a "hub city" model — rotating between three partner cities (San Diego, Boston, and Columbus) instead of a new city every year. Why? Because building real community partnerships takes time, and returning to cities where we've already built relationships means better public-facing events, lower expenses, and less burnout for the volunteers who make this all happen — all while keeping your registration costs as low as possible. San Diego is home to partners like the San Diego Comic-Con Museum and, after our great 2024 visit and the success of our new public-facing programming in Columbus, we're excited to be building a robust experience with a ton of fun at the Town and Country Resort. Stay tuned for a chance for members to give input this fall. We can't wait to celebrate the 81st Reuben Awards together!
The Pre-Fab Four @ 60
ABC-TV had Batman kick off 1966 with a BAM! and a POW! NBC-TV had the knock-out one-two punch in September, with Star Trek and Hey, Hey, The Monkees!
The Monkees TV series is now available for viewing on the best free streaming video service, Tubi. The premiere episode, ‘Royal Flush’, features family friend Vince Beck as Sigmund.
