The Basketball Diaries,Scott Kalvert(1995):

PS: Pictures not mine, credits to the owner.

Rating:8/10

- Just my own naked self and the stars breathing down, it’s beautiful.

- And in the next life, father, I’M gonna have the PADDLE.

- You gotta have presence on the court. Presence like a cheetah rather than a chimp. Sure, they both got it, but Chimpy gotta jump his nuts around to get it. The shy cheetah moves with total nonchalance, stickin’ it to them in his sexy, slow strut. Me? I play like a cheetah.

- I felt dazed, like I just came out of a 4 hour movie I didn’t understand.

- I was just gonna sniff a bag but one guy says if you’re gonna sniff you might as well pop it and another guys says if you gonna pop it you might as well mainline.

- All I’ve been doing is reading this diary wondering how the hell I’m still alive?

- I just wanna be pure, I just wanna be pure.

- You’re growing up. And rain sort of remains on the branches of a tree that will someday rule the Earth. And it’s good that there is rain. It clears the month of your sorry rainbow expressions, and it clears the streets of the silent armies… so we can dance.

- First, it’s a Saturday night thing when you feel cool like a gangster or a rockstar- just something to kill the boredom, you know? They call it a chippie, a small habit. It feels so good, you start doing it on Tuesdays… then Thursdays… then it’s got you. Every wise ass punk on the block says it won’t happen to them, but it does.

- I saw this girl next to me who wasn’t beautiful until she smiled.

- When I was young, about eight or so, I tried making friends with God by inviting Him to my house to watch the World Series. He never showed.

Dallas Buyers Club,Jean-Marc Vallée(2013):

PS: Pictures not mine, credits to the owners.

Rating: 10/10

- I swear it, Ray, God sure was dressin’ the wrong doll when he blessed you with a set of balls.

- That shit is purer than a preacher daughter’s pussy, right there.

-  Watch what you eat and who you eat.

- God, when I meet you I’m gonna be pretty. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll be a beautiful angel.

Natalie Portman …Tesadüflerle sanat hayatına ilk adımını atan Portman bir reklam şirketi yetkilisi tarafından oldukça küçük yaşta NewYork’ta bir pizzacıda keşfedilmiş ve o dönemde reklam şirketi tarafından modelliğe yönlendirilmiş fakat Portman kısa bir süre sonra hayatını farklı yerlere sürüklemeye karar vermiş ve oyunculuğa ilk adımını Leon filmiyle atmış . Üstünden yıllar geçsede ‘Leon’ filminde oynadığı karakterle aklımızın bir köşesinde yer edinen 14 yaşından beri hiç büyümediğini düşündüğüm bebekyüzlü , ufak tefek bir aktrist olmasının yanında Kudüs doğumlu israil asıllı bir amerakalıymış ve bir rivayete göre gerçek ismini kullanmıyormuş ayrıca kendisi oldukça zeki bir öğrenciymiş zaten harvard üniversitesi psikoloji bölümünü bitirmesi ve üstüne bir de yüksek lisans eklemesi bu bilgiyi fazlasıyla doğruluyor. Sanat yaşamına gelecek olursak ; ilk filmi Leonla büyük bir başarıya imza atan Portman , Star Wars filmiylede popülerliğini oldukça üst noktalara taşımasını bildi ve ardından gelen V for vendetta ile hollywood’un gözdelerinden birisi oldu . Bu filmde canlandırdığı karakter kendisinin siyasi görüşüylede bir bütünlük göstermesinin yanında gerçek hayatta da yahudi olmasının  bu rolü almasındaki etkisinin büyük olduğunu düşünüyorum . Son  olarakta en büyük patlamasını yaptığı ona en iyi kadın oyuncu oscarını getiren film black swan’den bahsetmek istiyorum ; oynadığı karakterle gerçekten bütünleşen portman akademi heyetinin takdirini oldukça genç bir yaşta kazandı ve önünde uzun bir yol olmasına rağmen şimdiden hollwood tarihine adını altın harflerle kazıyabileceğinin sinyallerini verdi . İlerleyen yıllarda adını sıkça duymaya devam edeceğimiz Natalie Portman’ı takip etmekten ve  kaliteli işlerini büyük bir zevkle izlemekten kendinizi mahrum bırakmamanız dileğiyle …

llpodcast:

Buster Keaton’s biography is a very in depth and provocative biography that leaves no stone unturned.

This biography is a very interesting read that gives a lot of details from the birth to his death.  It includes almost minute by minute details of his films, stage performances and life.  It is a very comprehensive read that fully immerses itself into the life of Keaton.

The author has done a phenomenal job giving a comprehensive study of a comic genius from cradle to death and to gather interviews from vaudeville and silent screen is a major feat within itself.  The making of the shorts and how each comedy section in the films in great deal is a treasure trove of information.  The book does jump from the last film Keaton did and back to his birth and forward, but this is very sporadic and does not take away from the rhythm of the book.  

Curtis traces the growth of Keaton and then we get the downward years which are simply heart-breaking. We follow his decline and how a company did not appreciate the genius that they have and how this would lead to drink and a sense of helplessness.  

Overall, this is an excellent biography and though it is very lengthy the reader will end up aficionado of all of Keaton work and will start to hunt down his career via his silent films and other work.  I know I did. I liked Keaton but because of this book, I am now a true fan and will be doing a Keaton series on my show in the next season to celebrate the man and his work.  The only bad thing is because of the in-depth writing, I spent weeks and weeks reading this book which put my other reviews on the side but saying that I am glad I did.  Fantastic and a must read.

Como se vio en la revista “Echoes”, el boletín del sitio Gene-Clark.com, y disponible ya desde Leloir Libros: el primer libre en idioma español sobre el cantautor Gene Clark “Vuela hacia el sol” por el escritor y periodista madrileño Álvaro Alonso. Pinche http://www.leloir.es
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As seen in “Echoes” the Gene-Clark.com newsletter:
Now available from LENOIR LIBROS: the first Spanish-language book about singer-songwriter Gene Clark “Vuela hacia el sol” by Madrid-based writer and journalist Alvaro Alonso. Visit https://www.lenoir.es/
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Boswell’s Presumptuous Task by Adam Sisman. Even though the images of Johnson and Boswell are brought together from two different engravings, it looks as though the two are engaging with each other. I admired this device so much that I stole it for one of my own covers…

Image: La dama dei gelsomini, by Lorenzo di Credi (Pinacoteca Civica di Forlì), presumed portrait of Caterina Sforza

Caterina Sforza was a powerful force to be contended with in Renaissance Italy. She has been called a Renaissance virago (woman who fights like a man), a lioness, tigress, and a warrior woman. One of her more flamboyant acts of defiance was even made famous by Machiavelli. Driven and powerful, Caterina Sforza sometimes took her actions too far, and for that she has also been recognized by many as a tyrant. There was, however, a softer side to Caterina Sforza which became obvious in her personal life. Read on

Wow. Today brings the biggest of big news for Dame Judith Anderson fans.

The academic Desley Deacon has just published Judith Anderson: Australian Star, First Lady of the American Stage. It’s the first ever full-length biography of the legendary actress. 520 pages and 100 illustrations, fact fans!

This book tells Judith Anderson’s life story for the first time. It recovers her career as one of the great stars of stage and television and an important character actress in film. Born in Adelaide, Australia, in 1897, brought up by a determined single mother, she parlayed her rich, velvety voice and ability to give reality to strong emotional roles into stardom on Broadway in the 1920s. Not a conventional beauty, she was alluring, with her beautiful body, perfect dress sense, and striking, volatile personality.

Having read papers Deacon wrote about Judith (even making a special trip to the British Library to do so), I’m very much looking forward to this book. I may even have rushed hoppity-skip through the house just now to come and tell you about it…

A detailed exploration of Judith’s life, career and achievements is, I’m sure you’ll agree, long overdue. If you can’t wait to dive into the biography either, head to Amazon to download the eBook or order the print-on-demand version. You’ll find a preview there too.

I hope Judith Anderson: Australian Star will tell us much we don’t already know. I hope it features photos that haven’t been seen for decades. I hope it portrays Judith’s complexity with insight and sensitivity. But most of all, I hope it leads to a renewed appreciation of her amazing work in 2019, just over 100 years after she left her homeland and sought success in the US.

I’d love to know your thoughts on the book if you read it.

Brutally Honest (UK Hardcover - 27.11.2018 / Signed)
#SpiceGirlsCollection #ImmaculateCollection #SpiceGirls #MelanieB #MelB #ScarySpice #BrutallyHonest #UK #Idols #Brit #BritPop #Collection #Memorabilia #Book #Livro #OfficialBook #CollectorBook #BookCollector #Autobiography #Biography #QuadrillePublishing #Signed
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Tracks, 2013.

Michel Faber, author of the beloved Crimson Petal and the White, just published his third and final novel, which is in part a eulogy of his wife, who died in July. 

Does knowing about an author’s life lend extra poignancy to his or her work? In this case, absolutely.