Can we PLEASE stop doing stuff like this? www.perplexity.ai/page/startup...

I can't steel myself to listen to Ben Shapiro and his whiny rat-a-tat voice on The New Yorker podcast, hosted by Broadway legend Hal Linden.* If only there was an AI summation somewhere I could tap that would supply the salient "high points," if any. *[needs fact checking--ed.]

"Thank-you-very-much" (Elvis Presley voice)

The Jeff Bezos who bought the Washington Post was a different guy from the one who is allowing its destruction now. But oligarchs gonna oligarch. Read more on Fresh Hell about what’s really behind the bloodletting at the Post. tinabrown.substack.com/p/bafflement...

Fans of TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA (1985), MANUNTER (1986), or FEAR (1996) should enjoy this -- Craig MacNeil speaks with William Petersen. #letterboxd #filmsky #moviesky #michaelmann #friedkin #manhunter

"Mia Farrow is a monster. xoxo Peg"-- Email to Jeffrey Epstein from his PR hack Peggy Siegal. Today the monster (who unlike her former boyfriend is not mentioned in Epstein files approximately 7,000 times) turns 81! Photo: @miafarrow.bsky.social with her mom, the divine actress Maureen O'Sullivan

HBD the lovely & talented Brooke Adams, BOTD in 1949, turning 77 today. She is more than game in the excellent early Nazi zombie entry "Shock Waves" (1977) & excelled in two 70's masterpieces, Malick's "Days of Heaven" (1978) and Kaufmans' "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978)

Went to the Castro Theatre reopening last night to see a movie, and was very surprised to find myself thinking: "Could it be that all my worries were unfounded? What's happening here?!"

Grateful for the response to my latest Fresh Hell column, which recounts Jeffrey Epstein's panic over the stories we ran at The Daily Beast in 2010.

More movie fans should be in Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary's Patreon- they often drop in to talk about movies*. Great stuff! *(Many of the titles covered by @gcdb.bsky.social, @speederaserhead.bsky.social, @larrythek.bsky.social, @churchofqtpod.bsky.social, @pmbryant.com, @swdb.bsky.social etc)

Really enjoyed this @80000hours.bsky.social episode about the evolutionary origins of things like anxiety and depression. Some of each is healthy and useful, but both *none* and too much are quite bad! Some pharmas (or the wrong dosage) might take you there. 80000hours.org/podcast/epis...

When Donald Trump messes with our democracy, Californians fight back—and win.

One of my fave Hollywood stars, legendary, glamorous Ida Lupino, was BOTD in 1918 & died in 1995 at 77. She starred in 59 pictures & directed 8, a woman ahead of her time, a pioneer of social-message films, bypassing the traditional studio system 2 direct films on taboo subjects

"Woody Allen is mentioned 7000 times in the Epstein files. Is that, like, a lot?" (George Costanza voice)

yeah seems like a good choice!

Peter Attia was one of Epstein’s friends?? Insane.

“What’s happening at the dirty movie place?” Throughout February the New Beverly pays tribute to its previous era as the Eros, a theatre dedicated to erotic cinema from around the globe.

Won't somebody think of the poor billionaires whose bottled water isn't always perfectly chilled? www.city-journal.org/article/inhe...

I'm not one of those 'Cancel My Subscription' guys but Megyn Kelly's latest hate spew about Alex Pretti may be the Final Straw. If she wants to star in a remake of Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS that's her prerogative, but SiriusXM's platforming her is beyond the pale.

Another doofus pushing a Rahm Emanuel candidacy is Mark Halperin, who refuses to go away.

Alex Pretti spent his days caring for veterans as a nurse. And he died trying to protect his neighbors. Federal agents—funded by our tax dollars—murdered him. Americans deserve accountability. Congress exists to put checks and balances on the president. It’s long past time to act like it.

Absolutely horrified by the brutal killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. There is no justification, no excuse for a government to unleash this kind of violence on its own citizens. Those responsible must be held to account. This is not a partisan question, but a matter of decency and equal justice.

Really interesting to see that Doris Brynner's haute couture pieces (Mrs. Yul Brynner) by Cristobal Balenciaga, Givenchy and Valentino are being auctioned this month.

Season three of SHETLAND confirms that Calder and Tosh are the two worst detectives on TV, spending more time driving around and tepidly interviewing witnesses than cracking through the evidence. The rope, Watson, the rope is the key to this case, while they make their rounds like social workers.

Legendary French actress Jeanne Moreau, international superstar who worked w/ many of the great autuers - Bunuel, Malle, Fassbinder, Losey, Antonioni, Truffaut, Wenders, Richardson, Demy, Welles, Kazan, etc. - was BOTD in 1928 & died in 2017 at 89

California has a long, proud history of protecting its resources. But right now, the federal government is trying to handcuff our state agencies and strip away our ability to safeguard our own waters. In Congress, I stood up to Big Oil and won. Together, we'll do it again.

Jack Smith: "Trump was charged bc the evidence established he willfully broke the law -- the very laws he took an oath to uphold... After leaving office, Trump illegally kept classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago social club... highly sensitive natl security info was held in a ballroom & bathroom."

Gov. Newsom rocks. His Davos quote, “Trump is a T-rex. You mate with him or he devours you," is one for the ages.

Oh Forio. Oh Beauty. HBD the tenacious 'Tippi' Hedren, mother of Melanie Griffith, grandmother of Dakota Johnson, BOTD in 1930, turning 96 today! Hitchcock's "The Birds" (1963) and "Marnie"(1964) are her finest one hour fifty-nine minutes and two hours ten minutes, respectively.

In case you missed it, understandably distracted by the ensuing chaos, here be my review of Patti Smith's latest memoir. newleftreview.org/sidecar/post...

The great Nancy Allen on the Bret Easton Ellis Podcast this week. www.patreon.com/posts/148105... #letterboxd #moviesky #filmsky

The Jack Daniels sign in the mockup of the CBS anchor floor is a signifier. Jack Daniels & co have been slammed hard by Canadian boycotts of American whiskeys, etc...this is Bari Weiss's (or some ding-a=ling underling's) brain-o idea to help rally American boozers to support the home team.

"I have no idea how the sheriff of Philadelphia suddenly got into the news flow and I don’t care... If only Bilal had been around to pound the cautious prevarications out of Kamala Harris on the ’24 campaign trail." — from this week’s Fresh Hell column.

The heroes we lack, Trump’s bubble wrap danger, and the Dems grow some oratorical balls. It’s all in today’s Fresh Hell on Substack. bit.ly/3LJHRYb

From Minneapolis to California, it’s time we demand an end to cooperation with these federal agencies. It doesn’t matter where you come from — we are all Californians. We cannot stand by while unconstitutional, unlawful, and immoral activity takes place in our backyard.

How well do you know your Margarets and Maureens? I know their faces well, but for the life of me I can never remember the name of Mia Farrow's mom @miafarrow.bsky.social ... Match the number to the letter... answer in the thread. Don't peak! #filmsky #moviesky #letterboxd

There would be riots on Wall Street if a President Harris ordered a reduction in CEO pay. www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Utica: The Last Refuge See this movie!! In Wellfleet MA on MLK weekend, on Amazon Prime or Kanopy if you can't make it. You will be inspired, you will remember why we work against this regime and what we can be without it. open.substack.com/pub/hjs24pea...

Christopher Nolan saw Park Chanwook’s NO OTHER CHOICE at the Vista Theater on Friday night. #filmsky #moviesky #letterboxd

HBD fellow Jan Cap Dyan Cannon BOTD in 1937, turning 89 today! Her character in "The Last of Sheila" (1973), written by Stephen Sondheim & Anthony Perkins, directed by Herb Ross, was based on superagent Sue Mengers. Cannon was sexy in Mazursky's "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" (1969)

A bruised hand is minor, soft tissue bleeding. We're talking about a 38% increased risk of brain/head bleeds and other severe hemorrhagic events with low-dose aspirin in people aged 70+

Several great titles this month at Quentin Tarantino's Video Archives Cinema Club. #letterboxd #moviesky #filmsky #mildredpierce #marlenedietrich

Yes, he's dying, but he's not dying fast enough. Pick up the pace. Signed, the Crypt-Keeper

Those expensive collagen powders being peddled by all the health influencers? It’s just gelatin. The same stuff they put in jello. So if you want to look young AND save money… eat jello!

The top 200 films of the 21st century. #letterboxd #filmsky

WATCH NOW: The full deposition of former Special Counsel Jack Smith released by the House Judiciary Committee

"Even as we think about 2028 contenders, I can tell you: If you were afraid to congratulate Zohran, you are not going to be the Democratic nominee for the presidency in 2028." www.lemonde.fr/en/m-le-mag/...

HBD fellow Capricorn singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet & survivor Patti Smith who was BOTD in 1946, turning 79 today. I only saw her live once, an intimate performance at Sundance which was sublime. She was a close friend & collaborator w/ gay photog Robert Mapplethorpe

There is a trivially easy solution to the exodus issue, which is to pass wealth taxes everywhere. That probably explains why Ackerman, a NY resident, is taking an interest in CA politics.