Not the Way it Used to Be: Review of The Many Saints of Newark Stephen Hanafin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter After watching The Many Saints of Newark, HBO’s celebrated prequel to its blockbuster series, The Sopranos, I can only imagine how much more disappointed the average fan is with this production than with …
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Sick and Tired
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter People are tired. Exhausted. They’re tired of COVID-19. They’re tired of masks and distancing and washing hands and being careful. They’re tired of other people not wearing masks—and screaming about it. They’re tired of schools closing and having their kids home all the time. They’re tired of not …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Jack Lemmon
Wire photo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Jack Lemmon really wasn’t one of your cool, macho sort of leading man actors. Instead, he typically played the everyday, normal, and, well, goofy kind of guy. Even though he was sometimes impatient, sometimes short-tempered (sort of a human Daffy Duck), he was usually a …
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Highlights of The Pen in Hand Graphics: The Michael DiMilo Gallery
Volume I Artwork by Michael DiMilo Over the course of the last two and one-half years, The Pen in Hand Blog has been lucky enough to have obtained the services of free-lance artist Michael DiMilo as a contributor. While his unique style has provided a provocative and edgy feel to the blog, DiMilo’s pieces–obviously–stand alone …
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Look Up in Anger
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Last week, a New York City restaurant hostess was physically assaulted by guests when she informed them that masks were required to enter the restaurant. On a recent weekend flight from Philadelphia to Miami, a Frontier Airlines passenger had to be taped to his seat after assaulting one …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Kirk Douglas
Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Known for his distinctive cleft chin, stony-edged stare, devil-may-care grin, gruff voice, and rough-edged demeanor, Kirk Douglas was often cast as a tough guy—sometimes bad, but mostly good. From his role as Jonathan, the ruthless movie producer in The Bad and the Beautiful to Jack Burns, …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old and New Hollywood: The Legacy of Clint Eastwood
English: “Copyright © by Warner Bros. Inc.” Photographer unknown., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Clint Eastwood has been a screen icon for the past sixty-six years. He’s acted in over seventy-two films, directed forty-five, and produced more than fifty, sometimes wearing all three hats during a single project. He has been responsible …
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American Self Portrait
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter In the first episode of the HBO series The Newsroom, a college student asks news anchor Will McAvoy (played by Jeff Daniels) why America is the greatest country on Earth. Before absolutely emasculating her with a lengthy and provocative laundry list of deficiencies in our government, McAvoy tries to …
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The Good People of Texas
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter They say everything is bigger in Texas—the hats, the cars, the buildings, the population, the reputation—even the problems. This is the state that produced the larger-than-life personalities Willie Nelson, Matthew McConaughey, Larry McMurtry, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Buddy Holly—to name only a few. Texans have a lot to …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to the New Hollywood: The Legacy of Tom Hanks
Yeoman 1st Class Donna Lou Morgan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons In the last few weeks, the Couch Potato has looked at some of old-time Hollywood’s greatest actors, discussing the best films of James Stewart, Paul Newman, Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Katherine Hepburn, and John Wayne. Even though this survey has barely scratched the surface …
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The Best Laid Plans
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter After a long hot week in the city, my wife and I took a trip up to our place in the great Northwoods, a family cottage that we’ve owned for over fifty years. The original cabin was a tiny summer cottage with no basement, heat (except a tiny …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of John Wayne
20th Century Fox, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter That languorous drawl, that odd rolling gait, the quick draw, and that look of steely determination comprised the essence of probably one of the most famous of all American cinematic heroes. He starred in countless Westerns, private eye flicks, war movies, and even dabbled …
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