DelGaudio's genius. Mandy & Kathryn's marriage. Amanda Gorman's mentor. Jesus & Bernie. Randy Rainbow. Betty Friedan. Memes. Humor..
LETTY COTTIN POGREBIN NEWSLETTER #101 2-9-2021
Tomorrow marks three weeks of Biden-Harris decency, restored norms (and vastly reduced exposure to toxic effluvia from the Orange-One-who-shall-remain-nameless). That's reason enough to rejoice, but I've gilded the lily a bit by curating a batch of cultural developments and diversions worthy of celebration.
FILM & VIDEO
* Believe me, you've never seen anything like Derek DelGaudio's filmed theater piece, "In and Of Itself." And I mean never. What this artist does is intense, profound, bizarre, funny, astounding, deeply moving, and utterly unforgettable. You'll doubt what you see until you can no longer suspend belief. Witnessing audience members' core identity change before their --and your -- eyes, you'll marvel at the brilliance of DelGaudio's premise and its pitch perfect execution. Matt Wilstein, writing in The Daily Beast, nails this unique experience:"You start out a little apprehensive, unsure of exactly what you’re getting yourself into. But as it goes along, you repeatedly feel yourself getting blown away by his overwhelming skill as both storyteller and performer. By the end you are emotionally flattened. There might even be tears welling up in your eyes. And then it’s over and you want to tell everyone about it." Which is why I'm telling you: Do NOT miss this film, (directed by Frank Oz, produced by Stephen Colbert, on Hulu ) Here's the trailer.
* Long-married couple, Mandy Patinkin & Kathryn Grody let their son Gideon film them since the start of the pandemic. NYTimes calls his Instagram series, "Scenes from a Marriage."
POETRY
* Poet Dinah Berland met Amanda Gorman five years ago at an event hosted by WriteGirl, which empowers girls through self-expression. "I introduced myself and said I hoped she would take her work seriously,” Berland recalls in The Forward explaining how she became Gorman's mentor.
* Time mag cover girl: above in her signature color, Gorman is interviewed by Michele Obama. Amanda's answers attest to her maturity, self-knowledge and authentic humility.
* Gorman's Super Bowl poem honoring "our captains," three home-grown heroes "who everyday honor us."
HUMOR
* More mittens memes. Liberation theology (above) Bernie snow sculpture (below)
* Stay-at-home Dad shows wife how he spends his day with their baby
A graphic artist who works from home and takes care of the baby while his wife goes to an office got tired of her texting him to check on how he was doing with the baby. His photoshopped responses to her have become a Instagram sensation.
Randy
* Another spot-on video from Randy Rainbow, Plus,The Forward's not-so-funny compendium:"Every antisemitic thing Marjorie Taylor Greene has said or done thus far."
* A few years back, Mrs. Hughes performed at the Winnipeg comedy Festival discussing nipples, hot flashes, and visiting her gynecologist. "Does this joke make me look fat?" she asks.
WOMEN
Supporters of the ERA march on Washington, 1978. L-R.: Gloria Steinem, Dick Gregory, Betty Friedan (white dress), and Reps. Elizabeth Holtzman, D-N.Y., Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., & Margaret Heckler, R-Mass.
* Feb 4th was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique, founder of the National Organization for Women, and preeminent movement organizer. To celebrate her life and work on behalf of women's equality, Veteran Feminists of America gathered photos, clips, and comments from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer, VFA President Eleanor Pam, NOW co-founder, Muriel Fox, Alicia Garza, a founder of Black Lives Matter; Christian Nunes, president of the NOW; journalists Gloria Steinem, Evelyn Cunningham, Gail Collins, two of Betty's children Emily and Jonathan, and others for a gratifying, tnuanced one hour tribute to a brilliant, complicated feminist pioneer. Also see the illuminating article on Friedan in Smithsonian magazine.
* All* Above All for Abortion Justice. will help you send a message to the new Administration saying it's high time to loudly & unapologetically support reproductive rights. Women can never be free as long as the State, or the states, control what we do with our bodies.
* Google agrees to pay 5500 employees more than $3.8 million to settle allegations of "systemic" pay and hiring discrimination against women and Asian-Americans..
MUSIC
* Aron Hodek, who turned
10 in December, is a fabulous guitar bassist, "beat maker @arontheproducer, Music lover, but first of all a child from Slovakia😎🎸 Admin: @h0wdy Instagram account run by his parents""Here's Aron performing at age 8. And at 9.
* James Corden (above with wife Julia Carey) is hilarious under any circumstances but especially if you're in Covid lockdown. An Israeli friend recommends binging Corden's madly exuberant "Crosswalk Musicals" series and his Tony Awards opening numbers
* "Season of Love." Broadway's best (above) sing their celebration of the new Administration.
ART
* Scientists work to save deteriorating ancient rock art from bacteria (above) No surprise: both Arabic & Hebrew graffiti were found among the prehistoric Negev petroglyphs affirming both people's link to the land.
WORLD
* Fitness instructor, Khing Hnin Wai inadvertently recorded the start of the Myanmar military coup that was happening behind her workout video. (Her choice of music suggests she knew what she was doing.)
Today, Feb 9, is National Pizza Day, National Bagel Day and National Toothache Day Enjoy!