EXTRA CRITICUM

The Portrait of a Failed Playwright

“It’s a strange, compulsive business, the urge to make plays.  To act in them, or write ‘em, or produce ‘em.  It’s no use appealing to reason.”  That’s Henry James counseling a friend in Author, Author, a novel (2004) by British writer and retired literature professor David Lodge.  I just read this well-told tale about the failed playwright and posthumously esteemed novelist Henry James (1843-1916). 

James, frustrated at midcareer with his fiction’s lack of popularity, tried to find success and improve his income by turning to the stage.  Oh, what fools these mortals be!

Galloping Stage Magic

I’m in New York this week for meetings and plays.  As I always do here, I gorge on plays.  Somehow I’ve managed to cram eight plays into five days.  I stay at the YMCA and what I save on lodging I spend on play tickets.  I love visiting New York!

As Cancellation Nears, ABC Soaps Get Good Again

I am a soap opera fan. Possibly more of an addict if you’d ask others. I can probably tell characters' names and the actors who portrayed 
them from oh, most of the past 40 years on both ALL MY CHILDREN, ONE LIFE TO LIVE and GENERAL HOSPITAL. I can definitely talk rabidly about what the soaps were like in the 70s, how they were great in the early 80s, how I missed a couple years in the late 80s because I was studying abroad (for AMC fans, these are the Nico and Cecily years – have no knowledge of this entire storyline), how I loved loved them in the 90s (will anything ever equal ONE LIFE TO LIVE under writer Michael Malone and his groundbreaking AIDS Quilt storyline?) and how ABC was clearly trying to kill them starting in about 2003/2004. Oh yes, it’s taken this long to kill them but ABC did it.

Archaeological Digest Features the Art Room

(cross-posted on Duane’s Lapis Loquens blog)

Two weeks ago David Licata filed an enthusiastic EC post about Werner Herzog’s new documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams.  See trailer here.  I had planned to see this and David’s post only whetted my appetite.  As soon as it opened in Seattle, I jumped on it.  Even if you consider your residence some sort of safe cave that you rarely leave, I urge you to get out of there for at least a few hours and go see the cave that Herzog devotes this film to.  Prepare to be amazed. 

Critic on the Spot: Mixed Roots Festival Directors v.3

Putting a new spin on our Critic on the Spot series, this week we feature an ongoing exchange with festival co-directors Heidi Durrow and Fanshen Cox because, let's face it, the gatekeepers are critics at heart. Aren't they?

We wrap up this exchange with two questions from Andrew Altenburg and Rolando Teco.

Critic on the Spot: Mixed Roots Festival Directors v.2

Putting a new spin on our Critic on the Spot series, this week we feature an ongoing exchange with festival co-directors Heidi Durrow and Fanshen Cox because, let's face it, the gatekeepers are critics at heart. Aren't they?

Let's see... Here's a question from Alan Carter.

Critic on the Spot: Mixed Roots Festival Directors v.1

Putting a new spin on our Critic on the Spot series, this week we feature an ongoing exchange with festival co-directors Heidi Durrow and Fanshen Cox because, let's face it, the gatekeepers are critics at heart. Aren't they?

Let's see... First up to query Heidi and Fanshen are Rolando Teco and David Licata:

Critic on the Spot: Matthew Gilbert v.7

As our 3rd Critic on the Spot, we welcome Matthew Gilbert, television critic for the Boston Globe. Among the shrines at which he has worshipped during his tenure: The Sopranos, Freaks and Geeks, Six Feet Under, Scrubs, Lost and The Office. He has written celebrity and author interviews for the Globe, served as literary and managing editor at Boston Review, clerked at a number of local bookstores, and gotten his MA in Literature. He has had other jobs and assignments, too, but he can no longer remember them because TV has destroyed his brain.

This brings to an end our conversation with Matthew Gilbert. Thank you, Matthew, for educating us and making us laugh all at the same time! We look forward to more of your insights either here or on the Globe website... or hopefully both! Our final two questions are somewhat related—both raise questions on the changing media landscape—and they come from Alan Carter and Rolando Teco and appear below in that order.

Critic on the Spot: Matthew Gilbert v.6

As our 3rd Critic on the Spot, we welcome Matthew Gilbert, television critic for the Boston Globe. Among the shrines at which he has worshipped during his tenure: The Sopranos, Freaks and Geeks, Six Feet Under, Scrubs, Lost and The Office. He has written celebrity and author interviews for the Globe, served as literary and managing editor at Boston Review, clerked at a number of local bookstores, and gotten his MA in Literature. He has had other jobs and assignments, too, but he can no longer remember them because TV has destroyed his brain. Today: more questions from Andrew Altenburg.

Q:
It was disheartening to find out that Chris Carter never had any real back story to back up his elaborate mythology on the X FILES.. and quite frankly aside from the absurd gay subplot, this is what kept me from seeing the movie. If the creator of the series doesn't care about his own story, why should I? I bring this up because I wonder, as a TV critic, it's your job to keep track (to some degree anyway) of all the various storylines on various serialized shows.. which leads me to a few questions:

Critic on the Spot: Matthew Gilbert v.5

As our 3rd Critic on the Spot, we welcome Matthew Gilbert, television critic for the Boston Globe. Among the shrines at which he has worshipped during his tenure: The Sopranos, Freaks and Geeks, Six Feet Under, Scrubs, Lost and The Office. He has written celebrity and author interviews for the Globe, served as literary and managing editor at Boston Review, clerked at a number of local bookstores, and gotten his MA in Literature. He has had other jobs and assignments, too, but he can no longer remember them because TV has destroyed his brain. Today: The first 2 of 5 questions from Andrew Altenburg.

Q:
It was disheartening to find out that Chris Carter never had any real back story to back up his elaborate mythology on the X FILES.. and quite frankly aside from the absurd gay subplot, this is what kept me from seeing the movie. If the creator of the series doesn't care about his own story, why should I? I bring this up because I wonder, as a TV critic, it's your job to keep track (to some degree anyway) of all the various storylines on various serialized shows.. which leads me to a few questions:

Critic on the Spot: Matthew Gilbert v.4

As our 3rd Critic on the Spot, we welcome Matthew Gilbert, television critic for the Boston Globe. Among the shrines at which he has worshipped during his tenure: The Sopranos, Freaks and Geeks, Six Feet Under, Scrubs, Lost and The Office. He has written celebrity and author interviews for the Globe, served as literary and managing editor at Boston Review, clerked at a number of local bookstores, and gotten his MA in Literature. He has had other jobs and assignments, too, but he can no longer remember them because TV has destroyed his brain. Today's question comes from John Yearley.

Critic on the Spot: Matthew Gilbert v.3

As our 3rd Critic on the Spot, we welcome Matthew Gilbert, television critic for the Boston Globe. Among the shrines at which he has worshipped during his tenure: The Sopranos, Freaks and Geeks, Six Feet Under, Scrubs, Lost and The Office. He has written celebrity and author interviews for the Globe, served as literary and managing editor at Boston Review, clerked at a number of local bookstores, and gotten his MA in Literature. He has had other jobs and assignments, too, but he can no longer remember them because TV has destroyed his brain. Today's question comes from Robert David Sullivan.

Critic on the Spot: Matthew Gilbert v.2

As our 3rd Critic on the Spot, we welcome Matthew Gilbert, television critic for the Boston Globe. Among the shrines at which he has worshipped during his tenure: The Sopranos, Freaks and Geeks, Six Feet Under, Scrubs, Lost and The Office. He has written celebrity and author interviews for the Globe, served as literary and managing editor at Boston Review, clerked at a number of local bookstores, and gotten his MA in Literature. He has had other jobs and assignments, too, but he can no longer remember them because TV has destroyed his brain. Today's question comes from Rolando Teco.

Critic on the Spot: Matthew Gilbert v.1

As our 3rd Critic on the Spot, we welcome Matthew Gilbert, television critic for the Boston Globe. Among the shrines at which he has worshipped during his tenure: The Sopranos, Freaks and Geeks, Six Feet Under, Scrubs, Lost and The Office. He has written celebrity and author interviews for the Globe, served as literary and managing editor at Boston Review, clerked at a number of local bookstores, and gotten his MA in Literature. He has had other jobs and assignments, too, but he can no longer remember them because TV has destroyed his brain. Our first two questions—both on Reality TV—come from Gary Garrison and Marissa Danielle Duricko.

Critic on the Spot: Carrie Rickey v.7

As our 2nd Critic on the Spot, we welcome Carrie Rickey, film critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer for 21 years. Her reviews are syndicated nationwide and she is a regular contributor to Entertainment Weekly, MSNBC and NPR. Rickey’s essays appear in numerous anthologies, including “The Rolling Stone History of Rock & Roll,” “The American Century,” and the Library of America’s “American Movie Critics.” Carrie also hosts a spirited blog, Flickgrrl.
Every few days, we've posted  a new Q&A between Carrie and one of us. Here's #7—our final installment—from John Yearley. From all of us at E.C., big thanks to Carrie for her thoughtful and candid answers to our challenging questions. Carrie, you rock!