James Wolcott

The advent of DVD/Blu-ray reissues of classic Hollywood and foreign films has been a boon to film buffs, who can now study their favorites in all their glistening detail and restored palettes. ↗

— James Wolcott

#been #boon #classic #detail #dvd

The lies the government and media tell are amplifications of the lies we tell ourselves. To stop being conned, stop conning yourself. ↗

— James Wolcott

#conned #government #lies #media #ourselves

The unhappy irony is that, while 'Glee' is hitting the heights, school arts funding is being slashed across the country due to the steep recession and declining tax revenues. ↗

— James Wolcott

#arts #being #country #declining #due

The whole ecosystem of celebrity has broken down for writers. If you go back to the '50s, '60s, and '70s, writers were on TV a lot, and they were allowed to misbehave a lot. ↗

— James Wolcott

#back #broken #celebrity #down #ecosystem

Today a celebrity sex video isn't a stigma that requires penance and smarm removal; it's a branding device, a platform enhancer, a show reel. ↗

— James Wolcott

#device #penance #platform #removal #requires

Truman Capote was a pop figure, but it wasn't until he went on David Susskind's show and had that extraordinary voice and manner that everyone could imitate, that he really took off as a figure. ↗

— James Wolcott

#could #david #everyone #extraordinary #figure

Used to be, conservatives revered the Average American, that Norman Rockwell oil painting of diner food, humble faith, honest toil, and Capraesque virtue. ↗

— James Wolcott

#average #average american #conservatives #diner #faith

What stars do in their off-hours is a never-ending source of diddling curiosity to the tabloid sensibility. ↗

— James Wolcott

#never-ending #sensibility #source #stars #tabloid

Who elected Larry King America's grief counselor? We, the viewing public, did, by driving up his ratings whenever somebody famous passes. ↗

— James Wolcott

#counselor #did #driving #elected #famous

With 'Black Swan,' the ballerina saga flips its tiara and goes on a hallucinatory bender, a scary acid trip where transfiguration and disfiguration meet. ↗

— James Wolcott

#ballerina #black #flips #goes #meet