Month: May 2013

Joyce Brothers (1927-2013)

In another indicator of the subtle but steady changing of the times, the death of Joyce Brothers earlier this week went by largely unnoticed. To anyone who watched a respectable amount of television in the Seventies, Joyce Brothers was instantly…

Weekend in Vegas (2011)

(Notes from an old trip) ARRIVAL Made it to my motel room after the most turbulent flight I’ve ever been on. The crew gave us an inkling beforehand by hastily gathering up all the complimentary beverage cups before people were…

TV Invented the Rock Star (Part 2)

(In Part I of this essay, the origins of the rock star figure in Western culture were examined, beginning with Elvis and leaving off with the Beatles’ triumphal debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.) To be sure, America’s youth…