The Passion of the Christ? Screw that. The real theatrical gem is The Life of Brian, coming again to a theater near you.
Month / March 2004
Raines Speaks His Mind
Shocking allegations from Howell Raines will soon appear in the Atlantic — part of a planned memoir called I Was Master of the House, But Jayson Kept Playing With the Zippo. Among some of the highlights:
1. Raines secretly coveted the drugs and alcohol, and kept Jayson Blair on the payroll so that he could “relive his twenties again.”
2. Not once did Raines call Jayson Blair “boy.”
3. Raines once asked Blair to sit on his lap. Blair declined. Raines claims there was nothing sexual involved. The lap-sitting incident was all part of a great Raines family tradition dating back to 1872.
4. When fishing with John McPhee on the Delaware River, Raines promised McPhee that he would only name-drop upon publication of a memoir. McPhee gave Raines his blessing, but only after delivering a six-hour lecture on geography.
5. The one thing Raines would have done differently: casual Fridays.
(via Maud)
Who’s the Real Bitch?
Rake points to this Birkets column and the potential conflict of interest. Birkets, as we all know, was the last man pummeled by Dale Peck.
No one’s entirely sure how the fight went. Because frankly the house wasn’t full.
But given Birkets’ new offering, we hereby revise our initial assessment of Birkets and demote him.
Hasty Snippets
Cathleen Schine’s new novel is (no surprise) about a woman leaving her husband for a woman. But that’s not all. Schine will also be appearing at the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival on a panel with the man she left, David Denby. The festival organizers have tried to get Denby and Schine to sing “I Got You, Babe,” but Denby can’t carry a tune. Complicating things further is the fact that Schine doesn’t own a leather jacket. She also reports that she saves her provocative undergarments for the bedroom.
A new Rudyard Kipling story has been found. It will be unveiled in front of Kipling fans on April 7. The story is another part in the Stalky & Co. series. The hope was that the stalkers would touch Stalky first.
Print on demand: Comes served with vanity mirror.
Northeastern University closes shop.
The Post-Gazette catches up with Daniel Keyes.
Polanski’s doing Oliver Twist. No doubt the role of Nancy will be notably broadened.
And Jennifer Haigh has won the PEN/Faulkner for a distinguished first work of fiction. Her book, Mrs. Kimble, is about a man who marries three different women at different times in his life.
Only One of the Holy Trinity Can Be Counted On
When in doubt, rely upon Dan Rather to defy common sense. Whether it’s the 1968 Democratic Convention or Gunga Dan, the very likely possibility that Dan Rather will go nuts is why I will be glued to CBS on Election Night. Only eight more months.