Published writing

As an employee of Rosebud Media, I write a weekly entertainment column called "What's Streaming" for Tempo magazine and the Mail Tribune website.
Below are samples with links for further reading:

THE BILL MURRAY STORIES:
It just doesn't matter

"Imagine walking into a party and making your way to the kitchen to find Bill Murray doing the dishes. Strange, you may say. Impossible, right? It may sound like an urban legend whispered in the back rooms of bars or told over a beer with friends who won’t believe you, but it’s not a legend.

“The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons from a Mythical Man” is a documentary directed by Tommy Avallone for Netflix that may sound like a bunch of party stories, but that would be just a sampling of what makes Bill Murray such a legend. At the root of it all is his profound mantra one could find in many of his movies: “It just doesn’t matter anymore.”

Yep, that one line chanted with hysterical reverie in the film “Meatballs” nearly fourty years ago (yikes) is the backbone to a philosophy by a very open and generous man. “The Bill Murray Stories” is a movie/documentary that will put a smile on your face."

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HAP AND LEONARD: Season 3:
A racial divide

"Today we have a culture that struggles to grasp the concept of racism. We tend to make smaller matters larger than life. But real racism is alive and well to this day, and the latest season of “Hap and Leonard” from Sundance TV is quite the cautionary tale.

Surprisingly, Season 3 of “Hap and Leonard” (the final season from Sundance TV) defines what it means to live in a world of divide, segregation and basic human rights denied to someone of color. Certainly, other movies or shows take a stab at it, but not with the subtlety of a blunt instrument that embodies Joe R. Lansdale’s “The Two-Bear Mambo,” one of the many Hap and Leonard books the series is based on.

In a brief, but addicting, six episodes, we take a ride with Hap Collins (James Purefoy, “The Following,” “Solomon Kane”) and Leonard Pine (Michael Kenneth Williams, “The Wire,” “Boardwalk Empire”) as they search for Hap’s missing black girlfriend, Florida (Tiffany Mack), and end up in Grovetown, Texas. It is here where walking down a street while being black will not just garnish you dirty looks, but may risk your life as well."

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THE BATTERED BASTARDS OF BASEBALL:
Unprofessional professionals

"In 1972, the Portland Beavers left the town of Portland. Professional baseball was considered a waning sport and attendance dipped to the point of unsupportable. The stadium, once filled with rabid fans, was left standing, but empty. The sport of baseball was no longer the draw it once was.

Then along came a Hollywood star by the name of Bing Russell, best known as the Deputy Clem Foster on “Bonanza,” who turned the sport of baseball on its collective head. Bing was well-known for his acting, but what was not known was his love of baseball. Russell grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, the home of spring training for the New York Yankees. Russell watched from the other side of the fence as greats like Lefty Gomez and Joe DiMaggio practiced ball. Before too long he was noticed and was asked to be the unofficial mascot for the team. He even inherited Lou Gehrig’s bat upon his retirement.

So, it’s easy to see the blood of baseball roared through Russell’s veins. He was a true student of the game, going so far as to create his own series of training films staring his son, Kurt (yes, THE Kurt Russell). When the day came, and the Beavers moved from Portland, Russell saw an opportunity. Back then professional baseball had all but eliminated minor league baseball. Once a thriving sport of independent teams, there were none left by the time 1972 rolled around."

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