Each week, my routine was the same. After watching the latest offering from Hollywood on the big screen, I composed my thoughts and analysis and wrote my review. Then, I read what Roger Ebert thought about the movie. This final step was important to me — week in and week out. If Ebert loved a movie I disliked, why was that? He always provided great commentary and gave me reasons to admire a certain film more or dislike it more. He has always been an important validator for me. It’s like we had a conversation about a movie each week. And now I’m on my own. I was devastated to hear about the loss of Ebert. He taught us all about movies and life. The New York Times called him “ A Critic for the Common Man .” He was the consummate writer, journalist, film critic and human being. Ebert just celebrated his 46th year as film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times . I always admired Ebert’s ability to draw on his life experiences when reviewing a film. The first line of his 2011 mem...
Post details: • Kansas City Star announced job cuts • Graphic designer creates Google Map to track cuts On Tuesday’s front page (6/17), the Kansas City Star staffer Dan Margolies wrote the Missouri-based newspaper is cutting 120 jobs (about 10 percent of its work force) – about 20 to 22 positions are expected to be eliminated in the newsroom. “These cuts are part of the way we must respond as we strategically realign our company for success in this digital age,” said Star Publisher Mark Zieman, who also called the move “a painful but necessary step,” in a memo to employees Monday. Zieman cited reductions in revenue because of increased competition and the current economic downturn as reasons for the cut. The Star is “struggling to replace lost print advertising revenue quickly enough with new online revenue,” the article stated. (Having one of the worst designed newspaper Web sites in the country and one that is hard to navigate, I can see why the Star is having problems online.) Oth...
Today, my mom would have turned 56. My mom was one of my heroes, my best friend and my TV buddy. We loved to watch Game Show Network, Disney Channel and “Desperate Housewives” together. That night, before she went to sleep and never woke up, she came to my room and asked if I wanted to watch “Housewives.” It was a Sunday night. It was March 6, 2011, and I was busy in my room, wrapping up Oscars coverage for the season, after returning from Hollywood earlier in the week. That may have been the last interaction I had with her. I remember that night like it was yesterday. Her fingers on my slightly opened door, peeking her head into my cramped quarters. That smile on her face. Maybe I should have joined her for one last TV binge. A year or two later, I would find a photo on my phone from that night — the last meal she made. It was nothing special: chicken with noodles. My mom never had a penchant for making fine cuisine. As a divorced working mom raising two kids ...
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