Contempt Prior to Investigation

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Contempt Prior to Investigation By Laraine Newman Several years ago I read a commentary about the film The Aristocrats by Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post.  Most actors and performers are aware that at the very least, people who don’t do what we do have an unrealistic impression of our lifestyles, our outlooks and our … [Read more…]

Revolution

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Revolution By Laraine Newman Why bother, really?  I’ve read pages and pages of well-argued, eloquent, reasonable assertions as to the merit and justice of the Writer’s Guild struggle. I sometimes wonder if the writers of these articles, including myself, think the fear of public opinion will sway the studios in any way.  I’ve come to … [Read more…]

Stuff It!

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Stuff It! By Laraine Newman In my book, Stuffing has held its place in my penalty box along with green bell peppers; cilantro, cumin and lime flavored Life Savers. For me, it’s the Buzz Kill of Thanksgiving. I have never met a Stuffing I’ve liked, but not for obvious reasons.  I find the premise of … [Read more…]

Body Snatchers

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Body Snatchers By Laraine Newman I remember when Al Gore was running his campaign in 2000 and the constant complaint about Gore was that he was a stiff.  It was clear to me at the time, he was a terrific choice. It was annoying to me that his  personality was a consideration at all.  Yes, … [Read more…]

The Crusades

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The Crusades By Laraine Newman Watching the separation of Church and State go up in flames in this campaign is kind of like watching people in a department store who see one person getting away with stealing and figure why shouldn’t they?  Every time I see anyone’s theocracy become an aspect of their platform it’s … [Read more…]

Triage

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Triage By Laraine Newman The hallmark of any bully, manipulator or sociopath for that matter, is to deny reality. Whether it be linking 9/11 to Iraq, claiming the Holocaust never happened…oh I could go on.  My first realization of this blatant denial style in politics was the Iran/Contra scandal.  Caught red handed, the strategy of … [Read more…]

Live From New Orleans, It’s Saturday Night

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Live From New Orleans, It’s Saturday Night By Laraine Newman I was excited. As the limousine was speeding along the freeway that lead into the city of New Orleans, it occurred to me that for the first time in my life, I was in ‘the south’. That represented so many things to me, but I … [Read more…]

The Wagon Train

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The Wagon Train By Laraine Newman Francois Truffaut has been famously quoted about the process of making a movie being similar to a wagon train crossing the country.  You start out the journey with high hopes and the spirit of adventure and halfway through, you just want to get there alive. That’s pretty much what … [Read more…]

Meanies

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Meanies By Laraine Newman One for the Table has never engaged in deliberate snarkiness. I’ve certainly avoided it as I scrupulously adhered to the motto “if you can’t say anything nice…” But, in this economy, I find myself being a bit cranky when certain chefs hold themselves to a particular standard and humiliate others on … [Read more…]

Kids Say the Darndest Things

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Kids Say the Darndest Things By Laraine Newman When I was 4 years old I was on Kids Say The Darndest Things with Art Linkletter. My folks told me the teacher in our Nursery School recommended me. When I think about the fact that I once called her ‘fatso’ just to try out the word, nothing personal, … [Read more…]