May 11, 2020

When ‘Valley Girl’ (and Nicolas Cage) Shook Up Hollywood

Four shots of nude breasts. That’s what the producers of “Valley Girl” demanded of their potential director, Martha Coolidge. If she wanted the gig — overseeing […]
April 23, 2020

Hollywood Beacons in the Night

LOS ANGELES — They survived the Great Depression, when tickets cost a dime. Neither earthquake nor greedy developer has been able to topple them. Over the […]
April 16, 2020

A Frank Talk About Fat

The author of “This Is Big,” a history of Weight Watchers, comes to terms with a lifetime of dieting, a wavering self-image and the persistence of […]
April 2, 2020

Things to Do in N.Y.C. This Weekend During Coronavirus Quarantine

ImageCredit…Caveat Three weeks into life under mandated social distancing, New Yorkers have been adjusting to this new reality by moving their social lives online. From virtual […]
March 24, 2020

For Some Drive-In Theaters, an Unexpected Revival

Jen Philhower, 48, a part-time office manager in Austin, Texas, is one of the many Americans adjusting to almost every group activity being canceled, as people […]
February 28, 2020

Life Isn’t Like the Movies (Even if You Write the Movies)

ImageCredit…Brian Rea Once I turned 69, if anyone asked me my age — not that anyone ever did, but if I offered it up in conversation […]
February 14, 2020

Ben Schwartz, the Voice of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog,’ Hits the Arcade

Ben Schwartz, the actor and comedian, dunked the ball without looking at the joystick. “This is just like muscle memory,” he said. On a frosty Monday […]
February 9, 2020

What to Watch for Tonight at the Oscars

Here’s what you need to know: The Academy Awards are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern. The best-picture race is between ‘1917’ and ‘Parasite.’ ‘Little […]
February 6, 2020

As Long as There’s Been an Envelope, Oscar Parties Have Pushed It

It all began with a dinner dance. Well, a banquet, really. Long before Swifty Lazar corralled celebrities to join him at Spago or Graydon Carter reigned […]
January 31, 2020

Jennifer Lopez at the Super Bowl? It’s the Role She Was Born to Play

Some time in 1998, riding high on critical acclaim for her performance alongside George Clooney in Steven Soderbergh’s sultry crime thriller “Out of Sight,” the rising […]