AltWeeklies Wire
Ricky Gervais Tells the Truth About 'The Invention of Lying'new
A mid-life success as the creator of the original British reality spoof The Office and the HBO series Extras, Gervais has always made comic hay out of his short stature and pudgy build. The Invention of Lying is no exception. "I've always done that," Gervais admits. "I think it's funny."
Artvoice |
M. Faust |
10-02-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Meet the Rebel Economists Who Predicted the Financial Collapsenew
The economics profession has been dominated by the disciples of the late free-market guru Milton Friedman and others of the Chicago School, so named because of their prominence on the faculty of the University of Chicago. But for decades, there has been an overshadowed (and at times bitterly ridiculed) alternative group of economists who have long been warning that the Neoclassical orthodoxy was missing the boat and leading us astray.
'Seraphine' Seems to Gesture Toward Both Inspiration and Moralismnew
Martin Provost's Seraphine relates an ostensibly true story of remarkable artistic achievement in the face of extraordinary difficulties.
Tags: Martin Provost, Seraphine
The Ghost of Bush: How Dubya's Court Can Undo Democracynew
Make no mistake about it. The Supreme Court is the ticking time bomb Dubya left in the executive bedroom. And it's about to blow.
Artvoice |
Michael I. Niman |
09-18-2009 |
Commentary
The Hustle: Comfortable Rich Men Debate Our Futurenew
This week will be a pretty good indicator of whether President Barack Obama is Keynesian, a Shakespearean, a Vatican II guy, or a Burkean. He will either boldly hammer home a courageous, thorough-going reorganization of health care policy, or Obama will punt on all that and instead gives us a nuanced, lawyered parsing of current practice.
Artvoice |
Bruce Fisher |
09-11-2009 |
Commentary
A Week Without Movie Stars at the 33rd Montreal World Film Festivalnew
For years Montreal's festival ran neck and neck with the Toronto Film Festival, competing to premiere films from the same pool of foreign and independent releases. But as Toronto secured its position by bringing in more big Hollywood pictures, Montreal continued to rely on foreign films. And with fewer of those picked up for North American distribution every year, the pool of high-profile picks shrank steadily.
Modest Mouse's Latest Compilation is a Surprisingly Solid Offeringnew
No One's First and You're Next is a collection of b-sides and singles that didn't quite make it onto a LP. But the songs aren't just mere outtakes. Included with a couple of new tracks are full re-recordings of the previously shelved tracks, making the album feel far from a group of oddities thrown together.
The Recession is Ending, but Only for Banks and Investors ... The Rest of Us Are Still Screwednew
It's over. The depression, recession, whatever you want to call it -- it's over. The corporate media told me so.
Ronald Dworkin's Doomed Wish for Rational Politicsnew
Democracy in America is still much as de Tocqueville described it: illogical persnickety white folks, especially not-overly-educated non-urban white folks, asserting their independence. So why does a grown-up intellectual like Dworkin, a distinguished legal theorist with Ivy credentials, believe that these people, these Americans, are going to participate in a reasoned debate about anything?
Artvoice |
Bruce Fisher |
08-17-2009 |
Nonfiction
Cash for Clunkers: Ugh!new
While the know-it-alls in Washington try to satisfy the taxpayers by giving them back some of their hard-earned cash, they didn't really think this whole thing through very well.
Artvoice |
Jim Corbran |
08-17-2009 |
Transportation
Slicing the Pie: Our Strange Politics of Rich and Poornew
It's pretty darned clear that our current political leadership has taken the lessons of Niccolo Machiavelli to heart. But just now, because of the great economic collapse of the end of the Bush-Madoff era, change is being thrust upon us. And the toughest change is always going to be about money -- who gets it, and who gets to keep it.
Artvoice |
Bruce Fisher |
07-24-2009 |
Commentary
How Do You Take the Rust Out of the Rust Belt?new
It's a question politicians and policymakers have been asking themselves for years. Now, with a new administration in the White House and stimulus money at the ready, local lawmakers and nonprofits are looking for ways to funnel some much-needed capital into revitalizing Great Lakes cities.
'Management' Ends Up Engaging Despite Early Misstepsnew
Steve Zahn is at his most puppyish as the star of Management, but remember that puppies are those creatures that chew up your slippers, pee all over the place, and generally refuse to do what they’re told.
Tags: Stephen Belber, Management
Daryl Strawberry Confronts His Demons in Buffalonew
This past weekend was no ordinary one at Buffalo's Coca Cola Field. Daryl Strawberry came to town to make an appearance. Predictably, his presence made quite a splash.
Buffalo or California: Which Is the Better National Bellwether?new
It's now reasonable, and not far-fetched, to expect fiscal chaos in state and local governments in the next two years. Here's what fiscal chaos means: more Californias.
