PJ Grisar is a Forward culture reporter. He can be reached at [email protected] and @pjgrisar on Twitter.
PJ Grisar
By PJ Grisar
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Culture Yuval Noah Harari Thinks We Should Challenge Liberal Myths
When I interviewed Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari for the Forward last month, I asked him about his newest book “21 Lessons For The 21st Century” and its critique of liberalism, something that caused him considerable anxiety on the road to publication. He answered me by defending liberal ideas, but voiced concern over their durability….
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Theater Annette Bening and Tracy Letts To Star In Miller’s ‘All My Sons’ On Broadway
Arthur Miller’s work is returning to the Broadway boards. The New York Times reports a new production of “All My Sons” will open at Roundabout Theater Company’s American Airlines Theater bringing some marquee names with it. The World War II family drama, which premiered on Broadway in 1947, follows the Keller family, whose son Larry…
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Music Listen To A Track From William Shatner’s Christmas Album
Christmas came early. Consequence of Sound reports that William Shatner, the King David of spoken-word song is releasing his first ever Christmas album with an impressive roster of guest artists. It gets better: It’s called “Shatner Claus — The Christmas Album.” The track list, boasting 14 standards, has Stooges legend Iggy Pop on board for…
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Culture The New York Times Crossword Was Yiddish-Themed For Yom Kippur
While many of us spent yesterday reflecting in shul, The New York Times crossword section paid tribute to Yom Kippur with a Yiddish-themed puzzle. Spoilers ahead for those who haven’t done it yet. Because it was just a Wednesday puzzle the answers weren’t too esoteric. “Tchotchke,” “Schmaltz,” “Chutzpah,” “Oy Gevalt,” “Megillah” and “Verklempt” dotted the…
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Culture Rachel Kushner Makes The Man Booker Shortlist For ‘The Mars Room’
The 2018 Man Booker Prize announced on Thursday, September 20 that Rachel Kushner has made the short list for her novel “The Mars Room.” Kushner’s book follows Romy Hall, a woman serving two consecutive life sentences in a California correctional facility. “The Mars Room” was lauded for its unsentimental portrait of prison life and its…
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Culture ‘Sesame Street’ Writer Confirms: Bert And Ernie Are Gay — And One Is Jewish
In a September 16 interview “Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman put years of speculation to rest, letting the world know that Ernie and Bert are a gay couple — at least, he wrote them that way. Saltzman told Queerty that while he worked on scenes between the odd couple roommates, he drew from his own…
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Fast Forward Tom Arnold Scuffles With Mark Burnett Over Trump ‘Apprentice’ Tape
Actor Tom Arnold tussled with Reality TV maven Mark Burnett at a pre-Emmys party Sunday, September 16, and the story just keeps getting stranger. The fight, for which Arnold filed a police report Monday morning, appears to be regarding the long-rumored outtakes of Burnett’s show “The Apprentice” in which Donald Trump allegedly drops the N-word….
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Film & TV Bert And Ernie Are Lovers, Says ‘Sesame Street’ Writer Mark Saltzman
Putting to rest decades of speculation, former “Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman has confirmed to Queerty that Ernie and Bert are an item – at least in his eyes. Not only are the couple lovers, Saltzman says they are avatars of himself and his late partner Arnold Glassman. “I always felt that without a huge…
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