One of the most exciting new televisions shows of the season is “Empire,” premiering on January 7, 2015 on Fox. It is part “King Lear,” part “Godfather,” part “Lion in Winter,” part soap opera, and set in the world of hip-hop music. Terrence Howard plays a drug dealer turned music mogul named Lucious Lyon who …

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Lacey Schwartz grew up as the much-loved only child of warm, loving parents in a close-knit middle-class Jewish family. She did not resemble her parents, but they reassured her that she had a Sicilian grandparent who was the genetic source for her dark eyes and kinky hair. When she went to college and was invited …

Continue reading “Interview: Lacey Schwartz on Her Family’s “Little White Lie” — No One Told Her She Was a Black Daughter in a White Family”

The movies have included some memorable snowmen. Here are some of my favorites. The Snowman This exquisite wordless story about a boy and a snowman is bittersweet (their time together is limited) but exhilarating. Frozen Olaf is the most adorable movie snowman ever, with a disposition that can only be described as sunny. “Frosty the …

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You will never see a better movie than the documentary “Life Itself,” the story of an extraordinary life. Roger used to say, “‘Rocky’” is not about boxing. It is about Rocky.” And this movie is not about movies or movie criticism. It is about Roger. And it is also about his wife, Chaz, one of …

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Susan Wloszczyna’s terrific series on women filmmakers for the Alliance of Women Film Journalists continues with a profile of Gail Anne Hurd, producer of films like “The Terminator,” “Aliens,” and television like “The Walking Dead.” Hurd has appeared on some of the most memorable Comic-Con panels I have attended, and I loved her stories about …

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