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As of last Christmas, no less than 8 million copies of 1998’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill had been rung through at earthly checkout lines. We suspect that roughly one-third of that figure represents fans so desperate for a follow-up to that delicious album of hip-hop-soul that they simply ran out and bought the first … Read more

As seen on Amazon.com: “Customers who downloaded songs from this album also downloaded ‘Far Side Of The World’ [by] Jimmy Buffett.” Mr. Margaritaville and Moby sharing fans? So much for any lingering doubts about this dance-rock maestro’s crossover juice. Cynical musicos like to poke fun at Moby for his omnipresence, especially in commercials. Ever since … Read more

Dear Clint, Glad you took my call yesterday! I can’t tell you how great it was to speak with you in person again. What’s it been, almost 20 years? (Not counting your wedding–sheesh, was I wasted or what?) Anyway, like I said on the phone, I’ll be here in Sydney doing reshoots on this new … Read more

It doesn’t take a diehard fan of The Band to appreciate this mother-of-all-rockumentaries. Martin Scorsese’s artful, affectionate, and sharply edited footage of musical luminaries such as Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, and other Band cronies holds up just fine more than a quarter century after it was recorded. In fact, given that so much … Read more

Are you crying ’cause the dog’s dead or because your own youthful innocence bit the dust along with him? At the risk of over-analyzing–aw heck, ain’t that what these deluxe DVD packages are all about?–Old Yeller is likely the most important movie in the Disney catalog, if only because it manages to evoke the darkness … Read more

Yes, this is the show in which Nicole Kidman appeared nude on Broadway. Now that we’ve gotten that bit of trivia out of the way, let’s consider the play itself, a meditation on couples and coupling. Adapted from Arthur Schnitzler’s classic La Ronde, The Blue Room is structured as a circle of interlocking encounters. Each … Read more

Hedwig is the victim of a bungled sex-change operation, a gay immigrant from Berlin who reinvents himself as a rock ‘n’ roll drag queen. The Angry Inch is both Hedwig’s band and, er, what she has left after the operation. Does this sound like your idea of a hit show? If not, you might be … Read more

We took Crying at the Movies to bed with us like a bad cold, prepared to wallow in it and nurse it, not realizing it was a page-turner. This memoir by Madelon Sprengnether, University of Minnesota English Professor and creative writing instructor, is a story of self-discovery told through the very adult–and very childlike–process of … Read more

Climbers are, of course, risk-takers by definition. But they don’t have a death-wish. On the contrary, they have a life-wish. It’s a complicated thing, but basically it comes down to this: Living close to the edge has a way of sharpening your senses, of making you feel more alive. Coming out of a decade’s worth … Read more

Judith Guest, one of Minnesota’s most acclaimed authors, will read from Ice Walk and will discuss writing and publishing her works, which include Ordinary People (1976), Second Heaven (1982), Killing Time in St. Cloud (1988), and Errands (1997). Guest’s latest work was co-created with artists Michael Lizama and Jana Pullman, both of Minneapolis. Author and … Read more