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Epigonos

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On 12/18/2023 at 5:28 PM, Jim_n_NYC said:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned And the Band Played On - Randy Shilts.  I have one last historical fiction that I should finish soon so I put Band on all my e-devices.  It's over 800 pages...is it worth the read?

Of course it is   - it's an important historical work.  I was at Randy Shilts's memorial at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco.  A bunch of hateful Christians flew in from Kansas to try to disrupt things and the SFPD surrounded them with a blockade so that they couldn't interfere. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/20/2021 at 10:15 AM, Rod Hagen said:

Not to shit on something you are hopefully enjoying, and knowing nothing about the book, I'm 100% sure that this reviewer either has not read one of the seminal books he namechecks, or if did read them he didn't understand them.  How else to explain comparing a self-help book to two masterworks of (gay) literature?

I just finished The Velvet Rage and you are spot on that it is no masterwork of gay literature. I'm still glad that I took the time to read the thought provoking book that covered self-discovery and self-help. The part that resonated most with me was the brief description of the fear associated with the emergence of AIDS in the 80s.

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Jose Ferrer: Success and  Survival by  Mike and  Eros

First by Puerto Rican to win  an Academy Award for  Acting

Married often, including Rosemary Clooney twice.

A  major  star on Broadway,  even tried singing in  Nole Coward musical with Florence Henderson.

Major star in Films

Had many  children

He seems to have been forgotten.

I saw him once in Philadelphia in a charity  concert 

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1 hour ago, WilliamM said:

Jose Ferrer: Success and  Survival by  Mike and  Eros

First by Puerto Rican to win  an Academy Award for  Acting

He seems to have been forgotten.

 

Forgotten except on the island of Puerto Rico where he is revered. He donated his Oscar and is on view in the foyer of the main theater at the University of Puerto Rico. 

Thanks for reminding me of him and the place. 

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38 minutes ago, WilliamM said:

I believe his Oscar was  stolen for a short time.

Jose had a wonderful memory, given how many times he appeared on Broadway and elsewhere in Plays and musical as well live television 

I didn't know that. But I do know he donated it to the UPR which treasures it in an encasing in the center of the University's theater's foyer as one walks in. Impresive thing one can't miss when entering and needs to walk around it. 

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1 hour ago, Danny-Darko said:

I didn't know that. But I do know he donated it to the UPR which treasures it in an encasing in the center of the University's theater's foyer as one walks in. Impresive thing one can't miss when entering and needs to walk around it. 

His Oscar stands incased on a pedestal of sorts as one walks in those two main doble doors one sees in the picture. They are very proud of it and him and especially the Dramatic Arts Faculty which is a building next to the theater on the right-hand side. 

I tried to find a pic of the Oscar itself but to no avail. 

la-et-cm-hamilton-puerto-rico-theater-20190113.jpg

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26 minutes ago, WilliamM said:

Jose graduated Princeton where he met people like Jimmy Stewart 

I wonder why the UPR would have his Oscar then? He wasn't even raised or educated on the Island and the Puerto Ricans do claim him as one of their own! I've seen the Oscar myself there back in the 1980's, yet I couldn't find a pic not any information on it to pass on! Now I'm curious. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
23 hours ago, Rod Hagen said:
FInished it last night.  Loved it.  Critics Love it.  Jimmy Fallon Loved it. 

Buy On Amazon

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People online seem to have a different, pissed off, take:

 

6554b6be8c0d829a8bf63ae0c82cf121_link.pn Book Club Discussion: TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW | Patreon

WWW.PATREON.COM

Get more from Film Crit Hulk on Patreon

What did you think?

I loved it.  Recommend to everyone. One of my favourite recent reads.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just finished this Gay Korean (most of it takes place in Seoul) novel.  It did very well in Korea.  It's Excellent.

READ.AMAZON.COM

Free Book Preview from Kindle

Review:

 

WWW.NYTIMES.COM

Sang Young Park’s English-language debut, “Love in the Big City,” is already a best seller in Korea.
 

 

Great interview, he's adorable!

 

 

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"Beautiful Things" by Hunter Biden.  Does not get good until Hunter's married life starts completely falling apart with Kathleen.  Even more exciting in chapter 5 when crack dealer, Bicycles/ Ria, moves into his DC apartment.  

I am a very proud political independent.  In most books I love a good crack dealer, drama, and street excitement. 

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On 9/17/2023 at 6:23 PM, Brock O said:

I see the Captain Cook book at the bottom of the pile. The cottage where he grew up in England was dismantled and reassembled in the park across from our apartment in Australia...stop by and see it!

I saw that book at the bottom too.  When I think of Captain Cook,  my first thought is usually what he said about Antartica, Terra Australis.  It was something along the lines of "I make bold to declare that nothing shall come from it."  I quoted it in a paper of mine 32 years ago; online now, I can't find the quote.

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On 2/11/2024 at 8:37 AM, Zippo5 said:

I loved it.  Recommend to everyone. One of my favourite recent reads.

I'm going to message you privately, to make sure you get it, but in case anyone else here reads and likes this book, I highly recommend the very good TV show that haunted my dreams each night I watched it, Halt and Catch Fire*, not just because it's also about computers and takes place around the same time as the book does, but the characters share the same frustrating flaw of being too smart to stay connected for very long. (But that's not what the show is about, read the NYTimes critical appraisal AFTER you finish the show, to find out what it was really about.)  Enjoy!  p.s. Each season is better than the last.

*It comes with AMC+, otherwise you can buy it on Halt and Catch Fire on Amazon Prime

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Edited by Rod Hagen
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8 hours ago, Rod Hagen said:

I'm going to message you privately, to make sure you get it, but in case anyone else here reads and likes this book, I highly recommend the very good TV show that haunted my dreams each night I watched it, Halt and Catch Fire*, not just because it's also about computers and takes place around the same time as the book does, but the characters share the same frustrating flaw of being too smart to stay connected for very long. (But that's not what the show is about, read the NYTimes critical appraisal AFTER you finish the show, to find out what it was really about.)  Enjoy!  p.s. Each season is better than the last.

*It comes with AMC+, otherwise you can buy it on Halt and Catch Fire on Amazon Prime

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I *loved* “Halt and Catch Fire”, and it paralleled a time of my “computer life’ that I could really relate to. And Lee Pace for the eye candy factor thank you 😉

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11 hours ago, MikeBiDude said:

I *loved* “Halt and Catch Fire”, and it paralleled a time of my “computer life’ that I could really relate to. And Lee Pace for the eye candy factor thank you 😉

I find him super sexy too.  I am glad that he is totally out, and partnered, though it was always a very open secret.  Very glad you enjoyed the show and related to it.  I watched and loved it years ago, and am now rewatching it for the second time and having the same positive reaction.  

 

Here is the NYTimes assessment of the show, it's dead-on:

WWW.NYTIMES.COM

The underappreciated AMC series, whose finale aired Saturday, dramatized the joy of creation and the beauty of struggle.

 

 

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On 3/9/2024 at 9:21 PM, MikeBiDude said:

I *loved* “Halt and Catch Fire”, 

I know this is the Literature thread, but such a literary show.  I'm on S3 now in my rewatch and although I'm not there yet, I'm terrified of this conclusion to S3E8

 

"I, Ryan Ray, released the MacMillan Utility source code. I acted alone. No one helped me, and no one told me to do it. I did this because security is a myth. Contrary to what you might have heard, my friends, you are not safe. Safety is a story. It’s something we teach our kids (children--RH) so they can sleep at night, but we know it’s not real. Beware baffled humans, beware of false prophets who will sell you a fake future of bad teachers, corrupt leaders and dirty corporations. Beware of cops and robbers… the kinds that rob your dreams. But most of all, beware of each other, because everything’s about to change. The world is going to crack wide open. There is something on the horizon. A massive connectivity. The barriers between us will disappear, and we’re not ready. We’ll hurt each other in new ways. We’ll sell and be sold. we’ll share (expose--RH) our most tender selves only to be mocked and destroyed. We’ll be so vulnerable, and we’ll pay the price. We won’t be able to pretend that we can protect ourselves anymore. It’s a huge danger, a gigantic risk, but it’s worth it, if only we can learn to take care of each other, then this awesome, destructive new connection won’t isolate us. It won’t leave us in the end so… totally alone. "

Gorgeous writing, shot stunningly.
 
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On 3/7/2024 at 11:19 PM, Rod Hagen said:

Just finished this Gay Korean (most of it takes place in Seoul) novel.  It did very well in Korea.  It's Excellent.

READ.AMAZON.COM

Free Book Preview from Kindle

Review:

 

WWW.NYTIMES.COM

Sang Young Park’s English-language debut, “Love in the Big City,” is already a best seller in Korea.
 

 

Great interview, he's adorable!

 

 

OK @Rod Hagen you are now 2 in a row winner picks for me, “Love in the Big City” was great! “Old Gods Time” the other.

What’s next for me? 🤣

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