Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences made history when it elected Cheryl Boone Isaacs as its new president, making her the third woman and first African-American to lead the organization. But another monumental shift also occurred last week that may not have seemed so important to casual observers: After decades ofContinue reading ““Casting By”: An underappreciated job and the woman who changed it and Hollywood”
Author Archives: AaronOOF
Studying The Brady Bunch finally pays off
Today Indiewire published a piece I wrote about the portrayal of kids coming-of-age on The Brady Bunch. It's the third in a series of five stories they're running this week to mark tomorrow night's launch of Participant Media's exciting new cable network pivot. As I think about all those afternoons trying to one-up my UCLAContinue reading “Studying The Brady Bunch finally pays off”
Joseph Losey’s “The Servant” expert take on “class warfare”
More violent than any of the tentpole summer blockbusters at the local multiplex, Joseph Losey‘s 1963 film The Servant examines the diminished and disintegrating British class system of its era. This new restoration for the film’s 50th anniversary presents a stunningly claustrophobic and utterly engaging experience for audiences, and if you’ve never seen it beforeContinue reading “Joseph Losey’s “The Servant” expert take on “class warfare””
PAUSE FOR PODCASTS: An Introduction, and Goodbye to “It’s All Politics”
I once loved to drive. During my eight years living in Los Angeles, I regularly drove myself home to San Francisco to see my family. It didn’t take much longer than flying onec I accounted for getting to the airport early, the flight itself, and then the drive to my mom’s house in Marin County.Continue reading “PAUSE FOR PODCASTS: An Introduction, and Goodbye to “It’s All Politics””
Jumping back into the pool: Writing is hard — an “Uh-Huh” moment
Several years ago, I started having not-quite-epiphanies: Moments of realization in which something I already knew becomes consciously absorbed. I was not having giant light bulb moments; these weren’t sudden ideas that popped into my brain out of nowhere. Rather, I experienced flashes of clarity on subjects not foreign to me. I wasn’t exclaiming, “A-Ha!Continue reading “Jumping back into the pool: Writing is hard — an “Uh-Huh” moment”
Chaplin: The Musical All Falls Down Right from the Start
I will stipulate that compressing the life of one of the most important and influential artists of the 20th Century is no easy task. Satisfying all audiences is impossible. The creators of a big, meant-for-Broadway musical must omit fun, interesting and clever bits of story and information, and too, they must simplify and consolidate largeContinue reading “Chaplin: The Musical All Falls Down Right from the Start”
Happy New Year! The “Evolving Traditions” Edition
On Aug. 12, 2012, I got married. That alone marks 2012 as a fantastic, fabulous, phenomenal, momentous year in The Life of Aaron. But otherwise, 2012 disappointed the hell out of me. It certainly was not as bad as 2009, and in certain ways, it improved upon both 2010 and 2011. Still, as I revisitedContinue reading “Happy New Year! The “Evolving Traditions” Edition”
A Civil War Christmas: A fascinating, serious and fun pageant for the ages
The Playbill for Paula Vogel’s A Civil War Christmas — which opened Tuesday at New York Theater Workshop – contains a “production history” timeline starting with the November 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln. The twelfth and final item dated “October-November 2012” notes the production’s rehearsal start, the arrival of Hurricane Sandy and NYTW’s loss ofContinue reading “A Civil War Christmas: A fascinating, serious and fun pageant for the ages”
Checkers: Nixon’s most likable moment played out less-favorably
I guess I just expected so much more. The story behind the story of Richard Nixon’s infamous “Checkers” speech; Terry Kinney in the director’s chair and the very talented Anthony LaPaglia and Kathryn Erbe doing the majority of the heavy lifting on stage; a script by the politically astute Douglas McGrath, who gained some satireContinue reading “Checkers: Nixon’s most likable moment played out less-favorably”
Sorry: The Apple Family has nothing to apologize for
In the program to his new play Sorry writer-director Richard Nelson writes, “It is my hope that these plays are about the need to talk, the need to listen, the need for theatre, and, I now add, the need to be in the same room together.” The immediacy of theater sets it apart from theContinue reading “Sorry: The Apple Family has nothing to apologize for”
Out of Focus 