Hollywood’s Holy Grail — Since the birth of the movies as an American pastime, Hollywood had always enjoyed a spike in summer business. The studio game plan was to release a variety of films to satisfy their vast and growing audience. That one must-see movie to captivate the public would remain a phenomenon. Something…

Am I a bad person for feeling more relief than pain? — After multiple cancer surgeries, medical procedures, and my brother Eddie's death, my mother passed in her sleep at the age of 83. The final five years of her life were full of chemotherapy, grief, and steady decline. Quality of Life became less and less. As my mother’s situation worsened, she…

Coming of age fiction honoring sacrifice — When the memorial for a fallen hero faces demolition, high school buddies devise a law-breaking scheme to save it. Will the boys succeed? If not, the sacrifice and memory of a Vietnam combat soldier will be lost forever. A teenage adventure set in the 1980s. ​A coming-of-age story about honor…

Trumpism might be here for some time — Trump might have created MAGA, but Capitol Hill created Trump. In the long term, historians will debate and define Trump’s legacy. In the short term, it’s Trumpism that remains in the here and now. Republicans have to figure out how to exorcise the ghost without upsetting the conservative base. A…

Don’t allow their fear and pessimism to derail your journey — After years of dealing with various narcissists, the major thread that ties each one together is vulnerability. The narc’s kryptonite. Their Achilles heel. As lifelong learners, we embrace vulnerability, or the strength to do so. We know the rocky road ahead. What’s in store, including the threshold of pain we’re…

If the other guy isn’t playing fair, it will only add to your trouble — So many of us love to argue over and fight for principle. Hey, slow down, buster— I have the right of way! I was here first! Hey, what do you think you’re doing? — Wait your turn like everyone else! All good things. In many cases, righteous. The right of…

Be on the lookout for this invasive species move — Since Narcissists don’t respect, regard, and recognize boundaries, they love to meddle in other people’s affairs. When this happens to you, be wary of the double-whammy. This occurs when the Narc crosses your boundary in the first place. They begin by discussing and criticizing your current dilemma. A puzzle that…

40 nuggets to help you along in this collaborative endeavor — Background acting is a lot like real life since it is. Despite the outer-worldly essence of a movie and TV set, the film and television extra need to be the most genuine and real thing, along with the location, props, and costume design. Regardless of the production’s genre — be…

The Sopranos prequel hits on most, if not all cylinders — “We are all broken and full of cracks. That’s how the light gets in.” ― Leonard Cohen Leave it to the brain trust of David Chase and his fingerprints tackling the gangster genre. The Many Saints of Newark is fun, over-the-top, and yet original. The movie also pays tribute to…