|
Book |
Of All Time:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943)
By Betty Smith
This story simply and elegantly explained, for me, love, death, loyalty, writing – my life. Nothing has everreplaced its raw and tenacious power.
|
Right Now:
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride (2009)
by Daniel James Brown
The stark reality of why the Donner Party was no party.
The Little Stranger (2009)
by Sarah Waters
A few books came out this year that purported to be good ghost stories: This really was, in the tradition of Shirley Jackson and Henry James.
|
|
Movie |
Of All Time:
The Godfather, Part II (1974)
Director, Francis Ford Coppola
I grew up with these guys, except when this movie was made and I was a kid, the era of criminal royalty was already over, although Tony Soprano (and Tony Pellicano) apparently didn’t know this. The rich palette of a Titian landscape in every scene, the echo of mythic tragedy in every line – Frankie, take me, I’m yours.
|
Right Now:
Up (2009)
Directors Bob Peterson and Pete Docter
A 78-year-old man ties balloons to his house in the perfect movie. Pixar achieves high art.
|
|
Musical |
Of All Time:
West Side Story (1957)
The absurdly magnificent one-time collaboration of Leonard Berstein, Jerome Robbins and the 26-year-old genius Stephen Sondheim, writing what I believe were he lyrics of his life, and a story that gets truer every year, it’s all the beautiful sounds of the world in a single show.
|
Right Now:
Ragtime
Book by Terrance McNally,
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
The perfect musical. The story of the fictional—no, mythical—Coalhouse Walker, Jr., and his fight for the most simple justice.
It is playing on Broadway now.
Blood Brothers (1988)
By Willy Russell
musical about class, fate and family |
|
Play |
Of All Time:
The Children’s Hour (1934)
I have no idea why I still love every word of a play that manages to be dated and yet terrifyingly novel – in that our need to examine and approve the personal acts ofothers is still a cornerstone of our national consciousness. There were probably some things Lillian Helllman thought she could do better than she actually could but this wasn’t one.
|
Right Now:
The American Plan
by Richard Greenberg
A lying word and too much food.
|
|
TV Show |
Of All Time:
The X-Files (1992-2002)
Even when I had no idea at all what Chris Carter was on about, this show gave me nine years of pure joy, though my husband balked when I wanted to name our last child Scully. Best episode ever: ‘The Family.’ Second best ever: ‘Wetwired’ Every episode: Total class.
|
Right Now:
Dexter
Showtime
Can't get enough -- the serial killer you hate to love.
|
|
Musical group |
Of All Time:
The Beatles
|
Right Now:
Wilco |
Male pop singer |
Of All Time:
Stevie Wonder
|
Right Now:
Michael Bublé |
Country |
Of All Time:
Dolly Parton, George Jones
|
Right Now:
Carrie Underwood |
Jazz |
Of All Time:
Nancy Wilson
|
Right Now:
Miles Davis |
Song, pop |
Of All Time:
Stardust
(Hoagy Carmichael, 1929)
This is the song that was eveyrone's parents' song during World War II and if everyone knew it today, it would be eveyrone's parents' song, too.
|
Right Now:
‘Single Ladies’
(Beyoncé
2009)
Hallelujah
(Jeff Buckley, 1994) |
World Song |
Of All Time:
La Vie en Rose (1948)
(Edith Piaf)
|
Right Now:
'Ashoken Farewell' by Celtic Women
|
|
Reportage |
Of All Time:
Walter Cronkite on Watergate
|
Right Now:
The Twitter Revolution, Mother Jones |
|
Clothing |
Of All Time:
Babette San Francisco
Those wrinkly clothes, especially the raincoats, of which I (embarrassingly) have three, you can crush into your purse and take out in exactly the same condition of freshness are unbeatable for the weary traveler.
|
Right Now:
Sophia NYC
Nothing like these clothes for women. Elegant, gorgeous and almost affordable. |
|
Shoes |
Of All Time:
Steve Madden
|
Right Now:
MBT Tunisha,
black business shoes, a miracle for people with back pain and who cares how they look?
|
|
Jeans |
Of All Time:
Cambio
|
Right Now:
Levi’s 501 jeans
|
|
Food |
Of All Time:
Gnocchi
These little Italian pasta dumplings made with potato flour are so filling that to eat two is to weigh ten more; but decadence never tasted so good. The best I ever had were pumpkin spinach gorgonzola at a restaurant distinguished only by the chicken over the lintel.
|
Right Now:
all about vegetarian Ethiopian Food
|
|
City |
Of All Time:
New York
|
Right Now:
Chicago |
|
Place on Earth |
Of All Time:
Bellagio, in Tuscany
|
Right Now:
Savusavu, Fiji |
|
Hobby |
Of All Time:
Riding horses
|
Right Now:
Cooking (I’m astonished too!)
|