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Category Archives: Italians
Danny DeVito is closer to the real character’s height
OK, I was wrong, according to imdb.com, Danny is 4′ 10″ (1.47 m) and what I remember from the Marvel Universe comics, Wolverine (aka Logan) is 5′ 2″ (1.58 m) but let’s face it, movies prefer the illusion of height: many … Continue reading
Italian #56: Niccolò Machiavelli
Much like Orwell, Dickens and Kafka, poor Niccolò shares the distinction of being the second oldest author I know of, whose surname became an adjective everybody thinks they know the definition of…yet, the real person was nothing like it. Most … Continue reading
Posted in Books, History, Italians
Tagged Instructional Media, Politics, Renaissance
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Italian #54: Chelsea Peretti
I will conclude the string of comedians with Chelsea. I saw her at the first Moontower through a showcase hosted by Dana Gould and I really liked her material. She’s probably the most recognizable I’ve covered this year through her run … Continue reading
Italian #53: Natasha Leggero
Natasha Leggero has been quite busy these days. For several years she co-starred in a parody of all those Victorian shows everybody goes ape shit for, Downton Abbey…blech! Could the Anglophilia be any grosser? Hers was called Another Period and co-starred … Continue reading
Italian #52: Joe DeRosa
Joe DeRosa is a hilarious comedian who you may recognize as the veterinarian Dr. Caldera from Better Call Saul; he sells Mike Ehrmantraut animal medications which work on people. Given how Mike is a scary ex-cop who does criminal things (aka Gus … Continue reading
Rosati’s Pizza!
Just got back from this place. I should’ve taken a picture with my own darned iPhone but it was a rather exhausting afternoon recording Gifts of the Maggi #3 with Kathy and my guest Holly (she found the place). We had a … Continue reading
Italian #51: Blair Socci
Mucca sacra! I have really let my Italian-Heritage column/tradition go to shit. I haven’t really written about anyone worth a damn in four years. Damn. The divorce and all set me back in 2019, the pandemic for 2020 to some … Continue reading
Hooray! October 2021 and its three key celebrations
At last, in Central Texas, the Summer weather is slowly ending and in the next decade thanks to Climate change, we can push it back to Thanksgiving! But let’s rejoice over the good things October brings! As this month’s banner … Continue reading
One hundred days of learning Italian!!
Italian is what I’m primarily learning. I’m also picking up bits and pieces of Spanish while also refreshing my French. Why though? It all started with my friend Jeremy who lives in the Netherlands. Thanks to Amerika finally shedding its … Continue reading
In case you don’t know the difference
I couldn’t let October completely pass without a little nod to Italian heritage. This visual joke comes courtesy of my cousin Dana. Pretty funny and accurate since there’s an old joke about us…ahem! How do you make an Italian shut … Continue reading
RIP John Saxon (neé Carmine Orrico)
My generation knows him mainly for being B-Movie royalty in such hits as Nightmare on Elm Street, Black Christmas and Battle Beyond Stars. But John was much, much more than that. He originally started out in more mainstream movies in the Fifties with … Continue reading
Posted in History, Italians, Movies, TV
Tagged Action, Celebrity Obituary, Eighties, Horror, Kung Fu, Science Fiction, Seventies
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RIP Ennio Morricone
Ennio was probably one of the biggest composers before John Williams, namely due to his head start. Like many, I’m more familiar with his Westerns that made Clint Eastwood into a bigger star and then contributing to John Carpenter’s remake … Continue reading
Posted in History, Italians, Movies, Music
Tagged Celebrity Obituary, Scores, Soundtracks, Westerns
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1860: The beginning of modern Italy via Giuseppe Garibaldi
One hundred and sixty years ago Garibaldi left Genoa with 1000 volunteers to invade the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. In Garibaldi’s defense, the kingdom was an absolute monarchy and its ruler King Francis II, a Bourbon (blech!), wasn’t very … Continue reading
Pasta found in the Netherlands that’s special!
As you can see from the label, whenever you buy this brand/package of pasta, you must give five ravioli to me. I prefer them to be cooked and covered with an Alfredo sauce. A chicken-based broth is acceptable too. In … Continue reading
My friend Amy and I went to a Big Night dinner!
Italian food is my favorite cuisine and I think it would be even I were zero percent Italian. After my one-year exile in Raleigh-Durham, I gained a much greater appreciation of it through a great restaurant called il Sogno (The Dream) because … Continue reading