A few weeks ago, I recommended Nell Scovell’s book “Just The Funny Parts,” in which she not only writes about her career as a TV (mostly comedy) writer, but also about the sexism she encountered both on the job and while looking for more opportunities. One of the personalities she wrote about was David Letterman, […]
Nell Scovell’s “Just The Funny Parts” is the best book I’ve read this year. Scovell has been a TV writer for over 30 years, including “Sabrina The Teenage Witch,” which she created. She’s also worked on “The Simpsons,” “Newhart,” “Murphy Brown,” “Charmed,” “NCIS,” “Warehouse 13,” “Coach,” and a lot more. Those are just the shows […]
I wrote recently about how interviewers can do a better job, so it’s only fair I talk a little about guests. The best are those who come to the interview with more than just expertise. They must have the ability to tell a story or explain things in simple, common terms. Authors can be good […]
Joshua Zeitz says the presidential legacy most at risk under Donald Trump isn’t that of Barack Obama, but of LBJ. I asked him to explain while we discussed his book, “Building The Great Society: Lyndon Johnson’s White House.” We talked about Johnson’s work on Medicare and Medicaid, how much the Vietnam War detracts from his […]
Over the last few weeks, several actors and actresses who have appeared in Woody Allen movies (e.g. Joaquin Phoenix, Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Rebecca Hall, Greta Gerwig, Rachel Brosnahan, Ellen Page, and Mira Sorvino) have made public proclamations of regret in an attempt to distance themselves from the filmmaker. The reason? The continuing claims by […]
Here’s my conversation with Jeff Kreisler, co-author with Dan Ariely of “Dollars and Sense: How We Misthink Money and How to Spend Smarter.” Jeff explained such terms as opportunity cost, the pain of paying, and anchoring. We also discussed why we don’t talk to each other about money, and why our kids don’t get a good […]