Category: Arts & Culture
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COMIC STANDING: Gary Gulman talks economic inequality
Comedians are famous for knowing how to work a crowd with their side-splitting and sometimes off-color commentary on everyday issues, but they also have a unique angle on social issues. Well, at least Gary Gulman does. The Peabody native and Last Comic Standing finalist has a lot to say about the effects of income inequality…
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CELEBRATING ALTMAN: Harvard Film Archive spearheads a retrospective of Robert Altman
In an age when multimillionaire matinee idols like Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are trumpeted as Hollywood mavericks, the career of the late director Robert Altman may call for stronger words. Today’s profit-minded artist-moguls might just call him crazy. Even in the ‘70s, that golden age of maverick Hollywood, Altman baffled fans and disturbed the…
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MIKE McCOLGAN: Founding member of the Dropkick Murphys talks homelessness
He’s a man who holds various titles such as punk rocker, army veteran, firefighter, EMT and union activist. He’s a man who holds his Dorchester roots near and dear to him. It’s Savin Hill’s own Mike McColgan. You may know McColgan as a founding member of Dropkick Murphys—he leant his voice to their debut album…
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CHRIS PRATT: Jurassic World star talks action, comedy, and dinosaurs
By Guy Davis, Courtesy of INSP News Service www.INSP.org / The Big Issue Australia Chris Pratt, who visited Harvard earlier this year to receive Hasty Pudding’s Man of the Year award, would prefer to avoid death by a thousand bites, thank you very much. “Oh, man, take me out with one big bite, please, not…
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BAD BLOOD: Taylor Swift discusses crossing over
By Holly Gleason, Courtesy of INSP News Service www.INSP.org / The Contributor “I don’t really think people were surprised I made a pop album,” Taylor Swift says without flinching. “I think they were surprised I was honest about it.” There, in a one simple compound sentence, the long-legged songstress defines the courage in her take…
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REVIEW: After All the Terrible Things I Do
A play might be important, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be effective. That’s the case with After All The Terrible Things I Do, a work by Midwestern playwright A. Rey Pamatmat. This two-character play cogently brings to the fore such issues as gay identity, self-loathing, parental pressure and bullying. While it does break…
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LION’S ROAR: Lions Lions frontman tackles LGBT and homeless issues on- and offstage
The voices of mainstream musical artists have always been heard when it comes to issues like homelessness and gay rights. What some people may not hear as much, however, are the voices of artists in the local circuit, which are just as valuable and just as rich in support and positive messages. Josh Herzer of…
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CAZWELL PRIDE: Worcester native and gay rapper talks pride and sexuality
With the attention-grabbing All Over Your Face and the viral smash Ice Cream Truck, rapper Cazwell dragged hip hop kicking and screaming into the LGBT community. Known for his steaming-hot videos and frank depiction of gay sexuality, Cazwell is also arguably the most famous gay rapper in the world. And yet, for all the sensational…
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LIGHT UP THE SKY: Old school gem dissects Broadway
A bantering, behind-the-scenes Broadway tale written in 1948, Moss Hart’s Light Up the Sky might seem to be an unlikely theatrical lure in 2015. Yet this comedy isn’t just beautifully staged, bang-up entertainment: it also has a depth that sneaks up and surprises. You know those shameless modern movie comedies by Judd Apatow and his…
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MISS CONGENIALITY: Katya's alter ego talks stardom, Olympics
When Boston won the bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Brian McCook’s now famous drag alter ego Katya planned an old-school Russian boycott. “I’m so torn about it,” says McCook, who was in the top five out of 14 performers featured on the current season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. “While I would love to physically…