Next week's Super Bowl brought back memories of an Eagles' championship a long time ago. Monday, December 26, 1960, was a cool 9 degree Celsius day, but perfect weather for sitting on the steps of a West Philly row house, listening to the broadcast of the NFL Championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the … Continue reading It’s time for the Eagles to fly
Comic duo Laurel and Hardy’s moments to remember: Tales of Hollywood stranger than fiction
Laurel and Hardy were two of my favourite comedians. Every year on Thanksgiving, a US TV network played one of their old films. We laughed at their jokes and slapstick, with perfect timing and the sheepish face of Stan Laurel and the exasperated reactions of Oliver Hardy providing moments to remember. What brought back that … Continue reading Comic duo Laurel and Hardy’s moments to remember: Tales of Hollywood stranger than fiction
A journalist’s memoirs: From minefields to Mandela
“Welcome to the world of BLEEP.” That was a former executive producer calling to congratulate me on being appointed supervising producer of the Channel Nine Sunday Program in the mid-90s. Yes, the missing word is rude and banned from most conversations, even frowned upon by social media outlets. But the congratulatory call was also close … Continue reading A journalist’s memoirs: From minefields to Mandela
The Buttons: Speechless but never at a loss for words
It’s taken me a while to read Speechless, a lovely book about speechwriting by James Button, Walkley Award-winning journalist and author and son of John, a senator and a former minister in the Labor Governments of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating. It’s not only a story about speeches but a father and son relationship, the … Continue reading The Buttons: Speechless but never at a loss for words
A producer’s diary: The night the People’s Princess died
Matt White was a show business legend, from his days on Fleet Street after his stint in World War II in the Intelligence Service and later on The Daily Mirror and the Daily Telegraph in Sydney. He wrote about films and television and movie stars, many of whom were his friends. Matt was also a … Continue reading A producer’s diary: The night the People’s Princess died
Scaramucci does his last fandango for the White House
Anthony Scaramucci is being divorced by his wife, was fired by the president and is now reportedly dead. Okay, rumours of his death have been greatly exaggerated as Mark Twain once said, but it’s been that kind of a week for the sacked White House communications director. The New York financier was removed from his … Continue reading Scaramucci does his last fandango for the White House
Helen Garner: Everywhere I look I find words chiselled in gold
Preface: It's been a while since I've written a blog post: various reasons, including judging a journalism award; the birth of my fourth grandchild, a boy named Max (you can see him in a photo on my Facebook page); a brief hospital visit; keeping an eye on my team, the Sydney Swans, now with three … Continue reading Helen Garner: Everywhere I look I find words chiselled in gold
Winless in Sydney: Fears of a winter of discontent for the Swans
Shades of 1993. My favourite Australian Football League (AFL) team, the Sydney Swans, have lost their first four matches of the year, the most since that dire season of 1993 when the team set a record of 26 straight defeats. Last night, the Swans lost by 26 points to the West Coast Eagles in Perth, … Continue reading Winless in Sydney: Fears of a winter of discontent for the Swans
Jimmy Breslin: ‘Thanks for the use of the hall’
Jimmy Breslin was called the guru of shoe leather by his colleagues because he used a lot of it. Even in his late seventies and early 80s, the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist still climbed stairs because, as he put it, “the story is never on the first floor.” Breslin was a reporter’s reporter, much loved in … Continue reading Jimmy Breslin: ‘Thanks for the use of the hall’
Mr Trump, Your time is up
One of my favourite Henrik Ibsen plays is An Enemy of the People about the doctor of a spa in a small Norwegian town who discovers the Baths are contaminated. The residents praise him as an activist until they learn the baths will have to be closed for several years, costing their jobs, and when … Continue reading Mr Trump, Your time is up
