AFC Championship Reflections

Having just watched my hometown Patriots defeat the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game, I would like to share the following reflections:

• The Ravens outplayed the Patriots and should have won the game several times, but the ghost of Myra Kraft pulled it out for the home team.
• Several of the Ravens are dirty players who bring discredit to the NFL, rolling over offensive players after tackling them and starting fights regularly. The worst is Bernard Pollard who, having seriously injured the knees of Tom Brady and Wes Welker in past seasons with other teams, tried today to injure Rob Gronkowsky by twisting his knee after a tackle. Someone should break Pollard's knees.
• Everyone bashed the Patriots defense throughout the season, but they have played well enough to get to the Super Bowl.
• I'm really glad we have Vince Wilfork. Not only does he play brilliantly as he did today, but he is a terrific human being who is very active in a number of charities.
• Bellichick made a bonehead call by going for the bomb to Slater with seven minutes left instead of marching down the field and using up the clock. But, given the fact that he's gotten the team to five Super Bowls, I guess we should cut him some slack.
• On the other side of the field, Ravens Coach John Harbaugh was on camera shoving his Offensive Coordinator, Cam Cameron, because Harbaugh didn't like Cameron's play call. You can see where the team gets its nastiness.

Whatever happens in the Super Bowl in two weeks, I'm glad the Patriots got there, and not the Ravens. Thank you Myra Kraft!

The Flawed Nomination Process

The United States, a country that prides itself as the bastion of democracy, is operating with a broken process for determining its presidential nominees. To better understand what I mean, let me spend two paragraphs describing the history behind this process:

• Until 1968, presidential primaries in the United States were, for the most part, statewide opinion polls with no binding effect on the national nomination process. It was the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago and the malaise surrounding it that forced the Democratic Party to found the McGovern-Fraser Commission, which recommended new rules related to a system of binding primaries. George McGovern who co-headed that commission, knew the rules better than anyone, which enabled him to use the new system to his advantage to win the 1972 Democratic nomination. The Republicans soon adopted a similar system.
• At around the same time, Congress passed the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1972, requiring candidates to disclose sources of campaign contributions and expenditures. It was amended in 1974 to include limiting individual donations to $1,000 and donations by political action committees (PACs) to $5,000. The McCain-Feingold Act of 2002 doubled the individual donation limit to $2,000. Two, recent, judicial decisions allowed for “independent-expenditure only committees,” otherwise known as “super PACs,” which can raise unlimited sums from individuals, corporations, unions, and other groups. These funds are often used to fuel negative, single-issue media splurges.

The two major parties have, for the most part, allowed the states to set their own primary dates. On several occasions, certain states have tried to gain political leverage by moving their primaries earlier, often ahead of New Hampshire, which has combated this effort by repeatedly moving its primary before the others. The parties have tried to limit this activity by penalizing states that move their primaries earlier, taking away or decertifying convention delegates. Because Iowa has a caucus instead of a primary, it was allowed to place its caucus first.

Here is what is wrong with this system:

1. Only about 15% of voters even bother to vote in primaries, and fewer than 10% in caucuses. Those who vote tend to be more zealous and further to the fringes than the average voter.
2. Many states allow registered Independents to vote in either primary. Once again, those people tend to vote more on the basis of one or two issues than for the overall good of the parties whose ballots they select.
3. The news media report the process like a football game, with clear-cut winners and losers. For example, in Iowa, it was first reported that Romney won the Republican Caucus, even though it was by a handful of votes, which statistically tied him with Santorum. Just before the South Carolina Primary, it was reported that a recount showed that Santorum won in Iowa, once again by a statistically insignificant number of votes. If we look at the first three contests in 2012, the news media now reports that they were won by Santorum, Romney, and Gingrich. However, if you look at overall votes (which is not as news-sexy), Romney is considerably ahead.
4. The process is such that the first four nominating contests are in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida, and the nominee is often designated by the end of the Florida primary. Taken together, these states are in no way representative of the country as a whole, in that they ignore the large Northeast and Midwestern cities as well as everything West of the Mississippi. They also tend to vote more conservatively than the general electorate.

The Republicans could very well end up with Newt Gingrich as their nominee because Evangelical Christians and Tea Party loyalists in these few states don’t like Romney. Do they really think Gingrich will get the necessary cross-over votes or the corporate votes to be elected president? I know plenty of Republican businessmen who would rather see Obama than Gingrich in that office. The truth is that the primary process, as it now stands, has polarized the electorate and produced a string of mediocre presidents who would probably not have been nominated without such a non-representative, poorly reported system.

So how do we fix it? The first step is to eliminate super PACs, which are responsible for most of the negative ads polluting our airways.

We can then focus on fixing the primary process, and there are many proposed systems including graduated, rotating regions, balanced primaries, and even a proposal for one, national primary. Each of these systems has its flaws, favoring one region or type of state ahead of others. So here is my proposal, which I call the Rotating Third System. Under this system:

• The country would be divided into three sets of states—17, 17, and 16 states in each set.
• Each third would be balanced by geography, population, and party registration, and it would be designated as A, B, or C.
• In the first election year using this system, states in Set A would vote on the same date in February, those in Set B would vote in April, and states in Set C would vote in June.
• Four years later, Set B would go first, voting in February, followed by Set C and Set A.
• Four years after that, Set C would go first, and this rotation would continue changing every four years.

Under the Rotating Third System, candidates could decide which states in each set deserve their greatest commitments of time and money. Even if a nominee emerges after the first set of primaries (which would be unlikely), that nominee would have been chosen by a representative sampling of America, rather than a random few states. And because the sets rotate every four years, no particular set of states has a continual, undue influence on the process.

Whatever system is adopted, it is clear that the election process is broken and needs to be fixed in a way that provides the country with nominees that are not the “lesser of two evils.” By doing so, we will go a long way toward solidifying our claim as the world’s greatest Democracy.

TV is the New Movies

Maybe it’s the lack of theater etiquette, or the rising cost of movie tickets, or the proliferation of widescreen HDTVs, or the addition of commercials before each film, or the aging of the Baby Boomers, or the huge lists of on-demand viewing options, or just the hassles related to going out. For whatever reasons, TV has become the medium of choice for most viewers and much of the Hollywood elite.

When I was younger, a top-notch movie director would never consider working in television. That is no longer the case, as well-known filmmakers have ventured into television production; they include J.J. Abrams (“Fringe,” “Lost,” “Person of Interest,” “Alcatraz”), Peter Berg (“Friday Night Lights,” “Prime Suspect”), Jonathan Demme (“A Gifted Man”), Todd Haynes (“Mildred Pierce”), Martin Scorsese (“Boardwalk Empire”), Steven Spielberg (a number of shows including “Band of Brothers,” “Falling Skies,” and the upcoming “Smash”), Gus Van Sant (“Boss”), and the Scott brothers—Ridley and Tony (“Numb3rs,” “The Good Wife”).

In addition, it used to be that movie stars only made TV shows when their careers were fading, but look at the list of movie stars who are currently (or about to be) in TV shows. It includes (alphabetically): Kathy Bates, Bonnie Bedelia, Maria Bello, Steve Buscemi, Jim Cavieziel, Glenn Close, Joan Cusack, Claire Danes, Laura Dern, Laurence Fishburne, Dustin Hoffman, Angelica Huston, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Lange, Laura Linney, William H. Macy, Dylan McDermott, Sam Neil, Craig T. Nelson, Anna Paquin, Oliver Platt, and Gary Sinise. That list is growing daily.

The truth is that there are more really good, scripted (as opposed to reality) TV shows nowadays than there are really good movies. The shows I record and try to watch include (alphabetically): “A Gifted Man,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “Bored to Death,” “Boss,” “Californication,” “Covert Affairs,” “Episodes,” “Falling Skies,” “Game of Thrones,” “Harry’s Law,” “Homeland,” “House,” “In Plain Sight,” “Law & Order SVU,” “Leverage,” “Mad Men,” “Men of a Certain Age,” “Modern Family,” “Necessary Roughness,” “Pan Am,” “Parenthood,” “Person of Interest,” “Prime Suspect,” “Rizzoli & Isles,” “Royal Pains,” “Shameless,” “Supernatural,” “Terra Nova,” “The Good Wife,” “The Mentalist,” “True Blood,” and “Unforgettable.” I have little doubt that I will soon add “Smash” (the pilot is available on iTunes for free) and “Luck.” I realize that sounds like a lot, but these days, each season only lasts 10-12 shows, so there is limited overlap, and if I record them, I can zip past the commercials.

I’m sure you have favorites that are not on this list, but the fact that there could be so many TV shows worth watching is more evidence of my point. If you add in the ability to watch, on demand, any shows or series you may have missed, then it becomes increasingly obvious that TV is the new movies.

The Best Movies of 2011

My biggest problem with the movie industry is that they allow a film to be shown in a few theaters in New York and Los Angeles for two weeks at the end of the year and consider the movie to have been released in that year. Many of those movies don’t arrive in the rest of the country until late January or February of the following year. Consequently, we are stuck watching awards being given to movies that we can’t even see. This year, the problem has been exacerbated by the fact that five or six of 2011’s top-rated movies are still not available as of mid-January, 2012.

In his 2001 book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins made a distinction between “good companies” and “great companies.” I’d like to make a similar distinction between good and great movies:

• A good movie is one that has some obvious flaws but is otherwise enjoyable and/or interesting to watch.
• A great movie is one in which everything comes together—the script, the direction, the acting, the cinematography, the score, etc.—to produce a truly exhilarating experience.

Of course, there are great movies that have gone on to become classics, like “Casablanca,” “The Godfather,” “Gone With the Wind,” “Citizen Kane,” “Some Like It Hot,” and maybe 100 other films that have been posted on countless lists, and we each have our own great movies that we like to watch over and over. For me, the two greatest movies of the last ten years are “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Letters From Iwo Jima,” and 2006 was the best year of the last decade, featuring very good movies like “Children of Men,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Volver,” and “United 93,” as well as the aforementioned “Letters From Iwo Jima.”

I’ve included this introduction as a way of saying that 2011 produced many good movies, perhaps more so than most years, but as of this writing, no great movies. Even the top few movies on this list have significant flaws, but they are nonetheless worth seeing. If some of the “2011” films that are released in January and February are outstanding, I will modify the list. As of now, what follows is my list of the Best Movies of 2011, in inverse order.

22. Real Steel: OK, so it’s a schmaltzy, cliché story about robot boxing. What it lacks in originality is made up for in genuine emotion and the sheer enjoyment of watching a father (played by Hugh Jackman) and his son (played by Dakota Goyo) coming together and learning from each other. Directed by Shawn Levy (who also directed “Date Night,” and “Night at the Museum”), the film features very good (and surprisingly un-cliché) performances by Evangeline Lilly and Hope Davis.

21. Point Blank: Unlike “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” which has been hailed by critics but is the year’s slowest and most ponderous “thriller,” this French film actually is a thriller. Written and directed by Fred Cavayé, it stars Gilles Lellouche as a nurse’s aide who inadvertently gets caught up in a web of corruption and intrigue and has to work with a criminal, played expertly by Roschdy Zem, to get himself out of it. Saying any more would give away the plot, but I recommend renting or streaming this movie.

20. Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Of course, we all loved the original “Planet of the Apes,” even if we were then subjected to several, awful sequels. This prequel takes a very different approach by offering a somewhat convoluted explanation of how it all may have come to pass. But what’s interesting about this movie is the character development of Caesar, the lead ape, portrayed in a brilliant, digitized performance by Andy Serkis (who has had a lot of practice with such performances from playing “King Kong” and Gollum in “Lord of the Rings”). Add in performances by James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, and direction by Rupert Wyatt, and you have a surprisingly affective motion picture.

19. We Bought a Zoo: Cameron Crowe has directed some excellent films (“Jerry Maguire,” “Almost Famous”) and some not-so-great ones (“Vanilla Sky,” “Elizabethtown”). This one falls somewhere in between, effectively telling a heartfelt story about a family (Matt Damon, Colin Ford, and Maggie Elizabeth Jones) dealing with the death of a wife and mother by escaping to a rural setting where they actually purchase a house that comes with its own zoo. While rescuing the zoo, they also rescue their family. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the zoo is staffed by several colorful characters played by Scarlett Johansson, Angus McFadyen, Patrick Fugit, and the consistently impressive Elle Fanning (Dakota’s younger sister). There’s nothing here that you haven’t seen in other movies…it’s just done well.

18. Beginners: This is a small movie about big topics. In it, Ewan McGregor plays a straight, part-Jewish graphic designer whose mother has died and his 75-year-old father has come out of the closet before learning that he is dying of cancer. Partly because of his parents' unfulfilled, 42-year marriage, McGregor's character has trouble with relationships, even after meeting a wonderful but equally troubled French, Jewish woman, played by Melanie Laurent. Written and directed by Mike Mills, this is a well-scripted movie that deals with major themes such as gayness, Jewishness, and cancer, but does so in a quiet and sensitive manner.

17. The Lincoln Lawyer: The truth is that Matthew McConaughey is a decent actor when he keeps his clothes on. It also helps when he’s surrounded by some really good actors like Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, John Leguizamo, and Frances Fisher. Together, they tell a story, directed by Brad Furman, of a sleazeball attorney who works out of his car (a Lincoln Continental) and represents a detestable client (played by Ryan Phillippe) until the lawyer has a crisis of conscience. This is a successfully taut piece of filmmaking that keeps your interest throughout.

16. Footloose: Sometimes remakes work. Such is the case with “Footloose,” which doesn’t try to duplicate the original shot-for-shot. Instead, it updates the 80s dance classic, setting it in present day Georgia (instead of somewhere out west) and having the protagonist (played by Kenny Wormald in the role made famous by Kevin Bacon) come from Boston, rather than Chicago, which makes sense because Wormald grew up in the Boston area and has the accent down pat. Costarring Julianne Hough and directed by Craig Brewer (who directed “Hustle & Flow” and “Black Snake Moan”), the film is edgier than the original, contains additional plot lines, and features a country-rock sound that will make you want to get up and dance.

15. Warrior: This one didn't make my original list because it hardly appeared in theaters and only became noticed when they started talking about Nick Nolte as a potential Oscar nominee. Directed by Gavin O'Connor (who previously directed "Tumbleweeds" and "Pride and Glory"), it stars Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as two estranged brothers who are mixed martial arts fighters united only in their disdain for their alcoholic father (Nolte). If you're talking about dysfuntional families, this is one for the ages.

14. War Horse: I think of this film as “Saving Black Beauty” because it contains a story similar to that of the most famous, fictional horse while setting it in wartime (World War I) in battles similar to those that Spielberg (who directed this film) also filmed in “Saving Private Ryan.” Less effective as a character study (some characters are developed then killed in the next scene) than a general condemnation of war, this may be the year’s most complete film, in terms of cinematography (gorgeous), score, costume design, set decoration, and all those other things that earn Oscars. However, the story is as predictable as they come, which prevents it from being a great movie. Nevertheless, it is worth seeing, if for no other reason than the memorable scene with a British and a German soldier in “no man’s land.”

13. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol: This is definitely the year’s best action film, and the most enjoyable of Tom Cruise’s “Mission Impossible” movies. As with most of these movies, it is a bit hard to follow at times, but it moves along at a breakneck pace, as directed by Brad Bird (who has directed outstanding animated films including “Ratatouille” and “The Incredibles”). It also doesn’t hurt that the supporting cast includes Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Paula Patton.

12. Young Adult: I’m not always a big fan of plot-light character studies, but this one is done with such quality and craftsmanship that it deserves to be seen. Written by Diablo Cody (“Juno,” “Jennifer’s Body”) and directed by Jason Reitman (“Up In the Air,” “Juno”), this is a well-told tale of an emotionally bereft woman (played expertly by Charlize Theron) who decides she wants to reclaim her high school boyfriend (played by Patrick Wilson), who is married with a new baby. Returning to her hometown, she reconnects with another former classmate (played brilliantly by Patton Oswalt) whose high school experience was hellish and left him crippled. After that, the plot is where the characters take it, and the script and direction are deft enough to let that happen.

11. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2: One of the most successful series in literary and film history, this one finishes with a bang. Directed by David Yates, it’s an action/adventure film bolstered by outstanding performances by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, John Hurt, Helena Bonham Carter, Julie Walters, and Ciarán Hinds (who seems to be competing with Michael Fassbender to see who can make the most movies in a year). This brings to a raucous close the story of modern literature’s most famous wizard, and it does so with style and class. Note: If you haven’t read the books or seen the previous movies, you might want to read a primer, and you should definitely first see “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.”

10. Source Code: A mindbender along the lines of “Memento” and “Inception,” this movie is about a project that can put someone in another person's consciousness during the last 8 minutes of that person’s life. In this case, the main character, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is repeatedly placed into the same consciousness on the same train with the goal of unraveling a mystery and saving millions of lives. Directed with taut pacing by Duncan Jones (David Bowie’s son who also directed “Moon”), this film offers several plot twists and an edge-of-your-seat experience. It also benefits from outstanding supporting performances by Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, and Jeffrey Wright.

9. Friends with Benefits: The year’s best romantic comedy (there wasn’t much competition), this movie should not be confused with the lame “No Strings Attached,” although it is about a similar topic—having sex on a regular basis with the same person but without emotional baggage. This one deftly stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, but is differentiated from its film counterpart by an intelligent script (written by Keith Merryman and David A. Newman) and a truly wonderful supporting cast that includes Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, Andy Samberg, and Richard Jenkins as a father with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Directed by Will Gluck (who made last year’s “Easy A”), this is a very enjoyable comedy about adult themes.

8. Moneyball: The semi-factual story of how Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane won a divisional title with a fraction of the budget that other teams had to spend, “Moneyball” is the basis for how the Boston Red Sox built a team that won two World Series championships, and its concepts have revolutionized professional sports. In the film, which was directed by Bennett Miller (who also directed “Capote”) and written by Steven Zaillian (“Schindler’s List,” “All The King’s Men”) and Aaron Sorkin (“The Social Network,” “A Few Good Men”), Brad Pitt plays Beane and is supported by actors including Jonah Hill, Phlip Seymour Hoffman, and Robin Wright. What this movie lacks in emotion (not much connection to the characters) is made up for in intelligence and crisp writing/direction.

7. Bridesmaids: This movie takes outrageous humor, similar to that of “The Hangover” or “Knocked Up,” and applies it to the emotional issues faced by women when they get married or serve as bridesmaids/maids of honor. From the competitive rawness of the “dueling toasts” scene to the gross-out humor of the “salmonella fitting” scene, this movie goes where no chick flick has ever gone and as such, is the year’s funniest film. Directed by Paul Fieg (“Knocked Up,” “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”) and written by Kristen Wiig (who also stars in it) and Annie Mumolo, the movie benefits from no-holds-barred performances by Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Jill Clayburgh (who died soon after making the film), and the inimitable Melissa McCarthy.

6. Sarah’s Key: What makes for an effective Holocaust-period film is that it focuses on people and how they dealt with the awfulness of their situations. Produced in 2010 but not released in the US until mid-2011, Sarah’s Key does exactly that. It tells the tale of a young French girl who hides her brother from the Nazis by locking him in a hidden closet, and of the journalist (played with her usual class by Kristin Scott Thomas) who inadvertently uncovers the story before becoming obsessed with it. Unusual for a Holocaust movie, it is set mostly in France and conveys one of that country’s worst attrocities. Co-written and directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner from a book by Tatiana De Rosnay, this film is alternately interesting and gut-wrenching, but it commands your attention from start to finish.

5. Midnight in Paris: There was a time when Woody Allen was America’s best screenwriter-director, making truly great movies like “Annie Hall” and “Manhattan.” That was before his personal indiscretions became front-page news. Since that time, he has continued to churn out movies, about one per year, some better than others, usually with A-list stars, and often with Allen playing a major role. In my opinion, this is his best film in a long time, not because it approaches the greatness of his classic work, but because Allen seems to appreciate that it is not a major motion picture, but rather as a small and charming fable. In this fable, the lead character is a Hollywood screenwriter and budding novelist, played by Owen Wilson (clearly channeling Woody Allen), who is visiting Paris with his bourgeois American fiancée (played by Rachel McAdams) and her boorish parents. He goes for a stroll one night and is picked up at Midnight by a car that delivers him back in time to the 1920s, where he cavorts with the literary, musical, and artistic luminaries of the time. He meets a charming French woman (played by Marion Cotillard) and returns every night at midnight to find himself and, with the help of Gertrude Stein (played by Kathy Bates), his literary voice. In the end, this lovely story does what a good movie should…it leaves you wanting more.

4. The Descendants: This year, the film George Clooney directed (“Ides of March”) was not nearly so good as the film in which he starred (“The Descendants”). Co-written and directed expertly by Alexander Payne (“Sideways,” “About Schmidt”), it tells the story of a Hawaiian man (Clooney) whose wife suffers a terrible water skiing accident that lands her in a coma. The man then has to reconnect with his two daughters (played phenomenally by Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller) while reconstructing the events that led up to the accident and examining his marriage. Add in a subplot about a high-profile land sale and the result is a superbly made, emotionally charged movie complemented by the quirky style that has become Payne’s trademark. It’s also nice to see excellent supporting performances by often-underutilized actors such as Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard, and especially Judy Greer.

3. The Artist: Yes, I’m strongly recommending a black-and-white, mostly silent film that was shot in a pre-widescreen aspect ratio. Similar to the story told in the musical “Singin’ In the Rain” decades ago, this film focuses on the end of the silent film era and the demise of its stars. In this case, the star is a handsome, debonair, and generous actor (played by Jean Dujardin), who loves his dog more than his wife and who fails to recognize the inevitability of talking pictures. His life is juxtaposed with that of a rising young starlet (played by Bérénice Bejo) whom the actor befriends early in her career and whose stock continues to rise as the actor’s falls. While not a new story by any means, it is told with warmth, heart, and dignity, and the use of a silent film to tell the tale of a silent film star has a certain elegance. Written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius, this is a beautiful and precious film-going experience that features supporting performances by American actors including John Goodman, James Cromwell, and Penelope Ann Miller.

2. The Help: People were both excited and wary when it was announced that a movie was being made of Kathryn Stockett’s very successful novel about the difficult conditions faced by African American maids in 1960s Mississippi. While they looked forward to seeing this superb story brought to the screen, they also worried that it may be too Hollywood-ized. That anxiety was raised when it was announced that the writer/director would be Tate Taylor—a man (telling a woman’s story) who had only directed one full-length feature (the unheralded “Pretty Ugly People”). Then, Emma Stone, a very talented but relatively unknown actress, was hired to play the lead as the white writer who exposed and documented the maids’ situations. In the end, it all worked out quite well. “The Help” is a well-crafted movie, and what it lacks in grittiness, it makes up for in solid writing and excellent acting by Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, and Jessica Chastain. This is definitely a movie worth seeing.

1. Hugo: If you’ve ever studied film, you’ve probably seen the 14-minute French classic, “A Trip to the Moon” (Le Voyage dans la lune). Directed in 1902 by George Méliès, its most famous scene is of a spaceship hitting the eye of the man in the moon. Méliès was one of several directors who made hundreds of classic silent films, many of which were colored by hand, frame-by-frame. Martin Scorsese has been a leader in the effort to recover and save classic cinema, much of which has been destroyed or discarded. It is this love for early cinema that led Scorsese to direct “Hugo,” a film set in 1930s Paris, about a boy (Hugo, played by Asa Butterfield) whose father (played by Jude Law) teaches him to repair watches before he dies, and whose uncle leaves him in the Paris railway station to fend for himself while running the large, overhanging clock. There, he meets a bitter watchmaker (played by Ben Kingsley) and makes friends with the watchmaker’s ward (played by Chloe Moretz). Together, the two youngsters embark upon an adventure that eventually leads them to George Méliès and his story. Although slow at times, this is a beautiful tale of exploration and redemption. In making it, Scorsese demonstrated his love of early films both through the story and the filmmaking techniques, which draw on those films. It’s also interesting that he shot “Hugo” in 3D, but I suppose he did so because it’s what Méliès would have done had he had access to the technology. I intend to see this movie many times, and you may decide to do the same.

The Best Albums of 2011

Just as the economy has started to make a comeback, so has the recording industry, and the wealth of new and interesting music has expanded greatly this year from the past two. Overall, I think of 2011 as the year of the female artist, and there are more women on my list than ever before. There was also a resurgence of interesting blues artists this year, and I have included a few on my list. But mostly, this list is populated by artists that have grown or changed for the better since their earlier releases.

As with last year, I have identified 100 albums, but it was hard to limit the list to 100—I really like the music on this list. As such, I have numbered and described the top 50 and listed the others as “Honorable Mention.”

My tastes tend to run toward alternative rock, R&B/soul, indie rock, and inventive pop music, so if you are a fan of Classical, Country, Death Metal, Rap, or Traditional Folk, you will probably be disappointed with this list. I also tend to like music that is up-front, rather than hidden by layers of production.

The numbering is somewhat random, because on any given day, I might want to hear one album ahead of any other, and each of the 50 “Honorable Mention” albums could easily have made the top 50. With that said, here is my list in ascending order:

50. Hugh Laurie, “Let Them Talk”
That’s right—I’m referring to the British comedian who is also the star of the TV show, “House.” On this album, he displays his piano and vocal chops on an interesting selection of blues songs. Key songs: “You Don’t Know My Mind,” “Swanee River”, and the title song, “Let Them Talk.”

49. Wild Flag, “Wild Flag”
Consisting of four women, each having experienced success with other bands, Wild Flag has put together a well-performed and well-produced post-punk album that benefits from repeated listening. Key songs: “Romance,” “Future Crimes,” and “Racehorse.”

48. Beyoncé, “4”
This is less amazing than some of her previous work—maybe we’re getting used to her outstanding talent—but Beyoncé’s latest album still shows why she’s the modern soul diva. Her singing is as purposeful and clear as it was the first time we heard her in Destiny’s Child. Key songs: “1+1,” “Best Thing I Never Had,” and, “I Was Here.”

47. Dawes, “Nothing Is Wrong”
This group is comprised of four young men from Los Angeles who have worked as Robbie Robertson’s backup band. However, it is most reminiscent of Jackson Browne in his early days, which is no coincidence because Browne actually appears on the album. Key songs: “If I Wanted Someone,” “Fire Away,” and “A Little Bit of Everything.”

46. Beady Eye, “Different Gear, Still Speeding”
In the mid to late 90s, the band Oasis electrified music fans and critics with comparisons to the Beatles and other great British bands of the past. However, their star soon faded amidst mediocre work and dissent among the members, particularly between the Gallagher brothers (Liam and Noel) who were at the heart of their success. Without Noel Gallagher, the band has re-formed into Beady Eye, and this is their first album, complete with the interesting hooks that made Oasis successful. Key songs: “The Beat Goes On,” “Four Letter Word,” and “The Roller.”

45. Lisa Hannigan, “Passenger”
This Irish singer-songwriter was a member of Damien Rice’s band before going solo. On this, her second album, she shows exceptional musical sensibilities and a lovely, subtle singing style. Key songs: “Home,” “What’ll I Do,” and “O Sleep.”

44. The Sounds, “Something to Die for”
The fourth album from this Swedish quintet features more of the offbeat pop for which the Sounds have become known, combined with a little more interesting instrumentation. Key songs: “Something to Die for,” “Yeah Yeah Yeah,” and the pleasant ballad “Wish You Were Here.”

43. Mayer Hawthorne, “How Do You Do”
Did you ever hear people talk about developing a “porn” name based on your middle name and the street on which you grew up? Well, that’s what Andrew Mayer Cohen did when he started recording classic-sounding R&B as Mayer Hawthorne. Three albums later, Cohen/Hawthorne has recorded this wonderful album, complete with the kinds of soul grooves that first helped the genre to cross-over into popular success. Key songs: “A Long Time,” “Hooked,” and “No Strings.”

42. Katie Costello, “Lamplight”
At 17, Katie Costello released her first CD, which was a peek into the potential of this introspective singer-songwriter. Now 20, this album begins to realize that potential. Key songs: “Cassette Tape,” “After Dark,” and the hauntingly beautiful “Stranger.”

41. TV On the Radio, “Nine Types of Light”
Although less ground-breaking than their earlier work, this album takes the fusion of musical styles that has made the Brooklyn-based TV On the Radio successful and applied it to songs about love. Key songs: “Second Song,” “You,” and “Will Do.”

40. Sublime With Rome, “Yours Truly”
At first, it seemed like an odd pairing—90s post-punk band Sublime recording with modern reggae/hip-hop artist Rome Ramirez for a new album…but it works on many levels. Key songs: “Panic,” “Lovers Rock,” and the outstanding “Can You Feel It.”

39. The Black Keys, “El Camino”
Following on the heels of their very successful 2010 release, “Brothers,” this Akron-based duo has taken a slightly edgier and less bluesy approach with “El Camino.” Key songs: “Lonely Boy,” “Gold On the Ceiling,” and “Little Black Submarines.”

38. James Durbin, “Memories of a Beautiful Disaster”
Before last season’s American Idol competition became a red-state referendum on juvenile country pop, the artist people tuned in to hear was James Durbin, who combines excellent rock guitar riffs with a soaring tenor voice. On this, his first album, he continues to demonstrate those talents. Key songs: “Higher Than Heaven,” “May,” and “Stand Up.”

37. Tori Amos, “Night of Hunters”
One of the less conventional popular artists of the past 20 years, Tori Amos has always taken chances. Some have worked better than others, but this one—a popular album based on classical influences—is a beautiful collection. Key songs: “Shattering Sea,” “Job’s Coffin,” and “Carry.”

36. Allen Stone, “Allen Stone”
Another white boy singing R&B, Allen Stone combines gospel riffs with soul sensibilities to fashion his own sound. On this, his second album, Stone has hit his stride with highly listenable tunes that will have you tapping your toes. Key songs: “Sleep,” “Celebrate Tonight,” and “Say So.”

35. Sarah Jarosz, “Follow Me Down”
This singer-songwriter from Texas draws on country, bluegrass, and other genres to deliver an album that combines her excellent banjo/mandolin work with lovely vocals and backing support from a wide range of successful artists. “Follow Me Down” deserve serious attention. Key songs: “Run Away,” “Annabelle Lee,” and “Gypsy.”

34. Indigo Girls, “Beauty Queen Sister”
It’s been a while since the Indigo Girls were on the radar, but this album is a return to the type of gorgeous melodies, thoughtful lyrics, and artful musicianship that has made Amy and Emily so successful. Key songs: “John,” “We Get to Feel It All,” “Making Promises,” and “Able to Sing.”

33. Everlast, “Songs of the Ungrateful Living”
Everlast (Erik Schrody) is an acquired taste. Listed (for lack of a better label) as hip-hop/rap, his gruff voice and intelligent lyrics are a far cry from the obscenity-laced rants that currently populate the genre. This album is one of his best. Key songs: “I Get By,” “Long Time,” and the Sam Cooke classic, “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

32. Telekinesis, “12 Desperate Straight Lines”
Michael Lerner is the brainchild behind Seattle-based Telekinesis, which burst onto the scene last year and continues its brand of infectious indie pop with this album. Key songs: “Please Ask for Help,” “Dirty Thing,” and “Gotta Get It Right Now.”

31. Joss Stone, “LP1”
Joss Stone could sing almost anything, and I would buy it. Her lush, emotional, bluesy voice is one of the true gems of modern popular music. Fortunately, this album returns her to the R&B roots which made us all first take notice. Key songs: “Karma,” “Last One to Know,” “Somehow,” and “Take Good Care.”

30. Paul Simon, “So Beautiful or So What”
Every now and then, Paul Simon releases an album that reminds us why we fell in love with and continue to revel in the talents of this amazing artist and individual. This is one of those Albums. While it may not be so Earth-jarring as “Graceland” (what is?), it still takes the kinds of musical chances for which Simon has become known. Key songs: “The Afterlife,” “Getting Ready for Christmas Day,” “Dazzling Blue,” and the title song.

29. Goapele, “Break of Dawn”
Goapele (pronounced gwa-puh-LAY) is a singer-songwriter from Oakland who is known for her superb R&B voice and her socially-conscious lyrics. Although this, her fifth album, tones down the social activism, it presents an outstanding display of her exceptional vocal talent. Key songs: “Undertow,” “Hush,” and “Pieces.”

28. Foster the People, “Torches”
Led by Mark Foster, this LA-based trio combines dance grooves with indie-rock to present a debut album that has caught on throughout a wide range of music circles. Every song reminds us that music should be fun to hear, hum, and/or sing. Key songs: “Helena Beat,” “Pumped Up Kicks,” and “I Would Do Anything for You.”

27. Ximena Sariñana, “Ximena Sariñana”
The daughter of Mexican film director Fernando Sariñana and screenwriter Carolina Rivera, Ximena Sariñana appeared in several Mexican TV shows and movies before releasing her first album in 2008. On this, her second album (her first English-language effort), she demonstrates her own brand of inventive pop music. Key songs: “Different,” “Echo Park,” and “Wrong Miracle.”

26. Tom Waits, “Bad As Me”
Having written and performed some of the greatest songs of all time over his 40-year career, Tom Waits’s always gruff voice had recently started to sound like sandpaper on a chalkboard. Then he released this beautiful collection of heartfelt songs, some of which are destined to become classics. Just as Adele had a huge hit with her gorgeous remake of a later Dylan song, I can envision some young artist covering “Back In the Crowd” from this album. In the meantime, you can enjoy what Tom Waits has done here. Key songs: “Chicago, “Back In the Crowd,” and “Last Leaf.”

25. Fleet Foxes, “Helplessness Blues”
With their first album in 2008, Fleet Foxes brought melodic harmonies back to the center of popular music. Three years later, the second album from this Seattle-based group expands on that approach. Sounding something like how Brian Wilson might construct a choir, they have built a beautiful tapestry of sound into a modern pop album. Key songs: “Montezuma,” “Helplessness Blues,” and “Lorelai.”

24. Sixx:A.M., “This Is Gonna Hurt”
The brainchild of Motley Crue bassist, Nicky Sixx, this is a hard-rock trio based in Los Angeles. They were originally formed in 2007 to record the soundtrack to Sixx’s autobiography, The Heroine Diaries, but with this album, they have become a bona fide rock band, and the results are surprisingly good. Key songs: “This Is Gonna Hurt,” “Lies of the Beautiful People,” and “Skin.”

23. My Brightest Diamond, “All Things Will Unwind”
As Monty Python used to say, “and now for something completely different.” My Brightest Diamond is essentially whatever founder Shara Worden wants it to be, combining elements of opera, chamber music, and offbeat rock. On the first two albums, the results were mixed, but this album brings it all together into a highly enjoyable musical celebration. Key songs: “We Added It Up,” “Reaching Through to the Other Side,” and “High Low Middle.”

22. SuperHeavy, “SuperHeavy”
It sounds like the billing for a benefit concert: Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, Damian Marley, and A.R. Rahman. Except in this case, rather than separate acts, they’re all in the same band, which they humorously named Superheavy. Combining a wide variety of styles and genres, the album benefits from the unique talents of its members. Key songs: “Miracle Worker,” “Energy,” “Beautiful People,” and “World Keeps Turning.”

21. Chris Pierce, “I Can Hear You”
Despite releasing four studio albums and touring with Seal, this artist is still relatively unknown. But the truth is that Chris Pierce is a joy to hear, and with this album, maybe more people will listen. His silky, classy voice and blues-based inflections make each song its own work of beauty. Key songs: “Let Yourself Smile,” “Meet Me In the Vineyard,” and “Hope She’ll Be Happier.”

20. Middle Brother, “Middle Brother”
The front men for Deer Tick, Dawes, and Delta Spirit have formed this trio and released an album that displays their individual and combined musical talents. There is nothing artificial or over-produced about this effort—just straightforward alt-rock being played by people who know what they’re doing. Key songs: “Blue Eyes, “Middle Brother,” and “Someday.”

19. Jack’s Mannequin, “People and Things”
Andrew McMahon left Something Corporate in 2004, and took several bandmates with him to form Jack’s Mannequin. A year later, he 2005, McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which is currently in remission. In the meantime, the band has released three albums, and this is by far the best, combining a range of styles and artists. Key songs: “My Racing Thoughts,” “Release Me,” and “Restless Dream.”

18. The Script, “Science & Faith”
This Irish band’s second studio album is a delightful collection of songs that explore life and love through a combination of pop, hip-hop, and indie-rock. Everything works on this album, from the atmosphere to the lyrics to the beats to the inclusion of artists like B.o.B. Key songs: “For the First Time,” “Nothing,” “Science and Faith,” “This = Love,” and “Walk Away.”

17. Patrick Stump, “Soul Punk”
The creative force and lead singer of Fall Out Boy, Patrick Stump has fashioned his first solo album, which combines on the energy that is the hallmark of the band, with a clear, straightforward delivery and various musical styles. The songs are interesting, fun, and you’ll find yourself humming them as you walk down the street. Key songs: “Everybody Wants Somebody,” “When I Made You Cry,” “This City,” and “Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia).”

16. The Decemberists, “The King Is Dead”
While I always liked the Decemberists for their songwriting skills, I also felt that their music was too jangly and reflected a certain superficiality…until this album. This is by far their best work to date, and I hope it represents a new direction for this perennial indie rock band. There is a depth that the band was never before able to achieve and the songs seem truer and clearer, both lyrically and musically. Key songs: “Calamity Song,” “January Hymn,” and “This Is Why We Fight.”

15. Christina Perri, “Lovestrong.”
An unknown waitress until one of her songs (“Jar of Hearts”) was used on the TV show, “So You Think You Can Dance,” Christina Perri found 100,000 people downloading her song in a two-week period of 2010. There’s a good reason for that—the song, and the subsequent album—is very good. This is the kind of music that, when done well as it is here, is simultaneously entertaining and exhilarating. Key songs: “Bluebird,” “Distance,” and “Jar of Hearts.”

14. Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa, “Don’t Explain”
Last year, I wrote in my blog about the guitar genius that is Joe Bonamassa, who combines blues and rock guitar into a tour de force. Here, he collaborates with Beth Hart, the pianist/vocalist who had a hit in the 90s with “LA Song” (the song with the reprise, “Man I’ve got to get out of this town”). Together, they have fashioned an album that makes the most their considerable talents. If you like honest blues-rock, this one is for you. Key songs: “I’ll Take Care of You,” “Well, Well,” and the Etta James classic, “I’d Rather Go Blind.”

13. Original Broadway Cast, “The Book of Mormon”
Every year, I try to determine the best Broadway album to include on this list. This year, there was no contest—“The Book of Mormon” is that good. Strangely enough, it was written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators and producers of “South Park,” who combined with Robert Lopez, (who wrote “Avenue Q”) to develop an irreverent but incredibly funny look at what it means to be Mormon. Key songs: “Hello!” “You and Me (But Mostly Me),” “Hasa Diga Eebowai,” and “Believe.”

12. Architecture In Helsinki, “Moment Bends”
Despite the name, this Australian ensemble has nothing to do with architecture or Helsinki. What they do have is a large number of instruments and people who know how to play them…very well. They have been described as idiosyncratic, but that could apply to many artists on the scene today. I think of them more as eclectic, but whatever term you use, just sit back and listen. Key songs: “Desert Island,” “Escapee,” and “Contact High.”

11. Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman, “World Wide Rebel Songs”
The former lead guitarist of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, Tom Morello has adopted the moniker, “The Nightwatchman” for three albums with socially conscious themes. This is the best of those albums, and it shows a rock artist at the top of his craft, backed by a group of musicians he calls the Freedom Fighter Orchestra. It is reminiscent of vintage Bob Dylan, and it deserves to be heard. Key songs: “Black Spartacus Heart Attack Machine,” “Save the Hammer for the Man,” and “The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse.”

10. St. Vincent, “Strange Mercy”
Singer-songwriter Annie Clark has been performing under the name St. Vincent since 2007. This is her second, full-length, studio album, and it represents her best work so far. Clark has a special give for modifying her voice to reflect different moods, and her use of instrumentation helps to create a completely absorbing album. Key songs: “Cruel,” “Dilettante,” and “Year of the Tiger.”

9. Butch Walker and The Black Widows, “The Spade”
Formerly the front man of Marvelous 3, this is Walker’s sixth studio album since leaving that band. But here, he is backed by a new band—the Black Widows—and the result is a superbly played set of memorable, upbeat songs that remind us why we liked rock and roll in the first place. Key songs: “Bodegas and Blood,” “Summer of ‘89,” and “Synthesizers.”

8. Asa, “Beautiful Imperfection”
In 2009, Asa’s debut album appeared on my list, and this, her follow-up, is just as good. Born in Paris and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, this is an artist with a beautiful voice and a stylistic way with every song. Drawing on influences from around the world, Asa takes you on a journey with every phrase of every song. Key songs: “Why Can’t We,” “Be My Man,” and “The Way I Feel.”

7. The Civil Wars, “Barton Hollow”
Although they’ve been releasing digital music since 2009, this Nashville based duo has released their first, full, studio album here, and it is indeed a gem. The harmonies are beautiful, the melodies are lush, and the production is straightforward and unobtrusive. Key songs: “Barton Hollow,” “20 Years,” “Poison & Wine,” and the Leonard Cohen classic, “Dance Me to the End of Love.”

6. Terra Naomi, “To Know I’m Ok”
In the years since 2002, Terra Naomi has recorded 4 albums, but this one really finds her hitting her stride. She is perhaps best known for her 2007 single, “Say It’s Possible,” but even that lacked the depth she displays on “To Know I’m OK.” For the first time with this release, she seems like a singer-songwriter rather than a pop performer. Her voice here is beautiful and passionate and worthy or repeated listening. Key songs: “You for Me,” “Someday Soon,” and “I’ll Be Waiting.”

5. Matt Nathanson, “Modern Love”
Originally from Lexington, MA but now residing in San Francisco, Matt Nathanson has had a lengthy journey since his emergence as a solo acoustic artist in the early 90s to his latest release, Modern Love, which employs complex instrumentation, including a horn section, to support his 12-string guitar and expressive vocals. His lyrics reflect a sense of maturity—more certain and less angst-ridden than those of his earlier work. Overall, this is a very strong set of songs. Key songs: “Faster,” “Modern Love,” and “Run.”

4. tUnE-yArDs, “Whokill”
Connecticut-based artist Merrill Garbus has released this brilliant, offbeat album under the unusually capitalized moniker, tUnE-yArDs. Almost impossible to describe, the album employs various instruments, syncopations, and recording techniques to present a pastiche of sounds that come together into something that must be heard. Key songs: “My Country,” “Bizness,” and “Killa.”

3. Brett Dennen, “Loverboy”
Another artist that is finding his groove—Brett Dennen’s fourth album, “Loverboy,” is more upbeat and danceable than his previous work. This is an exuberant expression of how much Dennen really likes making music, yet it still draws on the expressive, soaring, tenor vocals that have been a hallmark of his music since his first album in 2005. Key songs: “Sydney (I’ll Come Running),” “Dancing At a Funeral,” “Comeback Kid (That’s My Dog),” and “Make You Fall In Love With Me.”

2. Zee Avi, “Ghostbird”
In 2009, I listed this artist’s debut album as the sixth best album of the year. Now, she’s moved up to second place with another unique set of songs that draw on a world of instruments and beats reflective of her upbringing in Kuala Lumpur and her schooling in London. Every song is wonderfully conceived and recorded to maximize its impact. Even the beautiful “Concrete Wall” is performed in a multi-track a capella style amidst a backing vocal of “boom she clack clack.” This is music that if you heard it in passing would make you take notice. If you give it an honest listening, you may be hooked. Key songs: “Swell Window,” “Milestone Moon,” “The Book of Morris Johnson,” and “Concrete Wall.”

1. Adele: “21”
If you peruse the lists of the greatest albums ever recorded, you will find very few acoustic efforts by solo artists. The two that instantly come to mind are Carol King’s “Tapestry” and Joni Mitchell’s “Blue.” And yes, I’m putting Adele’s “21” in that august company. In 2008, I listed Adele’s “19” as the third best album of the year, and I wrote, “she will doubtless be a fixture on the scene in the coming years.” However, I didn’t expect that two years later (the album was recorded in 2010), Adele would record a set of songs with this much depth, strength, and beauty. From the first guitar picks of “Rolling in the Deep” to the final, quiet sorrow of “I Found a Boy,” this album is as thoroughly enjoyable an album as you’re likely to see in the modern music environment. Produced by the legendary Rick Rubin and Paul Epworth, this is an ideal showcase for Adele’s vocal and songwriting skills. Her quiet cover of the Cure’s “Lovesong” only adds to the mystique, and “Someone Like You” is already a massive hit. I can only hope that there are no long-term ill effects from the vocal cord hemorrhage Adele experienced after recording this album, a condition that required surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. After all, if she can make an album like this at 21 years of age, we can only look forward to her future efforts. Key songs: “Rolling In the Deep,” “Turning Tables,” “Set Fire to the Rain,” “One and Only,” “Lovesong,” and “Someone Like You.”


The following are all excellent albums that deserve Honorable Mention (alphabetically by artist):

• Alkaline Trio, “Damnesia”
• Amos Lee, “Mission Bell”
• Arctic Monkeys, “Suck It and See”
• Ari Hest, “Sunset Over Hope Street”
• Beirut, “The Rip Tide”
• The Belle Brigade, “The Belle Brigade”
• Ben Sollee, “Inclusions”
• Bjork, “Biophilia”
• Blink-182, “Neighborhoods”
• Bon Iver, “Bon Iver”
• The Chain Gang of 1974, “Wayward Fire”
• City and Colour, “Little Hell”
• Coldplay, “Mylo Xyloto”
• CSS, “La Liberacion”
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., “It’s a Corporate World”
• Death Cab for Cutie, “Codes and Keys”
• Deer Tick, “Divine Providence”
• Emm Gryner, “Northern Gospel”
• Feist, “Metals”
• Florence + The Machine, “Ceremonials”
• Girls, “Father, Son, Holy Ghost”
• Incubus, “If Not Now, When?”
• Iron & Wine, “Kiss Each Other Clean”
• Josh Rouse & The Long Vacations, “Josh Rouse & The Long Vacations”
• Kimya Dawson, “Thunder Thighs”
• Lenka, “Two”
• M83, “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.”
• Mates of State, “Mountaintops”
• The Mountain Goats, “All Eternals Deck”
• Owl City, “All Things Bright and Beautiful”
• The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, “Belong”
• Panic! At the Disco, “Vices & Virtues”
• Pieta Brown, “Mercury”
• Portugal. The Man, “In the Mountain In the Cloud”
• Puscifer, “Conditions of My Parole”
• Radiohead, “The King of Limbs”
• Randa & The Soul Kingdom, “What You Need”
• Real Estate, “Days”
• Red Hot Chili Peppers, “I’m With You”
• The Revelations, “Concrete Blues”
• Seether, “Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray”
• Sondre Lerche, “Sondre Lerche”
• The Static Jacks, “If You’re Young”
• Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, “Mirror Traffic”
• The Strokes, “Angles”
• The Summer Set, “Everything’s Fine”
• Teddy Thompson, “Bella”
• We Are Augustines, “Rise Ye Sunken Ships”
• Wilco, “The Whole Love”
• Yuck, “Yuck”

A Request for Republicans

Consider this:

• There have been two wars that have drained the national budget and weakened the military.
• The world is in financial turmoil, and the country has suffered considerable economic strife.
• A new party has emerged, comprised mostly of White Christians who scorn the liberal leaders and lament their loss of power and influence to minorities within the country.
• This party gains popularity among those who believe it speaks for the common man who wants change and is frustrated by the lack of such change.
• Worried about losing the votes of this splinter party, the major parties in power start to make concessions and give its leaders greater responsibility and power within the government.

Does this sound familiar? It's an overview of some of the conditions that led to the rise of the Nazi Party in post-WWII Germany. But it also sounds a lot like the rise of the Tea Party in the current US.

Of course, the situations are completely different; our government is much more stable and the Tea Party is a far cry from the Nazis. But things can change fast in this world, especially when the economy falters and people are angry. While Democrats are less likely to be swayed by Tea Party loyalists, I worry about the Republicans--people like Boehner and Romney, who formerly opposed the Tea Party but lately have begun to court its members.

The way the presidential primary system operates, an "outsider" candidate can gain momentum by winning primaries and caucuses in states where only 10-15% of the voters choose to vote. When such a small percentage votes, it tends to be disproportionately comprised of zealots. I ask that Republicans who don't want the Tea Party in control should make sure to vote, at every opportunity, for people who represent more traditional Republican values, and I hope that Republican leaders will resist the urge to kowtow to Tea Party voters. As history can show us, a great deal is at stake.

Last Dance: Sue Weiner's Final Year

“Stage four, small cell, metastasized lung cancer;” mention those words to a medical professional and watch his or her expression change and eyes divert. Those are the same words we heard one day in late September, 2010, in relation to my mother-in-law, Sue Weiner.

Prior to that day, Sue had been a remarkably active adult with an effervescent personality that made people gravitate to her. She loved to walk, dance, and be as physically fit as possible. At my son, Alex’s bar mitzvah twelve years earlier, she had danced with the teenagers until their feet hurt, while they cheered, “Go, granny, go!” She could find wonder and humor in the smallest things—a flock of seagulls, a store with a funny name, or a house surrounded by trees (she called them “houses in the woods”). When I was with her, I noticed things I would have otherwise taken for granted.

Sue consistently watched her weight (hoping to remain under 100 pounds), she eschewed matronly garb, choosing instead to wear the shiniest, glitziest clothing she could find at a reasonable cost, and she loved rings and shoes (mostly Sketchers). It was often those clothes that made people talk to her, and she relished in finding out about others’ lives. She used to sit at restaurants, looking at different people and saying things like, “Do you think they’re a couple?” or “He doesn’t look very happy.” It was not uncommon for her to utter those same statements to the actual subjects themselves.

As Alex put it, Sue “stood for what she believed in as a pinnacle of acceptance and love.” Joni and I will always remember the day that Alex told Sue he was in love with Angelo. “I was worried,” Alex said, “because I thought you might be confused.”

She replied, “Alex, I’m confused about a lot of things, but this isn’t one of them. I’ll always love you, no matter what, and I’ll accept whoever you love.” At the time, Sue was 85.

Joni (Sue’s daughter and my wife) saw her mother as her best friend, and they would speak every day, often as Joni drove to work in the morning. Joni’s students at the Rashi School loved hearing tales of Sue’s exploits. Even when she was mugged on her 86th birthday, Sue had everyone at the police station sing “Happy Birthday” in her honor. She radiated that kind of positive energy.

So when Sue was diagnosed with stage four, small cell, metastasized lung cancer, we were told that the average prognosis for a person with that disease is nine months, but that average included previously healthy, younger patients who could withstand multiple rounds of chemotherapy. Sue was 86, already had COPD (having smoked cigarettes for nearly 70 years) and significant osteoporosis, and it was doubtful she could even withstand one round (four treatments) of chemo, so our most optimistic expectation was that she would last a few months. However, Sue chose to fight it, opting for chemo as soon as possible. Her only caveats were that she did not want any treatment that would cause her to throw up or suffer from dementia.

So, an informal plan took hold: Joni, who had considerable experience as a patient (three spinal fusions), would oversee the medical treatment via phone from Massachusetts, while her older sister, Michele, who lived 20 minutes away, would stop by regularly to make sure Sue had everything else she needed. Michele does not drive long distances, so her long-term boyfriend, Bill, would frequently drive Sue to her appointments while Joni listened via cell phone.

Joni and I drove to Philly for the chemo treatments, then returned every weekend or two to be with Sue. My cousin Carol selflessly gave us a key to her home, which was five minutes from Sue’s apartment, and she generously allowed us to use her spare bedroom whenever we came to Philly.

Sue not only survived the chemo, but she thrived, astonishing all of the medical personnel. During her inpatient visits to Jefferson Hospital, she often could be found lining up the nurses and doctors and leading them in dance. At 4' 6", she was the tallest of cancer patients. On several occasions, she walked up to doctors and said, “You should smile more often,” while the overhearing nurses attempted to hide their chuckles. Along her many walks, she stopped in at other patients’ rooms and brightened their experiences. Her unlikely medical journey was inspirational.

To avoid nausea, the doctors decided to use the mildest form of chemo, and it worked. Sue never lost her appetite, and she enjoyed trying new foods. In her last year, she experienced cuisines including Indian, Chinese, Thai, Japanese (including cooked sushi), South American, Israeli, Ethiopian, Afghani, Spanish, a wide range of kosher-style delis, and an Italian restaurant in South Philly where the singing waiters serenaded her with opera. But her favorite food was still a good cheesesteak. She often asked me to get her a cheesesteak soft pretzel (a combination of Philly favorites), and once, we left the hospital after a chemo treatment and drove directly to Geno’s, where we sat in the car reveling in steak sandwiches and cheese-covered French fries.

Joni’s plan was to spend each weekend visit fulfilling a “bucket list” of field trips to places that Sue either relished or had never visited. Because Sue was tethered to oxygen, each of these locations had to be within 90 minutes of Philly, with the eventual goal of bringing Sue to Boston for an extended visit. During that last year, we visited Atlantic City (twice), Cape May, the Northern Jersey shore (Red Bank, Long Beach, etc.), Chesepeake City and Northeast Maryland, Hershey, Longwood Gardens, New Hope, Grounds for Sculpture, Wilmington, and countless other locations throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She also loved her shopping trips to places like Haddonfield, Peddler’s Village, and the Cherry Hill Mall.

In July of 2011, we brought her back to Boston for a two-week visit that required tireless efforts by Joni to coordinate Sue’s medical treatment, prescriptions, and oxygen. Sue loved Broadway musicals, but found it difficult to sit through an entire show, so, prior to leaving Philly, Joni arranged a surprise visit to Ellen’s Stardust Diner in New York’s Times Square, where the singing waitresses and waiters specialize in renditions of Broadway melodies. There was a table in the middle waiting for us as well as a free shirt and baseball cap (even our meal was free), and Sue’s wide-open smile clearly displayed her thrill at the experience. The wait staff did not know her favorite song, Anthony Newley’s “Once in a Lifetime,” so they regaled her with “Defying Gravity.” Then, something amazing happened—one of the waitresses started singing the Donna Summer classic, “Last Dance,” and Sue stood up and started dancing. She was quickly surrounded by all of the waiters and waitresses dancing, while the other patrons stood up and cheered. After the song was finished and Sue acknowledged the applause, the announcer said that in his seven years of working there, it was the best moment he had witnessed, and several patrons walked over to express how inspirational the moment had been.

During the next two weeks, Sue experienced the best of New England, including sitting outside at Legal Seafood’s new flagship restaurant on Boston Harbor, a visit to Southern Rhode Island, Westport (MA), Fall River (where she had visited my parents many times), Newburyport, and Portsmouth, NH. She saw fireworks (up-close) and the sand sculptures at Revere Beach, and she was treated by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts to the Chihuly glass exhibit. It was a marvelous culmination of a series of memorable trips throughout the previous year.

As soon as she returned home, so did the cancer…with a vengeance. It had been eleven months since the intial diagnosis, and Sue fought the disease until the last few moments, and in doing so, she demonstrated a bravery I had never before seen. She got her wish of avoiding dementia, and some of her last utterances were of concern for her older sister and brother-in-law, Jean and Milt.

Although at times it felt like a hardship, I will remember the last year as one of the best of my life. I had the opportunity to see things, some of which I had never seen before, through the eyes of someone who truly enjoyed the world around her and brought happiness into the lives of those with whom she came into contact. In awe, I witnessed Joni’s heroic efforts to provide her mother with the best possible experiences and how she and Michele melded into a cohesive, care-giving unit.

Included in the countless moments I’ll remember are sitting over the ocean at Caesar’s Pier in Atlantic City, walking among the flowers and holiday lights at Longwood Garden, standing in the Hershey parking lot while strangers regaled us with song, and a brunch served by an incredibly caring staff at the Hyatt at Penn’s Landing. But amidst all of the fond and wonderful memories, the one that will always stand out is that magical afternoon in Times Square and Sue’s last dance.