B arbara Boxer was in Greenland in July 2007, watching chunks of ice slide off glaciers into the rising ocean. She had brought Republican senators there with her, hoping a first-person confrontation with climate change would persuade them to take action. And as the newly calved icebergs flowed past, the …
Read More »Flashback: The Grateful Dead Play an Obama Inaugural Ball in 2009
Dating back at least to 1977, when Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, and Linda Ronstadt performed during Jimmy Carter’s first day on the job — and all the way up to Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez at Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony — it hasn’t been unusual for rock and pop stars …
Read More »'City So Real' Review: Life, Death and Politics — The Chicago Way
Dickens had the teeming streets of Victorian-era London, Balzac had Paris during the Bourbon Restoration period, and Steve James has 21st century Chicago. A key part of the team behind the groundbreaking Hoop Dreams, this veteran documentarian has dabbled over the years in everything from biopics (Prefontaine) to bigger-picture looks …
Read More »Barack Obama's Summer Playlist: Lil Nas X, Lizzo, Black Keys, Beyonce
Lil Nas X, Lizzo, the Black Keys and the Rolling Stones are among the artists whose songs landed on Barack Obama‘s latest annual summer playlist. “With summer winding down, here’s a sampling of what Michelle and I have been listening to — some new, some old, some fast, some slow,” …
Read More »Obamas Talk Storytelling in Preview for Netflix Doc 'American Factory'
Barack and Michelle Obama discuss the craft and connectivity of storytelling with filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar in a teaser video promoting their new Netflix documentary American Factory. The film, out today on the streaming service and in select theaters, is the first title from the former president and …
Read More »