5. M.I.A. at the Superbowl Some of us had a good year, some of us had a bad year, and some of us got upstaged at the Super Bowl when M.I.A. flipped the bird in the middle of our set. Madonna falls solidly into that last category. In the endless string of calculations that Madge’s career has become, her secret cadre of Kabbalah oracles couldn’t possibly have predicted that M.I.A. of all people would take the opportunity to make a statement on the world’s largest stage. Except, there she is in ... [Read more]

Last week, I stumbled upon this amazing video of Whitney Houston at the 1994 American Music Awards performing a medley of some Broadway classics followed by one of her own hits. I immediately thought this would be the perfect way to start getting people as excited as I am about the long-awaited stage adaptation of the 1992 hit musical film The Bodyguard. But on Saturday, before I could complete my thoughts, I was shocked to hear that the legendary diva had passed away. Along with the rest of her... [Read more]

I distinctly remember sitting in my rickety high chair at the age of about two or three giggling uncontrollably as I watched my mother jazzercising around in her neon pink leotard, and equally pink lipstick, to “How Will I Know.” I also remember belting “I Will Always Love You” when I could still hit the high notes, my parents smiling, wide-eyed, desperately trying to hide their wincing. And I remember calling my mother, who still wears that same shade of neon pink lipstick, to tell her the news... [Read more]