Seldon's Blog

"A FAMILY SCANDAL IN THE 'NORTH AND SOUTH' TRILOGY"

I love John Jakes' "NORTH AND SOUTH" Trilogy. Honestly, I do. I love it so much that I have copies of the novels published between 1982 and 1987 that make up the trilogy. I love it so much that I have also copies of the television adaptations (1985-1986; 1994) of the novels, produced by Wolper Productions. Unfortunately, the trilogy has a few narrative problems. And I feel that one of its biggest problems centered around a particular painting. ( Read more... )

Below is a list of my ten favorite movies of 2015. Since my movie attendance was pretty low during that year, I missed a great deal of films. (List subject to change in near future): ( Read more... )

Below is a list of my favorite movies set during the 1810s and 1820s: ( Read more... )

Below are images from the 2008 HBO miniseries, "JOHN ADAMS". Directed by Tom Hooper, the seven-part miniseries starred Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney as John and Abigail Adams: ( Read more... )

Below is a list of my favorite movies with the theme of Southern Gothic: ( Read more... )

"DJANGO UNCHAINED": CONTROVERSY AND MYTH

Ever since the release of the 2012 Academy Award winning film, "12 YEARS A SLAVE", Quentin Tarantino's 2012 film, "DJANGO UNCHAINED" has been the target of a good deal of backlash and derision. Wait . . . I take that back. The film has received a good deal of derision even when it first reached the movie theaters during the early winter of 2012-2013. ( Read more... )

Below is an article I had written about a dish called Kentucky Burgoo: ( Read more... )

Below are images from the 2005 book called "FASHION: A HISTORY FROM THE 18th TO THE 20th CENTURY". This beautiful book features images of clothes that showcases the history of fashion for women between the 18th and 20th century. The outfits featured in this book are from the Kyoto Costume Institute, in Japan. Founded in 1978, the KCI holds one of the world's most extensive clothing collections. Its collection emphasizes on Western women's fashion. ( Read more... )

GUMBO

Gumbo is a dish that is not only popular throughout Deep South states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina; but is available to many Americans at restaurants that featured Gulf State cuisine throughout the country. For me, my first real introduction to gumbo was at a food stand inside Los Angeles' Farmers Market called "The Gumbo Pot". It is probably one of my favorite dishes ever . . . if prepared properly. ( Read more... )

Below are images from "THE JOURNEY OF AUGUST KING", the 1995 adaptation of John Ehle's 1971 novel. Directed by John Duigan, the movie starred Jason Patric and Thandie Newton: ( Read more... )