Author Archives: Jake Tracer

The UCLA Library’s exhibit on J.P. Donleavy wraps around the edges of the second-floor Powell Library rotunda. People walking up the stairs toward the circulation desk might miss it, but if they move a little slower, keep their eyes a little more open, there’s a chance they’ll figure out what’s going on. The setup would […]

As antiquated as it sounds, New York City shuts down on Mondays. Museums are closed; theaters are dark; and small restaurants ““ the ones you discover only by walking by them ““ take the night off presumably so their chefs can get Chinese takeout. I don’t have any statistics to back it up, but I […]

There’s a logical connection between Tommy Tiernan, the Irish comedian who opened his three-week run in the Little Theater on Wednesday, and John Cleese, the British comedian who will perform his one-man show in Royce Hall on Saturday. Sure, they’re both from small islands adjacent to the European continent, and sure, they’re both performing on […]

Last summer, I interned at the largest newspaper in the state of Delaware. I realize that’s more or less equivalent to bragging about being the tallest midget, but the detail is important, as you’ll see in a moment. One week the big news around the office, and perhaps around the state, was that a film […]

I have few rules in life, but one is that any time the Oscars feature a song with the word “pimp” in the title, I have to write a running diary. I realize this is the third column in a row in which I’ve written about the Oscars, but if Jess Rodgers can write 627 […]

Readers of this column already know that Philip Seymour Hoffman will win the Oscar for Best Actor on Sunday night. He’s in a tight race with Heath Ledger, and though you can’t have too much of a good thing when it comes to acting performances, you can pick a winner. The choice between Hoffman and […]

With just a week and a half remaining on the calendar until Oscar night, it’s time to start thinking about whom you’re going to pick in your local pool. Sure, betting on the Oscars is barely a footnote to a prelude of betting on March Madness, but since when do people need to justify gambling? […]