David Horiuchi

Original soundtrack recordings, July 11, 2009

Based on the sound samples, these appear to be the original RKO movie soundtrack recordings. This is important because they have both Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and the majority of Fred Astaire recordings available are the songs Fred recorded by himself for Brunswick with various studio orchestras. There's nothing wrong with those recordings, but they don't have the same charm and chemistry as the Fred-Ginger duo.

Entertaining and faithful adaptation, February 10, 2008

I'm a big fan of the Tintin books and enjoy this animated series as well. Originally produced in Canada (and broadcast a while back on HBO), it's a faithful rendering of the exciting and funny adventures of the boy reporter, his dog Snowy, and his friends Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, Thompson and Thomson et al. What I especially like about the series is that they devote two episodes (40+ minutes) to each story, which really lets them capture the spirit of the books. The rare exceptions are the one-episode stories (e.g., Red Rackham's Treasure), which feel rushed. If you're new to Tintin, I might start with The Black Island, which is one of the earlier adventures and stands up… Read more

My favorite new show of the 2006-2007 season, December 7, 2007

What do the Hair and the headpiece have in common with "The Ruhhr Juhhrr"? They're all part of the wacky corporate world of "30 Rock," Tina Fey's smart and giddy comedy about the inside workings of NBC. Fey, the former head writer of "Saturday Night Live" and writer-actor of "Mean Girls," created "30 Rock" as--imagine!--a backstage look at the creation of a network-TV sketch-comedy show. Fey plays a thinly disguised version of herself named Liz Lemon (ha!), the perpetually beleaguered head writer of "The Girlie Show," starring her friend (Jane Krakowski). Enter Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), the corporate stuffed shirt from GE who demands that action star Tracy Morgan (Tracy Jordan) be… Read more