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Fuse Theater Review: “Satchmo at the Waldorf” — An Off-Key Portrait of a Jazz Giant

August 26, 2012
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As Louis Armstrong, the gifted actor John Douglas Thompson is working with a script whose lines and contours are as woefully predictable as a profile in the old Life Magazine.

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Poetry Review: Jane Shore’s “That Said” — Early and Late

August 24, 2012
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If the poems in “That Said: New and Selected Poems” had been ordered differently, the volume would have made more of its virtues.

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Fuse TV Review: Netflix Keeps “Arrested Development” For the Sake of Our Sanity

August 23, 2012
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Had “Arrested Development” been aired after the recession, the series’ chances for survival would have benefited from the nation’s need for a healthy laugh at a time of monetary meltdown.

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Concert Review: Tanglewood Throws A Birthday Bash — John Williams Turns 80

August 22, 2012
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Composer John Williams has often stated that Tanglewood has been among his favorite places to visit — and the feeling is mutual.

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Fuse Book Commentary: A Case for Negative Book Reviews

August 22, 2012
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Why does Laura Miller feel, given her belief that negative reviews are often useless, that she has to kick criticism while it is down? Why argue against the efforts of a small number of delusional reviewers in major publications who continue to speak fruitless negativity to the indifferent masses?

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Book Review: “The Barcelona Brothers” — A Nasty Piece of Spanish Noir

August 22, 2012
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International noir novels no longer revolve around exotic police procedurals or gimmicky detective stories. They aim to pound readers into the pavement.

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Short Fuse: Russian Dissident Garry Kasparov — Going to Jail for Pussy Riot

August 21, 2012
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Unlike the rock star supporters of Pussy Riot, Garry Kasparov lives in Moscow, which means, given how the Putin regime has dealt with critics, he has a lot more to fear than, say, Madonna, who nevertheless should be applauded for speaking out at her Moscow concert.

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Concert Review: Boston Chamber Music Society enchants with Ravel and Debussy

August 21, 2012
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Despite the high level of the players, there are things a professional quartet brings to a performance or recording—uniformity of sound and style—that cannot be matched by a group cobbled together and given limited rehearsal time.

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Concert Review: Gil Shaham and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra/Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos

August 20, 2012
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It’s rather melancholy to think that this incarnation of the TMCO will never perform again as an ensemble. Such is the nature, though, of Tanglewood and many summer music festivals.

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Commentary/Review: Book Critics — “Fire the Bastards!” or Judging the Judges

August 20, 2012
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“New York Times” Book Critic Dwight Garner makes salient points about the need for incisive criticism, claiming that too much happy talk denies common sense and undercuts credibility. But the ‘gonzo’ masterwork “Fire the Bastards!” hammers the point home much more memorably.

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