Music Archives - The Culture Mom

12Sep

When TV Music Means Something #ThisIsUsMusic

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by #ThisIsUsMusic. I just lost my father. It's not something I've talked about often publicly as the circumstances around his death were quite unusual. His death has impacted me in ways that I can't describe. I find myself reflecting on could have been and should have been in his final years quite often. After my parents separated 15 years ago, our relationship became a bit estranged, and then he got sick. In very recent years, he didn't know who I was and our visits got harder and harder. But if I had that extra Read More

01Sep

5 Reasons I Love Netflix’s Stranger Things

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When I found out about Stranger Things' return in 2017 for another season yesterday, I was thrilled. After all, I binged the show on my own in the span of a few days back in July right after its release, then talked my two tweens into binging it, which they in turn did in around 12 hours. I found the show incredibly addictive and I was definitely one of its early discoverers. The first season of the program is only eight episodes (they've promised nine in season two), so it's not a huge commitment, and it's a homage to so many of the films and music I Read More

15Dec

My Hanukkah Hooplah Story: Celebrating the Holiday with a Special Needs Child (with a Giveaway!)

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When my kids were small, I initiated a tradition in our house of giving eight gifts over the course of the eight days of Hanukkah. I didn't have this tradition when I was younger, but I liked the idea of lighting a candle every night and giving my children a gift to unwrap to celebrate. It was easy to go into a toy store and pick up tchotchkes for less than $10 each, or even $1 each (at the Dollar Store). My children didn't ask for anything much in particular and they liked whatever they got. As the years progressed, I kept up the tradition of eight Read More

01Nov

An Interview with Film Director Richard Curtis

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About Time is the latest film by writer and filmmaker Richard Curtis. If you loved his other films, which include Notting Hill, Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral, you will love this one. Curtis has a distinctive voice and style that weaves through his work, and this film is no exception. It’s a small film with a big life lesson, and it had me raptured. I was lucky enough to spend time with Curtis recently at a small press conference. I sat in the first row and asked as many questions as I could. He was what I expected: honest, direct and Read More

19Oct

Angel Heart Music Storybook

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The haunting, evocative music storybook Angel Heart, released in September as a deluxe CD package, makes its New York premiere as a live multimedia family concert narrated by actor Chris Noth at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall this Monday, October 21. Hailed as “a fairy tale for the digital age” (Wall Street Journal), Angel Heart enjoyed a sold-out world premiere at UC Berkeley’s Cal Performances earlier this month. With a new story by best-selling children’s fantasy writer Cornelia Funke, interspersed with lullabies and songs arranged for voices, Read More

08Oct

Richard Curtis Film Review and Giveaway

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About Time is the latest film by writer and filmmaker Richard Curtis. If you loved his other films, which include Notting Hill, Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral, you will love this one. Curtis has a distinctive voice and style that weaves through his work, and this film is no exception. It's a small film with a big life lesson, and it had me raptured. The film revolves around 21 year-old, Tim (played by Domhnall Gleeson who lives with his eccentric, loving family in Cornwall, England. When he finds out from his dad (played by the fabulous Read More

07Aug

A Night at Caramoor with Suzanne Vega

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Last week we got in the car and headed north to Katonah to spend an evening with Suzanne Vega at Caramoor. We had long talked about attending a concert there and it basically took one of my favorite artists to get us there. I'm a long time fan of hers, having loved her for the last 25-30 years or so (gulp!). Okay that just aged me a bit. The first time I saw her was in my birthplace, Atlanta, GA, and I have seen her perform several times since in NYC, Westchester and at the Lilith Festival several moons ago. I love her song writing, the sound of her Read More

07Mar

Giveaway: Wii Sing POP! (and How it’s Making Me a Better Mother)

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I have a confession. I'm not the kind of mom that gets on the floor and plays board games with my kids every day. I do get on the floor with them, but not as often as I should. I tend to have a million things to do and my focus is not always where it should be. However, since I came back from Vietnam a few weeks ago, I have been more focused on spending time with them. After two weeks on my own without the family, I was able to think about necessary change. I knew that I wanted to be more engaged as a parent when I got back, so I implemented Read More

03Jul

Film Review: Katy Perry: Part of Me, The Movie

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Last night my daughter and I were invited to a special preview showing of Katy Perry: Part of Me, The Movie in my old neighborhood in NYC. As we headed in right after camp and swim lessons, refreshed and ready for a night on the town, I could sense her excitement. And I was pretty excited, too. For me, Katy Perry is a throw back to the music I liked when I was her age - Blondie, Bananarama, even Weird Al Yancovic with all her crazy costumes and wigs. She's what I consider to be my guilty pleasure - music that I groove out while driving the car, music Read More

23Feb

Bucket List: Woody Allen – Live at Cafe Carlyle

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If you haven't already figured it out from reading my many blogs about Woody Allen, I'm a huge fan. I've written about his movies, his plays and his impact on my life and move to NYC from Atlanta, GA. But he means so much more to me than I can write here on this blog and after many years of saying how much I want to see him in real life at the Cafe Carlyle where he plays clarinet regularly with his band, my husband finally listened and agreed that it was the perfect Valentine's Day gift for me this year. And indeed it was. We got dressed up, a Read More