Streisand, Sheen, New iPad
The most depressing cultural news of the week has been Barbra Streisand’s confirmation that yes she is going to star in a movie remake of the musical “Gypsy.” I can hear “Rose’s Turn” hardening into amber even as I write this. The thrill of “Gypsy” is rooted in the thrill of live performance, and can never be satisfactorily captured on celluloid. The far more interesting, predictable piece of news today: 9 out of 10 fans of “Two and a Half Men” don’t care about Charlie Sheen’s never-ending personal problems. And why should they? He plays a cad on the show; he acts the cad in real life. No disconnect there. No disconnect, either, between the critics who yesterday excoriated the “Spiderman” musical on Broadway and the perceived quality of the show on the Great White Way. The critics’ blitzkrieg won’t mow down the show right away; every time I pass the Spidey theatre as the evening show is letting out, I see a lot of happy faces out on the sidewalk. More happy faces will be visible via the iPad, or at least the second-generation iPad, which will be available in the next couple of months. One of the added features is a camera in front. Also coming: more memory and a thinner, lighter design. I’m glad it will be lighter. My biggest shock, when I pick up the first-generation iPad in the Apple store, is how heavy it feels. Not pocket-size at all! I’ll end my stream-of-consciousness item listing right now, lest I turn into Larry King in his USA Today columnist days.
