Pure Music

There is a moment at the end of 1951’s film noir The Big Night when a bartender closes up the bar, shuts the blinds, and walks off carrying a birthday cake. It is in silence, and the cinematography and atmosphere negate everything viewers see up to that point. It is poignant, speaks volumes, and is the best scene in the film. 

Everyone has a few skeletons tucked away here and there, and when director Joseph Losey (1909-1984) would inventory his closet, there was The Big Night (1951). John Drew Barrymore was 19 years old when he was cast to star as George LaMain (using the name John Barrymore Jr.) in this hokey maybe-there-was-a-murder thriller. He

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For the second year, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana has landed on The Daily Meal’s annual “101 Best Restaurants In America” list.

Though its ranking dropped significantly in 2012 – from tied for 21st to 49th – it’s still the only Connecticut restaurant on the roundup, which includes some of the country’s most famous (and expensive) dining institutions.

“If you want to discuss the loaded topic of America’s best pizza with any authority, you have to make a pilgrimage to this legendary New Haven spot,” the editors wrote. “What should you order at this checklist destination? Two words: clam pie.”

The choices were compiled by a panel of judges, including food writers and editors, travel experts and bloggers.

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Our two-part interview with Pendleton Ward, creator of Cartoon Network’s hit series Adventure Time, concludes today, with special guest questions from such pros as Scott Kurtz, Katie Cook, Chris Roberson and more. (Part one is here.) Keep reading for Ward’s thoughts on how to create an animated show, his favorite comic books, and much, much more…

Plus, check out a bonus illustration of Finn and Jake by cartoonist Tony Millionaire’s daughters, Phoebe and Pearl. Read more…

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Molly Sims, the model-turned-actress known for her modeling for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, her acting on the NBC series “Las Vegas” and her work as the host of “Project Accessory,” has announced that she is expecting her first child.

Sims has revealed that it’s a honeymoon baby. She married husband Scott Stuber, a film producer, only four months ago in Napa Valley, California. The couple had dated for 18 months prior to tying the knot. The child is due in June, so (if you do the math) it’s clear that Sims and Stuber wasted no time getting down to business.

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VANCOUVER — B.C. author Charlotte Gill won the 2012 British Columbia National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction on Monday for her memoir about tree planting Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber, and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe.

Gill was a tree planter for 17 years, first in Ontario, then in British Columbia; she estimates she has planted one million trees. Today, she teaches in the University of B.C.’s online creative writing program from her new home in Powell River, but she says she misses tree planting every day.

“All of my best friends were tree planters, my husband was a tree planter,” said Gill, who lived in Vancouver for 20 years. “There’s

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