Author Archives: Tom Garrett

Untimely Movie Review: Gigi

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Tom Garrett

After watching Gigi, I’m now more irritated than ever before that Saving Private Ryan didn’t win Best Picture. The movie—which did take home the Best Picture Oscar for 1958—begins with a borderline-elderly, thick-accented Parisian breaking the fourth wall to explain that … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged Commentary, Gigi, Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan, Movies, Reviews, Warner Bros., Warner Brothers | 4 Comments

The Debate Behind the Debate

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Tom Garrett

The debate over Indiana’s version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act has already taken some curious twists and turns. The initial response from opponents was to go to the playbook that has been so wildly successful over the past five … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News, Politics | Tagged Commentary, Constitutional Law, Gay Marriage, General Culture and News, IN-RFRA, Indiana, Mike Pence, Politics, Religion, Religious Freedom Restoration Act, RFRA, Sexuality, The First Amendment, Tolerance | 1 Comment

The Most Transitional WrestleMania of All Time!

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Tom Garrett

WrestleMania has always been a little different. From its inception, when it was the only annual pay-per-view in the World Wrestling Federation’s arsenal, celebrity involvement was a point of emphasis. From Liberace to Billy Martin to Muhammad Ali, the WWF … Continue reading →

Posted in Sports, Television, Uncategorized | Tagged Bork Laser, Bray Wyatt, Brie Bella, Brock Lesnar, Commentary, Damien Sandow, Daniel Bryan, Hideo Itami, John Cena, Lana, Nikki Bella, Pro Wrestling, Professional Wrestling, Rusev, Sheamus, Sports, Sports Entertainment, Sting, Television, The Undertaker, Triple H, WrestleMania, WrestleMania 31, WWE | Leave a comment

Let’s Talk About Oklahoma and Free Speech

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Tom Garrett

With the news that University of Oklahoma President David Boren would be expelling two members of the SAE fraternity for singing a racial-slur-laden song, there has been an expected uptick in First Amendment experts in the comments sections of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News, Politics | Tagged Commentary, Eugene Volokh, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, Free Speech, Freedom of Speech, Frons Profundus, General Culture and News, Oklahoma, Politics, The FIRE, The First Amendment, University of Oklahoma | 1 Comment

Timely Movie Review: Whiplash

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Tom Garrett

(Obvious spoiler alert: If you haven’t seen Whiplash, don’t read any further) I saw Birdman last week. Interesting movie. Michael Keaton was terrific. I never need to see it again. The first thing I did after watching Whiplash Monday night was to … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged Andrew Neiman, Bullying, Commentary, Conservatism, Jazz, JK Simmons, Miles Teller, Movies, Paul Reiser, Reviews, Terence Fletcher, Whiplash | 2 Comments

Where Does It End?

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Tom Garrett

This is an unsettling development . . . – This is a sobering moment in the storied history of cheese-related conflict. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen escalation this frightening since the Razor Wars of a decade ago. May … Continue reading →

Posted in General Culture and News, Pictures | Tagged Cheese, Food, General Culture and News, Healthy Choice, Humor, Lean Cuisine, Pictures, Smart Ones | Leave a comment

The Bargain

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Tom Garrett

On this day, more years ago than I care to remember, I was born in Richmond, Virginia. I grew up there and have essentially lived there all my life. In fact, up until last weekend, I was living in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Aging, Birthdays, Bruce Springsteen, Commentary, Glory Days, Introspection | 6 Comments

Best of 2014

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Tom Garrett

A new job and shifting responsibilities caused my blog-related productivity to slip a bit. Overall, I published “only” 41 pieces in 2014, including this one. But, that’s life. This blog was always intended to be both an outlet for things … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News, Site Stuff | Tagged Adam Silver, Best Of, Bullying, Domestic Violence, Ernie Kovacs, Free Speech, NBA, NFL, Ray Rice, Redskins, Roger Goodell, Stephen Colbert, Student Loans, The First Amendment, The Miz, Washington Redskins, WWE | Leave a comment

On the Integrity of Cereal Naming Conventions

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Tom Garrett

We do some pretty wacky things to try to shovel as much sugar into our collective diet as possible. Take, for example, this new cereal. Here’s a picture of the box, sent to me by a good friend who knew … Continue reading →

Posted in General Culture and News, Pictures | Tagged Cinnamon Toast Crunch, General Culture and News, General Mills, Humor, Pictures | 1 Comment

Thanks Again, Lawyers

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Tom Garrett

I had occasion to rise at the crack of nine a few Sundays back, thanks to the unusual start time of the London-based NFL game between the Falcons and Lions. The early wake-up was significant because it meant I would … Continue reading →