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Weekend Butler: Dolly Parton, rockstar. Bradley Cooper, actor/director/writer. Wisdom: Thich Nhat Hanh & David Hockney. E.B. White defines Democracy. Marcella Hazan’s Carbonara. - An unusual week. Two celebrities, famous for a reason bigger than talent: massive intelligence. Don't skip these interviews because you think you know them. You don't.  DOLLY PARTON, 77-YEAR-OLD ROCKSTAR Look at

Weekend Butler: If wishes were horses: Fantasies for the week before Christmas - PHOTO: A movie theatre in Mayfield, Kentucky, after the tornado. Photo credit. IF WISHES WERE HORSES… In another world, we wouldn’t be so worried. In another world, Joe Manchin wouldn’t object to

Weekend Butler: James Carville and “The Walking Woke,” Charles Dickens sleepwalks, Raymond Chandler’s memo to his assistant, and the book I’m reading now (you might, too) - JAMES CARVILLE WOKES UP In an interview, political adviser James Carville --- author of the famous campaign slogan “It’s the economy, stupid,” and my personal favorite, “No man stands so tall

Weekend Butler: Shower the people you love with love. A rare video. Your next podcast: Anderson Cooper. The show to see in NYC. A comedy to stream. A recipe for a holiday party. And more. - SUPPORTING BUTLER: You can become a patron of this site, and automatically donate any amount you please — starting with $1 — each month. The service that enables this is

Weekend Butler: The woman in the picture, a major breakthrough in kitchen cleanup, and… Paris in the spring - THE IMAGE: MÉMORIAL DES MARTYRS DE LA DÉPORTATION There were 200,000 French citizens, almost all of them Jews, deported by the Vichy government during World War II. If you've visited Notre

Weekend Butler: Why are new issues of “The New Yorker” delivered every three days???? Movie: The Sicilian “Gone with the Wind.” SCOTUS Christmas party: pay up! A comforting song. Recipe: The best gazpacho. - WHY DOES "THE NEW YORKER" SHOW UP IN MY MAILBOX EVERY THREE DAYS? I've taken a poll. One friend says he too is receiving new issues of "The New Yorker" every

Weekend Butler: “At the edge of history, the wind is blowing in our faces.” A cellist plays Bach in a forest. Bruce and Bono: who paid for dinner? Liz Truss: Russian asset? “Vem Kan Segla Förutan Vind.” Easy weekend recipe. - "THE FRAME LARGELY DETERMINES THE OUTCOME" Translation: How you think about a future event/project/meeting/date largely determines what will happen. I asked a therapist I admire if she thought that was true. "A hundred

Weekend Butler: “Hold on tightly, let go lightly.” A music video that will thrill you (and everyone you share it with). Kurt Vonnegut shows you how to make $1 million. Weekend movie: a German thriller. Julia Child’s Coq au Vin. - "HOLD ON TIGHTLY. LET GO LIGHTLY." When I read that quote from the great theater director Peter Brook, I thought he had it backwards. If you're talking about relationships, holding on

Weekend Butler: “Holiday” music you’ll hear nowhere else, a movie you don’t know and will never forget, Timothy Snyder on the most urgent issue we’re ignoring, and the summer I learned to drink beer - HOLIDAY MUSIC Not feeling the marching band, the parade, the fireworks. Very much feeling "Knock Knock" by Mac Miller, a white kid from Pittsburgh who started rapping when he was 8

Weekend Butler: “Is this the beginning of the end?” Judi Dench recites Shakespeare. Going to Paris: Meet Van Gogh. Mary Oliver. Holiday savings on CBD cream. Garland Jeffreys movie online. Mmmm: recipe for Mac and Cheese. - IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF THE END? In the last few days, I’ve had conversations with smart readers and big-time insiders. All were dour. They see Biden losing steam, Trump gaining

Weekend Butler: “Oppenheimer” (No thanks), “Killers of the Flower Moon” (And the Oscar goes to…?). Life imitates LeCarre. Married people are 545% happier! Jelly Roll needs a favor! Handle hard better! And more. - WHY I SKIPPED “OPPENHEIMER.” WHY “KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON” IS A MUST-SEE MOVIE FOR ME “Oppenheimer” has audiences sitting in theaters for 3 hours.  “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which opens

Weekend Butler: “The apple that falls to the earth also lifts the ground.” Prince Harry is right, and here’s the proof. Weekend reading and compelling streaming. An easy recipe that’s a crowd favorite. And more. - "THE APPLE THAT FALLS TO THE EARTH ALSO LIFTS THE GROUND" On our last night in Jamaica, I slipped on wet tile in the shower and landed, hard, on my left

Weekend Butler: “They came to California to ruin a man. Not to kill him, not literally. But the next best thing.” Aubrey Plaza’s new movie. Best snarky email. Best sincere Tweet. Addictive music. A simple recipe from Le Bernardin with… what???? - DANIEL ELLSBERG (1931 -  ) "They came to California to ruin a man. Not to kill him, not literally. But the next best thing.” What kind of book begins like this? A

Weekend Butler: “Things change.” Play ball! A dead dog in a Hermès bag on the Champs-Élysées. A timely movie. A funny kid. A good use of zucchini. And more. - “NOT ALWAYS SO… THINGS CHANGE” The first thing that fascinated me about Shunryu Suzuki — the monk who’s mostly responsible for bringing Zen to America — was his response when he

Weekend Butler: “Who may I say is calling?” Phenomenal Annie Lennox. This Beauty Field Trip is a streaming series. Grated tomato pasta. And more. - “WHO SHALL I SAY IS CALLING? If the indictment of former President Trump is the biggest American story of the century so far, why is Leonard Cohen’s gravestone the image on

Weekend Butler: 2022 thoughts, prayers, fears… and resolve. Must-see weekend movie. A tasty condiment. And more. - SURVIVING/ENDURING THE PANDEMIC: A checklist, again. WELCOME TO 2022: THOUGHTS, PRAYERS, FEARS...AND RESOLVE. From R, a close friend and Butler reader: "I have noticed that your blog is often about self-improvement.

Weekend Butler: 3 love stories, 1 love poem, 1 love song, and one romantic movie (even if it’s about basketball and stars Adam Sandler) - If you're not in a heat zone this weekend or in Ukraine or ill or otherwise disadvantaged, you are blessed. I know I am. I've got angels on my shoulder.

Weekend Butler: 3,044 empty chairs. 11 short novels. 1 exceptional ramen. 1 stunning quote. 1 midnight song. - 3,044 EMPTY CHAIRS [IN THE PHOTOGRAPH, ABOVE] David Keene, former president of the National Rifle Association, and John Lott, author of “More Guns, Less Crime,” were invited to speak

Weekend Butler: A funny series in snowbound Norway, an “evidence” bag, Glenn Gould almost dances, and a short book to challenge the near-universal gloom - EVIDENCE BAG Excellent carry-all for writing supplies, makeup, medicine, an iPad mini, and, I suppose, “evidence.” 7.25"h x 9.5"w. Made of 95% recycled polypropylene. [To buy it from Amazon

Weekend Butler: A nation of hostages. The Dalai Lama’s birthday. The $3 million GoFundMe. Strawberry Cobbler. - A NATION OF HOSTAGES Consider this year’s 314 mass shootings in just 186 days. Do they make you… nervous about going to the mall, the grocery, the club, the church, theater,