By David Perel / Boynton Beach, Fla. In recent days, George Santos, Republican Congressman-elect from New York, has embarked on a “sorry/not sorry” series of interviews after journalists exposed many of his representations about his life as untrue or, as George calls it “embellished.” Those representations include his employment background, his education, his property holdings and even his religion. Santos broke his silence days after the New York Times and other outlets meticulously documented his untruths. On his media tour, Santos has offered “explanations” for almost everything. Here’s an annotated guide to his comments. Santos claimed he graduated from Baruch College in 2010 and also listed on a campaign website biography that he had attended New York University. In an interview with the New York Post the day after Christmas, he admitted, “I didn’t graduate from any institution of higher learning. I’m embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume.” George has a built-in excuse here: He didn’t graduate from any institution of higher learning, so that’s why he doesn’t know the distinction between embellishing and lying. Quick primer for George: If you claim you went to a college and never did, that’s not embellishing. “I’m not going to make excuses for this, but a lot of people overstate in their résumé, or twist a little bit. … I’m not saying I’m not guilty of that.” He’s not saying he’s not guilty, got that? Because being ‘not not guilty’ sounds so much better than saying “I’m guilty.” “My sins here are embellishing my résumé,” Santos told the New York Post. Another way of viewing it is your sin is selling more whoppers than Burger King to get elected. Santos told WABC New York, “I want to make sure that if I disappointed anyone by résumé embellishment, I am sorry.” See folks, I’m not sorry for actually doing it. I’m only sorry if my lies disappointed anyone. Santos claimed on multiple occasions that he worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. Reporting exposed he did not. Santos now says he worked for a company that did business with those firms and called his previous false representations “a poor choice of words.” Other examples of a poor choice of words: Lance Armstrong denying he took performance enhancing drugs; NBC journalist Brian Williams claiming that his helicopter was shot at in Iran, and Bill Clinton’s “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Leave it to the mainstream media to call “a poor choice of words” a lie. In presenting himself as a person of wealth, Santos claimed that he was a landlord with 13 properties. Recent reporting revealed he is not a landlord. When the federal government prohibited landlords from evicting tenants during the pandemic, Santos tweeted: “Will we landlords ever be able to take back possession of our property? My family and I nearing a 1-year anniversary of not receiving rent on 13 properties!!! The state is collecting their tax, yet we get 0 help from the government. We worked hard to acquire these assets.” Hey, he was telling the truth about not being paid rent! Confronted with the truth this week he said: “George Santos does not own any properties.” Talking about yourself in the third person seems like a good strategy. It’s almost like someone else told all those lies. “I’m not gonna make excuses for this but a lot of people overstate in their résumé.” Clearly no excuses being made here. Santos has said that his mother was Jewish and escaped the Nazis. He called himself “a proud American Jew” in a position paper shared with Jewish and pro-Israel leaders during the campaign. (The Forward, a Jewish publication, obtained the paper.) It has since been revealed that Santos’ mother was not Jewish and neither is he. His explanation? “I never claimed to be Jewish. I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was ‘Jew-ish.'” See? He’s Jew-ish, not Jewish. Now introducing the Santos Rule for Jewish people: When someone says they are Jewish, you must ask ‘with a hyphen or without?’ Santos has previously described himself as a non-observant Jew. He didn’t lie about the non-observant part. Previously he stated: “My heritage is Jewish. I’ve always identified as Jewish. Does the name Rachel Dolezal ring a bell? In November 2022, the Jewish Insider website ran the headline “Meet the Next Jewish Republican from Long island." Suggested revised headline: “Meet the Next Jew-ish Republican from Long island.” Santos claimed that people who worked for him were murdered in the Pulse nightclub mass shooting in Orlando in 2016. That too has proven to be inaccurate and he recently explained to WABC: “I mean they worked for me as in, they work for the company of which I was an employee of.” Anyone who works at your company works for you. Now go tell your CEO to go out and get your lunch. “This [controversy] will not deter me from having good legislative success. I will be effective. I will be good.” “I will be good,” said every child caught in the act of doing something wrong by their parents. “I am not a criminal,” Santos said during his ‘let me explain all of this’ interview. Drawing from the Nixon playbook might not be the best strategy, George. “There’s always two sides to the story.” Usually true, but maybe not so much in this case. “I’m not a fraud. I’m not a criminal who defrauded the entire country and made up this fictional character and ran for Congress.” Why would anyone think that? In a stunning moment of ignominy for George, former pol Tulsi Gabbard, filling in for Tucker Carlson, interviewed Santos on Fox News on Tuesday (12/27) and asked him, “Do you have no shame?’ Santos should have answered “I don’t not have shame.” “I intend to deliver on the promises I made during the campaign.” Listen, when George Santos says something you can believe him! That’s pretty clear by this point. David Perel is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated investigative journalist. He has worked as a senior executive at several media companies.

The Insider: Well, we have officially entered the Resolution Season. I bet some people end up in a physical therapist’s office when they decide suddenly to become Olympians at the beginning of the New Year. Andrea Kwok: Yes, it does happen! Especially after a month or more on the couch The Insider: That’s so true! We become lazy bums in December, eating our way through the holidays and skipping our exercise! Do you have thoughts about how people can reverse all the damage they did in December to their waistlines? Andrea Kwok: Yes, and luckily the effects of indulging for one month should not be too drastic. I think that’s important to remember. It’s more that the habits we started to form during the holiday season need to be checked after all the celebrations have quieted down. The Insider: Do you have advice about how to put the brakes on after a month-long pig-out? Andrea Kwok: Sure! Firstly, mindset matters. It’s much less daunting to think of January as a chance to reset, rather than reinvent. So many lofty resolutions are abandoned after a few weeks because they were too ambitious, or they don’t seem to be producing dramatic results very quickly. Setting small, action-focused goals (as opposed to results-based goals) help us stay on track because it is easy to recognize when we are achieving them. The Insider: I like that! Reset—it sounds more manageable. What would be a good example of that? Andrea Kwok: Instead of saying, “I will lose 5 pounds this month,” a better goal would be, “I will have a piece of fruit instead of my usual two cookies for five out of seven days each week.” The Insider: Moderation! Andrea Kwok: This is better for a few reasons. One is that it actually sets a small goal for each day of the week. Every time you make the healthy swap, you register that you are on your way to meeting the weekly goal. Second, it avoids the difficult to achieve “negative” goal. Which would be more along the lines of “I won’t eat cookies this month.” Trying to not do something is much harder than trying to do something. These same principles apply for physical activity goals as well. The Insider: In what way? Andrea Kwok: Setting small daily or weekly goals for physical activity is much more likely to build a lasting habit than trying to push yourself to the limit to “undo” the holiday damage. First, that can be dangerous and lead to injury. Second, it will likely make you too sore or tired to continue on your healthy reset journey, and you may revert back to old patterns. Exercise does not need to be torture! I think we often forget that. Daily walks or swapping the elevator for stairs are a great starting point. The Insider: How can a reformed couch potato judge how much exercise is too much? Andrea Kwok: The simplest and most intuitive answer is pain. If it hurts, it’s probably too much. Or maybe not the right activity. Some mild muscle soreness or fatigue after a workout is normal. But if it lasts more than two days, or if the pain is sharp and in any joints, this is not a normal response to exercise. The Insider: And that can even come from overdoing walking? Andrea Kwok: It can. Any rapid increase in physical activity from your usual routine has the potential to cause discomfort. The Insider: Is that especially true if your resolution is to take up an entirely new sport? Andrea Kwok: Yes, not only might you be increasing your overall activity levels, but you are also probably introducing new movement patterns, which means your muscles will be working in ways you aren’t used to. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but best to do with caution or under supervision The Insider: I’m curious if you’ve ever had a patient who hurt himself or herself by suddenly become an obsessed exerciser. Andrea Kwok: Certainly, and it can happen to people of all ages and fitness levels. If you take up an activity with a demand that far exceeds your current level of conditioning, you risk injury, no matter who you are. Recovery can be faster in younger populations, but they also tend to be the bigger risk takers. The Insider: It’s interesting to realize that the resolution habit can be a recipe for disaster if it’s taken too far. Andrea Kwok: Yes, we tend to have a “more is more” mindset, but this approach is not always best. I certainly don’t want to discourage anyone from starting new activities or setting bigger goals. It’s great to challenge yourself and try new things! It’s just important to set goals that are realistic in the time frame you’ve selected, and also to seek appropriate guidance for things that you are very unfamiliar with. That can be in regard to nutrition or physical activity. This is meant as a gentle reminder that not every resolution has to be a big-ticket item. Small steps still get you places! The Insider: One last question—do you make resolutions? Andrea Kwok: Funny enough, usually very small ones! Drinking more water, going to bed by a certain time. And maybe one professional goal for the year. But I don’t typically wait for the start of the new year to start working on things. The Insider: Walking the walk! I take my journalistic hat off to you! Many thanks for your wise suggestions. Andrea Kwok: My pleasure! Wishing you and your readers health and happiness in the New Year! Andrea Kwok is the Clinical Director of SPEAR’s West 67th Street location. Andrea earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Delaware. During her time there, she completed a graduate assistantship in the Physical Therapy administrative office and served as class secretary. Prior to her graduate studies, Andrea graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University with a major in exercise science and a minor in Spanish. Andrea was a founding member of the Rutgers club gymnastics team, where she served as team treasurer. In her professional career, Andrea has experience working with a wide range of orthopedic conditions, inclusive of sports injuries, mechanical pain, neurological pain, and post-operative rehabilitation. She pursues continuing education with a manual focus, intent on refining her ability to address joint, neurodynamic, and soft tissue dysfunction. Andrea is a large proponent of injury prevention and has participated in movement screenings for high school athletes, active adults, and local residents in the community. She is committed to restoring patient strength and function through targeted exercise and movement training.

Fred Plotkin, a pleasure activist and passionate Italy and culinary expert, speaks each Friday with leading people in the arts FRED PLOTKIN is one of America’s foremost experts on opera and has distinguished himself in many fields as a writer, speaker, consultant and as a compelling teacher. He is an expert on everything Italian, the person other so-called Italy experts turn to for definitive information.  Fred discovered the concept of "The Renaissance Man" as a small child and has devoted himself to pursuing that ideal as the central role of his life. In a “Public Lives” profile in The New York Times on August 30, 2002, Plotkin was described as "one of those New York word-of-mouth legends, known by the cognoscenti for his renaissance mastery of two seemingly separate disciplines: music and the food of Italy." In the same publication, on May 11, 2006, it was written that "Fred is a New Yorker, but has the soul of an Italian."

By Judi Markowitz My mother, Marian Foster was a stay-at-home mom and everything concerning the house was her job– and she took it seriously. She was a meticulous housekeeper. My dad didn’t want her to work outside of the home, so she happily immersed herself in joyful domestic bliss. From the moment I woke up in the morning for school, breakfast was on the table for me and my siblings. It was always served hot, and cereal was never an option — that was beneath her. My mom was like June Cleaver from the 1950’s sitcom Leave It to Beaver —minus wearing the fancy dress, high heels, and pearl necklace around the house. In elementary school, I walked home for lunch and my mom was always there to greet me. A delicious meal would be waiting for me to devour, and then I’d head back to school. Dinner was served promptly at 5:00 p.m. since my dad woke up very early for work and he was ready to eat when he returned home for the evening. We always had family dinners and, once again, my mom spent the day preparing the meal while attending to the various responsibilities in the house. Laundry, ironing, scrubbing floors and shopping were part of her daily routine. My mom never complained about her role. She stuck to it like Super Glue. My mother was born in Moises Ville, Argentina in 1913. Her family was turned away from Ellis Island because my grandfather had some sort of scalp disease — it could have been lice, ring worm, who knows? My grandmother was pregnant with my mom, and so they stayed put in this foreign land for a brief stint. Months later their family of four sojourned back to New York for a second try — it worked. Their family put down roots in Akron, Ohio. My grandmother worked at the Jewish Community Center and cooked for the crowd of hungry members. My grandfather wasn’t around much. He was a painter and jobs took him to other cities. He had “the walking blues” — a term used in the 1900s for a man who was miserable staying in one location. My grandfather rarely worked in the city, didn’t give the family enough money, and this forced my grandmother to be the sole supporter of her four children. She even worked a second job cleaning houses — a very unhappy woman. My grandmother wanted to divorce my wandering grandfather, but her brothers insisted it would be a shanda (Yiddish for a disgrace). She acquiesced. Due to this dysfunctional family situation, my mother told me that she felt unloved and that her parents did not care for her. She recalled having to wear hand-me-down clothing and relied on an aunt to buy her dresses when the opportunity arose. My mother also thought her sister, Lee, was favored. She made a vow and repeated this story to me many times; that when she got married and had children, she would shower love upon them every day. She lived up to this promise. “I love you” was always heard when leaving the house or ending a phone call. College was a dream that never materialized for my mother. Upon graduating from high school, she wanted to become a gym teacher. With few resources available, my mom had no choice but to work in a local department store. She gave her paycheck to my grandmother. Her sister had other ideas and did not partake in the same arrangement — she kept the money for herself. My mom pledged that her children would obtain a college education and she instilled this in us from a young age. We were first-generation Americans, and we received a higher education —several times over. As a dedicated housewife, my mother took the word tidy to a new level. The adage “a place for everything and everything in its place” could be witnessed in our home. My mother’s closet was a work of art. Shoe boxes were perfectly lined up on the top shelf and labeled, by color and style, so she would know exactly where to find the ideal match to an outfit. Clothing was hung according to the season, and all was in order — skirts, blouses, pant suits — nothing was amiss. My mom was a fashionista and inspired solid clothing sense in her children. Her drawers were neat to a fault and all items were folded precisely. Even the linen closet looked like a professional had a hand in the organization. But the items I remember the most were my mother’s housecoats — a ’50s tradition she carried forward for decades. My mom had every imaginable color and floral pattern. Hers were knee-length, which made it comfortable to relax or do chores around the house. The housecoat was like a dress, but it snapped up the front and was worn in lieu of putting on clothing before she left the house. Her closet was adorned with them. But the most important detail was that she had matching slippers for many of her housecoats. No woman of this generation would ever step outside their home without putting on their makeup. My mother was no exception. When getting ready for an outing she would say “I have to put on my face.” I always found this quite amusing since I rarely wore any makeup. I flirted with the idea as a teenager and then decided that lipstick would be my mainstay. But my mom did the full routine — foundation, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, rouge (blush) and lipstick. Going to the market or simply heading to the post office without makeup would have been a monumental crime for my mom. And then women’s lib came on the scene with a vengeance and the notion of being the ideal homemaker flew out the window. The mother image from Leave it to Beaver disappeared and was replaced with working moms who juggled their professions with home life. But my mom did not depart from her routine. Mother Knows Best When I had a family, my house was very neat, but I had a housekeeper who helped with laundry and cleaning. Working outside of the home demanded aid in these situations. My mother could not fathom the disorganization of my kitchen drawers or the pantry. Items were not perfectly lined up to my mother’s satisfaction and I even had a junk drawer. It was filled with tape, screw drivers, glue, string — you name it, I had it in the drawer. My mother couldn’t believe it. I did, however, follow my mother’s path with shoe boxes. They were not labeled, and I generally had to rummage through most of them to find the desired pair. On school days I only served cold cereal for breakfast, along with orange juice and an occasional donut. We were too busy getting out the door and driving carpool. With four children in all different schools, it was rush time. Their bedrooms were not neat — clothing was strewn on the floors and beds unmade. Clean-up time was relegated to the weekends. My mother would not have tolerated such blatant disregard for organization. But the tradition of family dinners in my house continued even with the multitude of sporting events, play dates, and athletic practices that lined our busy schedule. I also prepared lunches daily—a brown bag was the rage or a lunch box. There were no fancy containers on the scene when my children attended school. Sandwiches were the mainstay, along with a variety of chips, and dessert. Lunchables became a hot ticket, and everyone had to partake. I would write a short note on their lunch bag or place it inside. It was brief and I told them to have a nice day, do well in class, or on a test, and “I love you” was always placed at the end of the note. Looking back, I’m sure they appreciated the sentiment, but it could have embarrassed them if their friends saw the comments. My mother instilled in me a passion for athletics. She would exercise daily and learned the routines of Jack LaLanne, a fitness guru who became popular in the 1950s. She taught me how to do the splits, cartwheels, and stand on my head. Later I carried these skills to become a cheerleader, gymnast, tennis, and softball player. During this time period jogging suits became my mom’s mainstay. These nylon athletic outfits were very popular, and my mom adored them — but the housecoats still had their place in her closet. She walked five miles a day until she was 92. My mom would walk to our house, which was a two-mile jaunt, and then take the grandchildren for a wagon ride around the neighborhood, pulling her cargo of kids. Neighboring children would follow along — she was the Pied Piper. I do believe that I became an English teacher because of my mother’s love of books — she was a voracious reader and it definitely rubbed off. She instilled in us that academics were a necessity and pounded the idea home. I still have an image of my mom sitting at the kitchen table reading a good novel, or the newspaper from cover to the last page while eating a sweet potato and sipping on a cup of tea. Who knew that she was ahead of her time with nutrition? Following in my mother’s footsteps was not on my agenda as a child. But as I matured, I realized the beauty of her traditions. Many things I left behind and others I hold dearly. We all must forge our own paths. Saying “I love you” is a mainstay in my house too, and I shower my children and grandchildren with affection. Just like my mother, I never miss an occasion to say those three, all-important words. Judi Markowitz is a retired high school English teacher of 34 years. She primarily taught 12th grade and had the pleasure of her three sons gracing her classes. In addition, she taught debate, forensics, and Detroit film. Judi has four adult children and seven wonderful grandchildren. She is married to Jeffrey Markowitz, whom she met in high school. Judi grew up in Oak Park, Mich. which had a stellar school district, with excellent teachers. The city provided activities for all–and there were even sidewalks. Judi moved to Huntington Woods as an adult, which is a half mile from her childhood home. She wanted the same experience for her children as she had growing up, and Huntington Woods provided that. The View from Four Foot Two is Judi’s first book.

By Andy Borowitz December 26, 2022 PHOENIX (The Borowitz Report)—Kari Lake reportedly “flipped out” at a suburban 7-Eleven after buying a losing lottery ticket there on Christmas morning, multiple witnesses report. According to those witnesses, Lake’s failure to produce a winning result in a lottery scratcher game called Cash Craze led her to accuse the ticket machine of being rigged against her and “riddled with fraud.” While other customers averted their eyes, the former anchorwoman launched into a tirade on a wide range of targets, including the “pathetic” quality of Christmas presents she had just received. A member of Lake’s extended family who spoke on condition of anonymity called her Christmas visit to the 7-Eleven “unfortunate” but said that “at least it got her out of the house for a few minutes.” Andy Borowitz is a Times best-selling author and a comedian who has written for The New Yorker since 1998. He writes The Borowitz Report, a satirical column on the news.

By Lydia Hope Wilen / New York City How to Annoy Nimoy My sister Joany and I were hired in the early 1980s to write and talent-coordinate a Nickelodeon series called Standby… Lights! Camera! Action!, introducing young viewers to the magic of making movies. The host was Leonard Nimoy. It was at a time in his career when he wanted to distance himself from Spock, the enormously popular Star Trek character that he made famous and that made him famous. In fact, his first book was an autobiography called I Am Not Spock. According to a reliable source, Nimoy’s contract stipulated that he not be introduced on the Nickelodeon series as Star Trek’s Spock. A reasonable request that didn’t end there. During the crew’s orientation meeting, we were told, in no uncertain terms, that we were not to say Star Trek, or do the Vulcan salute, any mention of “ears” was a real no-no, and most of all, never, NEVER say “Spock.” Since I didn’t watch the series and I had to have the Vulcan salute explained to me, what were the chances of me doing or saying any of those forbidden things? We all joked about having a pool, guessing who would be the schnook to say one of the words that was verboten. The series started taping and the tapings were going well. Nimoy was good to work with…creative and professional. For one of the episodes, as a behind-the-scenes guest, I found an experienced TV and film makeup artist. I talked to her and gave my notes to Joany so that she could write a list of questions for Nimoy’s interview with her. We all gathered for the upcoming episode’s production meeting. The meeting included Leonard Nimoy. Towards the end of the meeting, it was my turn to talk about the makeup artist and how she would be presented. She wanted to have Nimoy in a makeup chair, applying makeup to him while he interviewed her. Everyone agreed that it would be a good visual. And then I said, “Since the makeup woman would be working, she said she wanted to wear a Spock.” I said “Spock” instead of “smock.” There was an audible gasp from everyone in the room, except me. I gulped and I quickly offered Nimoy an apology. He didn’t accept the apology. He was too busy giving me the stink eye. In those days, it was called a dirty look. I knew at that second, whatever I do, I must not look at Joany. If I did, we’d both lose it…and our jobs as well. Roger Yager, the producer, kept his cool, acting as though this schnook didn’t say what she had said. Instead, he found a way to gracefully end the meeting and dismissed us. Leonard Nimoy was the first to leave. Once he was out of (excuse the expression) EARshot, we all laaaaughed! The ironic part of this story is that a short time later, Nimoy embraced his Spock character. He wrote another autobiography—a best seller--and he called it, I Am Spock. Leonard Nimoy lived a fairly long life and, boy, did he prosper. Rejection Perfection As successful authors, it was easy for my sister Joany and me to have pitch sessions with editors at reputable publishing houses. One editor reached out to us, saying she was a fan of ours and our work and she wanted to meet with us. We made an appointment to see her, and we prepared treatments (a 500-1500-word explanation of an idea, making it as appealing as possible) for a couple of book ideas. When the time came for our meeting, the receptionist welcomed us and called to tell the editor we had arrived. A minute or two later, a young…very young…woman came out. Obviously, the editor’s assistant. WRONG! The young woman was the editor. She was in her 20s and we weren’t. Neither one of us was too thrilled meeting with someone whose parents could have hired us to babysit her. And then, 10 or 15 minutes into the meeting, both of us were super-impressed with the editor’s knowledge of publishing and how the editor best serves the writers. We left her office, leaving our treatment pages with her, hoping she’d want to work with us. For the next few hours, all Joany and I talked about was this incredible young editor. We were sure she’ll have her own imprint one day, or her own publishing company. Fast forward 33 years. I was recently going through old files, including a file labeled “Rejections.” One letter was outstanding. It was from the young editor who sent us the best rejection letter we ever received. She sure had a way with words: I wondered if she has her own imprint these many years later. Or did she start her own publishing company? Of course, you know what I did. I googled her: Stacy Schiff What are the chances of us being interviewed as writers by an editor who later became a writer and received the National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship, the George Washington Book Prize, Lapham's Quarterly Janus Prize, the New England Historic Genealogical Society Lifetime Achievement Award in History and Biography and the French Ministry of Culture, Chevalier des Arts et Lettres? And (DRUM ROLL PLEASE) in 2000, Stacy Schiff, former editor, won the Pulitzer Prize for Vera, her biography of Vera Nabokov. The Pulitzer Prize, folks! What are the chances? If you have a “What Are The Chances...? story you would like to share, I’d love to know about it. Email it to me at editor@theinsider1.com. Don’t be shy! Lydia Hope Wilen had a successful collaboration with her late sister Joany as nonfiction bestselling authors (18 books), journalists, TV personalities, writers and talent coordinators on a Nickelodeon series hosted by Leonard Nimoy, Reading Rainbow episodes, skit writers for Dr. Ruth's TV show, Diet America Challenge on CBS, and writers of screenplays (optioned but not produced yet). Lydia is writing on her own now and has just completed an extraordinary book for young people and their parents. It will have them laughing and learning...once she gets an agent and it gets published.

One film journalist’s stream-of-consciousness cinematic journey through the pandemic, Part 113 By Laurence Lerman / New York City The post-holiday season winter freeze is upon us and that means we’ve got a couple of months to wait before a steady stream of high-profile wide release films and specialty titles roll in. The December logjam of year-end biggies proved to be a triumph for Disney with Avatar: The Way of Water crossing the $1 billion worldwide mark in two weeks and Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever approaching $900 million. But it’s also proved to be disappointing for most of the other studios, with large-scale fare like Babylon, Empire of Light, She Said, Bones and All and I Wanna Dance with Somebody floundering at the box office. There’s also been a lot of talk about the lack of box office interest in original, non-franchise, non-genre movies aimed at adults. Such critically lauded films as The Fabelmans, Armageddon Time, Tár, Triangle of Sadness and She Said barely scraped the surface at the box office, sending a signal to studios that adult fare seems to work best for adults sitting in their easy chairs with their fingers on the streaming button. Studio execs and analysts attribute the collapse of adult box office to everything from Covid scares to the ease of at-home viewing. But no one is really sure what to think—at least, not until another season or two have come and gone. As for January, it’s not a very busy month, movie-wise—January rarely is—but it’s a relief to see that a number of prominent-enough titles are scheduled for at least a brief theatrical run. And that’s followed by their availability on streaming platforms within a couple of weeks of their premieres. And yes, there are a bunch of possibilities to consider, with a selection that includes a Hollywood adaptation of an international bestseller, a rom-com filled with well-known stars of all ages looking for love, and a straight-to-the-point, meat-and-potatoes shoot’em up set on a war-torn island. And those are just three of the 10 films that The Insider is highlighting this month. Take a look! A Man Called Otto (Jan. 6) The second film adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s 2012 novel A Man Called Ove (the first was the 2015 Swedish film by the same name) stars Tom Hanks as the titular grumpy widower whose life begins to change when a lively young family moves in next door. Director Marc Forster of Monster’s Ball and Finding Neverland takes the reins of this comedy-drama. Plane (Jan. 13) After successfully completing an emergency landing during a brutal storm, a pilot (Gerard Butler) and his crew and passengers then find themselves taken hostage by local militants on the island where they have set down. Aerial hijinks and lots of gunplay are on hand in this action-thriller. The Offering (Jan. 13) In first-time feature filmmaker Oliver Park’s supernatural horror-thriller, the son of a Hasidic funeral director and his pregnant wife find themselves at the mercy of an ancient demon lurking inside a mysterious corpse located beneath them in the family morgue. Chess Story (Jan. 13) In late 1930s Vienna, a lawyer attempting to flee his Nazi-occupied city is imprisoned by the Gestapo. To withstand the psychological torture of his captors, he finds refuge in a stolen book about chess and a history of legendary chess matches. Oliver Masucci, Dieter Bernhardt and Elias Gabele star in this German drama-thriller directed by Philipp Stölzl (Young Goethe in Love). Alice, Darling (Jan. 20) The usually perky Anna Kendrick gets very serious as a young woman trapped in a psychologically abusive relationship with her boyfriend, who then becomes an unwitting participant in a unique form of intervention staged by her two closest girlfriends. Actress-turned-filmmaker Mary Nighy makes her feature film directorial debut with this tense drama. When You Finish Saving the World (Jan. 20) Based upon writer-director Jesse Eisenberg’s 2020 audio production of the same name, this coming-of-age comedy-drama stars Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard as Evelyn and Ziggy, a socially conscious mother and her online folk-rocker son who attempt to navigate their way through a years-long contentious relationship. Emma Stone serves as executive producer. Kompromat (Jan. 27) After accepting a post as the head of Siberia’s Alliance Francaise, a French diplomat is framed for a nasty crime and black-bagged by Russia’s Federal Security Services. Imprisoned and isolated, an attempt at escape might be his only chance to clear his name in this French-produced thriller directed by Jérôme Salle and starring Gilles Lellouche, Joanna Kulig and Louis-Do de Lencquesaing. Maybe I Do (Jan. 27) The first multi-generational romantic comedy of the year is a star-laden affair featuring Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, William Macy and, as the young Jersey couple at its center, Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey. It was written and directed for maximum adorableness by TV veteran Michael Jacobs (Boy Meets World, Charles in Charge, My Two Dads). One Fine Morning (Jan. 27) Sandra (Léa Seydoux) is a widowed young mother raising her daughter on her own, while also caring for her sick father (Pascal Greggory). Add to this Clément (Melvil Poupaud), a friend Sandra hasn’t seen in a while and with whom she gets involved with romantically, even though he’s married. France’s Mia Hansen-Løve, who was responsible for last year’s very fine Bergman Island, wrote and directed this romantic drama. Life Upside Down (Jan. 27) Three couples who are connected by friendship, love and work, are stuck in their respective homes in Los Angeles during the beginning of the Covid lockdown, with the close quarters and unique situation turning their lives you-know-what. Written and helmed by music video director Cecilia Miniucchi, this offbeat comedy offers an intriguing cast that includes Bob Odenkirk, Radha Mitchell and Danny Huston. Laurence Lerman is a film journalist, former editor of Video Business--Variety's DVD trade publication--and husband to The Insider's own Gwen Cooper. Over the course of his career he has conducted one-on-one interviews with just about every major director working today, including Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Kathryn Bigelow, Ridley Scott, Walter Hill, Spike Lee, and Werner Herzog, among numerous others. Once James Cameron specifically requested an interview with Laurence by name, which his wife still likes to brag about. Most recently, he is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the online review site DiscDish.com.

By Bonnie Fishman / San Francisco Bay Area The beginning of a new year stirs up many thoughts about one’s life. We reflect on the previous year and make resolutions for the coming year. We assess where we are financially, emotionally, mentally, or physically. We ponder possibilities for the new year. We wonder whether there may be projects, travel, adventures, new hobbies in our near future. What inspires us to dig deep and make changes? Is it a good look in the mirror and you say to yourself “How did I get here?” Is it a comment your partner or friend made about your recent behavior? Is it the desire to learn unexplored ideas, hobbies, books, or new cultures? The passage of one year to the next may also cause one to reflect on aging. Another year already? How old will I turn in 2023? Does the passage of time bring up nostalgia for a simpler period of one’s life when you were a child and didn’t have adult worries? Maybe you think about your college days, young adulthood, the beginnings of your own family or business. It’s a time to consider whether you’re on a hamster wheel of life, pinging from raising children, running a household, working, working, working. Do you even have time to think about where you’re at in your life when you’re on automatic pilot, just trying to keep your head above water? I remember when I was raising two kids in the ’80s and ’90s, managing their lives, our house, my gourmet food business and all of my employees. I almost never thought about where I was at in life. Just go! I think it’s a shame that many of us don’t take care of ourselves because we’re so wrapped up in carrying for others. I didn’t realize this while I was in the thick of it. It took retirement and the free time that comes with it for me to even ask these questions. What do we really want our lives to be about and are we willing to make it happen? Why not start with a new year. I’m not talking about saving money, losing weight, getting more exercise, or cleaning your house more often (though any of those goals is not a bad thing). I’m zeroing in on what really matters to each one of us. Is it as simple as experiencing joy, love, and peace? Seemingly an easy goal to achieve but somehow we humans have the ability of getting in our own way. I, personally, seek joy. “Joy” may seem self-serving. It is and it isn’t. For me, I’m at peace, not in conflict, feeling contentment and happiness. However, my joy and peace can spread to others by my being a kinder friend and family member. Every night, I think of at least one event or thing the next day that will make me happy. It can be swimming, visiting a friend, watching my favorite TV show, eating a great dessert. Nothing big. I’m not a “wanter,” so it comes easy to me. With this joy, I’m filled with hope. Hope that everything will work out in time no matter how big or small. There is a lesson in all of it. Let’s toast to feeling hopeful this 2023. Hope for peace and not conflict, hope for good health and not illness, hope for joy and not sadness. What is it that you really hope for? To our many readers here at The Insider: May your year be filled with happiness. I know that’s what I hope for! Bonnie Fishman attended the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London. Later, she owned and operated Bonnie’s Patisserie in Southfield, Mich. and Bonnie’s Kitchen and Catering in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. She has taught cooking for over 35 years and created hundreds of recipes. She is now living in Northern California.

By Debra Perron / Calgary, Alberta Covid, Covid, Covid. My husband Steve and I have been SO VERY CAUTIOUS for what feels like a decade, hiding from strangers, masking all the time, buying weekly groceries at 7:00 a.m. to avoid humanity, and carrying a tub of hand sanitizer in every coat pocket and purse. Confession: We just couldn’t miss the chance to see Bernadette Peters in concert in May and we did attend the theatre for a performance of Hamilton in July, but we stayed out of the lobby at intermission and remained masked all the time–even in our seats. We felt very lucky that we remained healthy…Did we get a little cocky? Because then “it” happened. We attended our weekly voice lesson in our teacher’s basement studio on November 14th, and JUST ONCE, I removed my mask so that I could try a tricky vocal scale. That was my focus, better vocalization….until I got the phone call two days later from our horrified teacher, Elaine. She had tested positive for Covid. But hey! No big deaI. I’d been fine for years–I’d been vaccinated five times…really…nothing to worry about. And in two days I was proved wrong. I tested positive, after developing an annoying cough and headache. WHY ME?? And of course, a day later, my husband caught it too. Fever, cough–it was miserable, and he’d been fully vaxxed, too! I’d been grabbing every vaccine they could poke into me for years. I’d been staying away from malls. I’d mostly avoided attending any gatherings of more than three people, and even then, I’d nervously remained masked. Now let me be clear – I’m not really a germaphobe (well, maybe a little bit), but I have a 90+ year-old mom, and so it’s obviously important to keep her safe! Accordingly, since the viral bomb dropped, our human interaction has been limited to seeing her, Skype visits with friends, and cautious, short, “howdy” chats with neighbours over the back fence. Truth be told, we did actually have a latke and dreidel Hanukkah “party” last week, with Mom and one other “seriously vetted’” couple. We felt safe with them, as they’d also caught Covid from our music teacher; we were all recovered and our antibodies were swirling–we felt like superheroes! Oh–a huge thank-you shoutout here to our family doctor, who allowed me to enter his clinic, stood close enough to listen to my raspy lungs and gave me a prescription for a steroid puffer to ease my cough. When I’m sure it’s safe to enter the clinic again, that doctor is getting homemade cookies! Now that Christmas and Hanukkah gatherings are in the rear-view mirror and the wrapping paper rolls packed away, I’m scared to read the Covid news. It’s hard to estimate how high the case numbers will rise in the next few weeks. Steve and I feel that we are the Dinosaur Maskers. We rarely see others masking in the stores anymore. Mom’s home is in a residence for seniors here in Calgary, and the staff has been cautious and vigilant with visitors like us, who are allowed entry, but must remain masked. But citywide mandates are gone, and that just doesn’t seem to me to be the smart way to beat this winter virus. We check the Alberta government website to “read the numbers.” They are all, bless science and vaccines, down substantially from the horrors of the past few years, but Covid is NOT gone. And it sounds like health officials are expecting a surge in illnesses this month. As of December 8th, Alberta hospitals had 910 covid patients with 33 in the ICU and people are still dying from this. It’s not over yet, folks! Routine testing has gone the way of the dodo bird, but I do cross my fingers that people will isolate if they feel an unwanted bug in their system. I don’t want their colds or flu or Covid, thank you very much! So, Happy 2023 everyone! I’d love to wish for world peace, and I would if I were a bit more powerful a superhero. But instead, I wish for “Everyman” to please wear a mask, or wave from a distance, and keep safe-for you and those you love. The author, thanks to the pandemic, is a retired paralegal. Her husband, Steve, is a retired psychologist. They are living the good life, including the recent addition of Keita, their energetic, soon-to-be-massive Bouvier puppy.

The Insider: Hi Susan! Thanks for talking with The Insider today. Susan Clark: My pleasure. The Insider: To start, let me just get a few background facts. Where do you live? Susan Clark: I live in New Jersey. The Insider: Your profession? Are you working? Susan Clark: I am semi-retired. The Insider: Have you been vaccinated? Boosted? Susan Clark: I received two Moderna vaccinations and three Moderna boosters, the last being the bivalent booster. The Insider: How would you describe your pandemic lifestyle? A mask wearer, for example? Have you been super cautious or relaxed? Susan Clark: I am a mask wearer. Early on, I sewed three-layer masks for myself, family, and friends. I gave them out to anyone who needed them. I continue to wear my mask in public settings–supermarket, stores, the mall. I don’t wear my mask in small settings or outdoors. The Insider: Do you eat inside restaurants? Susan Clark: I can count on one hand how many times I’ve eaten inside a restaurant since the pandemic began. I’ve been very selective. I look for not crowded with good air flow. I’ve passed on restaurants that are too crowded. It’s been a challenge while traveling. The Insider: Have you flown? Susan Clark: Yes. I use a KN95 mask for plane travel. The Insider: In Manhattan, things have gotten more relaxed, lately pandemic-wise. Have you eased up on some of this recently, or are you still as vigilant? Susan Clark: I have eased up and no longer wear a mask in small social settings. I am still vigilant around strangers…except for a recent wedding. The Insider: How big was the wedding? Susan Clark: About 170 people. The Insider: Where was it held? What type of place? Susan Clark: It was held at a restaurant/catering hall/inn. The Insider: Were you asked to take a Covid test before the wedding? Susan Clark: The invitation asked all guests to take a Covid test the day of the wedding. To be perfectly honest, I would have forgotten if I hadn’t pulled out the invite to get the address for my GPS. After reading that, I tested and it was negative. I think a reminder sent out a day or two before the event would have been helpful. The Insider: Were there any other precautionary things done by the hosts? For example, were the tables far apart? Susan Clark: The staff wore masks and the tables were comfortably spaced apart. The Insider: Were the guests to the wedding wearing masks too? Susan Clark: No guests were wearing masks, including me. I had one of my handmade masks with me but didn’t use it. The Insider: I bet it was a relief to be back in a normal setting after so many months of restrictions! Susan Clark: It did feel great, almost normal. I think if someone started coughing or sneezing, the mask would have come out. Everyone I saw appeared to be in good health. The Insider: So what happened after the wedding? Susan Clark: It was a Saturday-night, black-tie-optional wedding. My throat started feeling scratchy on Monday night. I woke up Tuesday morning with a low-grade fever (100.5) and a bad cold. I took a home Covid test and it showed negative. I had already planned to test again on Wednesday when I got a text from the groom’s mom that she, his dad, and two people at our table had Covid. When I tested on Wednesday, it was positive. When I told her, she said 22 people had come down with Covid. The Insider: Oh, no!!!! Susan Clark: She felt terrible and hoped that people wouldn’t remember the wedding for the Covid outbreak. The Insider: Of course they will! Susan Clark: It was otherwise a beautiful wedding. The Insider: Did you ever hear the joke, “And other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?” Susan Clark: Yes! We have been using that joke for this instance! The Insider: Did the groom’s mother know who Patient Zero was? Susan Clark: No, but the thought is that it spread by way of the dance floor. No one appeared outwardly ill. The Insider: I’m sorry you got Covid there! Did you get very sick? Susan Clark: I had a bad cold for three days with a low-grade fever. On the morning of the fourth day, I woke at 4 a.m. covered in sweat. I assume that my fever spiked while I was sleeping and that knocked it out of me. My temperature went back to normal and the cold started to subside. I just have a lingering cough now. This is typical for me after a cold. I quarantined inside for five days and minimally went out masked for the next five days. I retested for Covid on Day 11 and it was negative. The Insider: That must have been a relief! Were you surprised that you got Covid after five vaccines? Susan Clark: My friends kept telling me that eventually everyone will get it and if I didn’t, I must have had it and was asymptomatic. It was disappointing but I think the vaccinations kept it on the mild side. The Insider: Do you feel angry at the hosts? Annoyed that vaccines have their limitations? What is the lesson here? Susan Clark: I am not at all angry with the hosts. I am annoyed with myself for letting my guard down. I think I might have been able to avoid catching Covid had I worn my mask. I think the vaccine helped me avoid a more serious illness. We just got back from a weekend away. I wore my mask around other people who were congregating. I was among the few wearing a mask. Since I have coordinated some of these masks to what I am wearing, it’s almost like a fashion statement. The Insider: That sounds right! Just one more question—have you talked with any of the other wedding guests who got Covid? What did they say? Susan Clark: I’ve only spoken with the groom’s mom since. We only knew one other couple at our table and they have been fine. I think they already had Covid earlier this year. It’s a shame because the other people we met and sat with were really nice and all live nearby. The Insider: You sound like a real trouper! Thanks so much for your time, Susan! I’m glad you’re testing negative now. Susan Clark: You are quite welcome! By the way, have you been able to avoid catching Covid? The Insider: Yes, I have outrun it so far. But your friends may be right, and my number will be up one of these days! Susan Clark: Hang in there! The Insider: Thanks! Update later that day Susan Clark: I have an update on the Covid numbers. The final guest count was 30. But then some people later caught it from their spouses, so with the indirect count, it’s more like 34. . The bride’s mother got Covid from the wedding and then her husband got it about a week later, indirectly from the wedding. Fortunately, the bride and groom were fine. As well, the two grandparents that were there were fine. The Insider: Is it correct to assume that the wedding was thrown by the bride’s family? Susan Clark: Both families hosted. The Insider: Does it sound as though the two families have any regrets about the way they handled this? For example, should guests have been asked to take PCRs, or rapid tests at the door? Susan Clark: It would not be practical to ask for a PCR test since that could take a few days. Also, it’s not practical to test at the door. I think a friendly reminder a few days before would have been helpful. The Insider: Has anyone gotten really sick? Hospitalized? Susan Clark: Thankfully no one got seriously ill. The Insider: I just thought of one other precaution that’s probably been used elsewhere. Were guests told they needed to have been vaccinated? Susan Clark: No, but that may be why no one got seriously ill. The Insider: Thanks, Susan!

By Laurence Lerman / New York City Year-end “In Memoriam” columns often read like a “greatest hits” list of celebrity deaths, when the truth is there are hundreds of remarkable people who also passed who have had lives and careers worthy of note. We would like to present a collection of them here to you now, the majority of whom didn’t appear as the lead write-up in an obituary column. Over this past year, with many people braving theaters and museums and musical halls and bookstores again for the first time in more than two years, we would like to acknowledge that some of the most creative people in the arts won’t be riding out the pandemic with us anymore. But that same pandemic couldn’t extinguish the artistic drive of many of them, who continued on their creative paths as Covid tightened its grip. We salute these artists with a reminder of what they did that caught the attention of our eyes, ears, hearts and minds—and will continue to do just that for years to come. DIRECTORS Wolfgang Peterson, 81 After making a name for himself in his native Germany with 1981’s claustrophobic WWII submarine drama Das Boot, Peterson got the call from Hollywood to come on over and try something here. He arrived in the late Eighties and soon went on to direct big stars like Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman Gorge Clooney and Brad Pitt in such appropriately big action-adventure entertainments as In the Line of Fire (1993), Air Force One (1997), Outbreak (1995), The Perfect Storm (2000) and Troy (2004). Julia Reichart, 76 Over the course of her 50-year career, independent filmmaker Reicher wrote, produced and directed a number of documentaries focusing on the lives of women, the workplace, and the intersection between the two. Her credits include 1971’s Growing Up Female, 1976’s Union Maids, 1983’s Seeing Red, 2009’s The Last Truck: The Closing of a GM Plant and 2019’s American Factory, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. ACTRESSES Louis Fletcher, 88 The veteran actress began her career appearing on such television shows as Lawman, Bat Masterson, Maverick and The Untouchables in the Fifties. After taking a decade-long break to raise her two children, Fletcher returned with a vengeance and won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance as menacing psychiatric ward administrator Nurse Ratched in Milos Foreman’s 1975 adaptation of Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Dozens of film and TV projects followed, including a recurring role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the Nineties. Nichelle Nichols, 89 With only a few minor parts to her credit, Nichelle Nichols’ breakout role came when she was cast as communications officer Lt. Nyota Uhura on the original Star Trek series in 1966. Though she was generally relegated to lines like “Hailing frequencies open, Captain,” Nichols was still one of the first Black women to play a major role on primetime television, earning respect from Martin Luther King, Jr., actresses of color and a newly named legion of fans known as “Trekkies.” She was also one half of American television’s first-ever interracial kiss, which went down when she locked lips with Captain Kirk himself, Trek’s leading man, William Shatner. ACTORS David Warner, 80 A prolific British character actor of stage, screen and television, with a piercing gaze, Warner worked effectively in such big-budget spectacles as Tron (1982), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) and Titanic (1997). Older viewers and those with a penchant for Sixties and Seventies cinema undoubtedly enjoyed his films with such directors as Karel Reisz (Morgan!, 1966), Peter Hall (A Midsummer’s Night Dream, 1968), Sam Peckinpah (The Ballad of Cable Hogue, 1970; Cross of Iron, 1977) and Nicholas Meyer (Time After Time, 1979). Paul Sorvino, 83 Though he’s usually first identified as the quietly terrifying Paulie Cicero in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 Mafia epic Goodfellas, Sorvino’s dozens of credits date back to the early Seventies and include stand-out roles, both supporting and starring, in Where’s Poppa? (1970), The Gambler (1974), Reds (1981) and as Sgt. Phil Cerreta in Season Two of TV’s Law and Order (1991-92). A trained operatic tenor, he also appeared in a handful of stage musicals, including the title role in the New York City Opera’s 2006 revival of Frank Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella. MUSICIANS Angelo Badalamenti, 85 In the mid-Eighties, composer Badalamenti met filmmaker David Lynch, who immediately noted that the Brooklyn-born composer’s work had “a dark and powerful beauty.” Badalamenti ended up writing the music for Lynch’s breakthrough film, 1986’s Blue Velvet, the first of five Lynch films he would score, including Wild at Heart (1990), Lost Highway (1997) and Mulholland Drive (2001). He also wrote the ominously hypnotic theme for all five iterations of Lynch’s Twin Peaks, beginning with the 1990 TV show. In between Lynch collaborations, he composed a handful of equally evocative scores for such cult favorites as The Comfort of Strangers (1990), The City of Lost Children (1995) and A Very Long Engagement (2004). Christine McVie, 79 A British-born vocalist and keyboard player who joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970 after marrying bassist John McVie, Christine quickly became a vital contributor to the band’s signature pop rock sound. As a performer and songwriter, she was behind some of the band’s biggest hits, including “You Make Loving Fun” and “Don’t Stop,” which Bill Clinton used as his campaign theme song for his 1992 presidential run. COMEDIANS Freddie Roman, 85 The famed Borscht Belt standup comedian got his start at the age of 15 emceeing for the Crystal Spring Hotel in the Catskills. After a brief stint in the shoe business, he plunged into standup fulltime, later unleashing his Jewish-flavored shtick as a resort headliner in Vegas, New York, L.A. and Atlantic City, along with serving as Dean of The Friars Club. Judy Tenuta, 72 The colorfully clad, self-styled comedienne who referred to herself as the “Love Goddess” and “The Petite Flower” got her start in comedy in the mid-Seventies after taking a class with Chicago’s Second City improv troupe. Her act was a bit of a shocker at the time, combining insult comedy, observational humor and bawdy antics, while pounding away on her always-present accordion. AUTHORS Hilary Mantel, 70 Hilary Mantel’s historical novels on the life of the 16th century British statesman Thomas Cromwell—Wolf Hall (2009), Bring Up the Bodies (2012) and The Mirror and the Light (2020)—delivered her critical and commercial success around the world, with her books being translated into 41 languages and selling five million copies. One of Britain’s most decorated writers (she received scads of honorary Doctor of Letters degrees over the years and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, in 2006), Mantel’s prodigious output also included contemporary novels, two short story collections, a personal memoir and numerous articles and opinion pieces. Peter Straub, 79 Alongside his close pal Stephen King, Peter Straub was one of the leaders of the horror novel boom of the Seventies and Eighties, writing such terrifying and well-received fictions as Julia (1975), Ghost Story (1979), Shadowland (1980) and Koko (1989). Also a prolific poet and short-story scribe, it was his novels, the bulk of them bestsellers, that kept his growing fan base coming back for more. Along with King, he co-wrote Talisman (1984) and its 2001 sequel, Black House, which were both met with mixed critical and popular receptions, but sold like gangbusters, nonetheless. ARTISTS Pierre Soulages, 102 France’s leading abstract painter first began attracting attention in the late Forties with a series of calligraphic work on paper, using dark walnut stain or tar, in sharp contrast with the bright colors favored by the country’s abstract expressionists of the era. Subsequent decades found Soulages working with numerous variations on black in an evolving series of paintings he called “outrenoir” or “beyond black.” Describing his breakthrough to an interviewer, he said, “It wasn’t the black that made the picture come alive but the light reflected on the black surfaces.” He was reportedly still painting until a few weeks before he died in October. Jennifer Bartlett, 81 Inspired by the city’s subways, New York-based conceptual artist Bartlett executed her colorful work on one-foot-square white enameled steel plates. A fringe member of the post-Minimalist generation, Bartlett’s geometric approach to her art reached its zenith with “Rhapsody,” her landmark 1975 work, which is contained on 947 tiles and is 153 feet in length. It has since been acquired by New York’s Museum of Modern Art Laurence Lerman is a film journalist, former editor of Video Business--Variety's DVD trade publication--and husband to The Insider's own Gwen Cooper. Over the course of his career he has conducted one-on-one interviews with just about every major director working today, including Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Kathryn Bigelow, Ridley Scott, Walter Hill, Spike Lee, and Werner Herzog, among numerous others. Once James Cameron specifically requested an interview with Laurence by name, which his wife still likes to brag about. Most recently, he is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the online review site DiscDish.com.

By Judi Markowitz Teachers are in an elite group of underpaid and underappreciated professionals. Their workload is monumental, and many people don’t have the vaguest idea about the effort that goes into their craft. Teachers are definitely shortchanged while procuring their certifications. The national average starting salary for an entry level position this year was $38,617 and the hourly rate —approximately $15.98. They are in competition with McDonald’s and Amazon. Teachers are bringing home about $2,000 less than a decade ago, in large part because they are now contributing to benefits that were once covered by their school districts. Many districts have eliminated pensions altogether. After completing a four- to five-year university stint, new teachers are behind the eight ball. In 1991, I was elated to be paid $6,000 a year to teach two classes. I had taken time off to have a family and was ready to join the work force once again. I interviewed for a part-time position teaching Debate and Forensics — I got the job! It was perfect for my schedule and my four children. I hadn’t taught in several years and I was nervous. I remember thinking that now, I only knew how to be a mom, and I had to shove down my insecurities. The one thing that kept my fears at bay was the fact that I loved my profession, and these classes would be challenging as well as gratifying. I taught part-time for nine years, until I was offered a full-time position. My salary was $48,000 in the beginning of a new decade — the year was 2000. The reality is that no one enters the teaching profession to become wealthy. Besides the monetary disappointment, the amount of work a teacher incurs daily is mind-boggling. I taught high school English for 34 years and before I retired, there wasn’t one evening I didn’t grade papers. In fact, I called myself a grading machine. Even when I went on vacation with my family, I took research papers and homework assignments with me. When at sporting events for my children, I always took along papers and graded them in the bleachers. I had one eye on my sons and the other on the assignments. I am always incensed when I hear people comment that teachers have a cushy job because, after all, they get winter and spring breaks and the entire summer off. What job could compare to that? These criticisms invariably end with a salary discussion. — teachers don’t deserve a pay increase. I have always thought that if I could get these naysayers in my classroom for a day, they would see the light — or run for shelter from the onslaught of teenagers. Many people don’t realize that teachers don’t get paid during the summer months. They can opt to have their salary spread out over the summer and this reduces their biweekly paycheck. Some teachers must get an additional job during this time to make ends meet. As for the breaks during the school year — there are no breaks from the workload. The paper chase is on continuously. At the high-school level, I had five classes a day and on average there were 30 students or more in each class. That meant I taught approximately 150 students every day. Lesson plans must be on point, and assignments are usually uploaded to the teacher’s website or hard copies printed for students as well — all time-consuming endeavors. Research, reading and re-reading novels presented in class is a must. Then discussions topics, whether for small groups or the entire class, are made to coordinate with the goals and objectives of the lessons. Most of the preparation is usually done at home. Education doesn’t happen by itself — teachers have to be on top of their game. They need to be engaging when spreading their expertise to the crowd. And yes, a teacher is definitely working the room — like an entertainer. If a teacher doesn’t have an appealing style, students’ attention can drift away. They may try to sneak their phone out of a pocket or purse (which students think you don’t notice), gaze out the window, and in some cases fall asleep. You know your style is lackluster when these things occur. Teachers are on stage all day and students will give a bad review if the performance isn’t up to par. Besides all these responsibilities, a teacher also wears many hats. — they aren’t just instructors. Teachers may be a friend, a confidant and a mentor when students want to talk about personal issues. Students may seek out help to discuss parents, friendships, or employment affecting class work. Mental health concerns have escalated, and students need a safe haven to air their problems , so teachers accommodate in this arena as well. Let’s not forget about correspondence. Since high school teachers typically have 150 students each day, there are countless emails and phone calls from parents, guardians, and even grandparents. Without a doubt, they are concerned and want a fast turnaround for their inquiry. Whether it’s about a homework assignment, an issue at home, a grade change —they want answers and reassurance. The turnaround time to respond is usually 24 hours, and of course, this is done after school hours. So, the typical school day of seven hours extends well into the evening. Parent-Teacher conferences are an evening affair as well. After teaching a full day, conferences are held twice yearly. They generally begin at 6:00pm and may end at 8:30pm. Parents line up to see each of their children’s teachers to discuss grades and overall performance. There is a five-minute time limit due to the sheer number of parents who come to find out the scoop about their kids. If time constraints become an issue, teachers can arrange to meet with the parent another day. When the pandemic reared its ugly head in 2020, and schools shut down, the hammer hit hard on those who took teachers and their contributions for granted. Even those naysayers who claimed teaching was a breeze had an epiphany when they were home with their children for months on end. They finally could observe education firsthand with virtual learning in place. Parents now had to navigate the learning curve along with their children. They came to the realization that a teacher has major responsibilities to deal with. My husband, Jeffrey, commented that he had never seen me work harder. Emails galore came in at all hours of the day and night from parents and students. This self-proclaimed grading machine had to kick it up a notch. There was a never-ending stream of assignments completed, and students trapped at home, wanted to know their grades. Stress levels were at an all time high as parents observed their alienated children attempting to complete their schoolwork, while they had challenges working from home as well. When schools finally opened their doors once again, it was gratifying to hear accolades from parents. Many came to the understating that their impression of teachers and their workload was completely skewed. The pandemic has taken a toll on the teaching profession. There is now a definite shortage of teachers throughout the United States. If anyone is wondering why this is happening, just ask an incoming teacher about his or her salary. When faced with repaying student loans, and having enough money for rent, utilities, and food, teaching does not fit the bill anymore. According to research by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), “The teacher shortage could reach 200,000 by 2025, up from 110,000 in 2018. This shortage of workers is due to a number of factors. Among them are pay, working conditions, lack of support, lack of autonomy, and the changing curriculum.” Unfortunately, teachers are leaving the profession in droves for greener pastures. Cash has become king. And here is the saddest concern of all — school shootings. Prospective college of education students are opting out of the profession due to the alarming number of gun-related deaths and injuries in public schools. Most school districts are requiring teachers to participate in the ALICE program — active shooter training. While this training encourages teachers and students to “fight back” when an intruder enters a room, it is still a scary proposition. A few districts are pushing teachers to learn how to shoot a gun and store it properly in their classroom. Teacher education programs do not come with target practice. Why would anyone want to enter a profession with these requirements in place? Due to these escalating problems, veteran teachers are retiring at an alarming rate. The pandemic, coupled with heightened student behavioral needs and general exhaustion from the demands of the profession, are contributing to this exodus. As a result, public schools are in a serious bind. There aren’t even enough substitutes to fill in when teachers need to take a day or two off. The system is clearly collapsing. Teachers deserve a livable wage, safety in the classroom, a realistic curriculum, and respect. The profession is endangered due to the dwindling number of students entering the teaching profession in the past few years. According to the Department of Education “53 percent of all public schools are reporting feeling understaffed at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.” Retaining teachers should be at the forefront — the primary focus. People teach because they have a passion for the profession, concern for their students, and a desire to elevate academic levels. Benjamin Franklin said it best, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” Judi Markowitz is a retired high school English teacher of 34 years. She primarily taught 12th grade and had the pleasure of her three sons gracing her classes. In addition, she taught debate, forensics, and Detroit film. Judi has four adult children and seven wonderful grandchildren. She is married to Jeffrey Markowitz, whom she met in high school. Judi grew up in Oak Park, Mich. which had a stellar school district, with excellent teachers. The city provided activities for all–and there were even sidewalks. Judi moved to Huntington Woods as an adult, which is a half mile from her childhood home. She wanted the same experience for her children as she had growing up, and Huntington Woods provided that. The View from Four Foot Two is Judi’s first book.