American Bandstand

Vampires, All of Them: On Dark Shadows and God Bless America

Dick Clark, R.I.P.

Dick Clark was cool—as in unflappable, not hip. That was key in an American 1950s where, for much of the nation, the latter condition was basically synonymous with "longhaired Commie fag degenerate." But Dick Clark—that nice boy? No way was he any of those things, not in 1950s America, n ... More >>

Dick Clark Dead At 82: Andrew Cuomo Weighs In On a "True New Yorker"

Legendary TV personality Dick Clark died today at the age of 82 -- and Governor Andrew Cuomo was quick to weigh in on the passing of a "true New Yorker." "Today, we mourn the passing of Dick Clark, an American icon and a true New Yorker who was born in Mount Vernon, graduated from Syracuse Universit ... More >>

Don Cornelius, R.I.P.

via SoulTrain.com​What must it have been like to be under the sway of Don Cornelius back when he was a salesman? Damn hard to resist, most likely. Cornelius was a salesman before he was a DJ, a DJ before he was a TV host, a TV host before he was a mogul—a series of roles that require inc ... More >>

Jimmy Castor, R.I.P.

Jimmy Castor was a smart aleck; a wise guy; a clean shit-talker with so much joie de vivre you had to laugh even when his truth-telling smacked you upside the head. So when he died this past Martin Luther King Jr. Day at 71 near his home outside of Las Vegas, far away from the streets of Harlem he o ... More >>

Live: Chuck Berry, Still Duck-Walking (And Still Titillating) At B.B. King's

He still gets the ladies. Pics by Vita Generalova.​ Chuck Berry B.B. King's Friday, June 25 There is a (probably apocryphal) story about Chuck Berry at a 1980s concert that, like most things from the decade, is just crazy enough to work. The single most important progenitor of rock 'n' roll a ... More >>

LIKE A BIRTHDAY

Get into the groove for Madonna’s 50th

Cry-Baby: Partial Arts

Cry-Baby loves the 1950s, Honor loves samurai flicks, Paris loves Cole Porter

Unsubtleties

Lionel Hampton brazenly guides jazz's evolution

Remembrance of Whatevuh

Grease and A Midsummer Night's Dream revisit familiar territory

Watered Down

The truth behind Hairspray

Hairspray, Get Back to Your Roots!

Movie musical of the musical of the movie is nowhere near divine

Sugar on My Tongue

Movie musical of the musical of the movie is nowhere near divine

Lip Stink

A brief history of the ultimate pop faux pas

Jam Master Jay, 1965–2002

Rhythmic Heart of the Kings of Rock

Where's Joe Buck?

Rhythmic Heart of the Kings of Rock

From the Field To A Garden

The Fascination of What’s Difficult