Andrew Hunt
@aehunt.bsky.social
U.S. History prof, UofWaterloo. Author of Beatlemania in America (Bloomsbury). I ❤️ writing, books, movies (TCM junkie), music (esp. jazz), history (esp. pop culture history, Midcentury America), & animals. 🇨🇦🇺🇸
https://blueroomdispatches.substack.com/
https://blueroomdispatches.substack.com/
There are many reasons why I'm a huge Kevin Bacon fan, and have been for more than 40 years. Here is yet another one: His amazing Criterion picks! The man is endlessly great!
youtu.be/uMNrdRkZwxw?...
youtu.be/uMNrdRkZwxw?...
Kevin Bacon's Closet Picks
YouTube video by CRITERION
youtu.be
April 2, 2025 at 3:33 AM
There are many reasons why I'm a huge Kevin Bacon fan, and have been for more than 40 years. Here is yet another one: His amazing Criterion picks! The man is endlessly great!
youtu.be/uMNrdRkZwxw?...
youtu.be/uMNrdRkZwxw?...
"The time to guard against corruption and tyranny is before they shall have gotten hold of us. It is better to keep the wolf out of the fold, than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have entered."
— Thomas Jefferson
www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
— Thomas Jefferson
www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
ANALYSIS | The U.S. has covertly destabilized nations. With Canada, it's being done in public | CBC News
Former senior Canadian intelligence officials say Canada needs to be on the lookout for campaigns aimed at destabilizing the country amid U.S. President Donald Trump's escalating 51st state threats. T...
www.cbc.ca
March 12, 2025 at 2:54 PM
"The time to guard against corruption and tyranny is before they shall have gotten hold of us. It is better to keep the wolf out of the fold, than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have entered."
— Thomas Jefferson
www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
— Thomas Jefferson
www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
"War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.”
― George Orwell, 1984
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.”
― George Orwell, 1984
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The Words Federal Agencies Are Discouraged From Using Under Trump
Federal agencies have issued guidance to employees on hundreds of terms to limit or avoid using. An analysis of government websites shows many of the same words being removed.
www.nytimes.com
March 8, 2025 at 12:19 AM
"War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.”
― George Orwell, 1984
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.”
― George Orwell, 1984
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
“But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.”
Only 41 years off! Too bad George Orwell didn't call "1984" "2025" instead.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/u...
Only 41 years off! Too bad George Orwell didn't call "1984" "2025" instead.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/u...
Fearing Retribution, Trump Critics Muzzle Themselves
People say they are intimidated by online attacks from the president, concerned about harm to their businesses or worried about the safety of their families.
www.nytimes.com
March 6, 2025 at 8:04 PM
“But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.”
Only 41 years off! Too bad George Orwell didn't call "1984" "2025" instead.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/u...
Only 41 years off! Too bad George Orwell didn't call "1984" "2025" instead.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/u...
Outstanding analysis by the always heroic, always brilliant, always humanistic Mary Trump. I have so much respect -- and plenty of time -- for her.
youtu.be/phcbwdhLhmE?...
youtu.be/phcbwdhLhmE?...
Mary Trump's URGENT WARNING to Democrats FIGHTING Trump
YouTube video by Mary Trump Media
youtu.be
February 26, 2025 at 5:25 AM
Outstanding analysis by the always heroic, always brilliant, always humanistic Mary Trump. I have so much respect -- and plenty of time -- for her.
youtu.be/phcbwdhLhmE?...
youtu.be/phcbwdhLhmE?...
My latest pop culture history Substack article on Marilyn Monroe, Ben Hecht, and the history of Monroe's autobiography. Have a look if time permits! And please subscribe -- it's free!
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/norma-jean...
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/norma-jean...
Norma Jeane, the Ghost Writer, and the White Piano: The Making and Unmaking (and Re-Making) of Marilyn Monroe’s Autobiography
It took 20 years for Marilyn Monroe’s autobiography, My Story, to come to light with the help of a prolific screenwriter and playwright, Ben Hecht, who was 60 in 1954 when he ghost wrote it . . .
blueroomdispatches.substack.com
February 25, 2025 at 10:19 PM
My latest pop culture history Substack article on Marilyn Monroe, Ben Hecht, and the history of Monroe's autobiography. Have a look if time permits! And please subscribe -- it's free!
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/norma-jean...
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/norma-jean...
Thrilled to see Bill Burr doing so well! The man is a national treasure. Needed now more than ever.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/t...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/t...
Bill Burr Is About to Hit Broadway. Broadway Better Duck.
The acerbic comic sounds like a Mamet character, and thanks to Nathan Lane, he’s making his Broadway debut as one in “Glengarry Glen Ross.”
www.nytimes.com
February 25, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Thrilled to see Bill Burr doing so well! The man is a national treasure. Needed now more than ever.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/t...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/t...
My hero Phil Ochs (1940-1976) performing multiple songs here, including my favourite song of his, "I Ain't Marching Anymore," September 27, 1965.
“In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty.”
― Phil Ochs
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPFl...
“In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty.”
― Phil Ochs
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPFl...
Phil Ochs on Let's Sing Out - 27th September 1965 (Remastered)
YouTube video by an youtube account
www.youtube.com
February 21, 2025 at 3:41 PM
My hero Phil Ochs (1940-1976) performing multiple songs here, including my favourite song of his, "I Ain't Marching Anymore," September 27, 1965.
“In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty.”
― Phil Ochs
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPFl...
“In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty.”
― Phil Ochs
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPFl...
February 11, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Excited to have my latest Substack post on the Postwar American Poltergeist Craze. Check it out if you love ghost stories, the paranormal, and postwar history!
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/exploring-...
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/exploring-...
Exploring Postwar America’s Poltergeist Fever
In the 1950s and 1960s, poltergeists – a German word for “noisy ghosts” – took centre stage, attracting the attention of millions of men and women across North America
blueroomdispatches.substack.com
February 4, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Excited to have my latest Substack post on the Postwar American Poltergeist Craze. Check it out if you love ghost stories, the paranormal, and postwar history!
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/exploring-...
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/exploring-...
Yet another reason why I find George Conway heroic and inspiring. Nothing can come between Americans and Canadians. We're the best of friends and the strongest of allies. Thank you for this wonderful message of friendship, George! 🇺🇸🇨🇦
February 3, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Yet another reason why I find George Conway heroic and inspiring. Nothing can come between Americans and Canadians. We're the best of friends and the strongest of allies. Thank you for this wonderful message of friendship, George! 🇺🇸🇨🇦
This is a powerful story about animal rescuer Seuk Kim, who died in an airplane crash in November. This is why I subscribe to the New York Times. It's still the gold standard.
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/n...
The Last Flight of the Dog Pilot
Seuk Kim left behind a finance career to chase his dream of becoming a pilot. He took off one day in November with four dogs on board, a trip that would not go according to plan.
www.nytimes.com
January 29, 2025 at 11:04 PM
This is a powerful story about animal rescuer Seuk Kim, who died in an airplane crash in November. This is why I subscribe to the New York Times. It's still the gold standard.
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/n...
My heart aches for this family. I hope Stephen Gougeon's lawsuit is successful. This horrific nightmare must never happen again.
www.cp24.com/news/world/2...
www.cp24.com/news/world/2...
Canadian woman, boy die by food poisoning during vacation abroad
A Toronto man and his family are filing a $10-million lawsuit after his wife and eight-year-old son fell ill and died from food poisoning while staying at a resort in the Dominican Republic.
www.cp24.com
January 29, 2025 at 4:38 PM
My heart aches for this family. I hope Stephen Gougeon's lawsuit is successful. This horrific nightmare must never happen again.
www.cp24.com/news/world/2...
www.cp24.com/news/world/2...
A fascinating story that needs to be told. I look forward to seeing the documentary and weighing the evidence.
www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...
www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...
Who took the ‘napalm girl’ photo? New Sundance documentary questions original credit
After half a century, a Vietnamese freelance photographer, has claimed he is the real creator of the infamous image, sold for $20 and credited to an AP staff photographer
www.independent.co.uk
January 29, 2025 at 4:31 PM
A fascinating story that needs to be told. I look forward to seeing the documentary and weighing the evidence.
www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...
www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...
Well said, by one of the bravest people out there.
Because they are evil, we must stand up to them.
But because they are also stupid, we needn’t be afraid to.
But because they are also stupid, we needn’t be afraid to.
January 29, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Well said, by one of the bravest people out there.
My new article on the movie GIDGET (1959) and its star, Sandra Dee, is now on my Pop Culture History Substack page, Dispatches from the Blue Room. I think you'll find it fascinating. Please check it out!
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/the-import...
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/the-import...
The Importance of Being Gidget (Part 2): Gidget on the Big Screen
The 1959 hit film launched the Southern California surf craze . . . and the short-lived career of its young star, Sandra Dee, whose tragic life was not as idyllic as her onscreen counterpart
blueroomdispatches.substack.com
January 20, 2025 at 11:50 PM
My new article on the movie GIDGET (1959) and its star, Sandra Dee, is now on my Pop Culture History Substack page, Dispatches from the Blue Room. I think you'll find it fascinating. Please check it out!
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/the-import...
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/the-import...
Powerful article on a Canadian couple who lost their home in the horrifying Eaton fire. Please read it if you get the time.
torontolife.com/city/this-ca...
torontolife.com/city/this-ca...
“I grabbed one guitar and one pair of underwear—I thought we’d be back”: This Canadian couple lost their home to the LA fires - Toronto Life
Brian and Pamela Hughes’s place in Eaton Canyon was their refuge for more than 20 years. After the Eaton fire ripped through their neighbourhood, nothing...
torontolife.com
January 18, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Powerful article on a Canadian couple who lost their home in the horrifying Eaton fire. Please read it if you get the time.
torontolife.com/city/this-ca...
torontolife.com/city/this-ca...
If you read one thing about the Southern California wildfires, please read this haunting piece by L.A. Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke. He is a great writer, and this article about his home that survived the Eaton fire will stay with you long after you read it.
www.latimes.com/sports/story...
www.latimes.com/sports/story...
Plaschke: The unbearable guilt of losing nothing — and everything — in the Altadena wildfire
L.A. Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke feels equally grateful and guilty that his home in Altadena was spared as wildfire ravaged his neighborhood.
www.latimes.com
January 16, 2025 at 8:42 PM
If you read one thing about the Southern California wildfires, please read this haunting piece by L.A. Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke. He is a great writer, and this article about his home that survived the Eaton fire will stay with you long after you read it.
www.latimes.com/sports/story...
www.latimes.com/sports/story...
Jon Stewart is a national treasure. This is the best commentary I've ever heard on the GOP and the California wildfires. The man channels the spirit of Mark Twain like nobody else.
youtu.be/e2LFwMKbr5c?...
youtu.be/e2LFwMKbr5c?...
Jon Stewart Calls Out GOP Hypocrisy with L.A. Wildfire Disaster Relief | The Daily Show
YouTube video by The Daily Show
youtu.be
January 14, 2025 at 4:47 AM
Jon Stewart is a national treasure. This is the best commentary I've ever heard on the GOP and the California wildfires. The man channels the spirit of Mark Twain like nobody else.
youtu.be/e2LFwMKbr5c?...
youtu.be/e2LFwMKbr5c?...
Amen! I can't stand Joe Scarborough. He is absolutely unbearable, and he can't tolerate any disagreement. I don't watch his show anymore, chiefly because I can't stand him (although I really like Willie and Jonathan Lemire). But I have seen this clip and I cheered on Michael Steele all the way.
Watch: MSNBC's Michael Steele blows up on Joe Scarborough over being civil with Trump. This was outstanding. @MichaelSteele deserves his own weekday, prime time show for the duration of the #TurdReichRedux www.rawstory.com/scarborough-...
Watch: MSNBC's Michael Steele blows up on Joe Scarborough over being civil with Trump
In a rare combative moment on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Michael Steele battled with co-host Joe Scarborough over the effectiveness of being "civil" with Donald Trump with the two talking over each other ...
www.rawstory.com
January 10, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Amen! I can't stand Joe Scarborough. He is absolutely unbearable, and he can't tolerate any disagreement. I don't watch his show anymore, chiefly because I can't stand him (although I really like Willie and Jonathan Lemire). But I have seen this clip and I cheered on Michael Steele all the way.
Great piece by historian Phillip Deery on why President Biden should pardon Ethel Rosenberg. This should've happened decades ago.
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
President Biden Should Pardon Ethel Rosenberg
A newly released classified document shows that the National Security Agency knew Ethel Rosenberg was not a spy—and that the government executed her anyway.
www.thenation.com
January 2, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Great piece by historian Phillip Deery on why President Biden should pardon Ethel Rosenberg. This should've happened decades ago.
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
My latest Substack post is an ode to my favourite bookstore: the always enchanting Larry Edmunds Bookshop on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Check it out if you get a chance!
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/falling-un...
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/falling-un...
Falling Under the Magical Spell of Larry Edmunds
How a little hole-in-the-wall Hollywood Boulevard bookshop – featured in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) – turned into an enchanting place of wonder
blueroomdispatches.substack.com
December 31, 2024 at 8:51 PM
My latest Substack post is an ode to my favourite bookstore: the always enchanting Larry Edmunds Bookshop on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Check it out if you get a chance!
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/falling-un...
blueroomdispatches.substack.com/p/falling-un...
Cat lovers of the world unite! I couldn't agree more with the sentiments expressed here.
December 24, 2024 at 4:11 AM
Cat lovers of the world unite! I couldn't agree more with the sentiments expressed here.
