Rich Monetti
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I am, I write.
Stories (736/0)
How not to do the Plattsburgh Walk of Shame
The ease of high school over, college was going to take some doing. So I had great angst entering Plattsburgh State as a Computer Science student and feared that I wouldn’t have the goods. Things did work out, but the pivotal unraveling actually played out memorably on the famed Plattsburgh Walk of Shame. I think…
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Education
Instead of Tearing Down History and Monuments, Why not Build It Up
So the statue issue has come home to a nearby community in Mt. Kisco, New York. Facebook allowed the opposing sides to fire the first salvos. On Father’s Day, a town group exploded over a petition to tear down a statue of Christopher Columbus, and let me tell you, it was on. I offered one brief comment. But I decided to take cover and engage here. In the interest of full disclosure, though, let me first reveal the long standing bias that begins my point of view
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in The Swamp
The Irishman is a Little Light in Comparison to Past Scorsese Triumphs
Studio : Netflix, Poster My first go at The Irishman had me walking out after 90 minutes. The big screen presentation came across as just a bunch of people talking out from the screen. It was unwatchable, but after an relatively enjoyable viewing on Netflix, I have a theory. The film was made for the small screen and did not translate on the larger medium. Still, Martin Scorsese’s latest does not rise to the level of his other great works, and I have some theories about that too.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Geeks
Part I : Childhood Tidbits from Brooklyn Raised Celebrities
Photo by Jessie Pearl Pat Benatar Pat Benatar was born on Jan. 10, 1953 in Brooklyn as Patricia Mae Andrzejewski. Her father worked with sheet metal, and her mom was a beautician who was trained as an opera vocalist. Her parents never pushed their daughter in a musical direction, but when teachers at Daniel Street Elementary School heard her voice, they had Benatar take voice lessons during gym class, according to Sari Rosenberg of Lifetime. She did her first solo at the age of eight, and of course, there was plenty of time to be a cheerleader, enjoy the beach and got to the movies. Benatar eventually went to Lindenhurst High School, and stood out enough in the musical and theater department, that she gained acceptance to the Juilliard School of Music. Remarkably, the 80s icon declined and pursued a degree in health education at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She lasted a year and married her high school sweetheart, Dennis T. Benatar. He was a soldier, and they moved to Virginia where he was stationed.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Geeks
More than another Odd Trek Movie Out, Star Trek III is Still Way Down on my List
Paramount Studios. Poster Star Trek III is in a pretty tough spot. The Wrath of Khan just saved the franchise, and now this production is in the unenviable position of one upping the 1982 standard-bearer. Talk about a no win scenario, but coming in dead last on the long list of Trek movies - who knew? So let’s start from the beginning - the title.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Futurism
Part I : Childhood Tidbits from Bronx Raised Celebrities
Photo by Robert Pernett Regis Philbin was born on August 25, 1931, but his name dates back further. As a boy, his father Frank got into a fist fight with a priest at his Manhattan Catholic school. The impact of the dust up affected Frank so much that he named his son after the school, Regis High School. In 1932, the family moved in with Regis’ Aunt Victoria on Cruger Avenue in the Bronx. She owned a full acre and grew tomatoes and corn. If that sounds unbelievable, Regis himself is still unsure of another aspect of family history that his father often boasted. Frank joined the marines in 1930, and the elder claimed he flew one of the planes that buzzed King Kong on the Empire State building in 1933. “I was never sure if he was kidding.” he told The Wall Street Journal in 2016.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Geeks
Part I : Clint Eastwood Lesser Known Facts through the Decades
1930s Clint Eastwood was born on May 31, 1930 in San Francisco and was named after his father Clinton. At 11 pounds 6 ounces, the hospital nurses nicknamed him Samson. Plenty of bounce in his beginnings, the depression had the family continually moving in search of work and Eastwood attended eight different grammar schools. They eventually settled in Oakland.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Geeks
Part I : The Origins of Where No Man has Gone Before and Other Star Trek Staples
Photo by : Joanna Poe Where No Man has Gone Before Samuel Peeples wrote the second pilot episode of the same name, and David Alexanders' autobiography of Gene Roddenberry attributes the phrase to the Peeples. But the iconic opening dates back much further. James Cook made a version of the declaration as he explored North America, according to BBC.com. The explorer intended not only to go, “farther than any man has been before me, but as far as I think it is possible for a man to go"
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Futurism
Part III : Ada Monetti Looks Back at her Life
The last we left Ada, she had a date to keep with Charlie, and the 22 year old followed through. They made for Broadway and Guys and Dolls brought the curtain up on their relationship. But things were moving a bit faster for one side of the pairing.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Families
The Joker gives us Much to Think about but not Much to See
Warner Bros Pictures. Poster The Joker draws strong comparison to a number of films. Taxi Driver is foremost for me and The King of Comedy to a lesser extent. In Scorsese’s 1976 breakout, Travis Bickle is subsisting on the fringes, and the growing realization of his disenfranchisement tosses the young man over the edge. In keeping, The Joker finds himself looking over the same cliff and definitely adds some juice to his tragedy. Not keeping the rage to himself, Joaquin Phoenix starts a movement, and legions of his ilk are ready to take on the vulgarity and insensitivity of American life. It sounds like a winner. Not quite, so let me begin.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Geeks
Part II : Ada Monetti Looks Back at her Life
On July 4th, 1951 Ada Cafueri spent the day at Yankee Stadium with the skinny guy from the around the corner. “He was older and got taller,” Ada said. But while the doubleheader amounted to a date, the pairing still fell under the umbrella of friendship, according to Ada. Even so, the unsupervised 18 innings had to meet with approval from above.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Families