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Here’s a 94-year-old writer who started in the union back when he was writing for radio. (He worked on the classic Life of Riley show, among others.) This cat is hip, man!

Here’s a video that was put together by the WGA to help explain why the writers are on strike. After you watch it, you’ll probably want to read this short Q&A at Mark Evanier’s site.

I went to see LEONARD COHEN I’M YOUR MAN again tonight. That’s right — three times in four days. The movie closed tonight at the Little here in Rochester, so if you didn’t see it, you’ll have to wait for the DVD or travel to another city.

I really can’t explain what it is about this film that grabs my guts so strongly. The music is amazing, of course, as is the poetry. The collection of voices. The way Cohen-as-guru is mixed in among the songs. The obvious awe and reverence his words and music inspire in the other musicians.

Maybe I’m just in the right place in my life to be open to this music and this man and this experience.

In any case, I’m so thankful that The Little brought this movie to Rochester. Kudos to Rob Russell, the new executive director!

Tonight I went to see LEONARD COHEN I’M YOUR MAN again, this time in the company of my wife Jennifer. If anything, it was even better tonight. Jen and I looked at each other with tears running down our cheeks during several of the songs, including Antony’s transcendent version of “If It Be Your Will” and the blood-rushing “Anthem” as sung by Julie Christensen and Perla Batalla. GO SEE THIS FILM!

Tonight, I had the most affecting experience I’ve had in a movie theater in a long time. I went to see LEONARD COHEN I’M YOUR MAN during its one-week run at the Little Theatre in Rochester.

Part concert film, part documentary, LEONARD COHEN I’M YOUR MAN features a tribute concert from Sydney, Australia interspersed with interviews with Cohen and others. The concert is awe-inspiring, and the lineup tells you why: Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, Kate and Anna MacGarrigle, Nick Kave, Antony, Beth Orton, Teddy Thompson, Linda Thompson, Jarvis Cocker, U2 and many more. Cohen’s words and music are so sharp and beautiful that I found myself laughing by the end as a reaction to the emotion that just built and built throughout the film.

If this film is playing anywhere near you, go see it. You’ll find a list of cities at the film’s Web site.

I went with my friend Gary tonight to see A Scanner Darkly, the animated adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1977 novel. The film was directed by Richard Linklater, and was made with the same rotoscoping process used in Linklater’s film Waking Life. Whether or not you’re a fan of Dick’s writing, this is a film worth seeing, both for its wonderful acting and insightful commentary on American society.

Standouts in the cast include Keanu Reeves — no, that’s not a misprint — as the protagonist and Robert Downey, Jr. as one of his cohorts. The film is playing at several locations here in Rochester, including one of our independent theaters, the Little Theatre on East Ave.

My friend Jeff Vrabel sent me two links today. Both were spoof movie trailers based on Brokeback Mountain. A little digging turned up quite a few more spoof movie trailers on everything from Titanic to Psycho. Here’s a sampling. Enjoy!

• Brokeback To The Future
• Top Gun 2: Brokeback Squadron
• The Shining
• Titanic (as a horror film)
• Psycho: The Love Story
• Eternal Darkness (of the Spotless Mind)
• Gandhi: Holy Cow! (For this one, you need the username holy and the password cow
• The (Ap)parent Trap (When you follow the link, click on the name Paul Lacalandra, then select the movie “Ordinary Girls”)
• Cabin Fever (It may help to know that in the real film, the group of friends is trapped in the woods and killed one at a time by a flesh-eating virus)