Dogs die, but the love we feel for them lives on
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'I was a comic book kid. I didn't like books with just words because I found them boring,' he says. 'I thought,
why am I looking at this page when I can look out the window of this classroom
?' But he began reading seriously in adulthood, and then taking creative writing classes at the University of Vermont.
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Now nearing 60, he lives in the house formerly occupied by J. D. Salinger in Cornish, N.H. He draws and writes in a journal — Moleskine, usually — and walks in woods he once explored with Penny, the miniature poodle who was, he says, 'in some ways the de facto child' he and his wife, Sofi, shared. It's Penny's face on the cover of the book, and Penny whose image throughout the book Bliss seems to be working and reworking. 'I don't think I would have much of a career if it weren't for dogs,' Bliss says. 'It's one of the first things that I draw when I sit down with the journal. It's either a tree or a dog, those are my go-to marks.'
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A couple of years after Penny died at 17, Bliss got a new dog, Junior. He says the knowledge that he'll someday lose Junior too hovers over his joy, but he doesn't regret loving another dog, adding, 'If you can suffer through it, what happens is you're just a better person; you're kinder, more understanding. You're more patient with yourself and others.'
Harry Bliss will read at 7 p.m. Monday, May 5, at
.
And now for some recommendations ...
Mo Ogridnik is a filmmaker and an NYU professor. Her time teaching at that university's Abu Dhabi campus inspired the novel '
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In '
Lili Taylor has always been such a wonderful actor to watch — perhaps partly because of the watchful quality she so often brings to her characters, exquisite outsiders, caught in the gaze of others but always paying attention. In '
Kate Tuttle edits the Globe's books section.
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Boston Globe
9 hours ago
- Boston Globe
In 1978, Pat Wells cut an album that didn't make it big. In 2025, songs from it landed on Netflix.
The new show that wanted to incorporate her music is ' Advertisement 'It's a very, like, up-in-the-tower kind of recognition,' Wells, now 71, said recently in a phone interview from her home in Grantham, N.H. It feels like a major upheaval in her life, 'like if you read my tarot cards, they'd say TOWER!' Get Love Letters: The Newsletter A weekly dispatch with all the best relationship content and commentary – plus exclusive content for fans of Love Letters, Dinner With Cupid, weddings, therapy talk, and more. Enter Email Sign Up On the day the series dropped in late May, Wells sat down and binge-watched all five episodes. When she was finished, she thought, there must be some mistake. The songs weren't there. Oh, yes they were, responded Douglas Mcgowan. They were just buried deep in the mix. Mcgowan is the owner of the small California reissue label that made 'Hometown Lady' available to download more than 15 years ago. He found a copy at a Boston-area record shop — Advertisement And that, once again, was that, for more than a decade. About a year ago, he reconnected with Wells and told her he was sending her a check, rounding up to $100, the amount he felt he owed her. 'I'm pretty sure you could count the number of people who paid to download her record on your fingers and toes,' he said recently. Pat Wells grew up in West Newbury, the fourth of five children born to a radiologist and his stay-at-home wife. At 10 or 11, she became interested in learning to play the guitar. She'd close her bedroom door to drown out the commotion in her crowded house, and try to write songs. When she was 16, one of her older sisters encouraged her to sign up to sing at the open mic night at 'Nobody could drink at that table,' Wells recalled. There was a robust circuit of barrooms and stages across the North Shore for songwriters at the time, Wells said. At the Pat Wells plays her guitar at her home in Grantham, N.H. Jim Davis/Jim Davis for the Globe She remembers seeing Tom Rush perform in Salem and Bonnie Raitt in Ipswich, and there were lots of artists — Bill Madison, Kenny Girard, Charlie Bechler — who drew local followings. Younger than most of her peers, she felt supported by the audiences she encountered. Advertisement 'There was something about creating music, having people listen to you and enjoy what you had to say about your life, your friends, the area,' she said. When she picked up some work assisting a piano tuner, she asked to pick his brain. 'You know, I've got all these songs,' she said. 'How do people make records?' The piano tuner happened to know Josiah Spaulding Jr., the songwriter who would later become Spaulding helped organize the band that backed Wells in the studio. They recorded at Century III, then a video editing and post-production company on Boylston Street that took in occasional musical acts on the side. Each day, Wells drove her beat-up Ford F-100 pickup truck across the I-93 bridge into the city. Pat Wells grew up in West Newbury. She now lives in New Hampshire. Jim Davis/Jim Davis for the Globe 'It was a wonderful opportunity to work with studio musicians who were so talented,' she said. 'Joe was able to do that thing that producers do — rise above and take the 50,000-foot view.' 'I thought she was a terrific songwriter,' said Spaulding, who has a home on Plum Island. 'We had a ball, but she basically stopped making music soon after we finished.' Changing tides in the music world worked against any prospects the album may have had, Wells recalled. 'This was when disco was incredibly popular,' she said. 'The A&R guy from Sail would go around with me to the radio stations. The guy would drop the needle, listen for a short time, and say, 'Well, it's not disco.' I mean, der — it's not disco!' Advertisement The songs on 'Hometown Lady' give off echoes of Joan Baez and Janis Ian. It's evocative of its time and place, said Mcgowan, who grew up in Newton. 'When I started my label, I was zeroing in on anything I could find that was local,' he said. 'I was scratching an itch I didn't know I had, a connection with my place of origin.' What he heard in Wells's album was 'a specificity and a vibe. So much music is generic — it could be anyone, anywhere. She manages to evoke a very beautiful, earlier time.' Mcgowan specializes in what the record-collecting world now refers to as 'private press' recordings — the obscure, independently released albums from previous eras that have become ripe for reissue. His label reintroduced the music of a psychedelic folk-rocker from Detroit named Ted Lucas, and Mcgowan teamed with industry leader Light In the Attic on a landmark reappraisal of new age music called 'I Am the Center.' Pat Wells in her yard in New Hampshire. Jim Davis/Jim Davis for the Globe 'It turns out there was a massive number of incredibly talented people making albums in incredibly restricted circles,' Mcgowan said. 'There was no pipeline for a local artist to get into the mainstream. 'Virtually no one in Pat's position ever broke out of where they were. Only because of the internet have people started to be able to compare notes on their record finds.' It was the internet presence of Advertisement Jen Malone, a onetime Boston-based publicist, served as the music supervisor on 'Sirens.' The producers, she said, were initially hoping for Joni Mitchell songs to accompany scenes in episode three that feature Moore's character, Michaela, a powerful woman of means in the fictional, Nantucket-like town of Port Haven. Julianne Moore as Michaela and Kevin Bacon as Peter Kell in "Sirens." Macall Polay/Netflix/MACALL POLAY/NETFLIX Mitchell's songs weren't in the budget, Malone said in a phone call, so she consulted with a company that sources music options for film and television. When that company suggested Pat Wells, Malone took one listen, 'saw that she was from New England, and I was like, 'Done and done.' 'We love using undiscovered vintage catalog,' she explained. Wells's songs 'are in the background, but they're still very important to the palette of the show. To be a little part of that story and give her that platform, it's a great feeling.' Since the release of 'Sirens,' there's been a new flurry of activity for Wells. Mcgowan just posted 'Hometown Lady' on Spotify for the first time, and in early June he received confirmation that a British label will license another of her songs, 'The Seeker,' for an upcoming compilation of 'music for a fictitious tropical resort.' All of these unexpected developments have inspired Wells to think about picking up her guitar and writing some new music. Her voice may not be quite as angelic as it was in 1978, but 'the folks at church really like it,' she said. 'I tend to go right over the top.' Advertisement After remarrying, she and her second husband adopted several children from Ethiopia. It's important for her, she said, to show her adult children and her grandchildren — she has 11 — that creativity can strike at any time. 'I don't want this to be a story of, 'Oh, my dreams were dashed in 1978,'' she said. 'No. This is something great. Isn't it lovely that somebody heard me and said, 'We'd like to put this on our platform'?' For now, she's enjoying her retirement and the small pleasures of daily life. 'My tenant has a 2-year-old,' Wells said, 'and he was following me around as I was mowing the lawn with his bubbly lawn mower, with his ear protection on. That's wonderful.' James Sullivan can be reached at . James Sullivan can be reached at
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Buzz Feed
23 Films Linked To Real-Life Murder Cases
Probably one of the wildest behind-the-scenes facts I know is that Curb Your Enthusiasm literally saved a man accused of murder, possibly even from the death penalty. The man, Juan Catalan, was accused of murdering teenager Martha Puebla in 2003. He said he was at the Dodgers game with his daughter and his friends when the murder occurred, but there wasn't enough proof of Catalan's lawyer discovered Curb Your Enthusiasm had filmed at that very same game. Raking through the footage, they were able to find Catalan at the game and back up his alibi. Similarly, the infamous O.J. trial almost used footage from O.J.'s recent TV pilot, Frogman, which was never released following the murder accusations. Why was the footage relevant? It showed O.J.'s proficiency with a knife. Simpson had reportedly received military training for the role. Also, Simpson's costar Todd Allen had once gone with O.J. to Ross Cutlery — the suspected source of the murder weapon, which was never found — between shooting scenes. Eerily, the show also featured the death of the character's ex-wife. The footage did not end up being used in O.J.'s trial, in which he was acquitted of murder. The Exorcist features a real murderer and possible serial killer. Director William Friedkin went to an NYU radiology lab to scout locations and extras, and to observe an angiogram that would inspire a similar scene in the film. While at the lab, he met the technician Paul Bateson and decided to cast him as a technician in the movie as well. Bateson was later convicted of the murder of film critic Addison Verrill and is suspected of multiple other murders. There was evidence connecting him to the murder of six other men, though the judge in the case decided it was not enough, and he was convicted only of Verrill's murder. The Godfather cast Gianni Russo after he helped smooth tensions between mob boss Joe Colombo and the film's producers. Russo had grown up adjacent to the mob and knew many mob bosses, including Frank Costello, lending authenticity to the film, which jump-started a long acting career for Russo. The film actually saved his life at one point; Russo owned a casino and got into an altercation with a customer, which led to Russo killing him in self-defense. It was ruled a justifiable homicide, but Russo wasn't off the hook — the man he'd killed was a cartel member. According to Russo, a hit was put out on him, but he was spared because Pablo Escobar liked The Godfather. The Sopranos cast several men with mob ties, including Michael Squicciarini. After his death, Squicciarini was accused of being involved in the murder of drug dealer Ralph Hernandez. It was claimed that he had lured Hernandez to a club so that he could be shot by a member of a crime family he was associated with. Squicciarin was only implicated after witnesses noticed him on the show and recognized him from the night of the murder. Goodfellas also gained authenticity for casting Louis Eppolito, who had grown up around the mob but became a cop. However, he was later infamously convicted of being a mob assassin (Eppolito still claimed he was innocent until his death). He was also in the films Predator 2 and Lost Highway. Speaking of Lost wasn't the only suspected murderer in the film. The film, which is about a man being accused and jailed for murdering his wife, also starred Robert Blake. Blake was later arrested for the murder of his wife, who was shot while sitting in their car during a dinner date. It was alleged that Blake had hired two stunt performers to kill her, though the jury did not believe the stunt performers, who were abusing drugs. Blake was acquitted, though he was later held liable for her death in a civil case. Back to The Zodiac killer was a big fan of the film. He actually mentioned it in one of his letters, calling it, "the best saterical comidy (sic) that I have ever seen." The famous killer would later inspire the film's screenwriter to write what would eventually become The Exorcist III. Jeffrey Dahmer was a fan of this film and even showed it to one of his would-be victims, Tracy Edwards, who escaped being murdered by Dahmer. Danny Rolling, the Gainesville Ripper, was also influenced by The Exorcist III and the book that inspired it, Legion, which featured the Gemini killer. The murderer claimed his alternate personas, Gemini and Ynnad (Danny backwards), were responsible for his crimes. The backwards spelling of Danny appeared to be a reference to the possessed speaking backwards in the film. While we're on the subject of killers inspired by films, we have to mention John Hinckley Jr., who tried to assassinate then–President Ronald Reagan to impress Jodie Foster, whom he had become obsessed with after seeing her in Taxi Driver. A handyman allegedly obsessed with Psycho reportedly set out to murder Marli Renfro, the woman who acted as Janet Leigh's body double in the notorious shower scene, but killed the wrong person by accident. His victim, it turns out, was Myra Davis (who also went by her stage name Myra Jones), who was Leigh's stand-in for lighting and staging, but not the double seen on screen in the shower scene (though her hand is seen briefly). Natalie Wood, who starred in a number of films including West Side Story, Rebel Without a Cause, and Gypsy, died under extremely mysterious circumstances while filming Brainstorm. Wood, who was 43 at the time, was with her husband Robert Wagner on his boat on a weekend vacation. According to Wagner himself (though he initially denied this), he and Wood argued, and then he went to bed without her. The next morning, she was found drowned a mile away. Wood had been drinking, and it's possible her death was an accident, but she was found with bruises that could mean she was attacked. Nearby witnesses had heard a woman scream. The captain of the boat, Dennis Davern, allegedly drunkenly confessed to Wood's sister years later that he'd seen Wagner push Wood, who then fell overboard, and that Wagner refused to rescue this is unconfirmed. We'll likely never know exactly what one person might: Brainstorm costar Christopher Walken, who was also there that night, and had reportedly also argued with Wagner. Jean Spangler was just starting to gain headway in Hollywood when she disappeared at 27, leaving behind a note that read, "Kirk, Can't wait any longer. Going to see Dr. Scott. It will work best this way while mother is away." Kirk apparently referred to someone Spangler had met on set, according to her mother. Police speculated that Kirk might refer to the famous actor Kirk Douglas, whom she had recently worked with on Young Man with a Horn. Douglas was in Palm Springs at the time, and told police he barely remembered Spangler. "I told Detective Chief Thad Brown that I didn't remember the girl or the name until a friend recalled it was she who worked as an extra in a scene with me in my picture Young Man With a Horn," Douglas said. "Then I recalled that she was a tall girl in a green dress and that I talked and kidded with her a bit on the set, as I have done with many other people. But I never saw her before or after that and have never been out with her." Spangler's disappearance has never been solved, and Young Man with a Horn was one of her final films. Shelley Malil, perhaps best known for costarring as Haziz in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, was later imprisoned for stabbing his ex-girlfriend 23 times in front of a friend while her children slept upstairs. She survived, and he was released after eight years, against the wishes of his victims. He blamed his actions in part on a lack of roles following The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Actor Johnny Lewis — who had once dated Katy Perry and is allegedly the person "The One That Got Away" is about — murdered his landlady, killed her cat, then attacked a house painter and his neighbor (who were able to escape), before dying from what was ruled an accidental fall in 2012. Ironically, Lewis had left Sons of Anarchy years prior because it was too "violent." In the years since, he had played a serial killer on Criminal Minds and starred in the horror film Lovely Molly. The murder came shortly after Lewis moved back into the Writer's Villa, a Los Angeles home where a woman had rented out rooms to young creatives for decades. Lewis had been going through a personality change following a motorcycle accident, which many family and friends believed contributed to his violent outbursts, which came on suddenly and seemed to get worse after stints in jail. Serial killer Clifton Bloomfield appeared as an extra on shows like Breaking Bad and Felon, basically mid–killing sprees. For example, he was hired on Felon after serving time as a convicted killer, and a month later, went on to kill three more people before being caught and imprisoned again. According to the casting director, no one on set even knew or was told that Bloomfield was a convicted killer. Tara Correa-McMullen, an up-and-coming actor who appeared on shows like Zoey 101, died in a gang-related potential drive-by shooting at age 16 in 2005. Friends said that she had recently been hanging out with a "bad crowd" but had been trying to get her life back on track. Eerily, Correa-McMullen was best known for playing a former gang member on Judging Amy. Her character was trying to turn her life around after involvement in a drive-by shooting, but ultimately failed and was killed in jail. In another creepy coincidence, Judith Eva Barsi, the child actor who most famously voiced Ducky in Land Before Time, played a child murdered by her father in Fatal Vision. She was later murdered by her father at the age of 10. He also murdered his wife, Judith's mother, before killing himself. Imagine going on a dating show to meet the love of your life and meeting a killer instead. That's exactly what happened on the popular game show The Dating Game. Contestant Rodney Alcala actually won his episode (though he ended up being rejected for a date). It was later revealed that Alcala was a serial killer who would end up being convicted of seven suspected of many more. A contestant on Megan Wants a Millionaire and I Love Money 3, Ryan Jenkins, also later turned out to be a killer — in fact, just after the latter show finished filming, his wife's dead body was found. It was soon discovered he had a history of assault, which apparently his background check hadn't uncovered. This didn't actually involve murder, but it's a wild behind-the-scenes fact involving a murder trial. Cannibal Holocaust was so horrifically violent and offensive that in Italy, director Ruggero Deodato was charged with obscenity and later murder after it was suspected that some of the actors had actually died in the film. The actors literally had to come to court to prove they were alive. Deodato was also charged with animal cruelty (though it was later overturned) because multiple animals had been killed onscreen. And finally, we can't make this post without mentioning the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. Alec Baldwin was using a gun as a prop when it went off and killed Hutchins. The gun had been declared safe before using, and Baldwin reportedly did not know it was loaded — he also denied pulling the trigger, though the FBI reported the gun could not have fired without the trigger being pulled. Baldwin was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the charges were later dismissed. First AD David Halls was sentenced to probation, and armorer Gutierrez-Reed was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Filming eventually resumed, and the film was quietly released last month.
USA Today
4 days ago
- USA Today
'Ginny & Georgia': A look at the Season 3 cast and what to remember from Season 2
'Ginny & Georgia': A look at the Season 3 cast and what to remember from Season 2 Show Caption Hide Caption Need a show to binge? These are the must watch shows this summer USA TODAY's TV critic Kelly Lawler breaks down the best TV shows you don't to want to miss this summer Buckle up, buttercup, and start perfecting that Southern accent. The madness of Netflix's 'Ginny & Georgia' has returned for its third season, and viewers will see how manipulative matriarch Georgia Miller (Brianne Howey) handles her arrest. In the January 2023 Season 2 finale, it appeared that Georgia might've found her happy ending. She'd married an enamored mayor (Scott Porter) who could provide emotional and financial security. But as she danced with her groom at their wedding reception, she considered the worry that accompanies joy: 'Happiness is the scariest thing to be,' she thought. 'Once you're happy, you have so much more to lose.' Enter the police to apprehend Georgia for the murder of Cynthia Fuller's (Sabrina Grdevich) comatose husband Tom (Vincent Legault). Georgia thought placing a pillow over Tom's face would end his family's suffering, but it might just be the start of hers. Before beginning the new 10 episodes for Season 3, familiarize yourself with the series' beloved characters. 'Ginny & Georgia' Season 3: How to watch 'most explosive season yet' Brianne Howey as Georgia Miller Georgia is the resourceful mom stops at nothing – not even the law – to create the best possible life for her two children, Ginny and Austin. 'We may not have had a traditional childhood,' Ginny says in the finale, 'but my mom's love was our white-picket fence, our safety net. She's a force.' To protect her brood, Georgia has killed two husbands and framed Austin's abusive dad for embezzlement. Who is Brianne Howey? Fans of 'Ginny & Georgia' may be surprised to learn that Howey was born in 1989 outside of Los Angeles and speaks with a Southern accent only for the role. Howey, who studied acting at NYU, has appeared in Fox series 'The Exorcist' and 'The Passage.' She also played Amy Schumer's pregnant friend in Netflix's comedy 'Kinda Pregnant,' released in February 2025. Nikki Roumel as young Georgia Miller Roumel portrays Georgia in flashbacks, showing how much she sacrificed, swindled and stole to provide for Ginny and Austin. Who is Nikki Roumel? Roumel, 25, is a Canadian actress who also guest-starred in ABC and Netflix's 2016-19 series 'Designated Survivor," starring Kiefer Sutherland. Antonia Gentry as Ginny Miller Ginny is an artful soul who has internalized the chaos of her upbringing as the child of a loving, but lawless mother. Ginny is also head over boots for her neighbor, Marcus. Who is Antonia Gentry? Ginny is the first big role for the Atlanta-born Gentry, 27, who appeared in Netflix's feature 'Candy Jar' and series 'Raising Dion.' Diesel La Torraca as Austin Miller Austin is the son of Georgia and the recently freed from prison Gil (Aaron Ashmore). Austin shot his dad to protect Georgia and witnessed his mom suffocate Tom. Who is Diesel La Torraca? The Australian actor, who turned 14 in March, also counts NBC's 'La Brea' and the short film 'Sweet Tooth' among his credits. The men in Georgia's life: Nathan Mitchell as Zion Miller Zion is the handsome photographer hoping to make up for lost time with his daughter Ginny, as advancing his career and a split with Georgia kept them apart. Who is Nathan Mitchell? You might've seen Mitchell, 36, as Black Noir in Amazon Prime's superhero series 'The Boys." Scott Porter as Mayor Paul Randolph Paul is the ambitious public servant who comes from money and fell in love with Georgia. Who is Scott Porter? Porter, 45, got his TV start on the CBS soap 'As the World Turns' in 2006, and continued to consistently find work on series like NBC's 'Friday Night Lights,' CBS' 'The Good Wife' and CW's 'Hart of Dixie.' Raymond Ablack as Joe Joe is the attractive and kind owner of Wellsbury's eatery the Blue Farm Café, where Ginny works. Joe has feelings for Georgia but swallows them for her happiness. Who is Raymond Ablack? Ablack, 35, played Sav Bhandari on 'Degrassi: The Next Generation.' He also appeared in Netflix's series 'Narcos' and 'Maid,' starring Margaret Qualley. The Millers' neighbors, the Bakers: Jennifer Robertson as Ellen Baker Ellen is a friend to Georgia and mother of twins Marcus and Maxine. Who is Jennifer Robertson? Vancouver-born Robertson, 53, is perhaps best known as Roland Schitt's wife Jocelyn on 'Schitt's Creek.' She's also hosted the reality program 'The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down,' executive produced by Seth Rogen. Felix Mallard as Marcus Baker Marcus struggles with his mental health and finding where he fits in. But he shares an undeniable connection with Ginny. Who is Felix Mallard? Australian actor Mallard, 27, had a recurring role on the long-running Aussie soap 'Neighbours,' in addition to playing a rock star who seeks refuge at his accountant's house in CBS' short-lived 'Happy Together.' Sara Waisglass as Maxine Baker The theater enthusiast with a flair for drama. Who is Sara Waisglass? Waisglass, 26, is another 'Degrassi' alum. She played Frankie Hollingsworth on 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' and 'Degrassi: Next Class.' The Canadian actress also appeared in two episodes of USA Network's 'Suits.'
