Pioneers of porn
In light of all the reactionary Super Bowl ad prudery, it’s the perfect time for the documentary “Inside Deep Throat,” (opening Friday) about the 1972 porn flick that threw America into an uproar. Conservatives swooned, celebrities flocked and it became the most profitable movie ever. We object to the downplaying of Linda Lovelace’s abuse allegations, but still, it’s a first-rate example of The More Things Change. . .
Retro-’70s reunion
The good Crowes (Black, not Counting) are back! Apparently, hirsute frontman Chris Robinson – a k a Mr. Kate Hudson – and his guitarist sibling have learned to play nice again, albeit with a couple of replacement band members. They’ll stick together long enough to make a little cash on five March shows at the Hammerstein. Devoted “Hard to Handle” fans should get their tickets now at ticketmaster.com.
Blogger wars
Elizabeth Spiers, who created Gawker, is now the co-editor of the competition: Mediabistro’s new city-centric gossip site, fishbowlNY.com. So far, though, she’s kinda lagging behind her old site: While Gawker’s gleefully making third-grade-level jokes at Matt Drudge’s expense, fishbowl is analyzing the redesign of Men’s Fitness. Tip: The sophomoric stuff wins every time.
More airtime for Ashlee
You didn’t think they’d really go there – but yes, “The Ashlee Simpson Show” is back for a second season on MTV, even though its point now seems to be the documentation of the untalented singer’s well-deserved fall into obscurity. Last week showed the backstage side of the “SNL” debacle; coming soon, Ashlee cuts hair, disgraces the family!
Ordinary people
Is a riveting past necessary if you want to write a book about yourself? Not if you’re author Amy Krouse Rosenthal, 39, whose sheer unremarkableness is the whole point of her “Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life” (Crown, $20). Under “Safire, William,” she offers a perfect ordinary-gal observation: “I think, ‘I should read this, this is relevant and smart and useful’. . . And then I turn the page.”
Obsession compulsion
Comedian Sara Schaefer’s preoccupations are so fleeting: One week it’s Samantha Bee from “The Daily Show,” next it’s Dana Snyder, the voice of Master Shake on “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” But that’s exactly the point of her acclaimed biweekly live talk show, “Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You,” at the Juvie Hall Sketch Comedy Theatre.
Kim Delaney exhumed
Eclipsing the roiling lesbian subplot on “The O.C.” is the appearance of Kim Delaney, the actress who was booted off both “NYPD Blue” and “C.S.I.: Miami.” Didn’t know it was her? Neither did we – time hasn’t been kind to her since those steamy days with Jimmy Smits. We wish her TV ex, Sandy Cohen, all the best.
Disco fever at the library
Yes, it’s a tad disappointing that the white suit under the glass was actually worn by John Travolta’s body double. Nevertheless, the New York Public Library has assembled a catchy kitsch collection of disco-era artifacts, photos, clothes and record covers that will either take you back, if you’re old enough to have been there, or else just make you really glad you never had to suffer through waiting on line to get into Studio 54.
Diet-freezones
The West Village’s hippest new eatery, the speakeasy-themed Employees Only, already has our vote because of its old-school cocktails and charming proprietors. But the best part is its historical-accuracy policy: no diet sodas. No decaf coffee. And for god’s sake, no non-alcoholic beer.
“Brad Wants Jen Back!” screams US Weekly. “Jen Fights To Get Brad Back!” counters Star magazine. Fans’ heads are spinning as they try to keep up with the competing twists and turns of the golden couple’s maybe-inspired-by-Angelina-Jolie split. We’re hoping for a new twist from InTouch next week. Like, has anyone questioned Tate Donovan about all of this?