If I Had a Hammer, by Martha Thomases

Martha Thomases

Martha Thomases brought more comics to the attention of more people than anyone else in the industry. Her work promoting The Death of Superman made an entire nation share in the tragedy of one of our most iconic American heroes. As a freelance journalist, she has been published in the Village Voice, High Times, Spy, the National Lampoon, Metropolitan Home, and more. For Marvel comics she created the series Dakota North. Martha worked as a researcher and assistant for the author Norman Mailer on several of his books, including the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Executioner's Song, On Women and Their Elegance, Ancient Evenings, and Harlot's Ghost.

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18 Responses

  1. Rick Taylor says:

    The Academy Awards sucked because the 'star' were glorified TV stars. When George Clooney is your 'biggest star', you know it's gonna suck.

  2. John Tebbel says:

    Okay, now you're picking on Ozzie and Harriet. We only knew the half of it, they toured for years fronting a swing band doing comedy duets, not too many steps up from carny. By the time we saw them on the tube they were too tired to cause any ruckus, they'd been there. Maybe you're thinking of the couple in Family Circus.

  3. Elayne Riggs says:

    I don't think the Oscar show itself sucked, but I think the ratings were low because not a lot of people had an emotional investment in the nominated movies.

    • Martha Thomases says:

      That's my point. While I'm not prepared to argue about the artistic merits of the nominated films (I didn't see all of them), they seemed to be, on the whole, a depressing lot. Not the kind of thing you'd spend a Sunday night hanging with.

  4. Johanna Hall says:

    Martha has once again made me laugh before I've had morning coffee. During the week, I'd been mentally applauding the green thumb on a balcony I'd not been aware she has! Blueberries in Manhattan? WOW! But the kvetching is normal at this time of year and I think we need to start a movement for Leap Day in May (it even rhymes.) President Obama might be sympathetic.But Martha–The Wire, In Treatment, even American Idol will help your knitting.

    • Martha Thomases says:

      The Wire, I'm all over it. In Treatment — meh. I have my own decades of therapy (although the therapists, while friendly and competent, were not as gorgeous as Gabriel Byrne). And American Idol? Not while I have any rock'n'roll braincells left!

  5. Anonymous says:

    The problem isn't with the good films. It's with the crowd pleasers, which have become tired and cynical and trade on prejudices in the wrong ways. Did all the people who went to see "Transformers" actually like it? My students didn't. When we get back to popular films like "Jaws" and "American Graffiti" and even "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King," we'll see more popular films up for the Oscars and more people will watch. Why would people even want to be reminded that some of the year's top grossing films ever happened?

    • Mike Gold says:

      I liked Transformers, and I normally don't go in for that type of movie. But I didn't care for Jaws, so what do I know.The Academy Awards are voted upon by industry professionals and I'm comforted when they honor artistic achievement. Sure, certain genres — like comedies — don't get a fair shake. But overall, I have little problem with their nominations. The actual awards seem silly: usually, any three out of five nominations are pretty much equally worthy.

  6. Melanie Fletcher says:

    Bill Maher is back and in fine election-year fettle, if that's of any help.As for the funny, trust me, that is NEVER considered to be worthy of awards. Which is ridiculous — the funny is damn DIFFICULT to do.

  7. Melanie Fletcher says:

    As for new episodes — I WANT MORE THE BIG BANG THEORY, DAMMIT! I'm missing my new imaginary geek boyfriends something harsh.

  8. Uncle Robbie says:

    1. You should be kinder to school bus drivers, darling. Bring them piping hot coffee while they wait. (I'm sure you'd never add a few drops of Visine to each cup.)2. Anyone who makes you miss Michael O’Donohue shouldn't just be removed from your television, but from the planet.3. Forget the books on tape, you must have plenty of real books already. You live in New York, where you can't swing a cat without hitting an unemployed actor. Just hire a comely man with a mellifluous voice to read to you whilst you knit.4. Tim Russert should be limited by law to only appear on the radio, even in his own home.5. There are no movie stars left. They've all been replaced by sound bites with bleached teeth. This makes the Academy Awards look less like a Hollywood event and more like a dental hygienist convention.

    • Rick Taylor says:

      Or a three (or four) hour segment of ET.

    • John Tebbel says:

      1.Drivers are the victims, too; they've got to breathe the stuff. They'll gladly stage where they're told to stage. Problem is the managers who picked the wrong narrow street for temporary staging.2. Jesus makes me miss Michael O'Donohue.5. Today's stars are woefully overexposed. Just a few years ago people knew to stay off the stage when they didn't have anything in the theaters. (They're really not interesting; it's a show.)

      • Uncle Robbie says:

        1. This could cost you a fortune in coffee. While I sympathize that the drivers are "just following orders," they don't have to leave their vehicles idling.2. We do not disagree.3. Perhaps that is the true tragedy of prioritizing looks over talent. "Pretty" people crave the spotlight. Talented people accept it.

  9. Valerie D'Orazi says:

    "Apparently, the thought of a woman with a brain, an education, and a marriage more complicated that Ozzie and Harriet’s, is too much for them. She must be a nag, a scold, a castrating bitch, an unfilled woman whose ambition takes the place of her husband’s love."it's really unfortunate. My thought goes back to those Hillary "nutcrackers" they sell in novelty stores. some people might see them as "just a joke," but they really bothered me, because I knew what is really behind that "joke."