Category Archives: Politically Incorrect

Andrew L. Yarrow, Opinion contributor Published 4:00 a.m. ET Nov. 29, 2020

While Trump made surprising gains in other demographics, Biden made unexpected gains among white male voters in the election. Here is how he keeps them.

President-elect Joe Biden has white men to thank.

Two years ago, I wrote that Democrats and progressives needed to appeal to white men and address the problems particularly of non-college educated white men. Although the party may not have been so explicit about what the problems of this population are and the ways in which they would tackle them, at least at the presidential level, Democrats were successful in winning many of them over.

Donald Trump made gains among virtually every other demographic Black men and women, Hispanics,Asian-Americans, and even white women. The one significant demographic in which his support cratered compared to 2016 was among white men, who make up more than one-third of the electorate. Biden made an impressive 11 percentage point gain among white, college-educated menand a 6 percentage point gain among white, non-college educatedmen, supposedly Trumps core constituency.

This is a big deal in two ways. One, which has been widely noted, is that Trump made surprising gains among nonwhite Americans. The second, which has not been extensively examined, is the shift of white men to the former Vice President.

What does this mean. The first spells trouble for the Democrats. The second is unexpectedly good news for them.

A polling station on Nov. 4, 2014 in Westport, Connecticut.(Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Some might ascribe Bidens gains to the simple fact that he is male and Hillary Clinton is female. Or, to his Scranton birthplace, in Americas old industrial heartland. Perhaps, men are more prone to think: Kick the bum out, regardless of the bums party. Despite the massive womens rallies the day after Trump was inaugurated in 2017 and all the pre-election talk about white suburban women being key to Democrats electoral hopes, the most important gender dynamic in this years election occurred among white men.

How is this possible? Driving through red states or watching TV news, there were white men galore with Trump flags hanging out of their pickup truck windows and crowds of men in MAGA hats. These were real, but pollsters, mediaand Republicans fell for this clich.

The Biden campaign can celebrate this years shift, but they must not take it for granted. The new administration has a very full plate a pandemic, a flailing economy, a host of foreign-policy challenges, and much more but it needs to address the problems that white, primarily (but not exclusively) working class men face.

Election 2020 exit polls: Political pundits utterly failed to predict Donald Trump's voters

In my two prior articles and my book on these men, "Man Out: Men on the Sidelines of American Life," I pointed to a couple of indicators: The millions of men who have left the labor force, increasing health and mental health problems, isolation and disconnection from family and children, and what it means to be a man during a time of changing norms that predated #MeToo.

Many of these problems have only worsened during the last two years. In October 2018, when I wrote my first article on these issues, 71.6%of white men over 20 were not working; last month, the percentage was down to 70.5%. While median inflation-adjusted incomes for white men have gone up in the last two years, they were essentially the same during President Trumps first year and 1973 44 years of stagnant wages. The latest CDC life expectancy statistics for white men before COVID show them dying at an earlier age than in 2014, although Black life expectancy remains lower. Suicide rates among white men are three and a half times higher than for white women, and are significantly higher than among Blacks, Hispanics, and Asian Americans. By one key markers of social class, educational attainment, there is ample evidence that those with less than a college degree are more likely to be out of the labor force and in poor health.

Biden's top unification task: Expose Trump team wrongdoing, restore trust in government

Democrats have taken for granted people of color and women something they no longer can do after this years election. There are too many problems to name affecting both populations that the Biden administration needs to address only beginning with the overarching scourges of racism and sexism. Democrats have long been advocates for women and minorities, as they should be, but as I wrote in January 2019, they are silent because they are implausibly unaware of such issues or, more likely, less willing to highlight them because doing so would be deemed politically incorrect.

The president-elect is a compassionate man and seems to recognize many of white mens problems. His administration should work on them not only because all Americans deserve a chance at a good life but also because keeping or expanding white male support is essential for Democrats fortunes in 2022 and 2024.

Andrew L. Yarrow, a historian and former New York Times reporter, is the author of "Man Out: Men on the Sidelines of American Life."

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Biden has white men to thank for putting him in the White House - USA TODAY

Views expressed in community voicesdo not represent opinions of The Gazette-Virginian or staff members.

Writers need critics if for no other reason, to help us see when we have failed to communicate the main thing. The Nov. 11 and 18 editions of community voice, a response to my Nov. 4 piece on the Virginia Values Act titled Velvet covered tyranny, served that purpose for me.

So, allow me to be blunt. The Democrat-controlled legislature and Virginias executive branch are stripping your first amendment rights of free speech and religious liberty.

It does not matter if you consider yourself conservative or liberal, libertarian or progressive, or agree with me on same-sex marriage or anything else.

My critics and I are coming from such completely different worldviews that Im sure any topic I address, be it the right to life, legalized recreational marijuana, legalized gambling, etc., would provoke similar disagreement.

The point is that we have the constitutionally protected freedom not only to express those opinions in the public square but also do our jobs, run our businesses and churches, and non-profit ministries, all while following the dictates of our religiously informed consciences. The Virginia Values Act denies those rights.

Here is the second and equally important point. If a state government can strip my first amendment rights, it can strip yours. If it can deny our first amendment rights, it can revoke any of the others.

Those are the main things. But four other items need clarification.

First, I am a Christian and a pastor, not a therapist. My article, Im not gay and you probably arent either (seedaneskelton.comunder the LGBTQ category) is not an attempt at conversion therapy.

Instead, it is my testimony and invitation to any young person struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction to know that there is another way. They have the right to hear that. But if people like me are silenced, they will not hear it.

Other memoirs, like Rosaria Butterfields Secret thoughts of an unlikely convert and Dennis Jernigans Sing over me, tell similar stories and offer identical hope.

Second, regarding pushing my views and values on others, the shoe is on the other foot. I would not publicly address this issue except for two things. LGBTQ activists intend to deny all biblical Christians the rights mentioned above and have been for many years. Many sources validate that statement.

But for starters, look up Jonathon V. Lasts You Will Be Assimilated: The Same-Sex Marriage Bait and Switch, published in The Weekly Standard and Washington Examiner, June 22, 2015.

Or see lesbian conservative radio talk-show hostTammy Bruces responseto the 2014 Arizona Religious Freedom Bill, where she coined the phrase Gay Gestapo.

Third, I was happy to learn that Alliance Defending Freedom had $55M for their work. They earned Charity Navigators Platinum Seal of Transparency for 2020. I commend them to you. SeeADFLEGAL.ORG. For perspective, the ACLU, which usually argues opposite ADF, reported $202M in total assets for 2019 reporting.

Fourth, the Regnerus study I referenced has taken up too much time and was not the main point. As for its funding, You get what you pay for applies to all such research.

But it was not flawed or debunked. It was disputed and discredited by people who disagreed with the findings. But his sample size was larger than any other study of its kind at the time. Fifteen thousand people between ages 18-39. Only when the results were found politically incorrect did his department chair and others disavow it.

Heres what Regnerus said about the study in aninterview with Warren Smith. Its never been retracted. I havent retracted it. The journal hasnt retracted it. Its hard to debunk what is basically an overview snapshot of a fairly large, complex dataset. Other people analyze the data and say, Hey, Mark, its all about the instability in these families, which would be illuminating if I hadnt already said that. I said that years ago. Likely, the key variable here is the profound instability of the households in which the parents had same-sex relationships. People want to say, Oh, today its going to be Theres more of a gay or lesbian bourgeois family that will be much more stable. Its possible. I say, Show me the data. Some of this stuff well have to track for a decade or two before we get a good sense of it.

Evangelicals like me are the canary in the coalmine for America. Start paying attention to what your government is doing. Stand up for your constitutional rights. Do not stop when it gets hard and people insult you. If we fail, our freedoms are going to evaporate.

Skelton is the pastor at Faith Community Church in South Boston.

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COMMUNITY VOICE: Of wrong horses and counterpoints | Community Voices - YourGV.com

Thanksgiving, so rich in memories and meaning for all Americans. In the little colony at Plymouth, in 1621, the Pilgrims had been in the New World for nearly a year. There had been springtime planting, summer watching and working, because the colonists knew that their lives depended on the coming harvest. The crops were fruitful beyond expectation and late in the fall Governor Bradford sent four men into the forest to shoot wild birds. We will hold a harvest feast of Thanksgiving he said, and invited the Indians who had been friendly to them to join them. They came bearing venison and the feast lasted for three days. This was the first Thanksgiving Day celebrated in America. As more colonists came to America the tradition of Thanksgiving Day was celebrated throughout the colonies.

General Washington gave this Thanksgiving Day proclamation in 1789: Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and favors... Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday the 6th of November next, to be devoted by the people of these states to the service of that great and Glorious Being, who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, and that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble, thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country; and for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

In 1864, President Lincoln issued the first presidential proclamation appointing Thanksgiving Day as the fourth or last Thursday of November. Succeeding presidents continued the custom, and since then Thanksgiving Day has been regularly observed throughout the United States. This summary is adapted from The Book of Knowledge encyclopedia.

Yes, I admit it, Im old. Cant find any of the good old Thanksgiving poems of my days because they are all politically incorrect in these modern days. Maybe some of my old readers will remember this one by Annette Wynne, Indian Children.

Where we walk to school each day, Indian Children used to play--;

All about our Native Land, where the shops and houses stand.

And the trees were very tall, and there were no streets at all;

Not a church and not a steepleonly woods and Indian people.

Only wigwams on the ground, and at night bears prowling round--;

What a different place today, Where we live and work and play.

Gratitude by Margaret E. Sangster:

I thank You for these gifts, dear God; Upon Thanksgiving Day

For love and laughter and the faith, That makes me kneel to pray.

For life than lends me happiness, And sleep that gives me rest;

These are the gifts that keep my heart, Serene within my breast.

Love, laughter, faith and life and sleep, We own them every one

They carry us along the road, That leads from sun to sun.

May you and your families have a blessed Thanksgiving Day although it may be a little different than in years past we can love and pray for everyone even if we are unable to be together in person. God bless you all.

Old Uncle Gib is a weekly historical feature published each week. Old Uncle Gib is a pseudonym that was used by S.C. Bishop, who founded the Chronicle in 1886. Bishop actively published the Chronicle until 1948.

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A different kind of Thanksgiving | Local News | crossville-chronicle.com - Crossville Chronicle

Or clunk the stubby, hefty gearstick down a ratio and prod the throttle to hear it sing, feeling the power swell as you eke out the last few revs. For while this engine is a lazy V8 at heart, it also loves to be wrung out, rewarding you with that glorious, thudding soundtrack and an almost surprising dollop of top-end torque.

They say you shouldnt meet your heroes. But as youve probably guessed, I love this car. Its a bit of a flawed diamond, lacking the precision of a Porsche of the technical efficiency of an Audi, but making up for that with character in spades. From the moment you pop open the door using the button hidden under the mirror, of course it feels like an event.

And what about that famed reliability? Well, Ive had to call out the RAC twice although in both instancesI blame myself, rather than the car. The first time Id managed to get the seatbelt stuck; the second, I forgot to leave it plugged into the trickle chargerand the alarm system flattened the battery.

Otherwise, the TVR hasnt yet put a foot wrong in a thousand miles of motoring. Long may it continue.

Heres to good things coming out of a very bad time for the world. And to understanding wives.

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I bought a 21-year-old V8 British sports car during the pandemic; it was the best thing I ever did - Telegraph.co.uk

I doubt many of us have heard of Juana Ins de la Cruz, a 17th century Mexican poet and nun revered for her outspokenness. But thanks to American Players Theatre and PBS Wisconsin in their second "Out of the Woods" collaboration, I guarantee that is about to change.

De la Cruz was a legendary cultural figure in Mexico, and now is considered to be the first feminist writer in the West. Beginning her career in the court of Mexico City at the age of 16, de la Cruz addressed love, feminism, philosophy and even sex through verse at a time when it was politically incorrect, sinful, and unfashionable for women to express their intellect.

Karen Zacaras's play The Sins of Sor Juana, a Goodman Theatre season production in 2010, draws upon what little historical facts are known about de la Cruz. Zacaras writes in the style of magical realism; the play is full of imagery, drama, humor and complexity. Its also relevant and timely, appropriate for these times.

In the play directed by Jake Penner, de la Cruz is presented as an artist, a conduit through which truth is given voice. He and Zacaras address her vision quite well.

Making the virtual play reading easy to follow, stage directions are given with setting explanations; each actor is labeled onscreen, and when they speak, their box is highlighted. Voice coach Joy Lanceta Coronel wisely chose to focus on the text and not the dialects.

The play begins with de la Cruz sending a letter to the new bishop that God wants women to learn not a popular philosophy at the time. She also has managed to have a collection of her poems and sonnets published (she's dubbed the Tenth Muse of Mexico), much to the discomfort and anger of Padre Nez and Madre Filothea, heads of the convent she has taken residency in after refusing to marry the Vicereines dry and cranky Uncle Fabio. The negotiations between those two women involving writing and a library are both humorous and distressing. De la Cruz also orchestrated the death of her love Don Silvio. And now de la Cruzs actions have brought the padre and the convent before the Inquisition.

This is an ensemble that is talented, expressive both physically as well as vocally. I was engaged, and I have to admit I had a visceral reaction to some of the characters, wanting to smack the smirk off Sor Sara or shake the stupidity out of Mother Filothea.

Melisa Pereyra glows as Sor Juana Ins de la Cruz. Ive never seen so many expressions projected on a face so convincingly: determination, curiosity, confusion, hope, love, pride, beauty. Pereyra is an articulate, intelligent and vital actress.

Triney Sandoval is double cast as the Viceroy and, more magnificently, as Padre Nez, Juanas confessor and protector. Sandoval plays both parts with nobility, majestic essence, and power.

Janyce Caraballo is every bit Maria, the sweet, eager novice, so loyal to Juana. She also gets to provide the think about it ending.

Cher lvarez as Sor Sara is Juanas nemesis, the smirky gossip who quips, Youll see the charity of our actions none too sweetly. She flips the switch to also reappear as the beautiful Vicereine just pigeonhole her as the villain you love to hate.

Jeliannys Michelle is double cast as the voice of reason Xchitl and Mother Filothea. Shes flawless with her distinctive characters.

And despite not appearing long onscreen, we have Sebastian Arboleda as the questioning, loyal servant Pedro, and Ronald Romn-Melndez as the doomed Don Silvio, Juanas true love and the rogue who ignited her mind. He has the dulcet tones necessary to make his character believable.

This is a talented ensemble.

The Sins of Sor Juana is a genuinely interesting play, thought provoking, and compelling. I appreciate this introduction to de la Cruz, without a doubt a fascinating figure. American Players continues to be fascinating with its explorations of new voices through BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) works. I also appreciated Zacaras's incorporation of de la Cruzs poems throughout the play.

But I have to wonder how many other de la Cruzes have been ignored throughout history, or as reviewer John Olson said, How many accomplishments of which humanity has been deprived over the [centuries] by its insistence on a second-class stature for women? Well never know.

Regina Belt-Daniels is a theater veteran, having performed and directed throughout Illinois, Ohio and New York onstage, in web series and radio plays, and also serves on several theater boards. She hopes to return soon to live audiences, teaching, acting and traveling with her husband.

IF YOU VIEW

WHAT: "The Sins of Sor Juana" by American Players Theatre

WHEN: Through Dec. 31

COST: Free

INFO: pbswisconsin.org, americanplayers.org

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Review: 'Sins of Sor Juana' reveals remarkable woman - Northwest Herald

SPIN launched in the peak MTV era, when an innovative or even just salacious music video could make or break an artist. Thirty five years later, YouTube is an obligatory part of any promotional push, but no ones counting on a mind-blowing clip to sell a record. (The views do often matter just not always the creativity.)

A sizable chunk of the best videos came out during the 90s alternative bloom, when directors like Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Hype Williams experimented with the style and substance of this malleable medium. But the format hasnt died with MTV: artists like Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar and Miley Cyrus all made this list for a reason and it wasnt to meet a decade quota.

Here are the top 35 from the last 35. Ready or not, here we go again. Ryan Reed

35. Guns N Roses November Rain

CREDIT: Pete Still/Redferns

Nine minutes and 16 seconds of pure theater. A song that should be considered the second coming of Stairway to Heaven was paired with a short film about Axl Rose marrying and then mourning his wife (played by supermodel Stephanie Seymour). Nearly 30 years later, does anyone know how she died? Perhaps it was during the most dramatic rainstorm in music video history, which was overshadowed by Slashs guitar playing. - Jason Stahl

34. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince Summertime

CREDIT: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air takes us on a tour of Philadelphia in the Summertime video, which features one hell of a cookout. You know you wanted to be there whether it was for the fly honeys, family reunion, nostalgia or just to be a part of the happiest group of people in the city of brotherly love (who were actual friends and family of Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff). - J.S.

33. Chris Isaak Wicked Game

CREDIT: Lex van Rossen/MAI/Redferns

Herb Ritts directed this ultra-sexy black-and-white video featuring Chris Isaac and supermodel Helena Christensen, both mostly discretely shirtless and sandy frolicking, touching and splashing around on a beach. Undeniably one of the most sensual videos of all time, it took home MTVs 1991 awards for Best Male Video, Best Cinematography and Best Video From a Film. Liza Lentini

32. Janet Jackson Nasty

CREDIT: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images

Listen up, all you nasty boys: Ms. Jackson makes all of her dance moves look effortless and flawless. It helps when the choreography is directed by Paula Abdul, who, by the way, makes an appearance at the 3:24 mark. But were not quite sure who decided to dress those Chicago Bears-looking fans in perv raincoats at the end. J.S.

31. Tool Stinkfist

CREDIT: Paul Bergen/Redferns

Tool guitarist Adam Jones directed this intricate stop-motion nightmare, populated by sand creatures, levitation, inaudible screams, nail swallowing, dismembered limbs, eyeless faces and mysterious tumors. The meaning of life could be embedded in the clips creepy symbols. Maybe its just super trippy. Ryan Reed

30. Weird Al Yankovic Like a Surgeon

CREDIT: Paul Natkin/Getty Images

The quote marks around his name are superfluous he was certainly then, and probably is now, a very weird fellow. He was also, at his satirical height, a very funny mimic, whose first spoof video Eat It was a masterpiece, a perfect and hysterical take on Michael Jacksons Beat It. But that came out in 1984, so it doesnt make this list, even though it just sort of did. In 1985 the comedians barbed lightning struck again, taking on Madonna and changing Like a Virgin to a nightmare realm of the gangly, curly hair helmeted and creepily mustached Yankovic as an incompetent intern at a hospital from Hell. He captures Madonnas sing-song-y pop pitch like he thought of it first; and, like her, glides and writhes and teases if that word can be so stretched to describe his perfectly Madonna-duplicating moves like a demented, alternate universe sexpot. A very alternate universe, it must be said, and one we hope is very far away. Incredibly, this recording was his second single off his third album. He was a recording star too! Bob Guccione, Jr.

29. Miley Cyrus Wrecking Ball

Miley Cyrus makes erotic videos, is sexy as heck and pisses people off. Ergo, I love her. Shes politically incorrect I now love her more and doesnt care. And, in the immortal words of David Spade, said about Lindsay Lohan, she looks like shes having fun. She also makes great pop songs and has a fantastic voice. Here, gloriously and, given her song, very literally, she rides a wrecking ball, alternatively naked and in her underwear. There is nothing wrong with this. She licks the head of a sledgehammer. I think this is meant to be metaphorical. I also think its meant to make anyone who broke up with her regret it and spend the rest of their miserable lives in unrelenting agony. The video won MTVs 2013 Video of the Year and has, to date, 1 billion and 97 million views, which would be about one seventh of the worlds population, although I suspect some people have watched it more than once. That makes it one of the most watched videos in video history. Vox Populi, baby. B.G.J.

28. Foo Fighters Big Me

CREDIT: Mick Hutson/Redferns

This jangle-pop nugget lasts just over two minutes barely longer than the ridiculously goofy Mentos commercials that director Jesse Peretz parodies here. With its numerous thumbs up shots, fourth-wall-breaking grins and outlandish silliness (like the pre-teen Foo fan outsmarting venue security and sneaking onstage with a guitar), the clip expertly zooms in on the uncanny vibe of mid-90s ads and sitcoms. R.R.

27. M.I.A. Bad Girls

CREDIT: Lloyd Bishop/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

The idea was to compile Arabic references fantasized or not into a pop video, director Romain Gavras said of M.I.A.s joyous Bad Girls clip. Pop videos usually show American kids in their element. Here, you got Arab kids in an insane car rodeo element. Inspired by deep-dive YouTube videos of Saudis drift-driving vehicles on two wheels, the filmmaker and rapper voyaged to Morocco and staged subtly innovative scenes that flip hip-hop car clichs on their heads. R.R.

26. John Mellencamp Rain on the Scarecrow

Before the music begins, the Rain on the Scarecrow video opens with three farmers offering their unscripted distrust of how the American government is supporting or, rather, destroying the small, family-owned American farmer. The unglamorous video, a first of its kind with its stark realism, powerfully depicts Farm Aid co-founder and Indiana native Mellencamps continuing call-to-action to preserve a dying American tradition. L.L.

25. Kendrick Lamar Alright

CREDIT: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

Kendrick Lamars best music videos have the same precise imagery that he uses to shape his albums and thats what director Colin Tilley and regular collaborators Dave Free and the Little Homies deliver with their black and white clip for Alright, set in the place the rapper calls home. Lamar appears free as can be throughout: freestyling with fellow Top Dawg rappers, jumping at the front of a crowd in a Compton courtyard, doing donuts with a kid passenger throwing cash and flying like a loose bill out the window. When a cops finger gun shoots him from atop a streetlamp, the screen goes black then returns to his smiling face. Tomas Miriti Pacheco

24. Fugees Ready or Not

CREDIT: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

You might not expect a group named for refugees to splice A-Team-esque shots of helicopters and gunshots in the desert between their verses. But the trio slouched in the corner of a submarine is a vibe suited to the slow pressure of the song. - T.M.P.

23. Daft Punk Around the World

CREDIT: Paul Bergen/Redferns

Synchronized swimmers, gyrating skeletons, mummies wrapped in layers of bandage, robots literally doing the Robot, breakdancers with enormous torsos and tiny doll heads these are the human tools Michel Gondry used to personify Daft Punks electronic funk. The director placed these mysterious humans on a massive platform, choreographed their dreamlike movements and seemingly backed away, with his camera only occasionally switching angles. Its like spinning a colorful top and marveling at its motion. - R.R.

22. Fiona Apple Criminal

CREDIT: David Corio/Redferns

The seedy underbelly of 70s-paneled, suspiciously stained, shag-carpeted basements is the backdrop for some pretty provocative and highly controversial at the time teen debauchery, as depicted in the video for Criminal, the fifth single from Fiona Apples debut album. Part of the controversy was all of the suggestive unzipping amongst so many languid bodies, combined with an 18-year-old Apple, whos said to have written the Grammy-winning hit when she was 17, in 45 minutes. L.L.

21. Whitesnake Here I Go Again

Raise your hand if, at any stage drunk or sober after watching this video, youve attempted a cartwheel, somersault or the splits over two parked cars. [RAISES HAND] Aside from featuring two of the most gorgeous humans in music history kissing while fake-driving a car, this video is the perfect trailer for all that was great about late 80s radio rock: huge hair, big smiles and an anthemic chorus you can still blast in your car to make the moment utterly perfect. L.L.

20. Madonna Justify My Love

CREDIT: Frans Schellekens/Redferns

The Queen of Pop once ranked Justify My Love the best video from her own sprawling catalog and while we dont completely agree (see below), its impossible not to consider this erotic slice of voyeurism. Within, director Jean-Baptiste Mondino wanders through the halls and bedrooms of a very accommodating hotel, documenting snippets of sexual encounters heavy on the BDSM. MTV banned the clip, which only gave the singer a publicity boost. Not that she needed it. R.R.

19. Missy Elliott The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)

CREDIT: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc

Of all her iconic music video looks, Missy shapeshifting and shimmying in a trashbag/puffer/jumpsuit reigns supreme. Its the kind of fly thats as effortless as it is dramatic. Her trademark fisheye lenses and color-coordinated green screens come together in this piece of simple genius, matching her easygoing flow and Timbalands sparse drums. T.M.P.

18. Britney Spears Oops! I Did It Again

CREDIT: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

Britney Spears, inexplicably in space, bops around while singing apologies to her astronaut boyfriend for breaking his heart again. And no one could forget her iconic red catsuit, which officially announced to the world that the pop star is not that innocent. Mary Elisabeth Gibson

17. Radiohead Karma Police

We open inside a rickety car at night, headlights flicking on with Phil Selways first cymbal crash. Our path is a desolate road until we see the target: a man, balding and sweaty, glancing around in terror. The camera pans to the back seat, where we glimpse Thom Yorke, almost narcotically sleepy in a sharp leather jacket. He props his face on the front passenger headrest, numbly mouthing the Karma Police chorus. The target seems to be tiring, and he sputters to a stop on the dividing white line. He stands and stares with menace, and the car backs up. The target fumbles for a match in his pocket, strikes it and drops the stick onto a trail of gasoline. Flames engulf the car and eventually, we assume, the camera. But first, we cut to an empty back seat: Somehow weve lost Yorke, whos already lost himself. R.R.

16. PSY Gangnam Style

First, let me say: If fat Elvis was Korean and had real moves (not those Trumpish, fake macho poses), an Alice in Wonderland-on-acid imagination, a sublime gift for choreography and a sense of humor about himself, he might might! have been as entertaining as Psy. Left up to me (but no one listens to me) this would have been No. 1 on our list, and, in respect, I would have left spots 2 5 empty. There are more moving and important videos, sure. More artistic of course! Better songs, uh-huh, yes your point? But there has never been a better video than this. Nothing so epic. This is the Lawrence of Arabia meets The Godfather of music videos, with lapping layers of luxurious insanity and playfulness. At one point Psy is Michael Jackson doing his West Side Story knock-off, but with sexier back-up dancers and better and completely un-self-conscious dancing, and lasers. Psys trademark horse riding move is the modern equivalent of the Jackson moonwalk, but less precious, more fun and more memorable. And his underground parking lot dance-off with the Gangnam area poser in the yellow suit is simply glorious and life-affirming. B.G.J.

15. George Michael Freedom! 90

CREDIT: Mick Hutson/Redferns

Supermodels Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Tatjana Patitz came together to lip-sync in the video for Freedom! 90, the second single from George Michaels 1990 LP, Listen Without Prejudice Vol., 1, simply because he refused to appear. The consolation is one of the most iconic videos of all time. You know that verse where Christys crawling on the floor and singing? She admitted in the 2017 documentary George Michael: Freedom that they put her in the dark because she didnt know the words. L.L.

14. Nine Inch Nails Closer

CREDIT: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

Somewhere between A Clockwork Orange and Eyes Wide Shut lies NINs 1994 Closer video, which is roughly 41% sadist and 57% masochist. For the remaining 2%, we have to figure out those monkeys tied to crosses, pig heads spinning, beating hearts, ultra-real nude mannequins (or plastic-looking nudists) and Trent Reznor in bondage. Damn, those guys surely know how to make us want to be closer to Godand getting fucked like an animal is not one of them. J.S.

13. Busta Rhymes Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See

CREDIT: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Busta starts this video as a leopard-print Darth Maul, though he spends most of his time as an ancient prince touring a set equal parts Taj Mahal, Egyptian Tomb and Shaolin Temple. And thats just the lobby dip down the hallway into the spirit world for the real glow-in-the-dark body paint action. - T.M.P.

12. Jamiroquai Virtual Insanity

CREDIT: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Anyone else think they were trippin watching frontman Jay Kay pull off some serious video magic as a modern-day, furniture-moving MC Esher? Or were you too distracted by his hat? Or the bugs or blood? J.S.

11. Pearl Jam Jeremy

CREDIT: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Eddie Vedder and director Mark Pellington explore the tragedy of teen suicide in this gripping video for the turbulent Ten anthem. The massive set pieces Jeremy arguing with his parents at the dinner table; his classmates pointing and laughing, crystalizing adolescent social angst make the MTV time capsule. But Vedders less-is-more performance, seething in an empty room, is also essential to the atmosphere. R.R.

10. Fatboy Slim Weapon of Choice

CREDIT: Andrew Hasson/Photoshot/Getty Images

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The 35 Best Videos of the Last 35 Years | SPIN - SPIN

On the first episode of VEEP, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss irreverent political satire, fictional Vice President Selina Meyer has an important decision to make. Now, what do you think?" she asks. "Glasses on, the intellectual look, focused form of vision? She takes the glasses off and says, No, glasses make me look weak. Its like a wheelchair for the eye.

It was an absurd moment, politically incorrect, and, as was often the case with the Emmy-winning show, right on the nose. Politicians, like most people in the public eye, obsess over every aspect of their appearance, including something as innocuous-seeming as eyewear. Which leads to the question: Are glassesprescription and/or shade providinga political liability?

Our past Commanders-in-Chief and VPs would almost certainly say noespecially about the latter. Over the years, American Presidents and countless other politicians have sported eyewear at rallies and state fairs, at weddings and funerals, and even while kitesurfing.

But recently one pair of glassesJoe Bidens aviatorshas stood out in a crowded field of political props. Spend any time on the internet and it's next to impossible to avoid seeing memes of the former VP in his now-trademark dark glasses. Biden was early to notice the attention his glasses garneredhis first ever Instagram post in 2014 showcased his Ray-Bans perched on a desk. More recently, the Biden camp has featured the glasses on a variety of campaign merch.

According to fashion observers, aviators may suggest their own political platform: serious but youthful; on trend but not trendy; vintage but not old-fashioned; and masculine but not intimidating. In other words, the glasses reflect (pun intended) an image of Biden that his campaign staff has worked hard to project.

The military developed aviator sunglasses as a lightweight alternative to goggles. They became popular with civilians during and after World War II as photographs of soldiers began appearing in magazines and newspapers. (General Douglas MacArthur famously paired his with an oversize corn cob pipe.)

The glasses were embraced by the counterculture in the 1960s and '70s. Anti-war activists and hippies, male and female, began sporting the frames with colored or oversized lenses (Gloria Steinem, for example, wore a large, lightly-tinted pair) and, in the process, subverted the eyewear's implied military and masculine connotation.

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By the end of the 20th century, aviators saw another surge in popularitythanks in no small part to Hollywood (it's hard to imagine the 1986 film Top Gun, for example, without Tom Cruise's iconic pair). Today, they are even more ubiquitous and mainstream. Theyre classics, right? Robin Givhan, the Pulitzer Prizewinning critic-at-large for the Washington Post, told T&C. I mean, they're not trendy in the least bit, but they're still very relevant.

Joe Biden is not the first politician to wear a set of signature sunglasses. John F. Kennedy was known for his Ray-Ban Wayfarers, which he often donned while sailing. George W. Bush favored sunglasses with circular frames that could be characterized as "very early-2000s." Barack Obama alternated between black Wayfarers and a wraparound, athletic pair. (The biggest dad sunglasses, Lis Smith, the senior communications director for Mayor Pete Buttigieg's 2020 presidential campaign, said of the latter.) Donald Trump is a recent exception, and eschews all sorts of glasses, including, briefly, a set of solar eclipse glasses.

Alex Badia, style director of Women's Wear Daily, noted that sunglasses are one of the few accessories a male politician has in his sartorial arsenal. They rely on them to project a sense of masculinity without distracting from the overall message, he told T&C.

For that reason, aviators are good call because they're sexy and cool without being overly hip, said Smith. If you're looking for something that says 'commanding and steady,' they are probably the best sunglasses choice for a male politician.

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According to Jen Psaki, former White House communications director for President Obama, matching the right glasses to a candidate's personality is vital. Biden's greatest strength is his grandfatherly empathy, she said. The aviators elevate his cool grandpa vibe without going too far. You know, no one needs to see Joe Biden doing a choreographed dance on TikTok. (Biden, it should be noted, recently posted a Reel, TikToks Instagram counterpart. In it, the Democratic nominee smiles from his convertible, aviators obscuring his eyes.)

Washington, D.C. stylists and image consultants Lauren Rothman and Rosana Vollmerhausen told T&C that they think Bidens sunglasses might be part of broader visual image his campaign worked to create for their candidate. Smith and Psaki disagree, guessing that the aviators are just Bidens favorite glasses; ones hed wear anyway. In either case, what's important is how his choice of glasses is perceived by the public.

Aviators give me a sense of power, a sense of hope, and remind me of a better time, said Badia, describing his impression of the glasses. That's something that really resonates with audiences right now.

AFPGetty Images

They also ring a familiar bell to people who, well, look like Joe Biden, and in the process, may point towards a certain type of nostalgic conservatism that many American voters find palatable right now.

For the people in his age cohorta lot of them supporters of histhe aviators are just one more thing that ring a bell, a familiar bell, said Dr. Lourdes Font, an associate professor at FIT. Oh, we know this guy, right? We know who he is.

There's no question that appearance matters in politics. Look back at the famed Nixon versus Kennedy presidential debate, where TV audiences viewed Kennedy more favorably and radio audiences, Nixon. Or simply ask any woman working in or around the political arena.

When I was pregnant with my daughter and I was the spokesperson at the State Department, I used to get comments on Twitter about how I was not taking care of myself, Psaki said. Well, that's because I'm seven months pregnant and I've gained like 30 pounds!

Psaki's experience was by no means unusual. Whether its Hillary Clintons outfits or Nancy Pelosis haircut, its been widely reported that female politicians must pay far more attention to their appearance than their male counterparts. America has a narrow definition for what a politician should look like, and those parameters are even narrower for women.

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One example of how this manifests can be seen in how infrequently female candidates become the subject of fashion memes. The closest female equivalent to Joe Bidens aviators are Hillary Clintons pantsuits. Even though those outfits ultimately developed a loyal following, they were also met with a mixture of confusion and distain. Project Runways Tim Gunn once said, rather infamously, "Why must she dress that way? I think she's confused about her gender!"

Biden already looks like the typical American president, so, with his wardrobe, he can afford to be whimsical in a way that still seems on brand. And that brand? Distinctly masculine, nostalgic, and, yes, meme-able.

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What Joe Biden's Signature Aviator Sunglasses Say About the Rest of Us - TownandCountrymag.com

Federal Appeals Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett, soon to be sworn-in as our newest Supreme Court justice, somehow managed to maintain her composure earlier this month while a couple of Democratic senators made fools of themselves during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings.

To me, it looked like a congressional version of that old movie, Dumb and Dumber.

Barrett, a supremely well-qualified nominee to the nations highest court, looked bemused as Sens. Maizie Hirono of Hawaii and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island used their time to ask absurd questions or spin tall tales about far-fetched conspiracy theories. The good citizens of Hawaii and Rhode Island should be embarrassed for their senators and their states.

Hirono distinguished herself by asking Barrett, the devoutly Catholic mother of seven children, whether she had ever committed a sexual assault. Barrett kept a straight face as she replied with a definitive No, Senator! Perhaps Hirono thought she was back at last years contentious confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which turned out to be an extremely ugly exercise in character assassination.

In those hearings Democratic senators went through Kavanaughs high school yearbook to determine if he ever did or said anything that was politically incorrect. I quickly pulled out my West Seattle High School yearbook, the Kimtah, to see whether anyone had written anything offensive by todays very sensitive standards. I didnt find anything too offensive but of course Kimtah is a Native American word because we were the proud West Seattle Indians. I dont apologize.

Back to Barretts Senate hearings. Whitehouse spoke for 30 minutes without asking a single question of the nominee. Instead, he digressed into what the Wall Street Journal called Glenn Beck territory. Whitehouse devoted his time to a Glenn Beck-style tutorial on the vast right-wing conspiracy (remember that one?) that is supposedly buying the federal courts, the Journal opined. Some of you may know that Beck was too conspiratorial and weird for Fox News.

Mr. Whitehouse had the bad luck to be followed by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who related Mr. Whitehouses ties to such Democratic dark money as Demand Justice and Arabella Advisors, the Journal continued, recalling that Whitehouse had attempted to find the hidden messages in Justice Kavanaughs high school yearbook.

While senators Hirono and Whitehouse were embarrassing themselves and their constituents, Barrett passed the challenging confirmation hearings test by answering senators questions with serene dignity to the best of her ability. To the best of her ability because the conservative judge invoked the Ginsburg Rule named after her liberal predecessor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg which advises judicial nominees to avoid giving their personal views on issues that may come before the court. No hints, no forecasts, no previews, the late Ginsburg told senators during her 1993 confirmation hearings.

So while Democratic senators repeatedly pressed Barrett for her personal views on hot button issues like abortion (Roe v. Wade), Obamacare and presidential elections, she politely declined to answer by invoking the Ginsburg Rule. California senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris the Democrats vice presidential nominee who had earlier criticized Barretts Catholicism, tiptoed around that issue in their questioning of the judge.

The dogma lives loudly within you, Feinstein had said when Barrett was confirmed to the Federal Court of Appeals in 2017. How sad if modern liberalism cannot abide the hopeful center of Amy Coney Barretts life, Wall Street Journal Deputy Editorial Page Editor Daniel Henninger commented last week. The truth is that liberals cant abide a judge who interprets the Constitution as written.

Guy W. Farmer is the Appeals senior political columnist.

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Guy Farmer: Dumb and dumber in the U.S. Senate - Nevada Appeal

To call the cancellation of DC Comics John Constantine: Hellblazerunfortunate is underselling it. Writer Simon Spurrier, along with brilliant artists like Matias Bergara and Aaron Campbell, have created a truly beautiful series. As a creative team, they allow events to unravel in each arc so gradually that every narrative beat feels inevitable. But with Hellblazers cancellation, this creative team has the task of tying everything up in the space of a couple of issues. DC Comics John Constantine: Hellblazer #11sees writer Simon Spurrier, artist Aaron Campbell, colorist Jordie Bellaire, and letterer Aditya Bidikar hurriedly getting through what feels like five issues worth of material. They continue to do incredible work, though one wonders about the scope of what they had planned.

Spurriers script is pretty tightly packed in this issue. Clem Thurso, the British M.P. that this issue centers around, explains to Constantine how they are connected. Spurrier uses Constantines voicemail to get through all of this exposition. So much of what Spurrier does here shouldnt work. But the substance of what Spurrier has to say is always so mesmerizing. Brilliantly, Spurrier uses real-life horror to scare us. Its not the demons or underground cults that should scare us; its the growing collective hatred for others. Spurrier has his finger on the pulse of Britain, which works in Hellblazeras a microcosm of the world at large. Putting us in the shoes of Clem Thurso for an issue and watching his rise to power as he feeds off of hate and fear, we see the real horror thats going on, both on and off the page.

Campbell makes this issue outright terrifying. For one, we see Clem Thurso on the phone to Constantine at the beginning. With his face folded back a little, we can tell hes not fully human. But the fear in his eyes is. Then, as we see Thursos rise to power, Campbell depicts him as laid back and comfortable in the midst of all of the evil hes causing. Evil is Thursos comfort place. So seeing the fear in his eyes, Campbell has us question, What could scare a demon? Every chance Campbell gets, he keeps the horror off the page. We dont see whats scaring all the other characters. Its Thursos eyes like pinpricks as he runs in the opposite direction that Campbell wants us to see, or Constantine trying not to hurl. When Campbell finally does lift the curtain, the horror and disgust do not disappoint.

Bellaire uses reds, yellows, and greens to depict the various forms of evil throughout this issue. When we see Thursos rise to power, Bellaire depicts these scenes in an untainted red. It has the look of pure evil, but an evil we can understand. In the modern-day, we see Constantine investigating what got Thurso so upset. The greens with which Bellaire colors these scenes look sickly like something is rotting beneath the surface. And as we cycle back and forth between these scenes, we begin to see Thursos scenes get infected. Its no longer the pure red we saw at the beginning. These scenes begin to turn a little orange as Thursos own experiences with this new evil begin to spread the yellowing rot. Thursos influence is becoming something else. Its evolving into a different kind of evil. One even he doesnt fully understand. In the final moments, Bellaire allows green to become overpowering. You can almost smell death in the air.

Bidikar nails the voice of Thurso. Plenty of letterers use bolding a lot in their work, but Bidikar uses it with incredible effect. Every word Bidikar bolds is a word that Thurso is savoring. But OHHH! If we dare to say so? Thurso says to a crowd. The OHHH takes up several lines of his dialogue and looks uneven. It has a flourish to it, just like Thursos speech. He revels in the hate. Were persecutedfor beingpolitically incorrect. Bidikar shows how Thurso harps on every word that he knows will get a rise out of people. He has his buzzwords to keep the sheep in line. But Bidikar also shows how sadistic Thurso is on his own time. I simplyhadto have his face, Thurso says. He peeledwith the verygreatestof ease. You can almost hear Thurso licking his lips, relishing every sick moment.

DC Comics John Constantine: Hellblazer #11 is another incredible issue. There are signs of this creative team rushing, but far less than one would expect. This series is huge and bold. It deserves 30 more issues, and this creative team does a spectacular job tying these threads together. With one issue to go, they gear up for a heartbreaking finale. Pick up John Constantine: Hellblazer #11, out from DC Comics October 27th, at a comic book shop near you!

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Role Callis a series in whichVulturetalks to actors about performances they've probably forgotten by now, but we definitely haven't.

The actress on nailing her spooky look, getting drunk on tequila with her co-stars, and filming the movies climactic sance scene. Photo-Illustration: Vulture and Warner Bros.

When Practical Magic was released in 1998, it opened at No. 1 at the box office. As a lifelong fan of the movie, which I had always remembered as more of a VHS slumber-party favorite than a major blockbuster, I was stunned by this information. But, of course, fans were into director Griffin Dunnes supernatural romantic-comedy-drama from the jump, even though critics had little clue what to make of its hodgepodge of genres all stuffed inside a story that centers the relationships of women and treats men mostly as plot devices who have to, for the most part, die. (A particularly cringeworthy Entertainment Weekly review lamented, The witch sisters get empowered, all right into wild and crazy girls.)

Heres the gist: Many moons ago, the first Owens woman, Maria, was outed as a witch and sent to live in exile on an idyllic-looking island. She was pregnant (!), but the babys father never showed up to rescue them; offended deeply by this ghosting, Maria cast a spell dooming any man who would ever love an Owens woman. Generations later, young sisters Gillian and Sally Owens (childhood Sally is played by baby Camilla Belle) lose their father (see above curse), so Sally decides to cast her own spell (those who do not learn from history, etc.), conjuring a man who doesnt exist with whom she can fall in love. Their mother eventually dies of a broken heart sure! so they live with their aunts, practicing witches Jet (Dianne Wiest) and Frances (Stockard Channing). Everyone in town thinks the aunts are weird as hell, but who cares? Jet and Frances live in a fantastic house with a massive garden, eat ice cream for breakfast, and are as committed to dramatic eyeliner as Jennifer Lopez is to a nude lip.

The sisters grow up to be Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, with absolutely perfect hair, and while Nicole/Gillian leaves the island to date around and be free, Sandra/Sally stays and marries a man, with a magical nudge from the aunts, who dies (again, curse). So she and her two daughters (one of whom is baby Evan Rachel Wood) move back in with the aunts. (This is not super-relevant, but you should know that Margo Martindale plays one of their neighbor-frenemies.) Meanwhile, Gillian gets into a tight spot when her boyfriend, Jimmy (Goran Visnjic), reveals himself to be abusive; Sally comes to save the day, but in the process oops! they kill Jimmy. At the aunts place, they try to use magic to bring him back to life, but when he obliges, he is somehow even worse than before. In the midst of all this, cute state investigator Gary (Aidan Quinn) shows up and, unfortunately for Sally, seems to fit the bill of that impossible man she conjured as a kid, which means she is doomed to fall in love with him and therefore he will die.

All this is to say that Practical Magic is a chaotic, completely deranged movie about six different things at once: a coming-of-age tale of tragically orphaned sisters who react in divergent ways to the trauma of their youth; a spooOOooOky flick about generations of witches whose love is literally fatal to any man; a rom-com about a woman who commits manslaughter, then murder (of the same guy! He comes back from the dead, its a whole thing) and then falls in love with the man sent to investigate the homicide(s); a serious drama about abusive men and the violence they inflict on the women they claim to adore; a saga of outsiders cast aside by a small-minded community for being different; and a treatise on destiny.

When I called up Stockard Channing just before the 22nd anniversary of the movies premiere, she confessed that she hadnt seen it in about as many years she doesnt like to watch her own work. But she patiently indulged all my questions about nailing the just-right witchy aesthetic, drinking tequila with her co-stars, and why Practical Magic persists as a seasonal classic.

Where am I finding you? Where are you riding out the pandemic?Im living in London. Its great. Ive been here since December.

Did you move because of the pandemic? This is not a bad time to be not living in the U.S.I wont say anything about that, but I basically live here now.

Okay, so lets talk about Practical Magic.I hear that this is one that people really love. Its a favorite for a lot of people.

Yes, my sister and I watched it together growing up. We revisited this VHS tape more than once. Over the years, its interesting, I hear that a lot. Especially from women, which, I dont really know why that is, but its great. It was a very happy time.

What was going on in your life and career when this movie came about?It was a very good time in my life. I was in Los Angeles, and actually Griffin [Dunne] was an acquaintance of mine and, to be perfectly honest, I had a party with a lot of mutual friends and something about that movie came up. The next evening, he rang, and I said, I want to do it. And it happened.

Had you read a script? Or was it just this party conversation where you were like, Sure, sounds great!?It was a lot of conversation. Id seen a script. It did happen extremely quickly, for whatever reason. I think what I remember most about preparing for it was the look of these witches.

What went into that?I can only speak for myself Dianne had her own situation but I remember a lot of conversation about how this character should look. The wonderful Judianna Makovsky did the clothes. Shed done Six Degrees of Separation, and shes just miraculous. Youre playing somebody who is hundreds of years old. I remember a makeup and hair test that didnt work out because I wasnt wearing much makeup. But it was a strange thing you dont want her to look old and haggard, because thats not who the character is. The makeup artist whod worked with me and Dianne before we had a very candid conversation, and we came up with the idea together: ballet makeup. This enormous amount of black lipstick, this, that, and the other. I remember the wig was curly and long and everything, and we just went way out on a limb with the crazy fabrics and clothing. It was kind of marvelous because it lifted [the character] out of time, if that makes sense. She wasnt young or old. She wasnt unattractive she was quite attractive at times. But the more eccentric it was, the more it worked.

Were you consciously trying to reference any witches from pop culture?No, not at all! That was one of the interesting things about it. I think also because, with my background in theater, Ive done my makeup over the years, and Ive done strange ones. So I was very aware of how artificial we looked, but the DP [Andrew Dunn] was wonderful and everything was very soft and beautiful. So I hope it isnt wrong to say this it didnt look as much like a drag queen as it did probably in life! Or maybe it did? But he worked so well with the eccentricity of the looks, so it became otherworldly. Did it remind you of anyone?

It felt a little Stevie Nicksy to me. That very female, feminine thing all those fabrics and floating things that was especially Judianna Makovsky. Lots of beads and jewelry. Not as mobile as Stevie Nicks, probably. But that same sense of timelessness.

Do you remember having to calibrate how witchy to make things, seeing as the movie needed to stay grounded in reality? It wasnt a full-on thriller.It was really about the relationships of all these women the aunts and the nieces and all that. That was Griffins focus. We werent playing witches; it was more like we were playing the relationships.

What was it like meeting the rest of the cast? Had you worked with any of them before?It was a very, very congenial situation, playful. Both Nic and Sandy were enormously warm. Sandy is very, very funny and smart, and Nic was just lovely. It was a very, very congenial time, and all that coven-y thing of running around. But its hard work! That scene where Nic was on the floor writhing around, it went on for days. And she was incredible about it.

Where were you shooting? Were you in a real house? It was out in Friday Harbor, off Seattle. Those were the exteriors. It was this gorgeous house. And the rest was pretty much on a soundstage and then there were locations for the stuff Dianne and I werent in.

Ive read that for the midnight margaritas scene, you were all actually drunk. Please tell me everything about that.I dont know how drunk we were, but we decided to spiff it up with a drink. I think one of the hardest things to do is a fun, raucous party scene. By take 28, it is very hard to keep that up. I think it worked.

I also read that it was Nicole Kidman who provided the tequila.I dont remember. I dont think any of us had any objections, Ill put it that way.

Was there anything in particular that was challenging to shoot?Once we had the look down, in terms of my situation, I was very relieved and could just go with it. It was otherwise just the usual challenges of getting a scene right, choreographing it and so on. Probably the one I mentioned earlier, where [Nicole] is sort of taken over and possessed, because theres a lot of people in the room and it had to go all the way around. She was incredible. She just went for it every time, even when she wasnt on camera.

I [also] remember the green-screen flying around wearing a harness. Its very uncomfortable. The people who do those movies all the time have my admiration.

What do you remember about working with the child actors? To me, its one of the weirder things about being an actor, that your co-worker could be like, an 11-year-old. Yes! The actress who just did Kajillionaire

Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Kylie, one of Sandras characters daughters.She was just a little girl. She was lovely. They were really beautiful children in every way. They both turned out very well. I wasnt a child actor, and I wonder how it comes around to happen like that.

Did anything about the movie feel special or different to you while you were working on it?I will tell you one thing: When it came to releasing the film abroad, there was this clause in the contract saying that if [an actor can] speak a certain language, you can dub [the movie]. So I immediately, being ridiculous, said, I can speak French. Mainly because I felt like going to Paris. One of the stupidest things Ive ever done in my entire life. I was with this woman of a certain age who was very strict, and the minute I opened my mouth, I knew I was in trouble. Because they do it in French script across the bottom of the screen, and I had to narrate the beginning. I really did want to shoot myself. I felt so stupid. And also she didnt speak a whole lot of English, so the two of us, plus the technicians it was a couple of very long days, and I learned my lesson. At the end, she said that I basically had a Bulgarian accent. Somewhere in the world or not! there is a copy of me dubbed in French in Practical Magic. Im sure the minute I left, they hired someone else to do it right. But I made a real horses ass of myself, I will tell you that.

Did you have a sense of the movies reception when it came out? Do you read reviews as a general rule? No, I dont. I try to avoid watching myself as well, which is a little tricky because I had to do the narration.

I think it was difficult to market, honestly, because its not a totally spooky-horror-magic film. It has this domestic-violence and abuse plot in the middle and then its also this sister-family-bonding story and a love story. The tone is a little all over the place.Its very unusual. My recollection, which may or may not be accurate, is that it had a greater life after it first opened. I couldnt tell you if it made money; I wouldnt be aware of that at all. But I am aware that, over the years, a lot of people like yourself have been crazy about it. So its lived on, which is interesting. And I dont know why that would be. It certainly is a very unusual film. I think maybe they use the word chick flick, which would hopefully be politically incorrect these days. But whatever it was what do you think?

I think it was rare then, and is still rare now, for a movie to have as its central relationships the connections between women between sisters, aunts, and nieces and for their entanglements with men to be happening on the side. The men in this movie are more like plot devices. Everything really hinges on the way these women relate to one another, which is true in life all the time but isnt depicted all that often onscreen.Yeah, that hasnt changed very much either. I would totally agree with you. And God love the VHS and all the technology. People stayed home and watched it. If you looked at the movie Grease, if it wasnt for the technology of VHS and DVDs thats responsible for a lot [of the success]. And I think the fact that people can pick and choose what they want to see, and its in the privacy of their own home, their friends homes, thats the phenomenon that came on only when this duplication was possible. Otherwise, youd have to go to the movies.

And people can access it now even more so, to the point that theyll see it and resee it. Thats what Ive heard when people have mentioned it to me over the years. I think its uniqueness, probably. And its very beautiful to look at. Its well made, and the performances are wonderful. No slouches here.

When was the last time you saw the movie? Maybe at the premiere. But I wont see anything Im in. I try to avoid myself! Probably it would come up people stop you in the street and say they love the movie. But to be honest, because it wasnt as high profile in its initial release as many other things Ive done, I was struck over the years by how many people would mention it to me.

Of all your work, is this something you hear about a lot?Its up there being mentioned. Mainly by women, definitely.

Do you believe in any of the magic in the movie? Like do I believe in real magic? And witches?

Well, even just normal-life magic jinxes, coincidences, destiny. I do think that coincidence is fascinating, and that is the magic of life. Otherwise, we could all plot and plan and there wouldnt be any surprises. I think de facto we have to believe in it. Thats the stuff we cant control even if we would like to. Thats what makes things magical. Whether you like it or not, its there.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Stockard Channing Answers Every Question We Have About Practical Magic - Vulture