A New Chapter for West Side Story!

Head’s up, collectors: The 50th Anniversary Edition of West Side Story on Blu-ray drops November 15. The score! The dancing! The costumes! It's Jets and Sharks, people, and this musical lover can’t wait.

No matter what team you’re on (Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em), no one can argue that West Side Story is quintessential in its importance to popular history and—no offense to The Sound of Music—the gold standard of all movie musicals, netting 10 Oscars, including one for Best Picture in 1962 that forever cemented its standing as iconic Americana. This version promises to bring pop culturists and film lovers to their feet with plenty of tech upgrades (think 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio—whatever that means—and hours of restoration), a tribute CD, 10 collectible postcards, and a hardcover tome. All together these James Bond bells and whistles make this four-discer must-have merch.

Even better, Blu-ray will breathe new life to West Side Story’s award-winning score (a stunner from Leonard Bernstein) and performances (a scorcher by Rita Moreno)—not like it needed it, but still.

Check out the original West Side Story theatrical trailer! 

The Whole Tory: Designer Gives “Thanks to the Memories”

 I just finished reading the September issue of O Magazine and must trumpet its brief Q&A with designer Tory Burch.

The stylemaker offers an intriguing list of “bests,” but it is her response to “Best Gift to Myself”—an ongoing letter to her children that she has been writing since their birth—that struck me as an especially good example of personal history. Burch’s lengthy dispatch to her twin boys already has filled the pages of two journals with keepsake recollections and memories. I can think of no more literal interpretation of “the gift that keeps on giving” than honoring and passing down one's history to those who means the most.

Read O’s entire Q&A with Tory Burch and let me know what family heirloom best reflects your history.

Spielberg’s “WAR HORSE” Gallops Into Theatres

After seeing the new trailer for Steven Spielberg’s WWI opus “War Horse,” I honestly cannot understand the ongoing beef that so many “film enthusiasts” seem to have with the master lensman. Certainly it’s not for a lack of chops—the man can make a movie. So what if his films make millions, appeal to the masses, and win Oscars—get over it, hipsters.

The latest in Spielberg’s oeuvre, “War Horse” is based on a young adult novel that tells the story of Joey, a horse sold to the army for duty on the Western Front. There he witnesses the horrors of trench warfare, brings comfort to the men who fight it, and longs to be reunited with a farmer’s son, the crestfallen Albert. I love that “War Horse” tackles familiar historical territory from the POV of a homesick colt while recognizing the role that horses played in brutal battles for centuries.

With chest-tightening military sequences and an alienated young boy at its center, “War Horse” has the makings of Spielberg gold—namely, Hollywood’s most coveted gilded statue.

Check out the War Horse trailer – complete with another three-hanky score from John Williams.