John Taraborelli

John Taraborelli is the author of 30 Minute Meals with Rachel Ray and several of the Federalist Papers. Some of his lesser known work appears in Providence Monthly. His best-selling novel has yet to be published, written, or even imagined, but still manages to be cheaply derivative of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Vote for Dan

Man-about-town Dan White is one of the five finalists for the job of hosting Fox Providence’s new morning show, “The Rhode Show.” Right now he’s in second place, just behind a guy from New Hampshire. New Hampshire? Come on, we can’t allow a native to get beat by somebody from the Granite State. Also, you …

Vote for Dan Read More »

News You Can Use*…

(…*To Inspire You To Hide Under Your Bed Until Jan. 21, 2009)  This must-read report just in from the New Yorker‘s “This Would Be Funny If It Wasn’t So Fucking Scary” Department: “Preparing the Battlefield: The Bush administration steps up its secret moves against Iran” by the ever-vigilant Seymour Hersh.  Hersch writes: Late last year, …

News You Can Use*… Read More »

Best. Headline. Ever

I can’t believe I missed this in the New York Times yesterday:  “Possible Nazi Theme of Grand Prix Boss’s Orgy Draws Calls to Quit”  In a sublimely perverse, supremely hilarious article that at first glance seems like something ripped straight from the Onion, the Times reports on Max Mosley, president of a formula one governing body, …

Best. Headline. Ever Read More »

YPR’s Greatest Hits

So apparently I made the cut for Yankee Pot Roast’s Half-Decade retrospective. The weird thing is, they didn’t bother to tell me; I just stumbled upon it while browsing their site. They also apparently never received the writer bio I sent them, judging by the snarky one they created for me. Nonetheless, I’m awesome.

The Malcontent: Rebranding Reality TV

I am alternately horrified and enthralled by the impending downfall of Western Civilization, a process I occasionally like to prod along in some small, but I hope, ultimately meaningful, way. In various print columns I have both decried the commercialization of Christmas, and urged the indiscriminate bombing of one or more Balkan nations by our …

The Malcontent: Rebranding Reality TV Read More »

A Shining Moment

Obama’s speech yesterday addressing race and the manufactured Jeremiah Wright controversy was brilliant and moving. Whether you agree with that assessment or see him as a crafty politician giving another pretty speech, it is notable for the fact that he actually dared to speak to the voters about a difficult issue as if they were …

A Shining Moment Read More »

The Malcontent: The Audacity of Hope and the Persistence of Fear

Last night’s dramatic hat trick by Hillary Clinton does not bode well for Obama, or for America at large. Oh sure, if the democratic process is allowed to work its magic without interference from the Clinton political machine, Obama should still secure the nomination. Super Tuesday, the Sequel did not damage Obama’s chance at victory …

The Malcontent: The Audacity of Hope and the Persistence of Fear Read More »

Revolution or Scare Tactics?

On my way to work this morning I noticed many campaign banners hanging on highway overpasses, but none was more striking than the one proudly displayed over 95S in the the North End of Providence. “Vote Black Power–It’s Time,” read the message on what, ironically, appeared to be a white sheet. At first I thought, …

Revolution or Scare Tactics? Read More »

Providence: Not as Miserable as Detroit, but Way More Miserable Than Say, Little Rock

According to Providence Business News, Forbes magazine has ranked our quaint little burg the tenth most miserable city in America. Based on a number of factors, including weather, tax rates, crime and unemployment, they ranked the 150 largest metropolises in the country. Detroit, of course, emerged triumphant, with some truly great cities also cracking the …

Providence: Not as Miserable as Detroit, but Way More Miserable Than Say, Little Rock Read More »

The Malcontent: Peter Keough – Abortions for Everyone

For some time now, a friend and I have noted and discussed the bizarre gender hang-ups and skewed sense of misogyny in Phoenix movie critic Peter Keough’s reviews. This past week, he truly outdid himself in his Oscar predictions roundup, decrying rampant misogyny throughout the list of potential Best Actress nominees, and finding nary a …

The Malcontent: Peter Keough – Abortions for Everyone Read More »

Providence Daily Dose