I Say Tomato
You say Friday Link Roundup. What to read, watch, and listen to this weekend...
I tend to read, watch, and listen to a lot of Oldster-adjacent content. Every other Friday I’ll pass some of it along to you in a Link Roundup like this one. If you like what you’re reading here, please hit the ❤️ button to give Oldster a boost in the algorithm.
While I have you…The advertiser- and venture-capital-funded approaches to media have failed and contributed to the demise of most legacy publications and outlets. They got all of us accustomed to never paying for content we consume, while deep-pocketed corporations and investors bought the power to determine what was presented to us. It turned out that wasn’t sustainable. Fortunately, the reader-supported approach is working. Support with your dollars the publications you’d like to see survive.
Your paid subscriptions help me keep publishing Oldster Magazine, and paying contributors. Your support is greatly appreciated! - Sari Botton
Liza Minnelli Talks Her Life in Parties & Why She’ll Never Stop Dancing - at W Magazine, Jensen Davis writes about the 79-year-old icon (and one of my idols).
As a fan of Leslie Nielsen’s delightfully silly slapstick movies, I’m looking forward watching the remake of The Naked Gun.
How Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson Slowly Fell for Each Other: He Was ‘Smitten’ From the Start - Alyssa Bailey in Elle. I’ll confess I became even more interested in The Naked Gun after I learned co-stars Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson are now dating. I totally “ship” this pairing, as the kids say.
Amy Sherald’s “Trans Forming Liberty”: The art and politics of representation - in The New Yorker, Françoise Mouly writes about the artist’s show, “American Sublime,” now on view at The Whitney, and Sherald’s decision to withdraw the show from The Smithsonian after being asked to remove her portrait of a Black trans woman.
Dr. Kitty Oliver's personal account of The Beatles' Gator Bowl appearance in 1964, where they refused to play to a segregated audience. - Beatles Story.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Saying Yes to Community and Why "No" is Her Favorite Word- the 64-year-old actress and Wiser Than Me podcast host joins Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson on their IMO podcast.
My Mother, the Artist, Discovered at 90 - Alissa Quart in The New York Times/Opinion.
Confessions of a Birthdayzilla - Ali Liebegott in Dad Bod. Happy birthday, Ali! 🎂
Musical Satirist Tom Lehrer Dead at 97 - RIP. Bethy Squires in Vulture/NYMag.
After 50 Years of Writing, Jamaica Kincaid Insists She’s Still an Amateur - In The New York Times Magazine, Niela Orr sits down with the 76-year-old author, on the occasion of her new essay collection, Putting Myself Together, Writing 1974-.
Ultimate Influencer Martha Stewart, 84, Announces Skincare Brand After Low-Key Testing the Products for 5 Years - Starr Bowenbank in People.
No One Parties Like Jacques Pépin, Even at 90 - for The New York Times/Dining, Melena Ryzik attends the trendsetting French chef’s birthday party.
“Old people are capable of more”: meet the female weightlifters in their 70s and 80s - Madeleine Aggeler in The Guardian’s excellent “Well, Actually” section.
The Seven Habits That Lead to Happiness in Old Age - Arthur C. Brooks in The Atlantic.
Forty bits of advice from Julia Turshen, who just turned 40, in Keep Calm & Cook On.
“Turning 54 is deeply inconceivable to me since I still feel fifteen.” - at Dad Bod, Ali Liebegott writes “Confessions of a Birthdayzilla.” Happy birthday, Ali! 🎂
“On turning 40 but still being 12 inside.” - Tracy Clark-Flory in Dire Straights.
Read the first chapter of Elizabeth Gilbert’s new memoir, All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation, out in September.
“After complaining about the Grateful Dead for decades, outing myself as a midlife Deadhead wasn’t easy.” - Jeff Gordinier in The Globe & Mail.
This ⬆️ brought to mind this 2022 Oldster essay by Aaron Gilbreath:
I’ve contributed to this fundraiser for Standing Together. (Thank you Jane Fleishman PhD.)
The headline on this post is a reference to “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” by George and Ira Gershwin. Here’s my favorite version, featuring Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Amrstrong.
Did you watch my interview this week with the incredible Ava DuVernay/read her Oldster Questionnaire?

How about you? Got any recs? Books? Shows? Movies? Music? Plays? Podcasts? Art shows? Places to travel to? Restaurants? What’s good?
That’s a lot of Oldster-adjacent content! If you like what you’re reading here, please hit the ❤️ button to give Oldster a boost in the algorithm.
Thanks as always for reading, for commenting thoughtfully, and for all your support! I absolutely couldn’t do this without you. 🙏 💝
-Sari












Doesn't everyone love Liza? My favorite is Arthur. I start laughing whenever I imagine her character
Whew! Appreciate that. ; ) Also I appreciate your feedback the other day how my writing wanders. That's what I do! I am collecting my writing into another manuscript and wondering if wandering(s) could somehow be its focus/strength. Thank you for the idea!