BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY JULY 6, 2017) — First, THE PLANET appreciates all who took on that most difficult question: Is there still such a thing as “the American Dream.” For the most part, commentators stayed on topic with insight and sense. FOURTH TRASH — The Fourth came and […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FOURTH OF JULY EDITION, 2017) — In honor of the founding of America, THE PLANET wishes everyone a safe, fun, and suitably respectful holiday. We won’t go into any long speeches. You keep the day in your way, we in ours. THE PLANET does, though, revisit […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION, JUNE 30-JULY 2, 2017) — Alas, the Fourth approaches, and the Pittsfield Parade Committee will blow another $80,000-plus pouring what has become eight ounces of weak tea in a 16-ounce muscle cup. Even parade boss (and council president) Peter Marchetti privately admits the faux-extravaganza […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, JUNE 28, 2017) — Something there is that doesn’t love a pipeline. In Berkshire County, that something gets personified in a rag-tag collection of well-meaning but naive environmentalists known as the Sugar Shack Alliance. The “well-meaning” sobriquet indicates an effort that achieves the opposite of […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, Monday June 26, 2017) — Let’s be clear. THE PLANET wants everyone to be themselves. It may be fantasy, fiction or fact, but whether you “self identify” as straight, gay, lesbian, transgendered, queer, questioning, percolating, or “none of the above,” you have the right to […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND, JUNE 23-25, 2017) — Cultural fashion, Linguistics Branch, has a way of nudging the English language in odd ways. For instance, social progress (albeit progress of a certain sort) rendered the word “gay” (“don we now our gay apparel”) meaningless except for the […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JUNE 21, 2017) — Welcome to the longest day of the year. After today, we thankfully begin going the other way, and you know what that means. Love it. THE PLANET gathers information from far and wide, near and narrow. We recently got word […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 19, 2017) — Cinebon to the new week, for which we give thanks and blessings. We also pass condolences to the family of the north county State Rep. Gail Cariddi, who died over the weekend. THEY SHOOT TAXPAYERS, DON’T THEY? — Now that […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JUNE 14, 2017) — Thanks to all those who are back on THE PLANET and those who sent in compliments on PLANET VALENTI TELEVISION‘s latest show. FLAG DAY — You probably didn’t know it. Maybe you did. It’s a day receded into “fade […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY PROGRAM NOTE: Be sure to catch PLANET VALENTI TELEVISION tonight at 6:30 p.m. on Spectrum TV local access, channel 16. Supercitizen Terry Kinnas joins us as we continue our autopsy on the cadaverous official Pittsfield. … with love, of course. The show re-airs same channel Monday at […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 12, 2017) — You here a lot these days about “affordable housing,” especially in a Walmart city such as Pittsfield, where decent, taxpaying middle-classers are on the run and the “gimme gangs” have taken root. In the abstract, affordable housing for all […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY JUNE 8, 2017) — Pleased to say that things broke well Wednesday playoff-wise as the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland LeBons once more, and the Syracuse Crunch (Triple A Tampa Bay Lightning affiliate) slammed the Grand Rapids Griffins (Toronto Maple Leafs) 5-3 in […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY JUNE 6, 2017) — A tip of THE PLANET‘s lid to all those incredibly brave men who clamored out of Higgins boats to hit the beaches of Normandy 73 years ago. Lest we forget. ——– 000 ——– TOP TEN — The Boring Broadsheet […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JUNE 5, 2017) — During the time that we took THE PLANET down for recalibration, we wrote and finished two full-length plays, saw a new book to publication (Chasing Willie Mays), and began work on another. It’s been a productive period. We make […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, SATURDAY JUNE 3, 2017) — Like a thief in the night, THE PLANET has returned. As J said, if the master of the house knew when the thief was coming, he would have prepared. You didn’t know, we realize, unless you, as the faithful […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY MARCH 22, 2017) — THE PLANET‘s commercial plug yesterday for the evening’s showing of PLANET VALENTI TELEVISION should win an Emmy. It was so good that the explosive episode of which we boasted was not, for reasons unknown, broadcast. Did Someone place a call to […]
