Tara Lynn Johnson

Contributor

BSR Contributor Since December 17, 2013

Tara Lynn Johnson writes essays and commentary. She loves the arts and storytelling. Learn her story at www.taralynnjohnson.com.

Tara Lynn Johnson writes essays and commentary. She loves the arts and storytelling. When not writing or taking photos, she's watching Jeopardy!, doing crossword puzzles, baking, spending time at the beach, seeing plays and musicals, reading, sipping iced or hot tea, engaging in deep conversation, and taking classes for fun. Visit her at www.taralynnjohnson.com or on Twitter @taralynnjohnson.

By this Author

68 results
Page 1
Yoda-speak and Batman whispers: Vaughn and Farrell. (© 2015 HBO)

Second season of 'True Detective' (second review)

Fortune cookie dialogue and a plot out of 1985
Season one of True Detective was flawed but extremely enjoyable. I watched season two hoping week by week that it would get better. It didn’t.

Tara Lynn Johnson

Articles 3 minute read
Aniston puts a "brave" face on her performance in "Cake."

Jennifer Aniston in 'Cake'

Not just a pretty face
When Cake came out, people lauded star Jennifer Aniston — for not wearing makeup. That’s a daring choice? Would the same amazement and attention have been given to a man who made the same decision? And would I even have noticed she wasn’t wearing any if I hadn’t been told?

Tara Lynn Johnson

Articles 2 minute read
Library books or placemats? The distinction is getting unclear. (photo by Abhi Sharma via Creative Commons/Flickr)

Abusing library books

Do I need a Hazmat suit to read library books?
Did courtesy go out of style and no one told me? I don’t expect everyone to treat books as holy, but taking a little care would be nice.

Tara Lynn Johnson

Essays 2 minute read
Peck watching dancers rehearse. (© 2014 - Magnolia Pictures)

'Ballet 422' by Jody Lee Lipes

A dance documentary that takes the cake
Ballet 422 is a tease, offering insight into the how, but not the what, of a new ballet.

Tara Lynn Johnson

Articles 2 minute read
Take a number. (Photo of the San Francisco DMV by Omar Bárcena via Creative Commons/Flickr)

Life lessons at the DMV
A trip to the DMV reminds me of five important life lessons. Who’d have thought the experience would be about more than torture, annoyance, and a bad photo?

Tara Lynn Johnson

Essays 3 minute read
Leonard Nimoy demonstrating the Vulcan salute at a 2011 Comicon. (Photo by Gage Skidmore via Creative Commons/Wikimedia)

Leonard Nimoy: An appreciation
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know Spock. And with his legacy of films and TV, Spock and Nimoy will live on, into the 23rd century and beyond.

Tara Lynn Johnson

Articles 3 minute read
Whee! Wait — what? (photo of Malaysian schoolgirls by Cavernosa via Creative Commons/Wikimedia)

An alma mater's fundraising appeal

A walk down memory lane — too bad it wasn’t mine
My high school begs for money; this year, they decided to remind me (as if I needed reminding) of why I’m glad high school is over.

Tara Lynn Johnson

Essays 3 minute read
Hermey and Rudolph: a couple of misfits. (both photos by CBS Entertainment - © 1997 CBS INC)

'Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer'

Rudolph and I are misfits
Rudolph is a timeless classic for a reason. For 50 years, his nose has lit up, signaling that he’s a misfit. I was, too, and he made that O.K.

Tara Lynn Johnson

Articles 3 minute read
Happy holidays! (“Sneaky Turkey” via AndyMcNally.com)

It's not too early for Christmas

Holiday kerfuffles
I’m singing Christmas carols already, and it’s more than a week before Thanksgiving. You may not think the holiday season has started yet, though. And that’s your choice.

Tara Lynn Johnson

Essays 3 minute read
Hello!

'Book of Mormon' at the Forrest (fourth review)

The power of theater compels you . . .
F-bombs and crude jokes and satire, oh my! The Book of Mormon made my mother laugh and want to see other shows she normally wouldn’t. Theater is powerful stuff.

Tara Lynn Johnson

Articles 3 minute read
One of Mantua's murals. (All photos on this page by Ian Freimuth, via Creative Commons/Flickr)

Drexel study of Mantua and Powelton

“A Fragile Ecosystem”
Can the arts do for Mantua and Powelton what they've done in Fishtown and other Philadelphia neighborhoods?

Tara Lynn Johnson

Articles 6 minute read
The president (right) and athletic director (left) of the University of Central Arkansas take part in the ALS ice bucket challenge. (Photo via Creative Commons/Flickr)

Throwing cold water on the ice bucket challenge
Why does it take stupid stunts to get Americans to care about certain issues?

Tara Lynn Johnson

Essays 3 minute read
Robin Williams and his rainbow suspenders in “Mork & Mindy” (Photo by David Sutton - © 1978 David Sutton - Image courtesy mptvimages.com)

Remembering Robin Williams (five)

Robin Williams and my rainbow connection
If you’re moved by Robin Williams’s life, work, or death, find a way to honor that.

Tara Lynn Johnson

Essays 3 minute read

The gift shop at the 9/11 Museum
It has been said that America is exceptional. It is: It's exceptionally disrespectful. The 9/11 Memorial Museum, including its store, should never have been built.

Tara Lynn Johnson

Articles 3 minute read
Shaddup, already. (Marsh wren: photo via www.naturespicsonline.com)

Spring cacophony
The sounds of spring make me miss the sounds of silence.

Tara Lynn Johnson

Essays 2 minute read