Did you know “The Last of the Red Hot Mamas” was Jewish?

Sophie Tucker (1887-1966) was regarded as a pioneer among female entertainers, performing material that was risqué for her time. Yet she was the product of a particularly strict Jewish upbringing. “She grew up in an Orthodox family,” said Emily Schuss, director of the Columbus Jewish Film Festival. “But obviously she then kind of went off that path a little bit to become an entertainer.”

Tucker’s life and career are celebrated in The Outrageous Sophie Tucker, a documentary featured in the 10th of the series’ less-serious offerings, Schuss said, but certainly not the only one.

For example, there’s It Happened in St. Tropez, which Schuss described as a “really light French comedy.” These and other films should appeal to viewers of all backgrounds, she said. “The films are really diverse this year,” Schuss said. “You know, a lot of people think, ‘Oh, they’re just going to show a bunch of Holocaust movies,’ but we really don’t.”

Between the growing acceptance of geek culture and an emphasis on a player-friendly style, the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons brought in a lot of new players with its 4th Edition books and carved out an even bigger niche for itself in the pop culture consciousness. Now, after a couple years of playtesting at conventions and going online for feedback, Wizards of the Coast has released a 5th Edition of the classic game.

The 4th Edition, while very newbie-friendly, was also controversial among older players who complained that it changed too much. A newer game called Pathfinder, heavily inspired by earlier versions of D&D, became a serious competitor. So with the 5th Edition D&D has taken a step back. It feels much more like 3rd Edition (or 3.5) than 4th. This does mean that once again certain classes — magic-users, primarily — are more complicated to play than others, but there are fewer temporary buffs and debuffs to track. Combat in general has been simplified and in the games I’ve played it goes faster, even with a lot of players at the table.

Dear Lady Monster,

I'll start to be FWB with a guy, then I develop feelings for him (usually after we spend the night together). He does not reciprocate, he is not emotionally available. Is it just me? I don't really want a relationship, I want to be casual, but my emotions get in the way. What's wrong with me? Why can't I just keep it simple and have sex and not get emotionally attached?

----Noticing Strings Attached
 

Dear NSA,

Thank you for your question.

I'd like for you to stop blaming yourself, and to quit asking the question, “What's wrong with me?”. Instead, when you and a man begin to reveal your personal interests and want to have a more intimate experience with each other, ask him about his emotional availability. Be honest with him about the connection you want.

Tom Engelhardt keeps churning out great books by collecting his posts from TomDispatch.com. His latest book, Shadow Government, is essential reading. Of the ten essays included, eight are on basically the same topic, resulting in some repetition and even some contradiction. But when things that need repeating are repeated this well, one mostly wants other people to read them -- or perhaps to have them involuntarily spoken aloud by everybody's iPhones.

We live in an age in which the most important facts are not seriously disputed and also not seriously known or responded to.