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Before we called them MILFs or cougars – long before – there was only Mrs. Robinson. She was a mid-1960s adolescent fantasy come true; the sexy, available older woman/housewife next door with an appetite for young not-quite-men/not-quite-boys. She became so indelibly, boldly etched in the public consciousness that the name became a noun – and, for young males, a hope – and the referenced fodder for a thousand if-only-they-were-true Letters to Penthouse.

But the character in the movie The Graduate (1967) was no exercise in wish fulfillment, no Weird Science (1985) or Risky Business (1983) teen’s wet dream. Rather, Mrs. Robinson was a devouring suburban nightmare, a paean to unmoored youth and disillusioned adulthood and life-draining, soul-killing upper middle class ennui.

Over four decades later, the name still resonates, her portrait so deeply carved into the pop culture by Anne Bancroft’s letter perfect Oscar-nominated performance that Mrs. Robinson remains the proto-milf/cougar,...

Album and video of performances are available for pre-order now.

By Jayson Rodriguez, with Jem Aswad, Hillary Crosley, Maura Johnston, Gil Kaufman and Amy Wilkinson

<i>Hope For Haiti Now</i> album

Photo: Hope For Haiti Now

While earthquake relief in Haiti was the reason for and inspiration behind "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief," there's no question that it featured some amazing, one-of-a-kind musical performances.

The songs chosen by most of the artists had a thematic connection to the occasion, and the soaring lyrics delivered by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige and Justin Timberlake underlined the hope for the country that's coming from around the world. The songs' unplugged, often gentle renditions underscored the seriousness of the situation.

George Clooney helped organize the event, and his hope is that the songs carry the event beyond the evening and into the following weeks, months and years.

I love a well-told story. That's why I really enjoyed a small film called Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party (hereafter abbreviated as Stbp) which made the rounds at many film festivals a few years ago. The film features a series of short stories, as told by legendary character actor Stephen Tobolowsky on the anniversary of his birth. The stories are funny, profound, and moving, and many of them stay with me to this day. In his lifetime, Tobolowsky has had some pretty wild and crazy adventures, not to mention the fact that he's worked with directors like Paul Verhoeven, Harold Ramis, Christopher Nolan, and Spike Jonze, just to name a few. Deep in my heart, I knew that even with Stbp out there, Tobolowsky probably still had a bunch of great stories tucked away in the recesses of his memory. So, shortly after one of his recent appearances on the /Filmcast,...