Feldman's Faves: January 18, 2021 (Duncan's Faves)

Hello all,

Hope that everybody had a great weekend. With Jon’s permission, I have taken over the duties as BL5’s resident book and podcast recommender this week, and so I wanted to forward you a couple of things that have kept me entertained over the last while. While Jon’s past recommendations cast a long shadow/represent big shoes to fill/feel free to pick your preferred figure of speech, I hope that you enjoy!

Book Recommendation

The Ride of a Lifetime, by Bob Iger: I know that most people have probably either read this book or seen it prominently advertised on Google or in your local Chapters/Indigo, so it’s not as though this book is hard to find. However, for those who haven’t read it, I wanted to tell you that it is fantastic. Books written by current CEOs are often hagiographies, with successes being the only items to reach the page and mistakes left on the editing room floor, if ever written down at all. However, Iger is refreshingly honest about lessons learned, challenges faced, and mistakes made (both by himself and others) through his long career at ABC, ESPN and Disney. If you’re looking for an uplifting book about leadership and growth, or even if you’re just a fan of The Mandalorian, this is the one for you. If you don’t want to take it from me, take it from my good friend Bill: https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/The-Ride-of-a-Lifetime

Podcast Recommendation

Ringer Dish – FAQ: The Hilaria Baldwin (a.k.a. Hillary From Boston) Saga: While I don’t want to step on Brenda Gosselin’s toes, there was a celebrity gossip story which broke over the holidays that we have yet to discuss as a section and that provided a bit of a distraction for many people. Long story short: Alec Baldwin’s wife, Hilaria Baldwin, has allegedly been faking a Spanish accent for years and representing that she was born in Spain, notwithstanding the fact that she was born in Boston and attending K-12 in Massachusetts as well. The whole saga is broken down well here: https://www.vulture.com/2020/12/hilaria-baldwins-accent-and-amy-schumer-feud-explained.html. Note that Mrs. Baldwin has previously said publicly that she moved to the US at 19 years old to attend NYU, and once had to ask on live TV how one says “cucumber” in English (remember, she was BORN IN BOSTON). The Ringer Dish podcast does a great job breaking down the scandal stage-by-stage, going back to the Twitter thread that originally made the allegations and tracking Mrs. Baldwin’s responses along the way. It’s like an episode of “Serial”, except that the crime at the center of the story is a full-blown adult faking a Spanish accent over a period of YEARS. While I don’t want to participate in any online bullying of Mrs. Baldwin, this story is just hilarious overall regardless of which way you look at it.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ringer-dish/id1465286477?i=1000503731680

Hope everybody has a great week.

Cheers,

Duncan