OAKLAND TRIBUNE: May 28, 2010

One of the most famous clothiers in America meets me for breakfast, sporting well-worn khakis and a baseball shirt. He’s not apologetic — just honest. “I really never liked it,” he says about the clothing business. Besides, he’s coaching his son’s baseball game later that day and doesn’t have time to change.

That’s George Zimmer, the founder and chief executive officer of The Men’s Wearhouse and longtime resident of Montclair and now Piedmont. In scores of ads over three decades, he’s been “dressed to the nines” pitching men’s suits and tuxes. Yet like most guys, he chooses comfort over style. Only one out of 10 men enjoys buying suits, he tells me. Nine out of 10 think it’s like going to the dentist. Continue reading →

OAKLAND MAGAZINE: May/June 2010

Who: Jana Hardy, 61, Oakland

What: By day, she’s a workers’ comp risk management consultant. By night, she’s a respected Bay Area movie critic.

When: She reviews about 130 movies a year, almost always buying her own ticket. While the general public sees seven or eight films a year, Hardy sees two or three movies a week, often before they’re released to the general public.

Where: She attends screenings around the Bay Area, including a December screening of the movie Nine at the home of George Lucas. “I drove through pouring rain and hideous weather to Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch to see that movie.”

Why: She got started on a dare, eight years ago. “A group of friends and I formed a women’s group. We challenged each other to be more creative in our lives.” Hardy loved movies and loved to write, and her friends encouraged her to start doing movie reviews.

How: She sends the reviews by e-mail to friends and colleagues, who pass them on to other friends and colleagues. “Hundreds of people get my reviews now,” she guesses. “Maybe thousands.”