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Exhibit A: Jon and Kate Plus ...
As fellow blogger Sean pointed out recently, Black Friday is upon us. So-called because it's the first day of the year in which many retailers attain profitability, it's become synonymous with giant sales on everything from electronics to toys. Lately, however, it has also become infamous for the lengths people will go to get to said bargains.
Last year, at around this time, I blogged about the death of a Wal-Mart staffer in Long Island, who made the mistake of putting himself between the store's discounted merchandise and an hysterical crowd of bargain hunters who had ...
Last year, at around this time, I blogged about the death of a Wal-Mart staffer in Long Island, who made the mistake of putting himself between the store's discounted merchandise and an hysterical crowd of bargain hunters who had ...
Call me curmudgeonly, but I really don't get it. I don't get the current vampire zeitgeist, and I don't get why so many people are so crazy about these Twilight books. Virtually every single publication in existence has had an article about what this whole trend means and, after reading a lot of them, it's still not really clear.
The good ...
Bill Cotter, McSweeney's contributor and author of the book, Fever Chart, put some money on some credit cards to start a business. The business didn't take off. He ended up in debt. The story, give or take a few details, is common enough in America these days. Cotter's account of his ordeal, however, is something different.
Published in seven parts on the McSweeney's Website, Cotter's story of his situation not only details the bizarre world of debt collection and bankruptcy law, but does so in a way that makes those things far more interesting to read about ...
Published in seven parts on the McSweeney's Website, Cotter's story of his situation not only details the bizarre world of debt collection and bankruptcy law, but does so in a way that makes those things far more interesting to read about ...
After the historic passing of President Obama's $1.1 trillion healthcare bill in the House over the weekend, people will be talking about the future of healthcare in America more than ever.
To understand the future of healthcare, however, is to understand the past. Where did the notion of healthcare come from? How did health insurance start? And where on earth did we go wrong?
A recent episode of Chicago Public Radio's This American Life endeavored to answer those questions and, in the process, created probably the most interesting hour about the insurance industry ...
To understand the future of healthcare, however, is to understand the past. Where did the notion of healthcare come from? How did health insurance start? And where on earth did we go wrong?
A recent episode of Chicago Public Radio's This American Life endeavored to answer those questions and, in the process, created probably the most interesting hour about the insurance industry ...
Every actor who achieves success for a certain role will always be identified with that character in real life, to a certain extent, and there's a general assumption that the two are similar. This is especially true for a show like Curb, which stars Larry David, Ted Danson and other celebrities, ostensibly playing themselves. In her appearance on the show last week to discuss her new ...
If you're like me, you spend way too much time trolling YouTube for nuggets of awesomeness like this. Hopefully, by my posting it here, I can save you some valuable time in your workday. Or, at least, give you a jumping off point for more video watching.
The clip is from a 2005 documentary called Looking Glass, about the composer Philip Glass, and sounds to me like it's narrated by Werner Herzog. I couldn't confirm the latter, but ...
The clip is from a 2005 documentary called Looking Glass, about the composer Philip Glass, and sounds to me like it's narrated by Werner Herzog. I couldn't confirm the latter, but ...
Gladwell is well known for his books, among them, Blink, The Tipping Point and Outliers, which delve into complex topics in novel and frequently amusing ways. Among his recent work in The New Yorker is an article examining the parallels between organized dogfighting and professional football.
Whatever Gladwell's talking about, whether it be spaghetti sauce or the merits of giving ...
As it turns out, the result was spectacular. Or a spectacular letdown. Depending on who you ask. Such is often the fate of movies adapted from well-known stories--they can't possibly ...
I followed his work through his solo projects, through his collaborations with Jim Jarmusch and Quentin Tarantino, and was lucky enough to see him perform live on several occasions. No matter the project, The RZA could always be relied upon to create music that was unique, profound and totally satisfying.
The RZA was Tavis' guest on ...
A child strapped to a runaway weather balloon, slow news day or no, is a good story. The kind of story that can "capture the world's attention" for a couple of hours on a weekday afternoon. A weather balloon with no child attached? Well that's just boring. Not even the Weather Channel would use up their valuable air time on something like that.
So what if not only was there no child strapped to the errant balloon, but the whole thing had been orchestrated by a science-obsessed (or, more likely, fame-obsessed) Colorado family in the hopes of winning themselves the attention of ...
The long-debated policy became law in 1993 and, under it, an estimated 13,500 U.S. military personnel have been discharged for their sexual orientation. Some say the policy preserves a valuable status quo in an environment where acknowledging issues of sexuality can be problematic. Others say the ...
This Friday, author Nick Hornby will appear on the show to discuss his two newest endeavors. The first is a book called Juliet, Naked, about a couple and their lives' intersection with a reclusive musician. The second is a screenplay for the film An Education, starring Peter Sarsgaard, Emma Thompson, Alfred Molina and newcomer Carey Mulligan.
The film, based on a memoir by English journalist Lynn Barber, which first appeared in the literary journal Granta, is now completed and opens October 8th. An Education has received heaps of critical acclaim already (and some ...
The film, based on a memoir by English journalist Lynn Barber, which first appeared in the literary journal Granta, is now completed and opens October 8th. An Education has received heaps of critical acclaim already (and some ...
Camara's coup last December received some news coverage, but it mostly went unnoticed in the western world. After all, how newsworthy is yet another African strongman seizing power and offering his people everything they need, ...
This time around, apropos as always, Moore's target is Wall Street. In his new film, Capitalism: A Love Story, he points his sights at those responsible for the economic meltdown and recipients of government bailout money. Among the stunts in this film, expect to see ...
Others, while they may end up being part of the soundtrack to a summer, won't have the same longevity. The XX, however, a group of 20-year-olds from London, seems very promising indeed. Their music is soul-infused rock, with whispered, sultry lyrics and driving basslines. The lyrics, sung in tandem by bassist Oliver Sim and guitarist Romy Madley ...
Ken Burns was Tavis' guest last week to discuss his career as America's greatest documentary filmmaker, as well as his newest project, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, which premieres on PBS later this month.
Burns is, of course, well-known for his work on such epic and groundbreaking documentaries as The Civil War, Baseball and Jazz (among many, many more). Users of Apple computers, however, will also know him for The Ken Burns Effect, available in Apple's iPhoto program.
Part of what allowed Burns to tackle subjects like the Civil ...
Burns is, of course, well-known for his work on such epic and groundbreaking documentaries as The Civil War, Baseball and Jazz (among many, many more). Users of Apple computers, however, will also know him for The Ken Burns Effect, available in Apple's iPhoto program.
Part of what allowed Burns to tackle subjects like the Civil ...
In one AP account, Clark, who maintained mice cages in the lab where Ye worked, is described as "an unpleasant stickler for the rules who often clashed with researchers and considered the mice cages his personal fiefdom." A former high school baseball and football player, Clark was accused by one anonymous ...
Louis Armstrong is a beloved and revered figure in American music, and certainly one of the most talented performers to emerge from this country in the last century. His influence on jazz music is almost incalculable, on par with that of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Miles Davis.
Recently, a new collection of Armstrong's recordings was released that is a must-have for all Satchmo fans and recommended listening for anyone with an ear for classic dixieland jazz.
The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions (1935-46) is a comprehensive seven-disc set from Mosaic Records covering a particularly ...
Recently, a new collection of Armstrong's recordings was released that is a must-have for all Satchmo fans and recommended listening for anyone with an ear for classic dixieland jazz.
The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions (1935-46) is a comprehensive seven-disc set from Mosaic Records covering a particularly ...
Blumenthal's new book is called Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party and, in it, he describes the rise of the Republican fringe, among them the likes of Sarah Palin and James Dobson, who now more than ever are in control of that party's future.
In a fascinating interview on NPR's Fresh Air, Blumenthal, who has been immersed in far-right fringe culture ...
Second, if you're really interested, there are a wealth of online sources that take the explaining of Twitter very seriously. Tweeternet, for one. Or this handy YouTube video. Or you can take it directly from the source.
It's the latter category I want to speak to today, particularly Blanchard's 1999 album, Jazz in Film, which is a collection of classic jazz film scores, reinterpreted and paid homage to by Blanchard and an equally notable group of supporting musicians.
Blanchard, who was himself a member of Art Blakey's famed Jazz Messengers, brings on ...
The weeks and months following the death of the King of Pop have brought a lot of new information to the fore, some of it nice, much of it not.
Probably the most puzzling thing to come out in recent days, however, has been the news that the FBI had almost 600 pages of files on Michael Jackson. San Francisco blogger Michael Petrelis broke the story after a Freedom of Information Act request yielded 591 pages, available to anyone curious enough for the bargain-basement price of $49.10.
While it may be some time ...
While Jon Cryer's appearance on the show this Wednesday will no doubt be mostly devoted to discussing his work with the recently-departed John Hughes, not to mention his new film, Shorts, it's worth taking a minute to consider Two and a Half Men.
Two and a Half Men stars Cryer alongside Charlie Sheen (also, a wise-cracking housekeeper and an equally sassy chubby kid), and is a return to the sitcom in its most iconic form. Unlike other shows of recent years that attempt to change the sitcom into something new, vibrant, and in ...
Tom Delay will be on the next season of Dancing with the Stars. Yes, really. The former House Majority Leader confirmed today that he would indeed be joining the reality program next month as a contestant for its ninth season.
On his blog, Dancing With Delay (yes, really), the man formerly known as "The Hammer," for his mercilessness in the political arena, offers clips to his TV spots, media contact information and e-mail updates via a service called, "Two-step with Tom." Really.
In his bio on the site (which, incidentally, contains no mention of ...
Director Quentin Tarantino, who was last on the show two years back discussing his Grindhouse films, has a new picture opening next week, and it is rumored to be his best yet.
Inglorious Basterds is set in WWII Europe, wherein a group of Jewish soldiers (the Basterds), led by Brad Pitt, make it their mission to dispatch as many Nazis as they can in the nastiest ways possible. Heads are broken in with bats, throats are cut, scalps are taken. No Saving Private Ryan, this, but we are talking about Tarantino, ...
The foodie-comedy Julie & Julia, starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep, opened this weekend, and people came out in droves to see it, (although not as many as went to see GI Joe...go figure.) Briefly, the film concerns a devoted foodie (Julie Powell, played by Adams) who sets out to cook every recipe from Julia Child's (played by Streep) Mastering the Art of French Cooking in the span of a year. It is a delightful story, and judging by the reviews, an equally delicious film.
With the movie's popularity will no doubt ...
A recent New York Times article pointed to a rising trend of attacks on homeless people in America, and indicated that several states were considering legislation to classify these attacks as hate crimes.
This seems like it has been a long time coming, and with the rise of homelessness in the current recession, perhaps it is an issue that can no longer be ignored.
Any way you slice it, attacking a homeless person is a barbaric thing to do. The homeless are indeed an easily identifiable minority group, and a particularly helpless one at that. ...
This week on the program, we're fortunate to have not one but two nights featuring legendary director Francis Ford Coppola.
While best known for The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now, Coppola has a new film out called Tetro, which is a return to his personal roots as an artist and filmmaker. As Coppola put it in the first of his interview segments, “When I was younger I wanted to write and direct films that were in the spirit and inspiration of the great filmmakers who inspired, really, all of my generation.”
Tetro is a grand ...