The State of Scary TV
‘The Returned’ and ‘Ash vs Evil Dead’ join ‘The Walking Dead’ in offering high-quality horror.
June 7, 2013
Grantland Reality Fantasy League: The Most Violent Fight in Real World History
“I rule the world, not you. You are little pawns and I am the queen. Know your place, stay in your role, think before you speak. I got your dog, bitch. I GOT YOUR DOG, BITCH!” — Hurricane Nia, June 5, 2013 First there was music. Then eerie calm. Then the shocking flurry of violence. […]
Read moreReality TV Podcast: Breaking Down the Real World Battle Royal
Juliet Litman and David Jacoby break down the violent clash on MTV’s Real World: Portland between “Hurricane” Nia and Averey, blow–by–blow dryer.
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Adam Scott and Amy Poehler Make the Most Outstanding, Splendiferous, Next-Level TV Magic
Let’s let erstwhile Rock & Roll Jeopardy! host Jeff Probst explain what’s happening here: “Hello, everybody … last year, we brought you what we were led to believe was the greatest event in television history: a shot-for-shot re-creation of the opening title sequence to the 1980s hit show Simon & Simon.” (Remember? This? With Adam […]
Read moreJune 6, 2013
Afternoon Links: Reporter Terrified by Magic
Reporters can be so stodgy. That’s why it’s nice to see them lose their brains every so often, like Allie Mac Kay did when confronted with the supreme awesomeness of a magic trick on KTLA. For some reason, this fluffy piece seems to have caused some torment for Mac Kay after a bleep was inserted […]
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Rembert Explains the ’90s: Will Smith, ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It’
Welcome to our series Rembert Explains the ’90s. Unlike the source material for our previous, ’80s-themed series, these videos have been seen countless times, with the result being an unparalleled, almost embarrassing level of expertise. Rembert will write down his thoughts as he’s watching the video, then we’ll post those thoughts here. This week’s installment, […]
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So Now Everyone Knows What Daft Punk Looks Like. Are You Happy, Internet?
Thanks to Tumblr, Twitter, TMZ, Kim Kardashian, Lena Dunham, the reverse camera button on Instagram, and innumerable other factors, we live in the age of the overshare. This is not news by any means, and by now we’ve mostly accepted that any effort to reverse this cultural drift is futile. (Though both sexes can be […]
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Impossible Landscapes: Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, Thomas Was Alone, and Robot Unicorn Attack 2
Why do we still play 2-D platformers? Especially when so many other venerable video-game genres have fallen out of favor and become dependent on old-school curators? The platformer is, after all, a modest genre. Even its best games seem to spring more from expert craftsmanship and considered design rather than some deep well of artistic […]
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Doc Party: The Source Family, Private Practices, and Cat Dancers
The Source Family is one of the most aspirational documentaries in recent memory, and has been widely hailed as such since it made its way across a limited release and onto iTunes last month. Its members, including a leader who had curated his style to resemble Michelangelo’s God, seemed to have been placed into the […]
Read moreGeorge R.R. Martin Reacts to the Red Wedding Reaction Videos! Plus: More Red Wedding Videos!
Chaos-sowing murder-elf and Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin is taking something of a victory lap around the media after Sunday night’s nerd-decimating Red Wedding reveal, clearly reveling in the unexpected back-of-skull impact of the pain-boomerang he hurled 13 years ago when he originally published the scene in A Storm of Swords. Last night […]
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Overrated, Underrated, or Properly Rated: Ethan Hawke
Close your eyes. Actually, don’t — keep reading. But “close your eyes.” Closed? OK, now think of Ethan Hawke. What do you see? Distressed jeans? Weirdly buttoned or oddly tucked shirt? Tattered copy of Slaughterhouse Five in the back pocket? Goatee? Do you hear Soul Asylum playing in the background? Is Winona Ryder staring at […]
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Escape From Pop Purgatory: Barenaked Ladies’ Grinning Streak
Welcome to Escape From Pop Purgatory, where we check out new music made by people who are more well known than 98 percent of the oppressively “cool” artists who the media obsesses over, and yet are commonly perceived to be years past the point of their cultural relevance. (Pop Purgatory is fame plus time.) Because […]
Read moreGetaway Trailer: Ethan Hawke Gets His Taken, by Way of Drive, With a Little Spring Breakers Tossed in
Do yourself a favor and watch this.
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