The State of Scary TV
‘The Returned’ and ‘Ash vs Evil Dead’ join ‘The Walking Dead’ in offering high-quality horror.
February 12, 2013
The 2 Broke Chainz Heat Check
The rapper “Heat Check.” This isn’t the first time in recent memory it’s been necessary to discuss this phenomenon, with mid-November giving us Kendrick Lamar, at the height of his popularity, testing his fame and what he could get away with by being the real-life walk-in music for boxer Adrien Broner. In that example, the […]
Read moreKanye’s Recording in Paris, The-Dream Promises ‘Authentic Love-making,’ and the Rest of Your Post-Grammys News
After the Grammys it’s the Grammys After-Party and after the Grammys After-Party it’s the … um, Post-Grammy News Roundup. One of these things is not as inherently scintillating as the others! But please, read on: It’s been less than 48 hours since the big bash, and already all manner of mind-boggling music-biz news is brewing. […]
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The Bachelor, Episode 7: Lessons on Sparkle Defense and Face Control
“Ding dong. The witch is dead.” — Sigmund Freud When there’s a feeling of inevitability to a long-expected result, there’s a tendency to simply accept it and move forward, and pass up a moment of reflection that could yield valuable insights into the human condition. “Why bother thinking about what just happened?” you probably ask […]
Read moreHollywood Prospectus Podcast: Grammys, Girls, and The Walking Dead
I knew Chris Ryan was trouble the minute he put a dubstep drop into his breakup song about Jake Gyllenhaal. Or am I confusing him with someone else? Either way, on this week’s show we sank our dancing bunny fangs into the 2013 Grammy awards. Is Jay-Z the new Frank Sinatra? Is Justin Timberlake the […]
Read moreFreak Show & Tell: Blind Hippo Love
Every week, television documentaries present us with so many unusual people, with so many strange and/or disturbing problems, you might find it hard to keep up with all of them. That’s where I come in! Here’s an unflinching look back at TV’s Week in Freak Shows. Fatal Attractions (Animal Planet) Who Is This Now? Marius. Why […]
Read moreCounting Down the Top 10 in … SOUNDTRACKS!
1. The Barden Bellas ft. The Treblemakers, “Riff Off: Mickey/Like A Virgin/Hit Me With Your Best Shot/S&M/Let’s Talk About Sex/I’ll Make Love To You/Feels Like The First Time/No Diggity” (Pitch Perfect) Pitch Perfect, Kay Cannon’s comedy about college a cappella groups, has quickly established itself as a cult hit worthy of sitting alongside slumber party […]
Read moreRachael vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off Season 2, Episode 6: ‘Star-Studded Supper’
The sixth episode of Rachael Vs Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off was also its last. Perhaps Food Network is modeling this season after the British model of short “series,” and that makes sense considering the show’s intense commitment to quality. But it’s a bad omen that the season finale begins with lie after lie. Guy says that […]
Read moreAndre Braugher Is Joining Andy Samberg’s Cop Comedy
Hey, remember that cop comedy Andy Samberg is doing? The one that’s coming to us on Fox? From the mighty brains of Parks and Recreation’s executive producers Mike Schur and Dan Goor? Well, now it’s also got Andre Braugher, who’s the kind of guy you could wake up in the middle of the night, blindfold, […]
Read moreFebruary 11, 2013
Afternoon Links: The Grammy Gossip and Pope Jokes Never End
Buuuuuuurn. Patrick Carney of The Black Keys dissed Grammy-snubbed Justin Bieber, saying that “he’s making a lot of money. He should be happy.” You know what’s better than a million dollars? A billion dollars. You know what’s better than a billion dollars? A billion dollars and a Grammy. You know what’s better than a billion dollars […]
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The Kardashiad, Week 4: Reading Basically Don’t-Kill-Yourself Books
Kim, Kourtney, and Jonathan Cheban go paddle-boarding. Kim is wearing half a wetsuit, like the banana on the cover of The Velvet Underground & Nico. She never tries to stand up on her own board, she just laughs at everyone else who tries and falls. Metaphors! From a Snap & Go in the back of […]
Read moreDrake Gets Promoted to Night Manager in His New Video
The British Commonwealth of Canada, traditionally known as a bastion of quiet respectfulness and unobtrusiveness and also good bathroom hygiene, broke character a bit last night: Not one but two both of its biggest pop stars tried to steal some attention away from the Grammys (which, by the way, you can read plenty about here).
Read moreSNL Episode 13: Swaggy, Swaggy, Swaggy
A bunch of pre-teenagers and pre-teenagers-at-heart got to stay up past their bedtimes on Saturday to scream swoonily for Justin Bieber. I know this because I could hear them in the audience. Fans waited in line in the blizzard to get tickets for the show, attempting (and failing) to complete their homework, only vacating their […]
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Grammys After-Party: A Magical Night With Justin Timberlake, Frank Ocean, and Mumford & Funs
It’s a Mumford World So, Joe Frazier beat Muhammad Ali. The Grammys did their job. Order has been maintained. What happens next? Here are my predictions: Babel will return to the top of the albums chart next week. Jay Pharoah’s inevitable yellow suit-and-headband Frank Ocean parody will be relegated to “Weekend Update,” rather than get […]
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The Walking Dead Season 3, Episode 9: ‘The Suicide King’
In his 2004 book The Wisdom of Crowds, New Yorker financial writer James Surowiecki argued that people, en masse, are often much more clever than they are individually. The idea is that a group, when functioning successfully, is uniquely able to synthesize a diverse panoply of opinions into a single, superior decision. At its most […]
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Girls Maturity Level Threat Watch: Episode 5
Hannah Once when I was a teenager watching Friends, my mom said, “I don’t want you to think that’s what being in your 20s is like.” While I assumed she was referring to the fact that actual friend groups were more diverse and real apartments rented by people with menial jobs were much (much, much) […]
Read moreGrammy Winners 2013: Gotye, Mumford & Sons, Fun., The Black Keys, Frank Ocean …
A little bit later today, Grantland’s full reaction to last night’s Grammys — from famous plus ones Lena Dunham and Carey Mulligan to apparently non-famous person Miguel, from Frank Ocean’s hipster wind-sprints to Hova’s First Inaugural Fund Raiser Swap Meet — will drop upon you with all the weight of dozens of LL Cool J […]
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