I am a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and have been covering the entertainment industry as a critic, analyst and reporter for ONE THOUSAND YEARS. Welcome!
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Politics is, to some degree, a game of symbolism. But the phrase “political theater” isn’t an inherently negative one: We all respond to symbols and images that are brilliantly arranged. Under the right conditions, we create real meaning from those building blocks. That is all to say, if I
books
There are a couple of interviews (and an event) I’d like to draw your attention to. And then I’m going to share a few thoughts on one year of Burn It Down (now out in paperback!) existing in the world. A number of folks asked me during the
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It’s been a while. One big reason is that it’s now gardening season and I spend every spare minute doing dirt-based outdoor therapy in my yard. I'm having a lot of fun with it, while also dodging a massive brood of dazed cicadas, who are truly
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I’d been writing about popular culture for some time when The O.C. premiered in 2003, but what I didn’t know about the entertainment industry back then could fill several books. And that’s one of the many benefits of time, growth and perspective: Looking back at the
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I cannot say I was overly surprised to hear that Sinéad O’Connor died. It’s hard to think of a public figure who has endured more struggles, nightmares and tragedies. And no one was more devoted to being ruthlessly honest about those struggles than O’Connor. She constantly interrogated
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I have a couple of book-related items to share, but then I'll list a few other thoughts/recommendations on this random Wednesday, which I hope finds you well. First, baby's first major review! Kirkus Reviews wrote up my book, Burn It Down: Power, Complicity and a
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As I write this, some of us are having a wake for Twitter, which is weird, because it’s not dead yet, but it might be soon. The signs aren’t promising. As often happens when someone dies in real life, I am thinking about the good times. This thread.
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Well! Here is a post about things that happened two months ago — some of which you can still enjoy! I had meant to put this post up much earlier this summer, but I’ve been finishing the writing and reporting for my first book — Burn It Down, due out next
Star Trek
Star trek Deep Space Nine and For All Mankind: Are they the same show?
TV Lists
Hello! It’s too late to post my favorite TV shows and films of 2021, because it’s now 2022 and no one cares! Or maybe someone cares. In any event, it pleases me to post this information and at least give my WordPress skills a workout. Normally I write
TV Lists
I love reading critics’s end-of-year lists and, because I’m a nerd, I also enjoy making lists of things I should check out (at this point, my Things to Watch Google Doc is one of history’s greatest epics). It’s weird how other critics’ lists are correct and
TV Lists
This is a love story. Television, there’s too much of you. Stop. But also, don’t. I didn’t do individual writeups of each show on this list, as I did with my 2018 list, in part because this was a looong year and I still have a lot