From the rise in plastic surgery to advanced prosthetics, the line between the real and unreal has long since eroded
Pop Culture
Why Americans Need Spelling Bees and Vocabulary Tests
Until we have a better appreciation for the English language, we need all the help we can get
Viewpoint: You Can’t Be An “Accidental” Racist
Racism is never accidental, as the bizarre song by Brad Paisley and LL Cool J remind us.
Why Prince Triumphed With Gen X
Prince was telling us we were all the originators of our own destinies as long as we access our inner essence
Happy 90th Birthday, TIME!
Good news: I got you the gift of eternal youth
In Defense of Hilary Mantel: Royalty, Fashion and Fertility in the Public Eye
Mantel’s widely criticized essay “Royal Bodies” is less about actual royals than the way they’ve been presented to us
A San Franciscan’s Super Bowl Ode to Baltimore
Worried that the mayors of Baltimore and San Francisco would just offer each other crabs for their Super Bowl bet, I used the Awesome Column to get San Francisco novelist Armistead Maupin (Tales of the City) and Baltimore mystery writer Laura Lippman (the Tess Monaghan series) to agree to write something complimentary about the winning …
The Super Bowl of Video Games. Literally.
I coach an NFL ProBowler for the Most Important Game of His Life
Why I’ve Stopped Sending Holiday Photo Cards
We used to go all out. This year, my urge to share has already been well sated.
Why Sherman Hemsley’s George Jefferson Was Pitch Perfect
Hemsley’s George Jefferson was one of the most abrasive and difficult-to-like men on TV, but he was adored precisely because he was so unapologetic about black ascension
When Fans Attack: The Perils of an Internet-Enabled Audience
Pop culture consumers may be devoted, but all that adulation can turn to outrage with the slightest of provocations
The Latest TV Trend: Autism
It’s great that diversity is extending to the neurological, but there’s a danger in portraying those on the spectrum as inherently miraculous
After Whitney Houston, Musicians Say: I’m Afraid
Why the music industry is still plagued by early deaths and fearing strokes more than bullets
