Is Nigella Lawson Getting a Raw Deal?
When culinary darling Nigella Lawson accused her ex-husband of "bullying her with lies," it had the whiff of familiarity to anyone who has been torched by a painful divorce. How many of you have felt...
View ArticleMovie Review...American Hustle...Maybe
Mobster Robert De Niro's in an uncredited cameo will shock you in this film. He's riveting, has never been more sinister, and he is funny. His lack of vanity is staggering, but this film belongs to...
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The Princess Bridesmaid
There's a reason for this, trust me. But first the story to get to it. It's long-ish, but don't think it's a bad tale at that. About 30 years ago or so, I was a whippersnapper assistant production...
View ArticleEvery Conversation at a Party
Do you watch the currently popular prestige drama that everyone's always talking about? Oh, you're still catching up. Where are you? Only on season two? Man. Wait til you get to season three. Season...
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When Did South Park Characters Stop Calling Things 'Gay'?
This question originally appeared on Quora. Answer by Michael McGraw-Herdeg, This pejorative use doesn't actually seem as common as I remember! Looks like there was a bit of a decline after Season 7...
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My Kiss Years: A Reflection and Celebration of Their Induction Into the Rock...
The author with Kiss. Image credit: Waring Abbott. When I heard the news that Kiss was being included in the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, I shrieked with delight. It was final validation for me and for...
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'Help, My Eyeball Is Bigger Than My Wrist!': Gender Dimorphism in Frozen
I can't offer much in the crowded field of Disney gender criticism. But I do want to update my running series on the company's animated gender dimorphism. The latest installment is Frozen. Just when I...
View ArticleThe Unexpected Desolation of Peter Jackson's Hobbit Movies
This article contains spoilers. _____ The most common criticism leveled at last year's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was that it felt bloated. At the time, I didn't necessarily agree. Now that The...
View ArticleTop 5 Albums of 2013
2013 was an interesting year for music: We saw Robin Thicke destroy Beetlejuice-chic, begrudgingly partook in Miley Cyrus' Twerknado (whether directly or as innocent bystanders), watched the Internet...
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I'm Putting R. Kelly's Music Back in the Closet, Forever
Two years ago, I biked down to the Dog Bowl in Toronto's Trinity-Bellwoods park to watch an outdoor screening of R. Kelly's magnum opus, Trapped in the Closet. Just a few weeks ago, I was considering a...
View ArticleSystem of a Down's Serj Tankian: Upgrading the Dynamic of Art and Audience
I'm still running iOS 5, which means I have ad-free YouTube, native Google Maps and a smartphone experience that's more like playing with bubbles than sifting through index cards -- which would you...
View ArticleArt and Music Are Professions Worth Fighting for
Earlier this year, I was invited back to my high school to participate in their annual career day -- a day where during school hours, students learn about different professions and vocations. I was...
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How We Ended Up on Tour With the Biggest Pop Star in the World
If we told you at first that we weren't a little apprehensive to go on tour with Rihanna, we'd be lying. We were already in Italy when we got the Skype call from our manager, Stevie, who told us that...
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Shahad Ameen's Eye & Mermaid at DIFF: The Courage To Dream
I want a film to take me to another place, another point in time, allow my heart to experience something it has never felt. The emotions can arch from sadness to joy, the places from light to dark and...
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Movie Review: Walking With Dinosaurs
When my oldest son was a tot, one of the videotapes in heavy rotation on our TV was the cartoon feature, The Land Before Time. In it, a group of baby dinosaurs -- a brontosaurus, triceratops and a...
View ArticleRalph Fiennes Materializes in The Invisible Woman
"LOOK, to be honest, he really was very F***Ked up!" That was Ralph Fiennes getting down to the nitty gritty of Charles Dickens, whom he portrays in his new film, "The Invisible Woman." (He also...
View ArticleDuck Dynasty Has Freedom of Speech, Not Freedom From Criticism
I don't watch reality television. After a brief stint on a reality show two years ago, I know that there's about as much reality in such shows as there is in an episode of True Blood. Needless to say,...
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The Top 20 Christmas Songs You Never Get Sick Of
A Christmas song is a complex organism. At their best, our classic yuletide anthems always seem to find that impossible balance between timelessness and nostalgia -- tapping into a sort of greater,...
View ArticleHomeland Season Finale: Picking and Choosing 'Reality' (SPOILER ALERT)
Note: Do not read on if you have not yet seen the season 3 Homeland finale. There are many people on Facebook who wish there was a thumbs down setting to express that they "hate" a subject, as there is...
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The Best Music Marketing of 2013
As the posts pour in reviewing the year in music (and it's been a great one) I thought it was worth looking at all the other elements that surround modern music. Driven as much by the need to recreate...
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