Morning Coffee (12/24/18)

Happy Christmas Eve!

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

How Trump Is Stripping Immigrants of Their Citizenship

Ringo Starr and Ronnie Wood Join Paul McCartney Onstage in London

Houseplant with added rabbit DNA could reduce air pollution, study shows

An Eye-Opening Look at the Feast of the Seven Fishes

How Hallmark takes over your TV every Christmas

Christmas Mysteries: A Tradition Revived

I . . . love this song: How “Coventry Carol,” a lullaby about killing babies, became a Christmas song

How Dutch Edam Became a Christmas Tradition in the Philippines

10 Thrillers You Forgot Take Place During Christmas

Morning Coffee (10/26/18)

FRIDAY HAPPY LINKS.

‘Outlaw King’: David Mackenzie’s Improved, Recut ‘Braveheart’-Esque Drama Gets A New Trailer

Yaaay, SiriusXM holiday channel info is up!

This is perfect: Salem Saberhagen [the cat] walked the red carpet at ‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ premiere

Important news: There's a Cheese Advent Calendar Coming to Target for $20

How to Find the Perfect Reading Chair

Craving Some Americana? The Saturday Evening Post Archive Is Online

Bookish Costume Inspiration for a Literary Halloween

23 Halloween Treats: Spooky, Scary, Savory, and Sweet

13 Cute Halloween Manicure Ideas, Because Not Everything Has To Be Scary

Cute: We Went Trick-or-Treating at the Houses of Literary Families—Here’s What We Scored

Morning Coffee (10/5/18)

Whew, time for Friday happy links.

I accept our new queen: Eight-year-old Swedish-American girl pulls pre-Viking era sword from lake

!!! Canceled Too Soon, Sweet/Vicious Will Now Become the Perfect Comic Book for the Me Too Era

New emojis! Bagel! Cupcake! Yarn!

He is SUCH an Agatha Christie Guy, if you think about it: Armie Hammer To Set Sail In ‘Death On The Nile’ Movie

I have (falling apart) copies of all these books but I want this new Madeleine L'Engle boxed set anyway.

Very into the idea of a John Legend Christmas album.

Sometimes The Onion is perfect: Chris Pine Depressed By Realization He Could Probably Win Governorship Somewhere

I want all the plaid jackets.

Winter Is Coming — and It’s Bringing an Official 'Game of Thrones' Whisky With It

12 Bookish Sweaters to Keep You Cozy All Season Long

Morning Coffee (12/25/17)

Merry Christmas!

The Drone Under Your Tree Can't Fly High Until Registered With The FAA

An Airbus Drew a Giant Christmas Tree Over Germany

Can you complete Thomas Eaton’s fiendishly difficult Christmas quiz?

The Beatles’ Christmas Records: A Feat of Fan Appreciation and Devotion

In World War II America, Female Santas Took the Reins

My family calls these butterballs! Smør Bullar: The Classic Danish Christmas Cookie No One Has Heard Of

Listen to the First Computer-Generated Christmas Carols, From Alan Turing’s Lab

When good TV goes bad: the day the Queen’s Speech stuttered

Aaah, look at the Smithsonian dolls' house Christmas.

12 Facts about 'The 12 Days of Christmas' (which start TODAY, not twelve days ago!!)

Morning Coffee (12/9/17)

F.B.I. Warned Hope Hicks About Emails From Russian Operatives

Voucher Schools Championed By Betsy DeVos Can Teach Whatever They Want. Turns Out They Teach Lies.

Study: Hillary Clinton’s emails got as much front-page coverage in 6 days as policy did in 69

This is really impressive: What Colin Kaepernick's Philanthropy Tells Us About His Vision for Social Change in America

How white engineers built racist code – and why it's dangerous for black people

Aww: Albuquerque police officer adopts a homeless addict’s baby after a chance on-duty encounter

This is important: An Open Letter to HarperCollins about TO SIRI WITH LOVE

OH GOOD: Can't Be Topped: Neapolitan-Style Pizza Making Wins UNESCO Heritage Status

How to Make a Holiday Playlist That Doesn't Sound Like a CVS

See a 94-Year-Old Sphinx Emerge From Californian Sand Dunes

Weekly Rec: Hanson's Finally It's Christmas

(Weekly Recs made possibly by my Patreon supporters!)

Do you want to feel like you're living in a Hallmark Christmas movie while you work or clean your house or otherwise go about your day? Have I got the album for you! Hanson - yes, that Hanson - just came out with a new Christmas album entitled Finally It's Christmas and it sounds exactly like a Hallmark movie feels - a lot of warmth and cheer, a little romance, a little yearning, a total feeling of comfort and tradition and cheesy holiday goodness. The tracks that most delightfully embody this feeling are the title song "Finally It's Christmas," somewhat loose Paul McCartney cover "A Wonderful Christmas Time," the unnecessarily retitled "Please Come Home," and the virtually always perfect "All I Want for Christmas." (SAME with the title, actually. What's up, guys?)

Here's the title track, for a taste:


Note: I am not a Hanson superfan or anything - their only previous song I can name off the top of my head is "MMMBop" - so don't let a lack of interest in the band in general deter you here. This is solid Christmas pop; pre-existing fandom not required.

I have fairly exacting standards for Christmas music, so virtually no albums seem all good to me. "Someday at Christmas" is drippy nonsense that I have never liked, in any version. "Winter Wonderland" is a little annoyingly too much - that one's usually better jolly and basic - and "Peace on Earth" is too earnestly evangelical for me. And their "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" uses the inferior edited lyrics, of which I can never approve. But the album as a whole is thoroughly listenable, perfect for all your holiday prep activities or rom-com daydreams. Listen on Spotify here. Enjoy!

Morning Coffee (11/1/17)

Bernie Sanders stated that attacks on women and non-white people and LGBT people aren't things that matter to "ordinary Americans", in case you still weren't sure where THAT jerk thinks you stand.

20 of America's top political scientists gathered to discuss our democracy. They're scared.

My West Wing

This is important: I've decided to tell you guys a story about piracy.

ALSO IMPORTANT: Some of the SiriusXM holiday stations start today!

Native American Secrets Lie Buried in Huge Shell Mounds

Archaeologists Discover Trove of Cuneiform Tablets in Northern Iraq

Perfect: Honest Unsubscribe Options

The “Science” Behind “Geostorm”, the Newest Weather-Fueled Doomsday Flick

Aw: Not so nasty: dinosaurs liked to snuggle up and socialise

Morning Coffee (12/21/16)

It’s official. Clinton won the popular vote by 2,864,974

GOOD: Twitter will hand over data on the user who sent a seizure-inducing tweet to a journalist

Oh. Gingrich says Trump can’t be expected to follow ethics laws, so Congress should change them for him

I.M.F. Stands by Christine Lagarde, Convicted of Negligence

Ha! The White House staff pranked Obama with snowmen

India Wants a Cashless Society. But There’s a High Cost.

We are now at a place where magazines make plans for what to do when their writers are attacked by the President.

Western populism is a fundamental threat to the humanitarian system

Who is the Genius Behind Merriam-Webster’s Social Media?

Boo: How Justin Bieber Booted Bing Crosby Off Retail Stores' Christmas Music Playlists

How Rotha Lintorn-Orman became the unlikely founder of the British Fascisti.

This Portugal hotel is a book lover’s dream

Morning Coffee (10/22/16)

CHRIS PINE IS PLAYING MR. MURRY. This entire Wrinkle in Time casting endeavor is a gift. A GIFT.

ALSO we have some new Anne of Green Gables show casting!!

What We Know About Friday's Massive East Coast Internet Outage

Interesting: Washington’s foreign policy elite breaks with Obama over Syrian bloodshed

HEAVY SIGH: GOP congressman on Clinton: 'A lady needs to be told when she's being nasty'

Imagine If Donald Trump Controlled the NSA

Attention journalists: An adult can’t ‘have sex’ with a preteen. It’s rape.

A pint-sized pup keeps Hillary Clinton's campaign staff going in a hectic campaign season (And yes, I open the app specifically to feed and pet the dog. Well done, developers.)

Sirius XM released its holiday channel lineup! I'm sad that the Holiday Traditions channel is starting later than usual, and I'm ALWAYS sad that the classical Christmas channel doesn't start until Christmas Eve.

Aaah, we're getting a Juliet, Naked movie! I love that book.

Morning Coffee (12/23/15)

This will PROBABLY be the last link post until after Christmas, so Merry Christmas!

New Rules of Play May Shake Up N.H.'s GOP Primary Ground Game

President Obama has a theory about why people support Donald Trump. But he's wrong. (Or, more likely I think, he understands the real reason but realizes saying it in public would be TERRIBLE for him.)

Mallory Ortberg has a new book coming out!!

In case you were wondering: Ted Cruz Erotic Fan Fiction Is A Thing You Can Buy And Read Right Now

The scandal over Brooklyn’s small-batch artisanal chocolate factory, explained

Team Muddle Through, always.

Please Silence Your Mouth: Movie Theater Etiquette Slides from 1912

A radio DJ locked himself in a studio and mercilessly played 'Last Christmas' 24 times in a row

The Oddball, Nostalgia-Inducing Christmas Tech Art Of The 1980s And 1990s

Heh: 5 Sparkly Tops That Might Give You the Hope to Keep Going

Morning Coffee (12/22/15)

Lindsey Graham dropping out is a surprisingly big opportunity for the GOP establishment

Huh: Seymour Hersh's bizarre new conspiracy theory about the US and Syria, explained

Aah, Steph Perkins's story in Summer Days and Summer Nights is a continuation of Marigold and North's story!

Please Stop Spreading This Nonsense that Rey From Star Wars Is a “Mary Sue”

I mean... okay, sure: Nicolas Cage Returns Stolen Dinosaur Skull to Mongolia

Well. Time to burn everything down I guess: CBGB to Reopen as Restaurant in Newark Airport

This is making me feel better about never ever thinking this game sounded like fun: Cards Against Humanity Are Going to Destroy a Picasso

20 Things You Desperately Need To Know About Mariah's Hallmark Movie (I half-watched this while I was baking cookies yesterday and it's... quite something.)

Beautiful: To Fill an Emptiness: Tradition, Food, and the Holidays

Perfect: Songs From a Christmas Album in Which More Than a Few Aims of Feminism Have Been Achieved

Morning Coffee (12/8/14)

Wow: Missing Masterpiece Discovered in the Background of ‘Stuart Little’

Ooh, these snowflake photos are awesome.

What Disney Movies Taught Us About Girl Power

RUDOLPH IN LATIN

The Tricky Ethics of Intergalactic Colonization

24 Things All Young Adult Fans Are Tired Of Hearing

Ruin Your Own Happiness, Part I: How To Be Disappointed By Good News

Hee: Hear Kristen Bell and Straight No Chaser's 'Text Me Merry Christmas'

Morning Coffee (11/24/14)

Programming note: Posts may be erratic for . . . the rest of the year, really. I'm traveling a lot, and taking random days off to do things like bake a ridiculous number of cookies, and my schedule is generally out of whack. I'll try to keep getting link posts up MOST days, but it may not be every day, and sometimes it might be later in the day than usual. Thanks for understanding!

Me elsewhere: TV news; Haven recap.

This is my new favorite thing: TV’s geek girls need to rise above being tech support

Sad: The Duchess of Alba has died.

Sigh: ESPN Suspends Keith Law From Twitter For Defending Evolution (Okay, they now say it wasn't because of his opinions [on scientific fact] so was it . . . disagreeing with a coworker?)

Your Monday would probably be helped by the Disneyland cats Instagram account.

I have been calling for 24-hour bookstores for years and I'm glad someone is finally listening.

Oh my gosh. Pumpkin Tetris.

How to Successfully Hijack Your Family's Thanksgiving

25 questions about Band Aid 30's new version of "Do They Know It's Christmas"

How are we feeling about the Peanuts movie trailer? It's . . . much better than I'd feared, really.

Morning Coffee (11/18/14)

Visiting the U.S.: Pope Francis; the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Awesome: Church of England clears way for female bishops

You Can Now Send Cash to Friends Via Snapchat, and doesn't THAT sound like a terrible idea?

The Harry Potter Alliance’s #MyHungerGames Brings Awareness to Stories of Income Inequality

The Butter has launched!

Uh-oh: We're running out of chocolate.

I hate "Do They Know It's Christmas?" with the passion of a thousand suns, but if for some reason you don't, here's the new version.

Billy Joel on Taylor Swift: "She catches a lot of junk, maybe because she's so popular with young girls." YEP.

Morning Coffee (11/10/14)

Me elsewhere: TV news roundup for the week, Haven recaps, thoughts on Bones and Elementary.

Some of the SiriusXM holiday stations start tomorrow! (But my favorite one is apparently now only December 24-26. When I won't be in my car much, if at all. Boooo.)

Today in Christmas ads that made me cry: Marks and Spencer.

Also: John Lewis. (Penguin alert!)

Also: Coca-Cola. God, I'm a mess.

NBC is staging live production of A Few Good Men. Interesting.

A Playmobil movie?!?! I'm . . . listening. Cautiously.

Hee: Mallory Ortberg summarizes classic books in 140 characters or less

Women Rejecting Marriage Proposals In Western Art History

Morning Coffee (12/19/13)

Two more days of work! I am very ready for vacation.

Christmas in Washington is on tomorrow, and the most delightfully random assortment of people are involved. Hugh Jackman! The Backstreet Boys! The Obamas! Sheryl Crow! Anna Kendrick!

If Pippa Middleton is really engaged, this should be fun to watch.

The best and worst media errors and corrections in 2013

Someone else is writing a Dragon Tattoo sequel. My first reaction, of course, is to disapprove, but it's not like Larsson was known for his beautiful prose, so . . . we'll see.

Fun: OED birthday word generator

This analysis of Twitter popularity is pretty fascinating.

I actually like Love, Actually, or at least parts of it, but this takedown is hilarious.

This Dr. PetPlay app looks like SO MUCH FUN.

Morning Coffee (12/16/13)

Happy Monday! Christmas is somehow suddenly NEXT WEEK. How did that happen?

Peter O'Toole and Joan Fontaine have died. Time for viewings of The Lion in Winter and Rebecca, I think. At least one of them is seasonal.

Colin Donnell - a.k.a Tommy from Arrow - and Patti Murin recorded a thoroughly delightful cover of "All I Want for Christmas."

In case anyone other than me and my brother still cares, here's some information on season four of The Killing.

A Ten-Month-Old's Letter to Santa

Oops: Pupils' Christmas 'ruined' by vicar's Santa Claus origins story

This piece on How to Name a Baby has some fascinating naming statistics and would probably also be useful for writers naming characters.

Dallas fans, this holiday greeting from the Ewings is great.

The Onion: 30-Year-Old Has Earned $11 More Than He Would Have Without College Education

Morning Coffee (11/8/13)

Happy Friday!

Finally! The SiriusXM holiday stations have been announced!

PBS is airing the Neil Patrick Harris version of Company tonight. I saw it a few years ago and highly recommend it. Here's a taste.

The thoroughly delightful Hollywood Game Night is getting a holiday special.

Aww. For his 65th birthday, the Prince of Wales is guest editing an issue of Country Life magazine. That's kind of adorable.

Whoa: Disney and Netflix are teaming up for a bunch of Marvel shows.

I love this poster for the Psych musical.

Some Swedish cinemas are launching a new feminist rating system based on the Bechdel test.

Natalie Portman, like so many of us, was obsessed with The Baby-sitter's Club.

The Onion, but also true: Giant Burrito To Solve All Of Area Man’s Problems For 6 Precious Minutes

Morning Coffee (10/30/13)

"Prisock said he closed the book before they had a chance to read through it completely." Of course he did. (Also, that book looks lovely! I want to read it!)

More upcoming PBS holiday music programming: Il Volo and Chris Mann.

Ronan Farrow: The Youngest Old Guy in the Room

This is a pretty compelling case for Surprise Thanksgiving.

Is the Jane Austen portrait on the banknote airbrushed?

The War of the Worlds panic we've all heard so much about? Not really a thing.

Now I want to read Heidi.

Some Excellent Mid-19th-Century Criminal Slang That's Ripe For Revival

Morning Coffee (10/25/13)

Happy Friday!

The palace has released four official portraits taken after Prince George's christening, and they are adorable.

Because I am apparently dedicated to keeping you informed about holiday TV programming: Celtic Woman: Home for Christmas is coming to PBS. It may or may not be less dirge-like than the rest of their stuff.

Ryan Seacrest has signed on to keep hosting Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. In the absence of Clark himself, I think this is good: like red carpet interviews, this is probably one of those cases in which we don't really think about how good Seacrest is at his job until someone else tries to do it.

A Murder, She Wrote reboot starring Octavia Spencer? Color me intrigued.

This is amazing: Texts from William Blake

I love the BBC.

Oh, here's the counterpart to the girl name link: Map: Six Decades of the Most Popular Names for Boys, State-by-State

Aww: The Time I Was Questioned by Police for Knitting in a Starbucks (I know that doesn't sound like a happy link, but it is.)