Afternoon Tea (5/25/18)

Warning: This will make you want ice cream. Next Stop, Summer: A Day Aboard a Mister Softee Truck

These are great choices: 'From Twinkle, With Love' Author Sandhya Menon Shares Her 5 Favorite Young Adult Rom-Coms

Get Schooled on the History of Where ‘Grease’ Was Really Filmed

Dublin's ghost signs: preserving a city's fading memories

I have never clicked on anything so quickly as a look inside Evelyn Waugh's Georgian mansion.

Morning Coffee (8/19/16)

Friday! Let's take a break for some happy links.

This looks SO GOOD: Watch the Trailer for Hidden Figures, About the Black Women Behind NASA’s Early Days

Scandinavia’s largest library wins title of public library of the year

In the spirit of happy Friday, let's ignore the swimmer nonsense and just look at all their abs.

Please tell me we're getting this here: ‘Great British Baking Show’ Winner Will Judge Adorable Children in Spin-Off Series (Also in there: Tamal is doing a show about not self-diagnosing yourself online. I LOVE HIM.)

Leslie Odom Jr. in Murder on the Orient Express? SURE.

Eee, Max Crumm and Laura Osnes reunited for "You're the One That I Want" at Ham4Ham.

Whoa: Make Ice Cream Cones Out of Rice Krispies Treats for Instant Happiness

Interesting: Finland tops podium for most Olympic medals won per capita

Need a romantic movie to watch this weekend? The Fug Girls are on it.

Heh. The Onion: Queen Elizabeth Hoping She Dies Before Having To Knight Any DJs

Morning Coffee (2/1/16)

It's February! It's Caucus Day! This year is going very quickly so far!

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week; I livetweeted Grease Live and one of my tweets made it into this Mashable story.

Very well-written and important: If You’re Liberal and You Think Hillary Clinton Is Corrupt and Untrustworthy, You’re Rewarding 25 Years of GOP Smears

This is quite the headline, but I honestly think Sanders's lack of a real foreign policy team is concerning: Sanders military adviser briefed him once

The comparisons to GamerGate are very apt: The Bernie Bros Are A Problem And The Sanders Campaign Is Trying To Stop Them

How can there have been no one to say "Hey, this isn't legal"??? It boggles the mind. ‘Carmen Sandiego’ Singer-Songwriter Issues Cease and Desist Demand to Rand Paul Campaign

GOOD NEWS: Top of the Lake season two is filming soon!

If you, like me, were wondering why everyone was talking about a John Scott who was not the Fringe character yesterday, read this. I barely knew who he was before this week and I teared up a little anyway.

The Last Days of Target is a fascinating read about what happened with Target in Canada, and of course a lot of it came down to their PIM. Of course it did.

This is a difficult but important look at the Baby Doe case in Boston and the history of child abuse.

I will admit that part of me is tempted, but the science cited mostly made me realize I should make an effort to sleep more.

The Birth of Venus: Pulling Yourself Out Of The Sea By Your Own Bootstraps

Morning Coffee (1/30/16)

Reminder! I'm going to see four Oscar nominees today and writing up a little diary of it as a Patreon exclusive. Sign up by tonight to get it!

ICYMI, yesterday's Oscar Project post was about the delightfully feminist Creed.

Gilmore Girls is OFFICIALLY BACK and that link has some details.

I am totally fine with Coca-Cola product placement in Grease! Live, when I think about it. It fits so well. And to the other point in that article, it's certainly worth noting that "Did she put up a fight?" is still considered an acceptable lyric, but what a lot of the stories about this seem to be missing is that the lyrics that are being changed ("The chicks'll cream" to "scream," etc.) are frequently changed in stage productions, including (according to Seth Rudetsky) on Broadway. So it's not Fox suddenly doing this without precedent. And REGARDLESS, the actor does not seem the correct person to ask about this. It's not up to HIM.

Hillary Clinton and the audacity of political realism (Bill Clinton said on Snapchat [!] yesterday that Hillary makes him rearrange their furniture every three months, and when she is done being president HGTV should really give them a show. Imagine: Two former presidents show up at your house and tell you what's wrong with the layout of your living room! GOLD.)

Speaking of: How “House Hunters” became the most unstoppable juggernaut on TV

Bernie Sanders' Campaign Is Concerned About the 'Berniebro,' As They Maybe Should Be

When A Country Without Abortion Tells Women To Not Get Pregnant

I was happy to read this non-terrible review of The Finest Hours, given what I was saying yesterday about wanting to watch Chris Pine be soaking wet for two hours act.

Interesting: 32 Top Network Execs Dish on the Shows They Really Want

From Pickup Artist to Pariah

Perseus Rescuing Andromeda, In Order Of Rescuing

Morning Coffee (1/29/16)

Tomorrow! I'm going to go to an independent theater in Boston and do a mini-marathon of some of the more obscure Oscar nominees - four features. I'll post normal movie posts about the titles next week, but I'm also going to write up a little diary of the day as a Patreon exclusive. (Are the audiences driving me nuts? Can I stay awake/focused for four movies? How much caffeine will I need?) You can get it with any pledge (starting at $1/month) if you sign up by Saturday night. Right this way! (If you're already a patron I LOVE YOU and of course you will be getting this post as well.)

ICYMI: TWO Oscar Project posts yesterday, on Star Wars and Ex Machina.

Okay, Friday! Happy links!

Since Friday is for happy links the only one I will give you about the primary is Gail Collins, as she is hilarious in addition to being very smart. (And, I think gets at the basic Sanders/Clinton divide: "Vote for Bernie: Send a message. Vote for Hillary: She knows how to make things work.")

Barbie has new body types! Here's Time's very interesting cover story. (Touching on something they get into there: even when Barbies all looked more similar, as a child, the thing that most confused me about them was that almost all the dolls were supposed to be the same character. So why did they exist in the same world [i.e. my bedroom]??? I found this highly disturbing.)

Fox is showing Grease! Live on Sunday and Vanity Fair has a fascinating story about the making of the 1978 movie that will probably make you want to go rewatch it immediately. (They liken Newton-John's casting to if someone cast Taylor Swift in the role today and now I WANT THAT MORE THAN ANYTHING.)

Today in Things You Should Be Watching: The 100’s Clarke Is Sci-fi’s Best Teen Heroine

And if you ARE watching, you should check out new podcast The Ark 100 FM from my friends Holly and Bailey. (Rumor has it I may fill in for an episode next month when Bailey's on vacation. I'll keep you posted.)

Ben Whishaw Is Even Better Than You Think is both the truest headline ever written and a very interesting interview with the creator of London Spy.

I cannot handle this even a little bit: Chris Pine sings school closings to the tune of 'Let It Snow' (I know it's an unpopular opinion but you can keep Hemsworth and Evans and Pratt; Pine is my favorite of The Chrises and I am greatly looking forward to that Coast Guard movie that seems to consist of him speaking in a terrible Boston accent while people throw buckets of water at him for two hours.)

My friend Chris - ACTUALLY my favorite Chris, obvs - tweeted this link and I may never forgive him: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' As An Anime Opening Works Way Too Well

Honest Wedding Website Admits There Jack Shit For Guests To Do While In Town

"ZEUS: look, I have produced a daughter from mine own head
this is Athena
HERA: like fuck you did"

Morning Coffee (11/25/15)

Rabia Chaudry is writing a book on Adnan Syed's case! (I think this is good; I was talking to a friend the other day about how obviously SOMEONE would jump on this with a book, so I'm glad it's her and not an outsider who would be more sensationalist about it.)

First promo for Grease: Live! I may have said this before, but I'm ALL IN on this one: I like Grease but don't have a huge emotional attachment (as I do to Sound of Music, say) so I think I'll be able to enjoy it without getting UPSET AT THE DESECRATION.

John Gallagher, Jr. is putting out an album! I like his single. I miss The Newsroom. He was in that Green Day musical so now every time I hear Green Day - even actual Green Day, not the musical - I miss The Newsroom. Welcome to my brain.

Is anyone making a piecaken for Thanksgiving? I am kind of fascinated?

This Michael Phelps profile is very well done and maybe made me into a fan?

Huh: Anne Frank’s diary in a copyright law paradox 70 years after her death

Putin’s daughter, a young billionaire and the president’s friends

"Adoption can be a very good thing for an individual child, but it is not charity. It is not a religious crusade. It is never a 'miracle,' the hand of God at work, when a child ends up living without their original parents."

Learning to Be Beyoncé From Her Terrible Father

Perfect: Signs You’re About To Be In A Gay Subplot In A Period Drama

Morning Coffee (4/29/14)

Fox is doing a live televised production of Grease, and . . . this could be great or terrible or hilarrible, depending on the casting.

Whoa, they restored A Hard Day's Night and it will be in theaters in July. Wonder if it'll be nearby?

Gene Demby is always worth a read: What Exactly Qualifies As 'Racist,' Anyway?

I'm still on the library waiting list for the Piketty book, so this Matt Yglesias piece was useful.

The Cheerleaders Rise Up

Well done, Slate: London Human Rights Lawyer Amal Alamuddin Is Engaged

Men who use nicknames for women to win fights are creepy, sexist and dumb

What a linguist found when she analyzed the opening credits to 50 TV shows

Hee: Mom Packs Encouraging Note in Own Lunch

Morning Coffee (10/3/12)

Rebecca on Broadway: Cancelled again. Stop messing with my mind, Mrs. Danvers.

A children's clothing line called Flowers in the Attic? THIS IS SUCH A POOR IDEA.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are releasing a Christmas album. Yes, this seems to be a real thing, and this is INCREDIBLE news.

Which candidate is better for crossword writers?

You know you want to read Glenn Beck's open letter to Matt Bellamy.

Look at these pretty costumes for The Tempest.

The potential winter storms have quite some names this year.

I know this isn't a final cast or anything, but WOW, this Into the Woods screenplay reading. Wow.