Afternoon Tea (6/19/19)

I'm excited to read this one: Reviving Gay History in Abdi Nazemian’s Like a Love Story

‘Star Wars’ Continues to Embrace Female Leadership, As Long As They’re Not Directing Films

Androgyny Is Now Fashionable in the W.N.B.A.

Interesting history I didn't know at all: The Sultan of Lovers

How Almonds Went From Deadly To Delicious

Morning Coffee (4/19/19)

I'll have Mueller report analysis for you tomorrow, but for today we're sticking with FRIDAY HAPPY LINKS.

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma Plays Bach In Shadow Of Border Crossing

EXCITED: Exclusive: Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed team for activist novel Yes No Maybe So

AWW I LOVE THIS: An Unusual Family Of Bald Eagles Adds 3 Eaglets

And in other good animal news: Dog Saved By Workers On Oil Rig, 135 Miles Off Thai Coast

Oh, this is great: Modern Library Launches Series of Classics Penned by Women

Cannes Film Festival Unveils Poster Featuring Agnes Varda

I have some reading to catch up on: Longman-History Today Book Prize 2019: The Shortlist

Dessert stamps with recipes!! Sweet! Nanaimo bar goes postal with announcement of new stamp

Twitter introduces 40 adorable Avengers emoji, including Korg from Thor: Ragnarok

Oh these look fun: Coca-Cola, Disney Strike ‘Star Wars’ Partnership

Morning Coffee (4/13/19)

Very happy about this: N.H. Poised To Abolish Death Penalty After Senate Vote

This is not normal! Trump told CBP head he'd pardon him if he were sent to jail for violating immigration law

Trump Just Fired Me Because I Am Trans

Fact-Checking Trump’s Family Separation Claim about Obama’s Policy

Lindsey Graham introduces bill which would ban abortions after 20 weeks

Hahaha. (Yes, the Onion.) William Barr Agrees To Release Nonverbal, Abstract Visual Representation Of Mueller Report

GOOD: McGill dumps Redmen team name after calls from Indigenous community

First 'Star Wars: Episode IX' Trailer Unveils 'The Rise of Skywalker'

I know they have me, I won't even pretend they don't: Disney+ will be available on November 12th for $6.99 a month

An Ancient Human Species Is Discovered in a Philippine Cave

Morning Coffee (4/5/19)

We made it! Time for Friday happy links!

This is great: School turning unused food into take-home meals for students

Pete Buttigieg’s 10 Favorite Books

Captain Marvel is officially a $1 billion box office hit

See the faces behind the 19th Amendment at the National Portrait Gallery

CASTING DIRECTLY TO MY INTERESTS: Veronica Mars: Mary McDonnell Joins Hulu Revival in Mystery Role

Excited about this! Booksellers Announce First Annual Romance Bookstore Day

!! Hallmark will air a record 40 new Christmas movies this year

Aww, this skating story: ‘Doing what I love.’ Meredith Hall to return to her childhood roots

This stuff is amazing: Her Universe Honors “Sisters of the Force” in New Collection at Star Wars Celebration Chicago

Hahaha: Imagine if nature documentaries focused on this elusive species: the city snowplow

Morning Coffee (3/1/19)

FRIDAY HAPPY LINKS!

The Royal We sequel news!!

And some very important Veronica Mars casting news.

Exclusive preview: Obama and Biden return as action heroes in Hope Rides Again

!!! 'Baby-Sitters Club' Reboot Lands at Netflix

The new Star Wars section of Disneyland sounds amazing and I'm not even that into Star Wars.

Aww, look at this cat photobombing Harry and Meghan.

Serial Box is partnering with Marvel to tell new serialized stories about your favorite superheroes

This sounds great and THIS COVER: Cover Reveal: Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland

I love this Wonder Woman spa set.

Game Of Thrones Oreos Are Coming Just In Time For The Final Season

Afternoon Tea (2/26/19)

THIS IS FASCINATING: Have Dark Forces Been Messing With the Cosmos?

The knitting community is reckoning with racism

Why is Young Adult fiction still so afraid of gay sex?

The curse of the Twitter reply guy

I'm so excited for Queen's Shadow: A Guide to the Royal Handmaidens of Naboo

Morning Coffee (2/1/19)

Time for Friday happy links!

Step into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge with New Books, Comics, and Fables

Peter Jackson to Direct Documentary About The Beatles' 'Let It Be' Recording Sessions

AMC theaters to show ‘Black Panther’ for free to celebrate Black History Month

!! Centuries lost ‘Bristol Merlin’ uncovered at city’s Central Library

Oooh, the Criterion Collection is starting a streaming service.

Hahahahaha: All right stop… and listen to Chris Pine rap Vanilla Ice's 'Ice, Ice Baby' for Jimmy Kimmel

Always delightful: The Fug Girls on the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Dr Seuss's thank-you letter to man who saved his first book

Books to read with your favorite cup of tea

Heh: Hot chocolate is wasted on children

Afternoon Tea (12/17/18)

I knew some of this, but seeing it all laid out is quite something: Is the Women’s March Melting Down?

Chris Watts Killed His Family. Then The Love Letters Started Rolling In.

Good background for the Nicole Cliffe thing: A Penthouse Divided

The Year Star Wars Fans Finally Ruined Star Wars

This book sounds really interesting: Is Empowerment Just a Marketing Strategy?

Morning Coffee (11/25/18)

Trump’s Border Stunt Is a Profound Betrayal of Our Military

THIS STORY: As deadly flames approached, a mother called her daughters to say goodbye

This is horrible: Tests Showed Children Were Exposed to Lead. The Official Response: Challenge the Tests

Report: Bill Shine to Get Paid by Fox News and White House Simultaneously

I love Nancy Pelosi, and this makes sense to me: House Democrats don’t need a leader, they need someone to represent them on TV

Oh no: Adoption without parental consent legalised in NSW

Good for them: Somali Workers in Minnesota Force Amazon to Negotiate

Chinese Novelist Sentenced to 10 Years in Jail for Gay Sex Scenes

AMAZING: Man suspected of money laundering after $400,000 found in washing machine

John Williams to Compose New ‘Star Wars’ Music for Disney Parks Attractions

Afternoon Tea (6/15/18)

This story of an Italian cheese-making family was FASCINATING: The Burrata Brothers

Yet again, Alyssa Cole's romance recommendation horoscopes are the only astrology-type thing I care about.

“Younger” Is “Gossip Girl” for the Publishing Industry

Why Harry Potter’s Witch Hats Disappeared and Jedis Wear Robes

From the Fug Girls: The 32 Hottest Players at World Cup 2018: One Very Good Reason to Follow Each Country

Morning Coffee (5/18/18)

Whew, time for a break for some happy Friday links.

Awesome: GLAAD to Publish LGBTQ Children’s Book Series, Starting With ‘Prince & Knight’

Whoa: While out for a jog, she discovered a baby buried alive. Twenty years later, they reunite

She's amazing: Katie Ledecky broke her own 1500m world record by 5 SECONDS like it was nothing

Scholastic to publish original Riverdale fiction and companion books

What . . . year is it? Backstreet Boys say fans 'might get two albums this year'

THIS IS SO CUTE (but I hope she still got her couch): How Two Writers Fell in Love on the 2007 Writers Strike Picket Line

Jasmine Guillory wrote a royal wedding-inspire short story.

And here's a very cute map of the royal wedding procession.

This is fun every year: Find Out What Your Name Would Be if You Were Born Today

Storybook Cosmetics Is Launching Star Wars Makeup Brushes That Look Like Little Lightsabers

Morning Coffee (4/6/18)

Time for some Friday happy links!

The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ Film Returns To Theaters In Honor Of Its 50th Anniversary

Sarah Rees Brennan's amazing In Other Lands is a finalist for Best Young Adult Book at the Hugo awards and in celebration she wrote a parody of The Last Jedi I think you'll enjoy.

This is quite the cast: Josh Charles To Make Broadway Debut In ‘Straight White Men’ With Armie Hammer

!!! NASA Plans to Put Robot Bees on Mars

Whoa: Europe's Highest Escape Room Will Lock You in a Cable Car Thousands of Feet in the Air

Ooh: 23,500 items to be put online to show Prince Albert’s influence on the Victorian Age

11 Cheese Shops You Have to Follow on Instagram

More Reasons to Drink Water: Pretty Glassware

This is a great idea: 6 Supermarket Chocolate Bars for Better Baking

The New Neon Nail Colors

Morning Coffee (3/30/18)

IT'S FRIDAY. Time for some happy links.

Let's start with the important stuff: 10 Pictures of Baby Goats to Get You Ready for Spring

Sometimes sports are great!! Emergency goalie Scott Foster shuts door for Blackhawks against Jets

EXCITED: Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli preview their queer love story What If It's Us

Ooh! Amy Poehler to Direct, Star in and Produce Netflix Comedy 'Wine Country'

Mark Hamill tried to convince William and Harry that Luke should be a prince, everything is amazing.

The first??? But this is a great fit for her: The Duchess of Cambridge becomes the first Royal Patron of the Victoria and Albert Museum

Here's a trailer for Netflix's Troy show, coming next week.

Also: ‘Monty Python’ Heads To Netflix As SVOD Service Picks Up Entire Comedy Catalog

Fug Nation Loves Cute Sandals!

14 Pretty Flower Nail Art Ideas To Celebrate Spring

Afternoon Tea (3/20/18)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi's Kelly Marie Tran Has a Story to Tell

The Strange and Twisted Life of Frankenstein

A Modern Controversy Over Ancient Homosexuality

Should Some Species Be Allowed to Die Out?

Inside the Wild Life of a Royal Correspondent

Morning Coffee (3/16/18)

Time for Friday happy links!

ICYMI, yesterday I wrote about why I liked A Wrinkle in Time so much!

Aaaah, great news from my friend Steph! Netflix is making a movie of her YA horror novel There's Someone Inside Your House. (I generally avoid horror but I really loved this one.)

Hahaha: National Trust apologises to Cornish after appearing to endorse putting cream on scones first

7 Books to Read After Seeing Black Panther

Aw, look at today's George Peabody Google doodle!

Ooh, pretty: These L’Occitane Easter Eggs Are Even Better Than Chocolate Eggs

The Amy Poehler/Nick Offerman crafting show is premiering ON MY BIRTHDAY. That's very thoughtful of them.

Perfect: If Jane Austen Got Feedback From Some Guy In A Writing Workshop

I'm not particularly into animated series but this is quite the voice cast.

The Solo movie is doing some kind of promotion with Solo cups and that's HILARIOUS.

Mae Whitman Is Ready for Taylor Kitsch to Play Her Boyfriend Now I mean, who isn't?

Oscar Project 2018: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Movie: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

I'm a pretty casual Star Wars fan, and/but I liked this quite a lot. My one quibble was that it dragged a bit in places and I thought it could have been tightened up, but I really liked the story and especially the interrogation of the "charming rogue hero" archetype, as well as the weight it put on choice over destiny.

Availability: Still in a few theaters.

Nominated In:
Music (Original Score): I will really never say John Williams DOESN'T deserve a nomination, but more specifically, I thought this score did a great job of incorporating familiar themes while sounding fresh and appropriate for this movie.

Sound Editing: Yep!

Sound Mixing: Yep!

Visual Effects: Yes, absolutely.

Catch up on all my Oscar Project posts.

Morning Coffee (2/7/18)

ICYMI, yesterday's Oscar Project posts: Icarus and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Germany coalition talks: Merkel's conservatives and SPD 'clinch deal'

Here's some good context for that: Fear and Loathing in the Bundestag

Of course: Justice Dept. Office to Make Legal Aid More Accessible Is Quietly Closed

How evil: Trump Evangelical Advisor: No Need for Flu Shots When You Can 'Inoculate Yourself With the Word of God'

What It May Take to Strike a Segregationist’s Name From a Georgia Bridge: Hundreds of Girl Scouts

Falcon Heavy, in a Roar of Thunder, Carries SpaceX’s Ambition Into Orbit

A Primer on the Four Olympic Events Debuting in Pyeongchang

Whoa: Exclusive: Laser Scans Reveal Maya "Megalopolis" Below Guatemalan Jungle

Hmmmm: 'Game of Thrones' Creators to Write New 'Star Wars' Film Series

Ooh, royal jewel drama: Romania Looking for Queen Marie's Lost Jewels

Morning Coffee (2/6/18)

Yesterday's Oscar project posts: The Disaster Artist and Dunkirk

To Counter Russia, U.S. Signals Nuclear Arms Are Back in a Big Way

“Unprecedented”: 9 historians on why Trump’s war with the FBI is so stunning

After Years of Investigation, a Sudden Folding of the Case Against Menendez

Awesome: O Canada: Senate backs gender-neutral changes to national anthem

Good: Larry Nassar Sentenced To Additional 40 To 125 Years In Prison

Wow, good for them: Fox's 'Hate U Give' Actor Dropped From Movie After Racially Charged Remarks (And for those of you who haven't been following this - this movie is explicitly about the Black Lives Matter movement and this actor was found to have racist videos on YouTube, so.)

So sad: ‘Frasier’ Star John Mahoney Dies at 77 If you haven't seen Broken Hearts Club, you should.

Oooh, I really like the Solo trailer!

Where NASA Put a Parking Lot, Dinosaurs and Mammals Once Crossed Paths

USEFUL: How to Get Rid of Those Annoying Mac Update Notifications

Afternoon Tea (1/29/18)

I was DELIGHTED to find out who was behind this: The Creator of Twitter's Emo Kylo Ren Takes Off the Mask (And Eyeliner)

Interesting: Suite on the Set: Film Editors Increasingly Work Alongside Directors During Shoots

The Toxic Rise of the California Strawberry

Ferry across the memories: all aboard the Mersey crossing – in pictures

The Dinner Party That Served Up 50,000-Year-Old Bison Stew

Afternoon Tea (1/24/18)

This was so interesting and I cannot even IMAGINE having to deal with Waugh as a person: 'Brideshead' Revisited & Revised

Star Wars: Episode IX can fill Leia’s absence by embracing its forgotten queen

How a Misfit Group of Computer Geeks and English Majors Transformed Wall Street

I read her book in Italian last year, and this was a neat interview: Jhumpa Lahiri on Writing in Italian

Putting Ancient Recipes on the Plate