Morning Coffee (8/2/19)

The Ripped Bodice Bookstore Announces New Award for Romance Fiction

Pioneering Investigative Journalist Nellie Bly Gets Her Own Monument

Watch the trailer for the lush adaptation of Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sanditon

Lizzo: Tiny Desk Concert

Ooh: PBS Orders Rita Moreno Documentary from Norman Lear and Lin-Manuel Miranda

Helen Mirren wields 'absolute power' in HBO's Catherine the Great trailer

Sandhya Menon's New YA Series Kicks Off With A 'Beauty & The Beast' Retelling Titled 'Of Curses And Kisses'

Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth wage war in gripping 1917 trailer

‘They’re coming to you’: A man played his sax for a herd of cows, and they loved it

10 Adorable Bookish T-Shirts for Your Casual Friday Attire

Afternoon Tea (3/20/19)

This is wild: Rascal Flatts restaurants failed nationwide. Did a Mafia soldier pull the strings?

This filmmaker spent months interviewing neo-Nazis and jihadists. Here’s what she learned.

Masha and Keith Gessen on Writing About Russia

The Hottest Chat App for Teens Is … Google Docs

Impostor/Abuser: Power Dynamics in Publishing

Morning Coffee (3/12/19)

Shocker: Trump proposes big cuts to health programs for poor, elderly and disabled

Reminder: The president regularly spends the weekend hobnobbing privately with rich clients

The anti-Semitism crisis tearing the UK Labour Party apart, explained

The Trouble With Biden

Hampshire College, a Child of the Sixties, Faces Its “Visioning Problem”

High tech connects Iditarod fans to the off-the-grid sled-dog race

Stop stealing other people's artifacts! Babylonian treasure seized at Heathrow to be returned to Iraq

A new Miss Marple show??

Oh neat: Library Of Congress And Ken Burns Team On Historical Documentary Prize

Scientists Thread A Nano-Needle To Modify The Genes Of Plants

Afternoon Tea (3/4/19)

What's Next For New Yorker Reporter Jane Mayer?

Leaving Neverland Puts Victims First

One Twin Committed the Crime — but Which One? A New DNA Test Can Finger the Culprit

I’m a Journalist. Apparently, I’m Also One of America’s “Top Doctors.”

I'm So Sorry, But Here's How Some Male Authors For Really Real Described Women In Books

Morning Coffee (2/21/19)

‘I am dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on earth’: A self-proclaimed white nationalist planned a mass terrorist attack, the government says

Anti-Semitic Attacks Fuel Continuing Rise in Hate Crimes in New York

Trump is exploiting the Venezuela crisis in order to win the 2020 presidential election

Reports say Robert Mueller could conclude his Trump-Russia investigation next week

Northern Ireland police accused of concealing data on loyalist killings

Welp: Fox News Rejected an Oscar-Nominated Documentary’s Ad Over Nazi Imagery, but It Doesn’t Always Seem to Bother Them

America’s Insanely Expensive Child Care Is a Serious Economic Problem

Amazon’s $0 corporate income tax bill last year, explained

Good! #OscarsSoWhite Creator April Reign to Attend Academy Awards: "I Feel Immense Pride"

Women in Music? The Song Remains the Same, Annenberg Study Shows

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

Morning Coffee (1/28/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

If you're trying to catch up on the situation in Venezuela, the Guardian has a bunch of good coverage here.

This is terrible: Japan Upholds Law Requiring Sterilization for Trans People

Wow: Canada fired its Chinese ambassador over remarks regarding arrested Huawei executive

Not a Man 2020

Trump is undoing the diversity of the federal bench

The details here are yet another example of a woman going to great lengths to defend the patriarchy she herself has been a victim of: Joni Ernst says she turned down chance to be Donald Trump's vice-president

How Abortion Law in New York Will Change, and How It Won’t

HA: People Strongly Against GMOs Had Shakier Understanding Of Food Science, Study Finds

Ooh: Freddie Fox & Anna Chancellor To Star In BBC Feature Doc About Oscar Wilde

Morning Coffee (12/14/18)

FRIDAY HAPPY LINKS.

!!! Get a first look at Netflix's Carmen Sandiego animated series

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Here's When the Mr. Rogers Documentary 'Won't You Be My Neighbor?' Premieres on HBO (and PBS!)

Ooh, Taylor Swift's Reputation tour movie will be on Netflix on New Year's Eve!

Tegan and Sara are writing a memoir!

Olympic figure skater Eric Radford is starting a gorgeous music career

This sounds great! Announcing IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY by Claire Kann!

Have a Gouda Time: There is a cheese theme park in South Korea with cheese wheel buildings and it’s just as glorious as it sounds

Fug Nation Loves Super Cozy Jammies!

Time-wasting quiz of the day: Which Dewey Decimal Number Are You?

Okay, one more: Which Ice Dance Team Should You Check Out?

Afternoon Tea (8/21/18)

This is fascinating and I will definitely watch the movie that I'm sure is already in the works: Saving Lives With Tech Amid Syria’s Endless Civil War

The Greatest Upset in Quiz Show History

7 Spots in Singapore Every 'Crazy Rich Asians' Fan Needs to See

Crime [Fiction] in Closed Societies

Every time I watch a documentary I think "I should see more documentaries," so this looks useful: 18 New Documentaries to See in 2018

Morning Coffee (8/17/18)

Time to take a break for Friday happy links!

Okay, first one that isn't EXACTLY happy, but very hopeful: ‘City Of Joy’ Trailer: Netflix Documentary Looks At Remarkable Women’s Center In East Congo

This production sounds great: In This ‘Oklahoma!,’ She Loves Her and He Loves Him

Tyler Hoechlin is doing a rom-com with Alexandra Daddario!!

Look at these delightful new Georgette Heyer covers!

Ally Carter on a decade in YA and her advice-driven new book Dear Ally

You will enjoy this list of things people have asked for at a library circulation desk.

Has ever the name of a skin care product been so appealing? No. The New boscia Rosewater Mist With Witch Hazel Does It All

This is adorable: Seth Rogen’s Mom Is Twitter’s Ultimate Jewish Mother

The One 'Cure-all' Beauty Product Meghan Markle Always Packs Is Only $10

I'm not even into Hello Kitty but this Converse collaboration is very cute.

Morning Coffee (8/3/18)

Time for some Friday happy links!

Eeee! Hillary Clinton, Steven Spielberg Bringing Women's Voting Drama to TV

!! A 10-year-old named Clark Kent beat a record that Michael Phelps held for 23 years

This book was great and this is very exciting! ‘The Kiss Quotient’: Pilgrim Media Group Acquires Book Rights For Film & TV

In what role??? Sony’s ‘Little Women’ Adaptation Adds ‘Flatliners’ Actor James Norton

This is adorable: Topher Grace Recut ‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy as a 2-Hour Movie to Clear His Head After Playing David Duke

It's Friday. Let’s Just Gaze Upon Sam Heughan For a Bit

Huh, H&M has a collection with GP & J Baker.

Ooh interesting: New BBC documentary about Princess Margaret in the works

Canadian Eatery Puts Tiny Chairs Around the Little ‘Table’ That Comes Inside Pizza Boxes

Who Would You Be In a YA Fantasy Novel?

Morning Coffee (6/3/18)

Chris Hayes: What ‘Law and Order’ Means to Trump

Congressional Candidate In Virginia Admits He’s A Pedophile

The Equestrian Coach Who Minted Olympians, and Left a Trail of Child Molestation

Heh: Hottest Heads of State Explains: Missouri Governor Eric Greitens

Which Pollsters To Trust In 2018

For ‘Columbiners,’ School Shootings Have a Deadly Allure

Italy’s Political Crisis: The Danger It Poses for the Global Economy

HBO Reteams With Alex Gibney To Chronicle Fall Of Elizabeth Holmes’ Theranos Company

Goop’s Winning Retail Formula? It Doesn’t Have to Pay for Its Stores

5 Tips for Buying Cheese at the Counter

Morning Coffee (4/13/18)

HEY IT'S FINALLY FRIDAY. Let's take a break for some happy links!

ICYMI, important ice cream news: FRIENDLY'S HAS CHIPWICHES NOW

This from the Fug Girls is hilarious and also made me tear up: This Is The Rehearsal Dinner Toast Meghan Markle Deserves

Ooh: Buffy the Vampire Slayer getting new book series from Simon Pulse (by Kiersten White!)

Here Are Images of the First Stellar Remnant Found Beyond the Milky Way

Here's a great thread of famous people modeling for knitting patterns.

The 7 Things We Know About Starbucks’ Most Secretive Store

‘Mercury 13’ Trailer: Learn About The Hidden Women Of NASA’s Mercury Project

These Wonder Woman Makeup Brushes Are Fierce

Sarah Rees Brennan on Georgette Heyer makes me need to go read some Georgette Heyer.

Neat: Strand Book Store Is Hosting An Exhibit On Notable Book Covers Of The Last Decade With Penguin Random House

I am obsessed with this Truly Devious photoset.

Morning Coffee (4/12/18)

Raid on Trump’s Lawyer Sought Records on ‘Access Hollywood’ Tape

Paul Ryan's Awful Legacy

Bank of America to Stop Financing Makers of Military-Style Guns

What We Know And Don’t Know About Election Hacking

In a New Cold War With Russia, Balkans Become a Testing Ground

And a different kind of raid: European Authorities Raid Offices of 21st Century Fox Unit

The biggest Jewish gay “conversion therapy” organization has been operating in secret after US courts shut it down

I see some flaws in this plan: Man tries to woo Taylor Swift by robbing bank and throwing loot over her fence

WHAT OH NO: NECCO-Mania: Fans Stock Up On Chalky Wafers In Case Candy Company Folds

Ooh: ‘Bobby Kennedy For President’ Trailer: Netflix Docuseries Details Dashed Dream

Morning Coffee (3/25/18)

Marchers across the US united in plan for pro-gun politicians: 'Vote them out'

Photos From the ‘March for Our Lives’ Protests Around the World

Carles Puigdemont, former Catalan president, 'detained'

A new study finds more women now lean Democratic

In Brazil, nostalgia grows for the dictatorship — not the brutality, but the law and order

A Curveball From the New Tax Law: It Makes Baseball Trades Harder

Genetic tests reveal tragic reality of Atacama 'alien' skeleton

15th Century Pot of Gold (and Silver) Found in the Netherlands

Ooh: Netflix Nabs ‘Bobby Kennedy for President’ Documentary Series

Neat: Google Maps for iOS now shows restaurant waiting times

Morning Coffee (3/14/18)

Wow: Pennsylvania House Race, in a District Trump Won by 20 Points, Is Too Close to Call

Trump ousts Tillerson, will replace him as secretary of state with CIA chief Pompeo

ICE Spokesman Resigns, Saying He Could No Longer Spread Falsehoods for Trump Administration

The Senate's Anti-Sex Trafficking Bill Is a Disaster for Basically Everything It Touches

Sad news: Stephen Hawking Dies at 76; His Mind Roamed the Cosmos

!! Man Arrested in 1986 Murder of Massachusetts Teenager

I get why, but SIGH: The Crown Paid Its Queen Elizabeth Less Than Its Prince Philip

Court Rejects Tech Bro Gender Discrimination Suit Against Yahoo

Uh: Greece Suspends Soccer League After Team Owner Invades Field With Gun

This documentary about piano students in Ireland looks great.

Morning Coffee (3/13/18)

These package bombings in Austin are scary - stay safe, friends! The Austin Statesman is posting updates here.

Russia tries to entice voters to polls to prop up Putin's legitimacy

WHAT A SHOCK: Despite Mueller’s Push, House Republicans Declare No Evidence of Collusion

Trump administration broke the law by failing to implement smog rule, federal court rules

After Bragging About Broadcom Jobs, Trump Kills Its Qualcomm Deal Over 'National Security' Risk

James Levine’s Final Act at the Met Ends in Disgrace

Hubert de Givenchy Dies at 91; Fashion Pillar of Romantic Elegance

NASA’s Juno Probe Peers Into Jupiter’s Mysterious Atmosphere and Polar Regions

This sounds interesting: ‘Half the Picture’ Documentary on Female Directors Sells to Gravitas

Huh: Scientology TV Network Sets Launch On DirecTV, Apple, Roku And Amazon

Morning Coffee (3/2/18)

WE MADE IT TO FRIDAY. Time for happy links!

ICYMI, yesterday's Oscar Project posts: My Nephew Emmett, War for the Planet of the Apes, The Big Sick

Oh good: Last Men in Aleppo producer gets last-minute visa to attend Oscars

I AM EXCITED: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery unveils new gameplay trailer

Aah, Ta-Nehisi Coates is writing Captain America!

This looks so good: ‘Final Portrait’ Trailer: Geoffrey Rush Paints Armie Hammer

Whoa, I've never seen a full list of what's in the Oscar gift bag before. It's . . . a lot.

Dolly Parton likes to give away books. She just donated her 100 millionth.

L’Occitane’s 2018 Solidarity Balm Helps Support Women In Achieving Their Professional Dreams (a. this is a good cause and b. I didn't know you could buy LITERALLY ANYTHING from L'Occitane for $6.)

Someone go and report back! Domesday Book is coming to the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms exhibition

Heh: Even Oprah Has to Spell Her Name at Starbucks

Yes, sure, I'll try rosé hard cider.

Oscar Project 2018: Faces Places

Movie: Faces Places

I was NOT looking forward to this documentary from the descriptions I've read, but it wound but being completely charming and engaging. It's about French director Agnes Varda (now in her 80s, with failing eyesight) traveling around France with young photographer JR, turning portraits of people they meet into giant murals. Along the way, they get the stories of factory workers, waitresses, dock workers, farmers, and more, often detailing the way that life in various industries is changing. It's a fascinating look at French life, and the relationship between Varda and JR is touching and compelling.

Availability: Available for digital purchase.

Nominated In:
Documentary (Feature): Yes. It didn't deal with a Big Issue the way the other nominees here did, but it was just so GOOD.

Catch up on all my Oscar Project posts.

Oscar Project 2018: Knife Skills

Movie: Knife Skills

This documentary short is about the founding of a restaurant in Cleveland that aspires to be a world-class French restaurant - and is also staffed almost entirely by people recently out of prison. It's an interesting, worthwhile project, and the film does a pretty good job of showcasing the good it does while not ignoring the problems and trainees who didn't work out. And it's certainly fun to watch (some of the) people with no cooking experience discover that they love restaurant life. The deadline of the restaurant opening gives this nice momentum.

Availability: Available for rental or purchase. Find out how to see all the shorts here.

Nominated In:
Documentary (Short Subject): Sure.

Catch up on all my Oscar Project posts.