Morning Coffee (2/28/13)

This is basically the EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE edition. I'm sorry. I will find you a whole list of happy/fun/cute Friday links to make up for it tomorrow.

Please read Fringe actress Jasika Nicole on Quvenzhane Wallis and her own experiences with a "difficult" name, as well as her feelings about the running joke in which her character's name was constantly gotten wrong by an older white male character.

No seriously, if I tell you that her story included things that make me like Joshua Jackson more than I ever had before, will you please read it? Thanks.

Disturbing but important: Photographer as Witness: A Portrait of Domestic Violence

House of Cads: The psycho-sexual ordeal of reporting in Washington (And a lot of other places, really.)

Related: You should be following the Said to Lady Journos Tumblr.

Sexism Fatigue: When Seth MacFarlane Is a Complete Ass and You Don’t Even Notice

Attacked at 19 by an Air Force Trainer, and Speaking Out

The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food

Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us

This piece about the mob in Naples is a little older, but I just read it because it's being developed into a movie, and it's fascinating: The Camorra Never Sleeps

Morning Coffee (2/27/13)

My friend Beck wrote a lovely riff on the controversy over Ben Affleck's "marriage as work" thing.

Downton Abbey as Super Nintendo game! Amazing.

Fascinating: From Women's Page to Style Section

Bill Cunningham's Big Gay Heart

Hee: Pixar Star Trek

Can Knitting Give You a Runner's High?

I did not really know anything about Oscar Wilde's marriage.

Love in Amish Country

Morning Coffee (2/26/13)

I did a fun Oscars Round Table with some friends yesterday.

The Madness Underneath is out today, so you should read this profile of author Maureen Johnson. And then buy the book immediately.

Why Seth MacFarlane and The Onion’s Jokes About Quvenzhané Wallis Are So Gross

Murders Without Murderers: Reeva Steenkamp And The Myth Of The Sudden Snap

Diversity in YA has relaunched as a Tumblr!

Fascinating: Father Yod Knew Best

Winston Churchill’s plan to fight Nazis with massive aircraft carriers made from ice

Sad but compelling: A Loaded Gun: A mass shooter's tragic past

Morning Coffee (2/25/13)

Ah, Monday again. If you missed the Oscars, you can catch up with my liveblogs of the red carpet and the show itself.

Quvenzhane Wallis will star in Annie. As long as she can sing, I think this is good news.

John Brascia, who danced with Vera-Ellen in White Christmas, has died.

Fascinating: The babies who nap in sub-zero temperatures

Favorite entertainment headline of the week: Huckleberry Pie Joins 'Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures' (Exclusive Video) (It's the "exclusive video" that pushes it over the top, somehow.)

Knitters, this is brilliant and so obvious in retrospect: No more estimating tail length for a long tail CO

Hilarious and sad: Cultural Appropriation Bingo

Related: Malinda Lo On Why White Creators Default To Colorblindness

Music Break: "Fortyfive"

This song was used on Elementary a few weeks ago, and I had to look it up immediately.

Morning Coffee (2/22/13)

Happy Friday!

Oscar Pistorius and the Global System of Deadly Misogyny

The curious case of Reeva Steenkamp’s boyfriend

This 7-figure book deal is described as both "a fantasy trilogy inspired in part by Barack Obama" and "a female version of George R.R. Martin's 'Game of Thrones,'" so I think someone is just playing MadLibs at this point.

I love the Royal Mail's new Jane Austen stamps.

Rachael Ray is launching a book imprint. Has anyone warned her that books can't be made in 30 minutes?

Slate breaks down Oscar acceptance speeches.

My Father, "All That Jazz," The 1980 Oscars — And Me

This is possibly the best advice column ever.

Morning Coffee (2/21/13)

Nebula and Norton Nominees!

This story about Norwegian firewood and a book and TV show about it is probably the best thing you'll read all day.

If you're up in arms about the Hilary Mantel/Duchess of Cambridge thing, read this. Short version: Mantel was mostly criticizing the media coverage of the royal family, not any individual.

Kelly Clarkson and the Simple Economics of Marginalizing the White House Press Corps

On Charlotte Lucas's Choice

Did you know there was a record for world's longest curly fry? Neither did I.

I now desperately want a Mahler biopic starring Colbert.

Some good choices here: G-Rated Moments of Swoon

If you like White Collar, you should watch this immediately.

GETTING SNUGGLY WITH MATT AND TIM.

Morning Coffee (2/20/13)

I can't even express the extent to which I agree with this: Stop Apologizing for What You Like to Read

Tony Sheridan has died. You know, the other Beatle. No, the other one. No, the other other one.

I don't believe in astrology at all, but this profile of Susan Miller is fascinating anyway.

Speaking of profiles, don't miss Connie Britton in the Times.

I loved Rainbow Brite cereal.

I also love coats.

Crime is bad and all, but this diamond heist sounds like something out of a movie.

Body of Proof returned last night, and if you're a fan, you should read June Thomas on the reboot.

Morning Coffee (2/19/13)

Cult premieres on the CW tonight. Here's my take.

Ooh, I hope this Queen Elizabeth documentary makes it to this side of the pond.

Ugh: Fashion Week's Models Are Getting Whiter

A great read from Glen Weldon: Man Of Tomorrow: Superman, Orson Scott Card And Me

Eee, Bane Chronicles info!

9 Very Specific Rules from Real Libraries

How "I Saw Her Standing There" Brought Rawness Back to Rock

A Multiplicity of Voices: On the Polyphonic Novel