Morning Coffee (10/2/14)

Me elsewhere: Manhattan Love Story is terrible. Don't bother.

A British troll was just jailed for his tweets. Here’s why that will (probably!) never happen in the U.S.

This review of A World Without Jews: The Nazi Imagination from Persecution to Genocide is worth a read.

The Difference Between Lena Dunham and Aziz Ansari’s Million-Dollar Book Deals

“He didn’t care if he destroyed himself as long as he hurt you”: The sad, disturbing case of Ed Champion

Frequent PM biographer Anthony Seldon takes a first look at David Cameron.

Here's Derek Jeter's new site.

The Toast's Recipe for Bootstrapping a Profitable Media Business

I am inclining more and more toward this point of view: Free Yourselves from the Shackles of Spoilers!

The Importance of Music to Girls

Morning Coffee (10/1/14)

Happy October!

Me elsewhere: The Karen Gillan/John Cho vehicle Selfie could be good if it ditches its entire premise; a review of this week's Sleepy Hollow.

Whoa: FCC will consider punishing broadcasters for saying 'Redskins'

Sigh: NFL penalizes Muslim player for praying; league says it was wrong

The Toast is hiring Roxane Gay to head up a sister site, The Butter!

‘Twilight’ Will Be Revived via Short Films on Facebook - but perhaps most importantly, they'll be made by aspiring female directors. I know a lot of people are scoffing at more Twilight, but I think it's wonderful that Stephenie Meyer is using her power and platform to help other women in a male-dominated industry.

Sports journalism doesn’t need a girl’s league

Some possibly good publishing news: Someone bought Angry Robot and says he will keep it publishing, save everyone's jobs, etc.

Someone stole an uninsured Degas in Cyprus.

My lawyer friend Christine nitpicks How to Get Away with Murder for you.

Remember the kid who wanted his cat in his yearbook picture? Now his principal (and her dog) are in on it.

Morning Coffee (9/30/14)

Here are a few thoughts on the Outlander midseason finale.

Whoa: Publisher Ellora's Cave has sued blog Dear Author over this post.

Aw, remember the Yahoo! directory? It's finally getting shut down.

The Guardian has redesigned their liveblogs and it's fine I guess but I hate change.

Literary Biography of Jonathan Franzen to Appear Next Year, because of course. "Mr. Franzen doesn’t appear to have led an especially noteworthy life," but remember: When a white man writes about his "ultrasensitive childhood" and "troubled marriage," it's deep.

Nifty: When the Great War became World War I, in one chart

Firefighters Save Family of Hamsters With Tiny Oxygen Masks

I did embarrassingly badly on this Queens of England quiz.

Dirtbag Zeus

Morning Coffee (9/29/14)

Me elsewhere: weekly TV news roundup, pilot review of How to Get Away with Murder, Haven recap: "Spotlight," Bones premiere review.

Aww: The last Mitford sister has died.

Robin Wasserman on adolescence and hysteria: Girl Trouble

Interesting: Readers Predict in 1936 Which Novelists Would Still Be Widely Read in the Year 2000

Look Out Look Out Look Out: The Dark YA Fiction Of The Shangri-Las

Not sure these are all surprising, but they're interesting: 22 maps and charts that will surprise you

Going West: The World of Live Action, Competitive Oregon Trail

The Gibson Girls: The Kardashians of the Early 1900s

Two Monks Invent Denominations

Morning Coffee (9/26/14)

Happy Friday!

New show thoughts: Black-ish. And a few (belated) thoughts on the Outlander wedding episode.

Great news: Science Says A Glass Of Red Wine May Be Equivalent To An Hour At The Gym

The tweet at the top of this made me laugh for a really long time yesterday, and the replies are great too.

I love Sarah Rees Brennan's writing tips.

I can't believe I didn't know about this British Detectives Tumblr until yesterday. It has series! British Detectives Leaning on Cars. British Detectives Thinking. This is everything I've ever wanted.

Perfect: How to Pretend You Read That Article in The New Yorker

30 Awkward Moments Every Short Girl Understands

Signs The Book You’re Reading Is Going To Be A Good One

Visualising Stonehenge

The Onion: Reclusive Deity Hasn’t Written A New Book In 2,000 Years

Morning Coffee (9/25/14)

My new show reviews continue: NCIS: New Orleans

And here are a few thoughts on the Sleepy Hollow premiere.

I'm very proud of the work my dad has done here: A Refuge and a Resource for Veterans

Here's yet another layer of the Emma Watson photo countdown hoax. None of this actually makes it better.

Nigella Lawson's next cookbook has a chapter called "Bowlfood" so therefore I AM IN.

How Gary Hart’s Downfall Forever Changed American Politics

I like Rebecca WAY more than I like Gone Girl but this was interesting anyway: The Original Gone Girl: On Daphne du Maurier and Her Rebecca

Whoa: Napoléon and Joséphine’s marriage contract sold at auction

Let's Talk About the Books You've Pretended to Read (Confession: I call Jane Austen my favorite author but I haven't read Northanger Abbey and I don't think I've ever finished Mansfield Park.)

Morning Coffee (9/24/14)

Two more new show reviews: Gotham and Scorpion

So, it looks like the whole Emma Watson nude picture leak threat (in the wake of her very good speech about feminism) is part of some sort of marketing stunt to lobby against 4chan. Which . . . doesn't actually make it any better, since it's still using sexual terror against women as a tool with no thought to the effects on women. So I'm giving you the two very good posts I'd bookmarked on this issue anyway:
4chan Threatens to Leak Nude Photos of Emma Watson Because She's a Feminist
The sexual threats against Emma Watson are an attack on every woman

"And while we wish we could support the man who once posed nude in our pages, his policy positions just aren't as solid as his abs were in the '80s. We support Jeanne Shaheen for Senate."

This Supreme Court Case Will Decide Whether Companies Can Treat Pregnant Women Like Crap

God, everything is terrible. Okay, this is better: The Rockefeller Family Made Billions from Oil, Now They’re Divesting Over Climate Change

The sign bunny meme, explained

Worried that your favorite new show will get canceled? Don’t panic.

How To Emotionally Devastate A Very Specific Type Of Person

Morning Coffee (9/23/14)

Happy Autumn! Check out the Google Doodle.

Here are two more of my new show reviews at TheTelevixen: Madam Secretary and Forever

And my thoughts on two new movies: This Is Where I Leave You and The Maze Runner

Emily Bazelon is now at the Times, and doing good work as always: A Mother in Jail for Helping Her Daughter Have an Abortion

However: The NYT Apology For Racist Shonda Rhimes Piece Is Bullshit

Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists

Fox’s ‘Red Band Society’ has a weird fantasy of how we pay for medical care

Milliner Philip Somerville has died, and his obituary is fascinating.

Famous Paintings of Jacob Wrestling With the Angel, Ranked By How Much Their Actions Resemble Slow-Dancing

Morning Coffee (9/22/14)

Here's my weekly TV news summary.

I don't know how I missed this Into the Woods trailer, but I'm super excited. And there's a creepy poster, too.

I don't always agree with Todd VanDerWerff, but he's always worth a read, and this is a good list of fall shows to watch and avoid.

Vox's Election Forecast hub is shiny.

Geeks have become their own worst enemies

Confession: This is the sort of thing that makes me clutch my pearls.

The New "Werewolf Cat" Highlights The Complicated Ethics of Breeding

Ten Things to Never Say to a Writer

Hee: The Gothic Novel 1790 – 1830: Index to Motifs

Haven Recap at TheTelevixen: Speak No Evil

Here's my recap of last night's episode of Haven, "Speak No Evil." This episode had some amazing stuff with Duke and Nathan. But I still want Audrey back.