John’s favorite entertainers of the Aughts (Commentary)
First, my top 10 entertainers. These are the people (and one fictional robot) who put a smile on my face in every project they tackled.
Books
The really cool stuff of the Aughts wasn’t found in the mainstream (Commentary)
Time Magazine called it the “decade from hell,” but Entertainment Weekly argued, in its latest issue, what about the entertainment? However, they failed to make their own case. The Aughts really was a bad decade […]
Klosterman’s ‘Eating the Dinosaur’ crystallizes this hazy world we live in (Book review)
There aren’t many things I enjoy more than cracking open a new book of Chuck Klosterman essays. I read his latest volume, “Eating the Dinosaur,” in two sittings; it would’ve been one sitting, but I […]
Is ‘Dollhouse’ channeling Philip K. Dick?
TV and books commentary: A modern SF TV master draws inspiration from a past literary master.
In ‘Juliet, Naked,’ Nick Hornby lays bare the funny side of music snobbery (Book review)
Nick Hornby taps into a gold mine of insider humor in “Juliet, Naked” by making fun of extreme levels of music snobbery. Hornby invents a cult-favorite 1980s musician named Tucker Crowe and provides so much analytical […]
‘24’ TV show could learn something from ‘24’ novels (Book commentary)
You know, when I watch “24,” I usually make fun of it, and I don’t get any satisfaction from doing that. But it’s different from other downhill-progressing shows, because every season represents a completely fresh start. Because […]
How crucial is continuity in franchise storytelling? (Commentary)
I’m curious to hear from my readers on this one: How important is it to you that a franchise has continuity between each of its installments? I ask this because two of my favorite sagas […]
Mystery, mysticism and politics: Denning’s ‘Abyss’ continues the ‘Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi’ series (Book review)
The early “Star Wars” novels — “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye” and the “Han Solo Adventures” — followed the lead of “A New Hope,” where adventure was the writer’s main concern. With “Heir to the […]
Preston & Child do their usual, compelling ‘Dance’ — this time with zombies (Book review)
I used to describe Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child as “like Michael Crichton, only better.” I now know that’s a simplistic comparison, but it’s still useful. The late, great Crichton’s “Lost World” came out in 1995, and […]
Entertainment I discovered after getting a tip from someone: A top 15 list (Commentary)
Part of the purpose of this blog is to let you know about cool stuff in the entertainment world. The blog’s main purpose, of course, is it gives me something to do. But also, it’s […]