Hey friends: In 2018, I’m planning to occasionally spotlight a “song of the day.” Here are all the postings, starting with most recent. Overview For each song I spotlight, I will write a brief description of the song and my reaction to it. The songs will not necessarily be my favorite songs, but they will…
If there was ever a writer who should be allowed to run amok on a movie, with no apparent oversight or control, that writer is not Aaron Sorkin. It pains me to say this, both because I’m a fan of his and because 2017 desperately needs some good movies at the end of the year,…
Download link (you may have to right click and “Save As”) It’s been a mere six months since the Beercast bid its listeners a fond adieu, but I decided the time was ripe to share a little gem from the Earn This vaults: A special, “live” Beercast from the 2015 LoCo Brewfest in Ashburn, VA.…
No worries; I am here to expand our already robust coverage of Adventure Time: Will ranked the 25 best episodes through Season 6 and Brian assembled an excellent primer on the show and its appeal. In fact, I suggest you go read Brian’s article instead of this one; his analysis of the show’s strengths and weaknesses…
Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the debut of Gossip Girl, which should make all of us feel old. Since this show was one of the formative ones of my adolescence (which probably explains a lot about me), I feel compelled to eulogize it in an excessively long look back. You’ve been warned. In the mid-2000s,…
I have a vague recollection of Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical becoming, in 2006, a tween “cult hit” (if that’s even a thing) that gradually became so popular it moved into “crossover hit” territory. The plot is as broadly sketched and predictable as you’d expect, though I still admire that it only took us…
Two items have inspired this post: Today is Harry Potter’s birthday, and my daughter was born earlier this month. The first connection should be pretty obvious, but the latter is important because I’ve been reading the series aloud to her (through three books already!) I will happily discuss these rankings in more detail if anyone…
This is my review of Hamiltony, part 2 of “Fulfilling My Hamiltonian Destiny.” Read part 1, detailing my winding path to seeing the musical at Rodgers Theater. Hamilton is marvelous. It exceeded my fairly astronomical expectations. Writer and star Lin-Manual Miranda is a certifiable genius. A significant portion of its charm derives from its central conceit:…
Download link (you may have to right click and “Save As”) It’s a bittersweet Beercast, and not just because we’re drinking a Trappist IPA. With Colton moving to the west coast and Dan prepping for a baby, the three original beercasters sit down for a Colton-curated epic showdown. You won’t want to miss the twist…
10. Butterfly Album-ending acoustic numbers are a bit of a tacky tradition. They’re usually throwaways, even when they’re good. “Butterfly” is fine on its own, but shines as a great closer in the context of the album — the hangover after the hand-wringing and self-flagellation that precedes it, charged with guilt and shame. I’ll also…