Arts + Culture
Books
'To the Next Generation of Rebel Voices'
The late historian Howard Zinn brought a new approach to college history departments—and youth activism—around the country.
By Michael Corcoran, Tuesday February 2, 2010
Books
From Grrrls to Womyn
How modern rock women found their voices through the riot grrrl movement in the 1990s.
By Erin Polgreen, Friday January 29, 2010
Films + TV
Second Homeland
A new PBS documentary will examine New Orleans’ Vietnamese immigrant community, a group that faced a battle over a toxic landfill after Hurricane Katrina.
By Kim Leung, Wednesday January 27, 2010
Mock U
Jesse and Tad's Excellent Credit Adventures
Could an AmEx card marketed to twentysomethings be any more absurd?
By Jesse Singal, Wednesday January 13, 2010
underreview
Under Review: 'Real World D.C.'
An openly bisexual cast member on D.C.‘s real world is making the personal political among a cast that seems otherwise short on civic engagement.
By Kay Steiger, Friday January 8, 2010
Films + TV
About Avatar ...
James Cameron’s new film may not suck, exactly, but it was still unimaginative.
By Jesse Singal, Wednesday January 6, 2010
Field Report
Teach for America Dropouts
Despite Obama’s hopes, some Teach for America alumni say the program is deeply flawed. Some even leave before the end of their two-year commitments.
By Kristi Eaton, Tuesday January 5, 2010
underreview
Under Review: Soldiers in the War on Christmas
Each year, the volume of “War on Christmas” coverage briefly edges out coverage of real wars. Here’s a look at some of the scuffles from this year.
By Kay Steiger, Cord Jefferson, and Erin Rosa, Friday December 18, 2009
Know Your Right-Wing Ideologues
Comedian Steven Crowder
The bigoted and frighteningly violent conservative Internet sensation is far from being just for laughs.
By Delaney Rohan, Wednesday December 16, 2009
Books
Where Activism is Born
A new book examines the activism of high school students in 2002. The study is an early indicator of young activists today.
By Erin Rosa, Monday December 14, 2009
underreview
Under Review: Cafeteria Horror Stories
This week, America discovered its school lunches are more dangerous and unhealthy than a Burger King Whopper. Today, horrible cafeteria food is under review.
By Andrew Bluebond, Drew Seman, Arielle Fleisher, and a Virginia public schoolteacher, Friday December 11, 2009
Field Report
Facebook Won't Kill the Class Reunion
Some think Facebook eliminates the need for face-to-face meetups with former classmates, but online networking actually makes people more likely to want to see each other in person.
By Tanya Paperny, Thursday December 10, 2009
Field Report
Tea Partying
Yes, the Tea Party documentary is negligible, but its fans aren’t.
By Jake Blumgart, Monday December 7, 2009
Films + TV
What 'Dexter' Can Teach America
In its new season, Showtime’s ‘Dexter’ is slyly taking on the death penalty.
By Andrew Bluebond, Wednesday November 25, 2009
Films + TV
Don't Take It Seriously
The latest Twilight movie isn’t just some silly love story. It strays uncomfortably close to a morality tale that teaches all the wrong lessons.
By Emily Rutherford, Monday November 23, 2009
underreview
Under Review: A Brief History of Fox News' Fibbing
After being caught lying twice in the past two weeks, Fox News and its tendency to be untruthful are under review.
By Cord Jefferson and Andrew Bluebond, Friday November 20, 2009
underreview
Under Review: VideOhNos
This week, we pull the plug on three terribly regressive music videos.
By Cord Jefferson, Kay Steiger, and Becca Russell-Einhorn, Friday November 13, 2009
Field Report
I Need a Heroine
It’s been a long and rocky road for super heroines. But thanks to intrepid online activism and a new generation of creators, it might finally be their time to shine.
By Erin Polgreen, Thursday November 12, 2009
underreview
Under Review: The Troubling Resurgence of Blackface
This week, we bear witness against the recent barrage of pop culture minstrelsy.
By Cord Jefferson, Kay Steiger, Delaney Rohan, and Andrew Bluebond, Friday November 6, 2009
Books
Jim Cramer’s Mad Memory
In his new book, CNBC’s shamed business expert ostensibly forgets a decade’s worth of duplicity and failures.
By Michael Corcoran, Monday November 2, 2009
underreview
Under Review: Google's Wave Crashes
This week, we finally experienced Google Wave—and we hated it. Also under review: Facebook’s latest status update.
By Cord Jefferson and Becca Russell-Einhorn, Friday October 30, 2009
Ask the Expert
'Toon Man
Jen Sorensen speaks with preeminent political cartoonist Tom Tomorrow about the past, the present, and the precarious future.
By Jen Sorensen, Thursday October 29, 2009
Field Report
Webcomics: the Female Geekdom
Thanks to online media, artists can make a living creating webcomics, and female artists are taking advantage of it.
By Erin Polgreen, Wednesday October 28, 2009
Five Minutes With
Barbara Ehrenreich
The author of Nickel and Dimed has a new book out that critiques “look on the bright side” culture in America.
By Jake Blumgart, Tuesday October 27, 2009
underreview
A Black Man Enters the Heart of Whiteness
An African-American author enters America’s whitest cities and emerges with a fantastic book. Also under review: Chuck Klosterman’s relatable new collection of essays, Creed’s latest and lamest, and the most heartwarming new blog around.
By Cord Jefferson, Kay Steiger, and Delaney Rohan, Friday October 23, 2009
Films + TV
The Good, the Bad, and the Hypocrisy of Good Hair
Chris Rock’s new documentary takes a comedic glimpse at black hair politics.
By Latoya Peterson, Thursday October 22, 2009
underreview
A Seriously Underwhelming Coen Brothers Movie
The Coen brothers return with their most awkwardly intimate film yet. Also under review: Barack Obama and his Nobel Peace Prize.
By Cord Jefferson and Becca Russell-Einhorn, Friday October 16, 2009
Five Minutes With
PETA
The infamously unapologetic animal rights group talks about its controversial advertising and its new campaign against the biggest offender in factory farming: McDonald’s.
By Cord Jefferson, Thursday October 15, 2009
underreview
Harry Connick, Jr., Special Envoy to the State Dept?
Harry Connick, Jr. displays some good old American fortitude in Australia. Also under review: The danceable, dour xx, the newest Stargate iteration, and Vince et al.‘s syrupy conclusion.
By Paula O'Sullivan, Daniel Strauss, Delaney Rohan, and Becca Russell-Einhorn, Friday October 9, 2009
underreview
Moore Still Forgetting Less Is More
Michael Moore’s heavy-handedness almost bankrupts his new attack on corporate America. Also under review: The twangy Monsters of Folk, the new season of Dollhouse, and a brief interview with the not so hideous John Krasinski.
By Dylan Matthews, Daniel Strauss, Delaney Rohan, and Becca Russell-Einhorn, Friday October 2, 2009
underreview
Let’s Face It, the Emmys Still Suck
Neil Patrick-Harris might be fantastic, but his hosting isn’t enough to save a tiresome awards show. Also under review: the CW’s Vampire Diaries and Twilight as assigned reading.
By Becca Russell-Einhorn, Katie Andriulli, and Emily Rutherford, Friday September 25, 2009
Ask the Expert
My Own Personal Jefferson
New York Times blogger Maria Kalman discusses the process of creating her illustrations that blend American history with her own personal history.
By Emily Rutherford, Tuesday September 22, 2009
underreview
Kanye, Interrupted
We also review Glee, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and black-and-white comedies.
By Becca Russell-Einhorn, Drew Seman, Delaney Rohan, and Jake Blumgart, Friday September 18, 2009
Opinions
Rating the iPhone's Top 25 Free Apps
Apple has a list of “top 25” free applications for the iPhone, but how good are they?
By Drew Seman, Thursday September 17, 2009
underreview
Community College Just Got Funnier
Also under review: a new sex workers’ blog and Shaq’s latest reality show.
By Katie Andriulli, Kay Steiger, and Drew Seman, Friday September 4, 2009
Opinions
Picking Up the Check
One conservative writer complains that modern dating is in chaos. Her solution? Return to the days when women were passive.
By Kay Steiger, Tuesday September 1, 2009
underreview
We Review Netroots Nation
Also under review: The new movie Julie & Julia and the Dollhouse DVD.
By Kay Steiger, Emily Rutherford, and Daniel Strauss, Friday August 14, 2009
underreview
The Latest Attack on EFCA
Also under review: a profile of Michael Savage, Chuck Todd ventures outside, the best Posthumous album to date, and the D.C. yogurt scene.
By Jake Blumgart, Matt Zeitlin, Emily Rutherford, Ryan Lester, and Kate Callahan, Friday July 31, 2009
underreview
Making Science Cool Again
Also under review: the best Iraq war film to date, the lame-ass newseum, Salvadorian food, and Fred Kaplan’s latest hit.
By Kay Steiger, Daniel Strauss, Emily Rutherford, Jake Blumgart, and Matt Zeitlin, Friday July 17, 2009
Books
Bipartisan Values: Envy and Greed
A conversation with Grant Ginder, a young writer whose new book has been pegged by some as a “morality tale.”
By Kay Steiger, Wednesday July 8, 2009
underreview
The Aftermath of the D.C. Metro Crash
Also Under Review: a new visual history of the labor movement and classic bookstores and books.
By Daniel Strauss, Jake Blumgart, Emily Rutherford, and Matt Zeitlin, Thursday July 2, 2009
underreview
Infinite Book Club
Also Under Review: American history, the film that should’ve won Best Foreign Language Film, and the latest Top Chef spinoff.
By Ned Resnikoff, Emily Rutherford, Jake Blumgart, and Kay Steiger, Friday June 26, 2009
underreview
It’s Not Buffy Without Joss Whedon
Also Under Review: HBO’s latest sports show fiasco, RuPaul’s pride performance, Future of the Left’s new album, and Afghanistan’s American Idol.
By Jake Blumgart, Matt Zeitlin, Emily Rutherford, Ned Resnikoff, and Kay Steiger, Friday June 19, 2009
underreview
Under Review
TV On The Radio, Bing, an incredible Russian blog, and more
By Campus Progress, Friday June 12, 2009
Opinions
An Intern’s Guide to D.C.
How to dodge the District’s gunfire—and jumbo slices—during your summer internship.
By Jesse Singal, Thursday June 11, 2009
underreview
Under Review
The MTV Movie Awards, Obama’s speech, brain-destroying video games, and more
By Campus Progress, Friday June 5, 2009
underreview
Under Review
We review a new book on Columbine, a record by Dirty Projectors, and the latest incarnation of Newsweek
By Campus Progress, Friday May 22, 2009
underreview
Under Review
We review guilty pleasure TV shows and Internet memes, as well as a trendy new season
By Campus Progress, Friday May 15, 2009
Films + TV
Community College on the Small Screen
Can NBC’s upcoming community-college show reroute a tired conversation?
By Jesse Singal, Wednesday May 13, 2009
Opinions
White Washing
M. Night Shyamalan’s new film casts white actors in what are clearly meant to be Asian roles.
By Julianne Henry, Monday May 11, 2009
underreview
Under Review
We review the latest Star Trek, the Dalai Lama, and comic book movies
By Campus Progress, Friday May 8, 2009
underreview
Under Review
We review an addictive board game, a guilty-pleasure reality show, and more.
By Campus Progress, Friday May 1, 2009
underreview
Under Review
We review a NYT blog, the fruit of Diddy’s labor, and more.
By Campus Progress, Friday April 24, 2009
underreview
Under Review
We review Bo Obama, a zombie Jane Austen, a new cop show, and more
By Campus Progress, Friday April 17, 2009
underreview
Under Review
This week: Gay Legos, spandex pants, a graphic novel, and more.
By Campus Progress, Friday April 10, 2009
Films + TV
A New Face of Comedy
Sarah Haskins is proving you can be feminist and funny.
By Kay Steiger, Wednesday April 8, 2009
Films + TV
From Cinderella to Spider-Man
Five sexist stereotypes in modern-day films that get to the heart of gender inequalities.
By Sarah Karlin, Tuesday April 7, 2009
underreview
Under Review
This week: An iPhone game, U2’s latest triumph, The Decemberists, Live Nude Girl, and Meat Boy.
By Campus Progress, Friday April 3, 2009
underreview
Under Review
This week: A movie about high school in Paris, the pinnacle of Reese’s, Beastie Boys redux, lackluster Watchmen, and Joss Whedon’s newest project.
By Campus Progress, Friday March 27, 2009
Opinions
The "Fempire" is Not a Trend
Problems with the New York Times‘ reporting on women in Hollywood.
By Kay Steiger, Wednesday March 25, 2009
Books
Auctioning Off Virginity
Jessica Valenti’s new book says the abstinence model is bad for young men and women.
By Caroline Hagood, Monday March 23, 2009
Films + TV
Meet the Newbos
A documentary on wildly successful African-American entrepreneurs makes some all-too-familiar mistakes.
By Jesse Singal, Friday February 27, 2009
Books
Just Another Scam?
A new book examines the parasitic nature of student loans.
By Ben Miller, Wednesday February 25, 2009
Mock U
A Very Cheney Valentine's Day
Campus Progress scores an exclusive look at Lynne and Dick Cheney’s first Valentine’s Day together.
By Jesse Singal, Friday February 13, 2009
Films + TV
Defying Sensitivity
Edward Zwick makes another lackluster attempt in his latest film about the Holocaust to bring understanding to the horrors of human tragedy.
By Jeremy Konar, Monday February 9, 2009
Five Minutes With
Tim Westergren
The co-founder of Pandora Internet radio on the future of the music industry.
By Kay Steiger, Monday January 26, 2009
Films + TV
For We Have Sinned
Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino is symbolic of America’s attempt to gain atonement through an erroneous foreign policy.
By Alexander Congrove, Friday January 23, 2009
Books
The Great Snark War
Media elites are quibbling over what is and isn’t snark. Let’s call the whole thing off.
By Ned Resnikoff, Wednesday January 21, 2009
Field Report
Obama Delicacies
We pick D.C.‘s best inauguration-themed desserts,
drinks, and dishes.
By Jake Blumgart, Thursday January 15, 2009
Films + TV
Doubting Subtlety in Doubt
John Patrick Shanley’s adaptation of his parabolic play is heavy-handed on symbolism.
By Neda Toloui-Semnani, Monday January 12, 2009
Books
Chronicle of a Media Death Foretold
A new book about a long-forgotten Chicago magazine shows why the publication—like many before and after it—was doomed from the start.
By Daniel Strauss, Thursday January 8, 2009
Books
Bending Gender Bending
A new book is supposed to be the tell-all behind the greatest literary hoax of our day, but ends up reinforcing stereotypes about gender identity.
By Miriam Pérez, Thursday December 18, 2008
Crib Sheets
It's Easy Being Green
Ten tips for greener holiday gifts
By The Center for American Progress, Friday December 12, 2008
Films + TV
A Lesson in Grammar and Love
Charlie Kaufman’s metafilm Synecdoche, New York takes on lessons about life, love, and death.
By Ben Weyl, Tuesday December 9, 2008
Books
Ditching the Diet
To shed her negative body image, memoirist Valerie Frankel throws out her scale and focuses on the issues that really matter.
By Kay Steiger, Tuesday December 2, 2008
Films + TV
Breaking the Closet
A new biopic of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in America, is an important story to tell, but the Hollywood blockbuster lacks nuance.
By Ethan Porter, Tuesday November 25, 2008
Books
Is Sports Activism Dead?
A new book shows athletes didn’t used to be strangers to social justice, but today’s athletes seem totally unaware of it.
By Andy Kroll, Friday October 3, 2008
Field Report
A Tale of Two Cities
Nightlife in Washington, D.C., is as segregated as the partisan divide on Capitol Hill.
By Ben Adler, Wednesday October 1, 2008
Films + TV
Lost in Translation
A film depicting the 1999 WTO protests depicts demonstrators well, but doesn’t shine much light on the globalization debate.
By Tim Fernholz, Thursday September 18, 2008
Films + TV
The Saturation of "Doctor Gonzo"
A new film on Hunter S. Thompson’s life is yet another in a long list of postmortem biographies, but fans should just reread his best work.
By Andy Kroll, Tuesday September 16, 2008
Field Report
Laughter: Not Always the Best Medicine
An event for Stuff White People Like exposes some problems with the popular book and blog.
By Saxon Baird, Friday August 15, 2008
Books
Stop, Drop, and Roll
David Sedaris’ new book isn’t as funny as his others, but he is getting better as a storyteller.
By Kim Gengler, Monday July 28, 2008
Films + TV
Are We There Yet?
On the Road in America tracks four young Arabs as they trek across America.
By Nicholle Manners, Monday July 7, 2008
Music
Breaking Down (Genre) Barriers
It took Portishead 11 years to release its third album. It was worth the wait.
By Kriston Capps, Tuesday July 1, 2008
Books
Loving Literary Journalism in Only Love
Two new books of literary journalism show that this genre may be a disappearing one.
By Andy Kroll, Wednesday June 25, 2008
Crib Sheets
Green Father's Day Gifts
As a testament to Campus Progress’s commitment to an environmentally friendly lifestyle, here are some eco-chic gift ideas for Father’s Day.
By Paula-Raye O'Sullivan, Thursday June 12, 2008
Films + TV
Unintelligently Designed
Expelled fails both as a documentary and as an anti-evolution argument.
By Mike Berlin, Thursday June 5, 2008
Films + TV
The End of an Era
Sex and the City confirms “Lipstick Jungle” and “Cashmere Mafia” have surpassed the pioneering show in both style and substance.
By Kim Gengler, Monday June 2, 2008
Five Minutes With
Errol Morris
The Oscar-winning documentarian discusses Standard Operating Procedure, his new film about the Abu Ghraib photographs.
By Liz Williams, Friday May 30, 2008
Five Minutes With
John Cusack and Mark Leyner
The co-writers of the new movie War, Inc. explain why rebellions should be frequent and fun.
By Annika Carlson, Wednesday May 21, 2008
Music
Who's the Boss?
Kelis is reinventing the role of women in hip hop. Or is she?
By Carina del Valle Schorske, Thursday May 15, 2008
Five Minutes With
Keli Goff
Keli Goff, the author of a new book on young independent black voters, discusses what the real role of hip hop should be.
By Ali M. Latifi, Tuesday May 13, 2008
Music
Growing Pains
Follow-up albums from Gnarls Barkley and Ghostland Observatory are disappointing; Beach House stands out with their sophomore album.
By Kriston Capps, Friday May 9, 2008
Books
Apology-Free Feminism
Amanda Marcotte’s new book is for young feminists who get it.
By Kay Steiger, Friday May 9, 2008
Books
Our Story
In Youth to Power, blogger Michael Connery writes the first chronicle of youth politics in the 21st century.
By Tim Fernholz, Wednesday May 7, 2008
Films + TV
Anchored Man
Will Ferrell should stop playing the same role over and over again.
By Jordan Michael Smith, Monday March 31, 2008
Films + TV
Bollywood: Kiss Kiss Hug Hug
Traditionalists in India oppose increased affection in Bollywood films, exposing a generational divide.
By Triveni Gandhi, Tuesday March 25, 2008
Films + TV
Once in a Sentimental Moon
Under the Same Moon shows the human side of immigration.
By Brittany Schulman, Monday March 24, 2008
Field Report
Record Label Goes Green
Green Owl Records is trying to do business in an environmentally conscious way—even if it means driving halfway across the country in a bus fueled by vegetable oil.
By Zach Pentel, Friday March 21, 2008
Films + TV
"The OC" comes to D.C.
Late Night Shots, the infamous D.C. social networking website, is helping to put young Georgetown elites on a new reality show.
By Angela Valdez, Wednesday February 27, 2008
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