Nerdery
03.10.17 I Hate Book Reviews: C.S.E. Cooney’s ‘The Bone Swans of Amandale’
I have spent many years being critical. Of movies, of TV shows, of music albums. It’s part of my job – it’s part of what I do on a daily basis as an entertainment writer. But I’ve never wanted to be a book reviewer. I discovered that by being critical of so much entertainment I…
Read More1.3.17 ‘I would like to be who my mom has been – not afraid to be a little weird’
I never did get to speak with the late Carrie Fisher or Debbie Reynolds (more’s the pity) but I hear they were cracking gals. The pair died within a day of one another last week, which sent a lot of us into a tailspin, once again shaking our fists at the craptacular way 2016 presented.…
Read More9.6.16 ‘Do there have to be zombies in it?’
Before the show was picked up by AMC for domestic and Fox for international, its creator Frank Darabont presented the first version of the script to NBC, with whom he had an overall deal. According to Hurd, their response was, “Do there have to be zombies [in it].” NBC then asked Darabont if the show…
Read More4.08.16 20 Years in NYC, Pt. 5: ‘Keep your eyes on the spinning top’
What I think I’ve discovered in the last 20-odd years (some rather odd years, at that) is that planning is a good thing, but not the only thing. Sometimes you just have to get the top spinning — and watch where it goes all on its own.
Read More3.28.16 20 Years in NYC, Pt. 4: ‘They’re touching you!’
Having stakes in the city — that is, a mortgage — and being here during a national tragedy seemed to forge a whole new sense of belonging for me. By 2002, I’d been in New York City for over five years and it was the place I never knew I wanted to be but couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
Read More3.13.16 20 Years in NYC, Part 2: Be the shark, never stop moving
If life isn’t giving you what you want, find a new path. Be the shark, never stop moving. That path may not take you where you want to go, but on the road you may — if you’re lucky — run into a fork that actually leads you forward.
Read More1.23.16 ‘They were completely blindsided by the reaction’
Boys will play with girl toys; girls will play with boy toys. And if you have a whole lineup of characters from a favorite movie, leaving one out makes the entire package suck. You want characters who come with enough variation to make the play interesting.
Read More1.8.16 ‘I needed, like, a beginning middle and end’
I’m having a weird moment: There’s very little TV on my DVR right now. The net I’m throwing out and trawling just isn’t catching anything worth watching, and I’m so grateful when it does that when The Blacklist returned to my lineup Thursday night (don’t judge me, there’s nothing wrong about this completely nonsensical wish fulfillment show) I was thrilled.
Read More12.19.15 ‘Put a sprinkle on your nose, on your nose’
I met Julia when I was in 6th grade, and we’re still being goofy together some (mumble mumble) years later. Today she had me (and some fellow amazing friends) over to tackle the singularly difficult building of the Taj Mahal … in shortbread. And sprinkles. And frosting. I was unable to stay for the completion…
Read More10.17.15 ‘What do you think is so bad about ‘girl’?
This is a request for reevaluation of the use of the word “girl” for human beings who are clearly “women.”
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