Blog archives
Pop Culture stories in our blog
Which MP3 deals? Amazon $5 albums for November
November 1, 2011
John Coltrane’s The Ultimate Blue Train, Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited, and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill are all $5 each.
'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' (movie, 2009)
March 8, 2011
Adapted from the first book in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy, the crime thriller stars Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace and includes scenes of brutal violence.
Katy Perry: 'Teenage Dream', 99 other albums just $5 each
February 1, 2011
Amazon.com’s February list of 100 Albums for $5 Each includes Katy Perry, Arcade Fire, Eminem, Carole King, Gillian Welch, Sarah McLachlan, and Sade.
The Beatles Christmas Album: Xmas songs, humor, jokes
December 9, 2010
Xmas greeting cards for Beatles fans, the band’s annual Christmas recordings have been collected for download.
Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Seasons 1-20
October 31, 2010
20 years of The Simpsons episodes are detailed in Matt Groening’s new 1,200-page, 8.8-pound book.
J.K. Rowling: Harvard Commencement speech
October 15, 2010
J.K. Rowling’s Harvard Commencement address on June 5, 2008, recently referenced by Oprah, was memorable for Rowling’s words on failure and empathy
About Halloween: History book traces Halloween ideas, customs
October 14, 2010
Reading this history of Halloween — Death Makes a Holiday — makes me get up and Google things every few minutes.
Erykah Badu, 'Mannish Boy': Muddy Waters cover for H&M ads
September 23, 2010
Who’s that singing the signature Muddy Waters song ‘Mannish Boy’ in the H&M commercials? Yep — it’s Erykah Badu.
Bruce Willis fragrance: Perfume, hair & body wash for smart guys
July 7, 2010
Bruce Willis Eau de Parfum and other fragrance products are being introduced by a German company this week. Tagline: Smart guys live forever.
Facebook: Social media servitude?
May 25, 2010
Facebook has roughly 500 million people working for it, yet pays them nothing.
Amazon MP3 deals for March
March 1, 2010
Amazon MP3 download deals for March 2010: 100 albums for $5 each
WGN-TV shuts out The Museum of Classic Chicago Television
September 30, 2009
WGN-TV has reportedly forced The Museum of Classic Chicago Television to pull all WGN material from the museum website.
Michael Jackson: Carving an icon
June 26, 2009
If artist achievement is what endures, then ‘Billie Jean’ is what I’ll remember Michael Jackson for.
Justine Henin: Retired from tennis, she's singing, acting, cooking, and more
June 16, 2009
‘Les 12 travaux de Justine Henin’ was a recent Belgian reality show which put the former tennis superstar to a dozen tests.
Stephen Colbert reports from Iraq this week
June 8, 2009
‘The Colbert Report’ should be especially good this week, with Stephen Colbert on location in Baghdad, Iraq.
Mute Orlando Magic fan, 4, speaks: Ryan Rodriguez loves this game!
June 5, 2009
Diagnosed with selective mutism, a Florida boy was moved to speech by watching NBA basketball on TV.
Going forward, can we please omit 'going forward'?
June 2, 2009
Yes, Einstein, we all know which way time flows, and you’re wasting ours.
Epic fail: Twitter mutes @replies, squelches 'social' networking
May 13, 2009
Twitter has made a colossal blunder by muting tweets to the friends of your friend.
Happy Star Wars Day! May the 4th ... be with you
May 4, 2009
We celebrate with the classic segment from Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog.
Amazon.com music: MP3 download deals
May 1, 2009
‘Middle Cyclone’ by Neko Case and ‘American Beauty’ by the Grateful Dead are each just $5.
'Tweezing': How to pluck yourself big money from Twitter
April 22, 2009
Carve out an exciting a new career in the 140-character economy.
Cudahy, Wisconsin yard displays Cadillac, tractor, Hamburglar, Big Boy
April 19, 2009
Rick Serocki says he is trying to make Cudahy fun again.
Bizarre Billy Bob Thornton interview with CBC Radio's Q / Qtv
April 9, 2009
Billy Bob Thornton is one irritated musician. I think it’s odd that you have to smoke, period.
Desktop Twitter alternative to TweetDeck: TweetGrid!
April 1, 2009
An ingenious way to follow all sorts of things on Twitter.
Bruce Springsteen to perform on 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart' tonight
March 19, 2009
Bruce Springsteen will be doing a solo performance of the title track, “Working on a Dream.”
Rainn Wilson's SoulPancake.com: Fashioning art, spirituality
March 15, 2009
In an interview with Oprah, the comedic actor from ‘The Office’ outlines his new Web project for spiritual social networking through the arts.
Rick Santelli, CNBC in hot water on 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'
March 5, 2009
Finally someone on TV takes a closer look at Rick Santelli’s much-hyped bailout rant.
Jeff Dowd, inspiration for The Dude in 'Big Lebowski,' joins Peter Himmelman tonight
March 3, 2009
The live, one-hour show starts at 7:00 Pacific or 8:00 Mountain or 9:00 Central or 10:00 Eastern.
Portuguese Water Dog for the Obamas, as recommended by Janet Dahl
February 25, 2009
The People magazine story comes out on Friday. Janet Dahl wrote about them on January 12.
Deep thought: Happy birthday, Jack Handey!
February 25, 2009
Jack Handey is a real person, not a pen name or a character. He is 60 today.
'Engine 2 Diet' fad from Texas, 'Tecktonik' dance craze from France
February 24, 2009
Scouring the globe to bring you the new and the cutting edge, I have found a dance and a diet.
The purpose of the Academy Awards: Honoring our healing stories
February 22, 2009
The ‘Rosebud’ episode of ‘Northern Exposure’ illustrates the magic mythological power of movies.
Trader Joe's commercial: Jobim's 'Waters of March'
February 12, 2009
I don’t know if I buy that it’s an unauthorized commercial, but we certainly buy a lot of wine from Trader Joe’s.
Joaquin Phoenix on 'Late Show with David Letterman'
February 12, 2009
Was Joaquin Phoenix’s disoriented ‘Late Show with David Letterman’ appearance all part of a “hilarious documentary”?
Drew Peterson's ex-fiancée Christina Raines on the CBS 'Early Show'
February 2, 2009
This morning’s interview capped the latest breathtaking stunt in Drew Peterson’s circus of distraction.
'Animator vs. Animation', delicious cake, and 'Crayon Physics Deluxe'
February 1, 2009
A funny video, an Internet meme, and a clever computer game — all employing crude line drawings.
L. Randolph Cook hopes to save souls by claiming Oprah freebased crack cocaine
January 17, 2009
The ‘Chicago businessman’ is the subject of the latest National Enquirer exclusive. He says he just seeks closure.
TV tonight: Bush farewell, new 'Office' and '30 Rock'
January 15, 2009
President Bush delivers his farewell address tonight, and there’s a new ‘The Office’ and ‘30 Rock.’
Newspapers, magazines get small
January 13, 2009
While the world waits for everyone to buy a Kindle, newspapers and magazines get smaller and smaller.
Snuggie, Slanket, Heat Surge: My TV monk life
January 1, 2009
The Great Recession makes me consider becoming a monk — a monk with a Snuggie, a Slanket, and a Heat Surge.
Barack Obama: Jerk or Jedi?
December 29, 2008
Does the media really have to fan every flame and cover every sandwich?
Traditional New Years foods for good luck
December 28, 2008
A look at a few of the events and the foods that have become New Year’s traditions.
Rick Sanchez and baby talk news
December 24, 2008
Rick Sanchez and the new, superficial, Twitter-it-yourself news. Is it Quality?
'The Digg Reel'
December 18, 2008
You should watch ‘The Digg Reel’. It showcases popular Internet videos, and Andrew Bancroft is a funny host.
Drew Peterson engaged to 23-year-old woman? Maybe not (updated)
December 17, 2008
Drew Peterson’s publicist confirms his client has become engaged to a 23-year-old woman. Drew wonders how this got out.
Bill Murray crashing parties, says New York Post
December 8, 2008
The New York Post reports that Bill Murray has been showing up unexpectedly at area parties, and engaging in random conversation before leaving.
Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP is getting panned
December 6, 2008
If Gwyneth Paltrow wants to be the Thin White Next Oprah, she may need to kick her GOOP down a notch.
Total Oprah
December 5, 2008
Robyn Okrant has been living, breathing, and eating Oprah for nearly a year.
Oprah's snow globe
December 5, 2008
Oprah Winfrey’s incredibly self-aggrandizing snow globe has been photographed and described by the Chicago Tribune.
Live blogging Election Day 2008
November 4, 2008
Election Day 2008, as experienced in our living room.
Racine's minute in ABC's 'World News' spotlight
October 11, 2008
The Dow drops 679 points and throng of Obama supporters gathers in downtown Racine. ABC World News, here in our city to cover the election, shows none of this.
David Byrne and Brian Eno: 'Everything That Happens Will Happen Today'
September 15, 2008
Who cares if I’m listening to the latest David Byrne / Brian Eno album? Well, ByrneEno, for one.
Four weeks wandering Web 2.0
September 11, 2008
My four weeks playing with Twitter, Rejaw, Ping.fm, Delicious, Digg, StumbleUpon, MySpace, Facebook, Google Reader, FriendFeed and etc.
Summerfest: Lucinda Williams, Drive-By Truckers, Alejandro Esovedo
July 6, 2008
A full day of music, including Drive-By Truckers, Romantica, Alejandro Escovedo, and Lucinda Williams on Milwaukee’s lakefront.
'Shine a Light': Martin Scorsese's new Rolling Stones movie
March 30, 2008
Yes — another Stones movie, this time on the big, big screen. It turns out to be a very enjoyable show.
Back Door Slam: British youngsters have got the blues
January 29, 2008
This band from the Isle of Man and its 20-year-old guitarist Davy Knowles have some impressive blues chops.
I'm not Oprah-worthy
November 3, 2007
I friended Oprah on MySpace, but after ten days, she still has not reciprocated.
Im Cooked: Christopher Walken's peculiar Chicken with Pears
November 1, 2007
Im Cooked is a new site featuring cooking videos, including this one from the beloved actor.
'Jesus Camp' movie review
September 13, 2007
This documentary follows three children attending an unsettling and militant Christian camp.
Summer festivals and events 2007
May 4, 2007
My own list of parades, festivals, and public events in our area.
Thursday night TV
March 1, 2007
‘My Name is Earl,’ ‘The Office,’ and ‘30 Rock’ have us tuning to NBC every week.
Movie review: 'Blogumentary'
February 11, 2007
Watch the full movie online — a look at the blogging phenomenon and a number of the most well-known bloggers.
Blendtec blender viral videos: 'Will It Blend?'
January 11, 2007
Blend it! See this viral video campaign from blender maker Blendtec mixing smoothies from odd objects.
Trying on music
December 28, 2006
I already like all the songs in my iTunes library. Where can I discover new music to like?
Coming Friday: The New Mastersounds
December 7, 2006
Go see this great funk band from Leeds at The Kinetic Playground.
Earworm infestation
August 15, 2006
Peace and quiet out in the yard? Not with Kenny Loggins singing “Danny’s Song” over and over and over.
British law to protect religion from hatred -- and laughter?
June 26, 2005
Under a new law in Britain, it might be llegal to mock religion.
