A good joke doesn’t just fall out of a coconut tree. It exists in the context of all in which it lives and what came before it. And so it’s worth considering the mood on July 15th, the day that Donald Trump, ahead in the polls against a diminished Joe Biden, announced J. D. Vance … Read more
Wine and cheese. Peanut butter and jelly. Socks and Crocs. And, of course, Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Among all the randomness of the universe, there are some pairings that just make sense — complementing one another by happy accident but so perfectly compatible it’s as if they were designed that way. So given how … Read more
At the Paris Olympics, breaking entered as arguably the most exciting new event in decades: an art form sprung from the hip-hop culture of the Bronx, set to take the biggest international sports stage in the world. One Canadian gold medal, more than a few headspins and seemingly millions of memes later, the hype has … Read more
Donald Trump’s vice-presidential running mate, J.D. Vance, is on TikTok — and he’s collaborating with Canadian-American social media stars the Nelk Boys. Vance’s first post on the social media site features a nine-second video where he can be seen accepting alcohol from Canadian Kyle Forgeard, one of Nelk’s founders. “Yo J.D., we want to welcome you to TikTok,” … Read more
Most critics agree The Bear is worthy of award nominations, but the popular TV show’s placement in the comedy category at the upcoming Emmy Awards has viewers scratching their heads. The second season of the FX series, which follows a young chef who inherits his family’s sandwich shop after the suicide of his older brother, got … Read more
Robert Towne, the Oscar-winning screenplay writer of Shampoo, The Last Detail and other acclaimed films, whose work on Chinatown became a model of the art form and helped define the jaded allure of his native Los Angeles, died Monday surrounded by family at his home there, said publicist Carri McClure. She declined to comment on any cause of death. … Read more
Quirks and Quarks11:40Killer whales are likely ramming boats because they’re bored and having fun When Renaud de Stephanis sees killer whales surround his boat off the coast of Spain, he isn’t afraid — he’s excited because it’s a chance to get some research done. When asked how often his boats have been hit by the … Read more
In the history of television, few episodes have been as controversial as the Seinfeld finale. Written by series co-creator Larry David, the two-part finale originally aired in 1998 to an audience of more than 76 million viewers — but the beloved sitcom failed to stick the landing. “A lot of people didn’t like it,” Jerry … Read more
Most of the time, understanding dish names requires some level of fluency in Chinese, though not always. But what happens when names get lost in translation on their way to English? Chinese restaurant Chow in Glasgow, Scotland, has a colloquial phrase as a Chinese name that means “be there or be square”, or “see you … Read more
On the surface, Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer is the perfect target for adaptation. First off, it’s a novel — one of the more lucrative source materials for an industry perpetually hungry for existing IP and a built-in audience. Second, it’s a Pulitzer Prize winner, a badge of honour that already proved a boon for similar adaptees like Spotlight, Driving Miss … Read more
