The Rise of CliffsNotes Cinema
Oversimplified literary remakes miss the point of the works they are adapting.
Culture
Why Justin Bieber Played YouTube Onstage for Thousands of People
The pop star transformed the normal act of browsing your laptop into something interesting—and unsettling.
The New Age of Performance Anxiety
With the rise of screen culture, all the world has stage fright.
Where Did ‘Let Them’ Come From?
Years before Mel Robbins published her best-selling self-help book, a struggling writer posted a poem with a similar message.
Six Books to Read Before You Get to the Airport
The fact that we regularly float six or seven miles above the Earth is worth our fascination and attention.
My Father, Guitar Guru to the Rock Gods
When the greatest musicians of the 1970s needed an instrument—or a friend—my dad was there.
Captain Ron’s Guide to Fearless Flying
The pilot who calms the nerves of anxious fliers
Dear James: I Worry Too Much About What Other People Think
How do I free myself of their expectations?
Mrs. Dalloway’s Midlife Crisis
Virginia Woolf’s wild run of creativity in her 40s included writing her masterpiece on the terrors and triumphs of middle age.
Faith
A poem
The ‘Slacker’ Teen Who Was More Than Just a Punch Line
As Theo Huxtable, Malcolm-Jamal Warner captured the complexities of struggling to meet expectations.
Marc Maron Has Some Thoughts About That
The comedian’s style is still confrontational and opinionated—but now his subjects are different.
An Action Movie That’s a Total Joke
In The Naked Gun, the perennial tough guy Liam Neeson makes a perfect transition to comedy.
Eight Books for Dabblers
Casual pursuits can enrich our lives, regardless of whether we’re any good at them.