Drinking a full-fat Coca Cola at 40. How do people live like this?

I wrote about Jason Myers, who delivered my favorite postgame quote and was perfect in the Super Bowl, and who makes it to the top in the strangest job in sports. defector.com/jason-myers-...

Getting out ahead of tomorrow

Great review of another documentary out now… “A key text in understanding one of the most flagrant in-your-face cons ever perpetrated” Yes THAT documentary!! Nice writing from @johnsemley3000.bsky.social newrepublic.com/article/2058...

Catherine O’Hara based her characters on family members and people she saw riding the bus #Opinion from @johnsemley3000.bsky.social

Some thoughts on Catherine O’Hara’s comedy, and her ability to straddle the line between madness and vacuity. For @thestar.com. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

I wrote about why nobody is actually going to boycott the Super Bowl, for the @thestar.com. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

I wrote about why nobody is actually going to boycott the Super Bowl, for the @thestar.com. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

If septuagenarian Johnny Lucas doesn’t like living in a growing city, *he* should move to Cornwall.

Hello! I was honored to contribute a critical essay to the new Vinegar Syndrome (@vinsyn.bsky.social) release of Radu Jude’s singular satire BAD LUCK BANGING, OR LOONY PORN. Order your copy today! vinegarsyndrome.com/products/bad...

I sort of reject this premise. I get that she “got her flowers” with SCHITT’S, but she was already hugely ubiquitous in the 90s/2000s. and she was never better than in the Guest movies, which rivalled SCTV as a canvas for her talents.

If Toronto stands any chance of solving the housing crisis, it will need multiplexes in residential neighbourhoods—a move that has many residents saying, “Anywhere but here!”

Mickey Mouse! When I was kid Quebec came within a HAIR of separating. This separatist movement is a joke!

Imagine being the bobby on this patrol? Crikey....

"That this is all playing out in the open, with such total brazenness, is another typical feature of Trump 2.0. It’s not just that this is some self-serving spectacle. It’s that it’s a bad, totally un-entertaining self-serving spectacle." newrepublic.com/article/2058...

Some thoughts on a new film that is taking the box office by storm: MELANIA. To paraphrase Sontag, at least fascism used to fascinate! For the @newrepublic.com. newrepublic.com/article/2058...

I’ve sold two old Sabres jerseys on Poshmark in 48 hours. The hype is real. All bandwagoners welcome.

BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.

I spoke with Catherine O'Hara extensively for this @torontolifemag.bsky.social oral history of SCTV. some great insights: particularly about the Toronto players not being "literary" and basic all their characters on dumb family members or people they saw on the TTC. torontolife.com/culture/unto...

amazing prompt

A cultural history of the so-called "litbro." By: me!

The notoriously challenging book is being re-released for its 30th anniversary. Its fandom is annoying, sure—but at least they read. www.wired.com/story/infini...

This piece by @johnsemley3000.bsky.social is really good on the roots of SCTV. A well worth it long read. torontolife.com/culture/unto...

RIP Catherine O’Hara. One of the funniest people ever, on the basis of Waiting Foe Guffman alone. Interviewed her a few times and she was always exceptionally kind, and a very easy laugh.

Here @johnsemley3000.bsky.social revisits Infinite Jest and makes a case for bringing back the litbros: www.wired.com/story/infini...

INFINITE JEST is back in the news, baby! And so, I wonder, in an age of nosediving fiction consumption, "performative reading," and "post-literate" culture: can the dreaded litbro be redeemed? For @wired.com . www.wired.com/story/infini...

New for @wired.com: a new study shows that microdosing LSD may be less effective for treating major depression than a cup of coffee. What does the research tell us about low-dose psychedelic use? And about the misunderstood--and under-appreciated!--benefits of placebo? www.wired.com/story/microd...

As good an illustration as any that "woke" for these folks just means "non-white people are allowed to exist."

MELANIA reminds me a bit about that old Brian Eno line about the first Velvet Underground record. Not everyone saw it. But everyone that did ended up in an article about how much everyone else hates them.

I think the key that unlocks Dan was his desire to share the things he loved with other people. Wouldn’t be the worst way to honor him if we make the effort to do that for the things we love, too. defector.com/dan-mcquade-...

Rest in peace to one of the great bloggers and the de facto mayor of Philadelphia. It was my honor and pleasure to work with him. defector.com/dan-mcquade-...

Very sad news about Dan McQuade. He was always exceptionally welcoming to me and Raina when we moved to Philly. He could literally recommend specific stalls on the Wildwood boardwalk. Would literally stop his car on the street to chat! A thoughtful person, a great writer, and a true Philly Guy. RIP.

Basically NO snow removal in Philly yet. Trying to figure out how to get to a matinee in Cherry Hill in 48 hours and I feel like Sir Edmund Hillary.

Had forgotten that, in INFINITE JEST, the suicidal filmmaker James Orin Incandenza Jr. (presumably) meets his wife while filming a debate between her and linguist/known Epstein associate Steven Pinker. (Per the included Incandenza filmography.)

This is all because I called his office a bunch of times. Not to brag.

Kaleb Horton’s loved ones have assembled his work here. Treat yourself to some of the best writing and podcasting this century: www.kalebchorton.com

Almost a week later and I'm haunted by the middle-aged woman I met on a Spanish Civil War walking tour who told me I "look like a blogger."

The “Entertainment” from Infinite Jest would not affect me. I am too hardy of mind. To say nothing of being stout of spirit!

People will often wonder how "regular" Germans could abide the daily horrors of Nazism. My recent experience leads me to believe they were probably taking a lot of breaks from being horrified by fascism to post in the group chat about whether Sam Darnold is "legit" or a "passable game manager."

Congrats to Martin Crane from TV’s Frasier and whoever else likes the Seattle Seahawks.

This is the Super Bowl. Winner beats the Pats by 4 scores.

Go Birds.

It’s been an excruciating 7 seasons for these long-suffering fans.

the nyt style section vs. der spiegel

You can always tell someone is a savvy traveller when they immediately bolt out of their seat and stand in the airplane craning their neck over while they wait 20 minutes to actually disembark.

Airport lounges: where it’s perfectly fine to drink a beer at 10AM because of…uh…something to do with the cost-benefit analysis?

When I worked on a show for Netflix an exec referred to viewers contemptuously as "sandwich eaters": as in, they're not paying attention because they're apparently in the constant process of preparing/consuming sandwiches.

A new podcast, SONG OF LYNCHADELPHIA, traces the many ways the "corrupt" and "vile" City of Brotherly Love impressed itself on the artistic consciousness of a young David Lynch. Wrote about it for the @inquirer.com. www.inquirer.com/entertainmen...

At this point, reporting on Trump's statements seems premature. Too much back-and-forth. Not useful. The media should wait until he makes like 5 or 7 or statements on a topic and then sort of average out the general sentiment from the aggregate.