150 stories from The Critical Condition
Given all the neck popping and hand flailing and implied snapping, you might think this Tide commercial perpetuates the stereotype of the “sassy black woman.” But think again. It…
Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments on this week’s episode of True Blood. SPOILERS AHEAD —- Oh my God… it’s like this episode …
By Doug Strassler What with all the attention to recent earthquakes and hurricanes, I'd forgotten to pay attention to the coming of the fall movie season. Now, all of a sudden, it's upon us,…
On next week’s Billboard Hot 100, the #1 song in America will be Adele’s “Someone Like You.” Thanks to her lovely performance at the VMAs, the song sold 275,000 digit…
Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments in this week’s episode of True Blood. SPOILERS AHEAD — I liked several things about “Soul of Fir…
In last week’s New York Times magazine, Carina Chocano made a convincing argument that tabloid fixtures like Lindsay Lohan are the heroines of a new Gothic literature. Her arguments sp…
Please welcome back critic and editor Mark Peikert, who has some wonderful advice on how you  can spend your Labor Day: It involves a cocktail, Shirley Jones, and the phrase “big-as…
By Doug Strassler Ever the masochist, I made it my mission to take in as much summer TV as I could over the last four months. Though I didn't see all of the potential offerings, I did manage…
When it comes to art and culture, how do we know if we dislike something… or if we simply don’t have the tools to understand it? Case in point: For the last 6 years, a friend of …
Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the most potent moments from this week’s episode of True Blood. SPOILERS AHEAD — People have been losing control of their b…
The summer has blasted us with hits, and if you don’t like “Moves Like Jagger,” then it’s not July’s problem. But for every hot track that has dominated the sea…
By Doug Strassler Just like Mark did yesterday in his smart analysis of Tate Taylor's film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's The Help, I too have been thinking about many elements of this …
Check out my latest piece for MSNBC.com, which names the 5 most disappointing movies of the summer. (Hint: A film can make a lot of money and still be a disappointment.) I interviewed film c…
I know the conversation about the film version of The Help has been going for a while, but since I just finished the book last week and just saw the movie on Saturday, I’d like to ente…
Welcome to “Sucker Punch,” the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest episodes in this week’s episode of True Blood. SPOILERS AHEAD — True Blood needs to put up or sh…
Hello everyone! Forgive my recent silence: I needed a break to recover from the mind-bending awesomeness of the pop song tournament. Today, I’m back with a piece on NPR’s Monkey …
By Doug Strassler I thought it was high time we take a trip down my musical memory lane and re-visit one of my all-time favorite songs. Do any of you out there remember the song "Joey," from…
Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments on this week's episode of True Blood. SPOILERS AHEAD — You may remember that last week, Marnie allowed her b…
And so it ends. I cannot thank you enough for making this tournament so great, with special thanks to Nick and Joe. Please enjoy this victory lap by our tournament champion, Cyndi LauperR…
Welcome to the CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND of the Ultimate Pop Song Tournament. This game is OPEN, and it will close at midnight on Tuesday, August 16. To see the final bracket, just go here…
By Doug Strassler Welcome to my second look at which overlooked film actors I believe to be overdue for a lifetime achievement Academy Award. For a look at the first entries on my list " and…
Welcome to the Final Four of the Ultimate Pop Song Tournament. These games are OPEN, and they will close at midnight on Monday, August 15. (ALL OPEN GAMES) To see the updated bracke…
A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece in the New York Times magazine about The Overtones, a U.K. vocal group that fuses doo-wop sounds with pop-R&B flair. Since writing that piece, I’ve…
Welcome to the ELITE EIGHT of the Ultimate Pop Song Tournament, Rock Warrior & Groove Thang Divisions. These games are OPEN, and they will close at midnight on Friday, Aug…
Welcome to the ELITE EIGHT of the Ultimate Pop Song Tournament, Joy Bomb & Deep Feelings Divisions. These games are OPEN, and they will close at midnight on Friday, August…
