Why Barack Obama’s “Working” Isn’t Quite… Working Why Barack Obama’s “Working” Isn’t Quite… Working
The former president explores what we do all day in a Netflix series that says little about what is to be done.
May 25, 2023 / Ben Schwartz
AI and the Hollywood Writers’ Strike AI and the Hollywood Writers’ Strike
Creative workers are fighting to preserve the human factor in the entertainment industry.
May 8, 2023 / Ben Schwartz
How Woke Bob Hope Got Canceled by the Right How Woke Bob Hope Got Canceled by the Right
The conservative comedian spoke out for gay rights and gun control, and got boycotted and ostracized by friends on the right, including Ronald Reagan.
Apr 14, 2023 / Ben Schwartz
Rock Steady: How the Former Oscars Host Spent a Year Plotting His Slap Back Rock Steady: How the Former Oscars Host Spent a Year Plotting His Slap Back
Chris Rock revives the furor over The Slap on the eve of the 2023 Oscars.
Mar 9, 2023 / Ben Schwartz
Academy Fight Song: The Politics Behind Andrea Riseborough’s Surprise Oscar Nod Academy Fight Song: The Politics Behind Andrea Riseborough’s Surprise Oscar Nod
Was a viral nomination push another exercise in white privilege?
Feb 24, 2023 / Ben Schwartz
Always That Guy: Bill Maher’s Pliable Right-Wing Brand Always That Guy: Bill Maher’s Pliable Right-Wing Brand
CNN banks on the commentary of an obliging provocateur as it veers rightward.
Feb 6, 2023 / Ben Schwartz
Babylon, Streaming Residuals, and the Boss’s Hollywood Babylon, Streaming Residuals, and the Boss’s Hollywood
A pending showdown with Hollywood unions might kill nostalgia for the golden age of film moguldom.
Jan 13, 2023 / Ben Schwartz
The “Sight and Sound” Wokeness Furor Signifies Little The “Sight and Sound” Wokeness Furor Signifies Little
The backlash to a film's elevation into the list’s number-one spot highlights the fierce immobility of critical consensus in the film industry.
Dec 9, 2022 / Ben Schwartz
Ye of Toxic Faith: Behind the Kanye Downfall Ye of Toxic Faith: Behind the Kanye Downfall
How the hip-hop legend succumbed to the right-wing grifting machine
Oct 28, 2022 / Ben Schwartz