Only Shooting Stars Break the Mold: The Massive Musical Footprint of ‘Shrek’
““Shrek was the first animated picture to have, in its dialogue and in its music, pop references,” says Marylata Elton, Shrek’s music supervisor. “What ended up [happening] is that Shrek became pop culture itself.””
Two Assholes Lost in the Woods: An Oral History of ‘Pine Barrens’
“Twenty years after it aired, David Chase and Co. look back on the one of the wildest, boldest, funniest episodes of ‘The Sopranos’ ever made.”
A Plague of Madness
Terry Gilliam’s 1995 film 12 Monkeys showed us a bleak future, one in which a virus had wiped out most of humankind. Twenty-five years on, the film’s creators revisit their visionary film.
The (Mostly) True Story of Vanilla Ice, Hip-Hop, and the American Dream
“He grew up lower middle class and toiled away at menial jobs while chasing his dreams—the lone white boy battling in an almost entirely Black environment. The plot of 8 Mile was Vanilla Ice’s story first.”
How “Am I the Asshole?” Created a Medium Place on the Internet
“The famous subreddit started as a forum for one man to ask about his workplace behavior. Seven years later, it’s become a platform where millions of people discuss good, bad, and everything in between. How did it get here? And can it actually help make people better?”
The Oral History of ‘Best in Show’
“Looking back at the dog show–centric successor to the mockumentaries ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ and ‘Waiting for Guffman’ on its 20th anniversary.”
Which Hollywood Sex Symbols Actually Have Sex on Screen? A Study.
“Four months, 30 movie stars, 128 sex scenes. One writer (slash scientist) spent all summer researching which actors have had the most sexually ambitious careers. Here are her findings.”
One Twitter Account’s Quest to Proofread The New York Times
“In 2017, the Times dissolved its copy desk, possibly permitting more typos to slip through. Meet the anonymous lawyer who’s correcting the paper of record one untactful tweet at a time.”
One Night in D.C.: The Oral History of June 1, 2020
“There was no amping up of tensions, there was none of that feeling of, ‘This is gonna go down.’ Within 15 minutes, it went from protest to pandemonium.”
The Spirit of Rebellion Grows During America’s Summer of Protest
“From the nation’s capital to Nashville, from Connecticut to California, a summer of protest has come to America. Its participants are the ‘good trouble’ John Lewis spoke of, the ‘group of angelic troublemakers’ Bayard Rustin dreamed of. And the unifying emotion connecting each demonstration will be outrage.”