Graduation season is upon us. Your niece is finishing high school. Your neighbor's son is graduating from Tulane. Your boss just got her second Master's. How did it get to be that the obvious gift for all of these people is... a Dr. Seuss book?
And then: Vulture, this week, published a click-bait listicle ranking all the HBO shows ever. The Nose took the bait and clicked. And... Six Feet Under didn't make the top ten? Girls isn't in the top 25? John from Cincinnati made the top 30? Did anybody even understand that show?
And speaking of shows, George Clooney and Grant Heslov's new Hulu miniseries is a four-and-a-half-hour, six-episode adaption of Joseph Heller's Catch-22. Is that what the world needed right now?
Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take:
- The Books of College Libraries Are Turning Into Wallpaper
University libraries around the world are seeing precipitous declines in the use of the books on their shelves. - Donald Trump's Wikipedia Entry Is a War Zone
It's one of the most popular pages on the internet. But behind the scenes, editors are fighting a brutal, petty battle over every word. - Booksmart Was Set Up for Failure
It was never realistic to expect this acclaimed indie comedy to burst out the gate as the next Superbad. - Why Everyone Thought Aladdin Had a Secret Sex Message
One reason teenagers thought Disney was sending them subliminal messages? It was. - I'm Sorry, but We Must Talk About Genie's Sex Life
The new 'Aladdin' stars Will Smith as a very DTF genie. Our question is... Why? - Grand Opening, Grand Closing: The Rise and Fall of the Hollywood Mega-Premiere
Say goodbye to 'Godzilla' galas. Movie studios have slowly but surely begun to end the tradition of massive, oddly elaborate premiere parties. Why did they disappear? - The 25 Best High School Movies
In honor of 'Booksmart' joining the illustrious genre on Friday, here are the best films about cliques, camaraderie, and coming of age - Why It's So Hard for Remakes Like 'Aladdin' and 'Pokémon Detective Pikachu' to Meet Expectations
The reminiscence bump makes you recall things from your formative years with the sharpest clarity, so when new re-creations fall short --- poof -- your childhood is ruined - Bill Buckner, All-Star Shadowed by World Series Error, Dies at 69
- Serena Williams Won't Be Silenced. Her Clothes Are Doing the Talking.
A year after the catsuit controversy, the tennis star is smashing old rules and stereotypes. - Listening to Author Naomi Wolf Being Proven Wrong On-Air Is Physically Painful
- Amid growing competition, PBS Distribution boosts investment in British dramas
- US Department of Energy is now referring to fossil fuels as "freedom gas"
- Celebrities Agree: Moby Is a Creep
- How to Make the Perfect Milkshake for Throwing at Fascists
Combining the public humiliation of racists and one of nature's most delicious frosty treats is pure poetry in motion. - Twitter explodes over Drake's love of the Raptors
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge Likes Writing Women Who 'Don't Give a Shit'
- Britney Spears Is Not Having This Conspiracy Theory Shit
- New York Times: Hello, Fellow Kids
- The John Candy Joke That Still Makes Steve Martin Cry
- Dad shows transgender son how to shave in viral Gillette ad
Samson Bonkeabantu Brown, a Toronto-based trans artist, had his first shaving experience recorded and posted to Gillette's Facebook page. - Singer Leon Redbone Dies at 69
In a nod to how Redbone sought to exist outside of time, much less current musical styles, his death announcement gave his age as 127. - National Spelling Bee, at a Loss for Words, Crowns 8 Co-Champions
GUESTS:
- Chris Grosso - Writes for Revolver magazine, and the author of three books; his most recent is Dead Set on Living: Making the Difficult but Beautiful Journey from F#*king Up to Waking Up
- Irene Papoulis - Teaches writing at Trinity College
- Bill Yousman - Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University
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Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
