The A.V. Club
Writer, editor, and journalist with extensive experience in pop culture, arts coverage, copywriting, breaking news, grant writing, study guide creation, and social media. I've maintained social media accounts for Groupon, and have contributed short-form and long-form content to websites like EW, The A.V. Club, The Guardian, Consequence of Sound, Gaper's Block, and more.
The A.V. Club
"A young girl suffering from a rare digestive disorder finds herself miraculously cured after surviving a terrible accident." That's the synopsis provided by the gang behind Miracles From Heaven, a faith-based drama starring Jennifer Garner that premiered to packed houses last month. But that miracu
There used to be a rumor about The Blair Witch Project. It said that if you paused the movie at the exact right moment-a frenzied midnight sprint through the woods-you could see a masked figure perched in a tree.
In late September, Lorde released " Yellow Flicker Beat," the first single off The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1 soundtrack. It's a moody piece, with warbling a cappella hums heralding the New Zealander's robust mezzo-soprano, a lightning-lit storm cloud that, even when buoyed by pulsing synths, can't help but signal an encroaching darkness.
Bloopers in comedy are a foregone conclusion. Stick around during the closing credits of the latest Apatow production and you're bound to see clips of Seth Rogen breaking, cackling, or devolving into improvisatory bedlam. Bloopers in other genres are more rare-and, by virtue of the fact that they're
Game Of Thrones' fourth season sailed through the Moon Door last June, leaving fans bereft of brutal death scenes to turn into squeamish GIFs. But the hit HBO series is back on April 12, and refreshers are in order to remember all the stuff that happened in between the impalements and eye-gougings.
In entertainment, an awful lot of stuff happens behind closed doors, from canceling TV shows to organizing music festival lineups. While the public sees the end product on TVs, movie screens, paper, or radio dials, they don't see what it took to get there. In Expert Witness, The A.V.
In 1992, the second season of Salute Your Shorts debuted and I felt betrayed. Michael (Erik MacArthur), the angel-faced every-kid, was gone, replaced by a smug schemer named Ronnie Pinsky (Blake Soper). I loved Michael. Michael was insecure and awkward and sort of a follower, just like me.
Many would say Owl City-née Adam Young-makes music for teen girls. They'd be wrong. Owl City makes music for pre-teen girls. A cursory scan of the lyric sheets on Young's previous three LPs reveal musings on bumblebees, fireflies, and shooting stars. It would be no surprise if Young's greatest influ
For the past three years, The A.V. Club has devoted the month of December to reflecting on our favorite holiday entertainments, and this year is no different.
Horror benefits from an authenticity of place. An abandoned mental hospital just isn't scary if you can see a Sony Pictures studio tour passing by the windows. Take 2001's Session 9, for example, a slow-burning cult spooker that derives much of its uneasiness from its location: Danvers State Hospita
I was 14 when my dad drove me to McDonald's and told me to get a job. I was 17 when I quit, a day that was surprisingly bittersweet. I hated the job, but I'd made memories there-friends, enemies, jokes. I'd met my first love in the break room.
1. Flogging Molly, "The Worst Day Since Yesterday" Bagpipes often conjure images of kilted Scots in tam o' shanters, but one shouldn't overlook Ireland's devotion to the age-old instrument.
Food Writing
Welcome to Gateways To Drinkery, where The A.V. Club offers an entry-level course on our favorite libations, and some suggestions on where to start drinking them.Saison (farmhouse ale)The lowdown: "Saison" sounds fancy-dainty even. It's nearly impossible to order one without indulging in even the li
Just because we voted an orange, fluffy Demogorgon into office doesn't mean Election Day was a total bust: California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada legalized laws in support of recreational marijuana. Meanwhile, Colorado's been buzzing since they legalized it in 2014, and, believe it or not, the
You've seen them. They're small presents tacked onto bigger ones. Stocking stuffers. You show them to the kids and share them on social media. They can be almost anything, these gifts, but what they have in common is that they probably came from Archie McPhee.
Animal fat is a versatile thing. You can use it to make soap, candles, or even an industrial lubricant.
Bacon's recent revival amongst the culinary cognoscenti invigorated the taste buds of pork lovers everywhere. It also inspired any number of innovators, who sought ways to create a better strip of bacon. Some wanted to make it less greasy, others crispier, and a few pioneers even considered bacon's
Bacon fat-the stuff left in the pan once you've got those pork strips nice and crispy-is flavorful as all get-out, not to mention endlessly versatile. Grandma didn't hoard those jars for nothing. Tossing the dregs in the trash isn't a good idea, since the grease will wreak havoc on drains, so it's worth it to figure out a use for it.
Buying Guides
As TVs have gotten slimmer, lighter, and decidedly less cube-shaped, the ways we display them in our home have multiplied. Instead of plopping a television atop a pile of precariously stacked books, we can secure them to our walls, ceilings, or even a piece of furniture.
9 of 10 dentists agree: poor brushing just shatters their hearts. Save their spirits and your teeth by consulting our guide to electric toothbrushes.
Lube grants a wide range of benefits in the bedroom, from adding comfort to granting a variety of new sensations. Its prime advantage, of course, is lubrication itself-by adding moisture and minimizing friction, it can make intimate activities of all types smoother and more enjoyable.
Groupon Feature Articles
It's easy to take oil for granted, but if you neglect it for too long, you're in for car trouble (and a lighter wallet). Changing your oil on the regular ensures a longer life for your car and fewer visits to the mechanic.
Before her sticky buns sent the pastry world (and Bobby Flay) spinning, Joanne Chang graduated from Harvard with a degree in applied mathematics and economics. Now, as the owner of Boston's Myers+Chang restaurant and the ever-expanding Flour Bakery + Cafe, the renowned baker regularly puts her education to good use.
Las Vegas's reputation for sin and excess extends to its culinary scene, where celebrity chefs from around the world flock to indulge their most decadent whims. Las Vegas seafood restaurants, especially, are known to serve dishes every bit as glitzy as the Strip itself, and we've compiled some of the best ones right here.
Neon Trees make music videos that feel like movies. Some evoke seedy detective flicks or teenage prom dramas, while others pay homage to drive-in classics like or . The Utah-based band's new video for "Sleeping With a Friend" disrupts that formula somewhat, eschewing traditional narrative for a colorful, dreamlike milieu that most closely resembles a surrealist painting.
Mobile gaming may be forecasted to make around $22 billion this year, but a growing number of gamers are finding their way back to pre-digital forms of entertainment. No longer feeling confined to the basement, these proud geeks have found a new home: the board-game cafe.
Being smack-dab in the California coast, San Jose is close enough to Mexico to reap some of its tasty cuisine. Gourmet and street-food dishes central to Mexican culture can be found at countless San Jose Mexican restaurants, though it's the following eateries that elevate the classics to another echelon.
OK, so there's no such thing as a " Kansas City pizza." But this is indisputably a good thing, as it frees a KC pie to take on any number of forms: wood-fired, Neapolitan, New York style, you name it. With such wondrous diversity, there's bound to be a pizza to accommodate every situation in your life.
The way you listen to live music reveals a lot about your personality. If you're loud and rowdy, you'd probably prefer not to be cooped up at a cabaret table. On the other hand, a raucous mosh pit likely sounds awful to someone who prefers to slowly sip cocktails.
Once the landmarks have been photographed, the museums browsed, and statues hugged, there's no greater way to get to know a city than to drink its beer. That goes double for Milwaukee, a city that was once dubbed the the "beer capital of the world."
Oceania isn't messing around. Lorde and Gotye have already conquered American airwaves, and Vance Joy-who strums a mean ukulele-is poised to be next.
Sometimes, metal can be a drag. The darkness, the self-seriousness, the preoccupation with death and destruction. On the surface, Atlanta's Mastodon look like just another band of bearded buzzkills, what with their concept albums about Moby-Dick and Rasputin. But a closer look reveals the band's fierce intelligence and wicked sense of humor.
Groupon Copywriting Content
Any price comparison is to a new, nonrefurbished product price. LG 25" Class 21:9 UltraWide IPS Monitor (Refurbished) Ideal for graphic designers, photographers, and other professionals who value screen real estate, this 25" monitor has a rectangular screen to accommodate a multitude of windows.
Check out all the latest Gaiam coupon codes, promo codes & discounts for 2015. Remember: Check Groupon First.
Set Contents 32GB black Wii U console Wii U GamePad Wii U AC adapter Wii U GamePad AC adapter HDMI cable Sensor bar Wii U GamePad cradle Wii U GamePad stand Wii U console stand Mario Wii wheel Mario-themed Wii Remote Plus Mario Kart 8 game disc Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Set Nintendo's Wii U combines a console capable of full-HD gameplay with an innovative controller that has its own screen.
Dead Island: Game of the Year Edition It begins at the idyllic Royal Palms Resort on the tropical island of ..., where a zombie apocalypse has turned the visiting tourists and hardened locals into blood-splattered denizens of the undead.
Contents 8'' chef's knife 6.5'' serrated panini knife 4'' paring knife 11-slot bamboo knife block Shun Japanese Damascus Style Set of 3 Knives with Block Shun's proprietary VG-Max steel is what sets these kitchen knives apart from their sharp-edged contemporaries.
Racerback top exposes the shoulders and back tastefully, making it perfect for warm weather
Whimsical reinterpretation of "The House That Jack Built" encourages students to create their own story in an included composition book
LELO vibrators for solo use or couples' play come forged from body-safe silicone and are conducive to use in the shower or bath
Any price comparison is to a new, nonrefurbished product price. Dell Inspiron 15.6" Laptop A reliable laptop for home, the office, or any mix of the two, the Dell Inspiron provides a portable vessel for surfing the web or editing the next great American novel.
Elvis Presley: The Complete '68 Comeback Special Elvis hadn't graced the small screen in the eight years before this 1968 NBC special, and during that time his pouty lips and swiveling hips lost the ability to fog over monocles as they once did.
Wii Mini console arrives with Mario Kart Wii, as well as the Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk controllers
Tom Ford Black Orchid Eau de Parfum for Women Rich and Luxurious Anchoring this sumptuous fragrance is black orchid, a luxury ingredient that's custom grown and very rare. Along with woodsy notes at the base, the orchid offers a dark earthiness that's offset by sweet, creamy notes of vanilla and citrus.
Consequence of Sound
Welcome to Modern Classics, an ongoing series where Consequence of Sound's staffers and contributors discuss albums within the last 10 years that may now be looked upon as a "modern classic." Today, Randall Colburn's celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Decemberists sophomore album, Her Majesty The Deccemberists, and how its humane nature separates it from the rest of Colin Meloy's celebrated catalogue.
It seems like every new film festival cycle offers an endless supply of coming-of-age stories, usually centered on wayward teenagers or developmentally stilted twentysomethings. It's that second category that we're thinking about of late, what with Lynn Shelton's continually delayed finally hitting theatres this week.
Quiz Show was lost in the crowd, impeccably dressed and reeking of prestige at a party thrown by punk kids. At the 1994 Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Picture alongside Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Forrest Gump, innovative films that, in some cases, were a direct response to the monocled aristocrats of yesteryear.
RealLife is a monthly feature where Consequence of Sound staffers join forces with a diverse cadre of writers to share personal stories inspired by one legendary album. This month we're tackling Rilo Kiley's swooning More Adventurous. Some of the stories may be inexorably linked to the album itself; others may just share its themes, tone, and atmosphere.
How many songs have I ruined with too many spins? Too many. Most, probably. You could say it's my fault, that I scrubbed the sheen away myself. But then there are those outliers, those songs that persevere, retaining their resonance no matter how many times I sing along.
Cults is a band. They are from New York. They are young and attractive. They have long hair that, slick with sweat and product, tumbles dramatically over their faces. They made a song that was in an iPod commercial. Cults' music is pretty and pleasant and a perfectly fine thing to sway to.
"Set fire to my music," Spencer Krug sings on Julia With Blue Jeans On, "It wasn't much good anyway." If he's serious, that explains a lot. Moonface, a moniker Krug attributes to his solo work, repeatedly redefines itself to such an extent that you'd think the songwriter were trying to make you forget his last effort.
Paul Thomas Anderson is in many ways our Kubrick. I'll hear an argument that there are better movies from other directors, and I'll even entertain the notion that there are better directors. However, like Kubrick and Hitchcock before him, you get the sense that every single shot in a PTA film has been carefully thought out and constructed.
Noah Baumbach wrote and directed Kicking and Screaming when he was 26, and his youth played no small part in how human and relatable that film's pack of post-college rascals came to be. Artists are almost always best attuned to the culture, mannerisms, and ennui of those their own age.
The idea of a "fourth wall" began back in ancient days (pre-1950s) when theater was the primary source of entertainment. It is "the space that separates a performer or performance from an audience," an imaginary barrier that allows the audience the chance to observe the actions on stage or, nowadays, the story in a movie or TV show.
Spectrum Culture
Rating: Los Campesinos! are not twee. Okay, they were a little twee on Sticking Fingers into Sockets, their debut EP. But even then, amidst all that talk of Cherry Aid and fizzy drinks, frontman Gareth Campesinos! couldn't stop himself from shouting, " It's my party and I'll die if I want to!"
Rating: Do we need any more books about Kurt Cobain? Not really. We could, however, use some more books about Nirvana. That might sound like a contradiction, considering a book about Cobain is ostensibly a book about Nirvana, but that's not really case.
Gaper's Block
Feature Mon Jan 18 2010 Most theater companies define themselves by what they want. Jeremy Menekseoglu, artistic director of Chicago's Dream Theatre Company, knows exactly what he doesn't. No fourth wall. No superfluous roles. No poor roles for women. No living rooms. No boundaries of realism.
Theatre Tue May 25 2010 "If someone understands a story," a character mutters during one of the more tedious stretches of Bertolt Brecht's 1918 play Baal, "it's been told badly." TUTA's production isn't told badly, necessarily. In fact, for its first hour, Baal is sloppy, riotous fun. But then it just keeps going.
Theatre Zarko: Puppet Symbolist Theatre is exactly that. Combining puppets, surrealism and unique storytelling, Theatre Zarko aims to provide Chicago with a broader vision of the art form of the puppet by creating a venue for experimental puppet theatre and eventually opening a school of puppetry arts.
Theater Fri Sep 10 2010 Illustration by Chris Burnham I've never really read comics. Not as a kid, not as an adult. One might think that would undercut my immersion into Redmoon's latest, an outdoor spectacle in the windows of the Museum of Contemporary Art's façade, but the remarkable thing about The Astronaut's Birthday is the warm Technicolor cloud of nostalgia it leaves in its wake.
Theatre Sun May 09 2010 There's plenty of crazy talk in Stringberg's modernist chamber play, The Ghost Sonata. Discussions of insanity, asylums and madness abound in this story of a wide-eyed student's descent into a hellish Stockholm apartment, but Max Truax's fearless production for Oracle Theatre does the masterful job of making Strindberg's batty, and at times impenetrable, language fresh, raucous, and most importantly, accessible.
Theatre Fri Apr 09 2010 Isn't there a stage adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby that runs more than eight hours? Yes, there is. Who thought that was a good idea? Someone who knows it's near impossible to capture the passion, heart, and depth of an epic novel in a couple hours, much less onstage where your resources are that much more limited.
Student Study Guides