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ALL COLUMNS BY JAEL MCHENRY | |
1 to 10 of 134 columns
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Reviews are dead. Long live reviews! The difference between "what the people think" and "what the critics think" has always been rich territory for discussion, but never more than now, especially as "the people" become "the critics" through the internet takeover of society as we know it. If the critics are the people, then there's no difference, right? If we are the reviewers? Hold that thought for a sec. There are, of course, still (some) professional critics employed by major new...
Around this time last year, I ...
When I heard that Food Network was spinning off a new sister network called the Cooking Channel, I was pretty thrilled. Cooking! Isn’t that the missing ingredient, if you will, in the Food Network’s recipe these days? Once jam-packed with how-to instruction, the network now gives over its prime time hours mostly to competition shows, ranging from the reasonably entertaining (Iron Chef) to the absurdly specific (who can make the best cake featuring a Disney princess playing water polo and/or crib...
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4.
agents of change
a literary agent blog roundup
writing - process
6.4.10
: feature column!
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For every complaint I hear that publishing never changes, I hear an equal and opposite complaint that it's not what it used to be. And in many ways, it's not. I can tell you from experience that at least one segment of the road to publication -- the part where you search for an agent and secure representation -- has been completely revolutionized in the past five years. Not even ten. Five. A few years ago I was shocked to find that a few literary agents were bloggi...
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5.
that ends well
best and worst tv series finales of the 2000s
television - criticism
5.5.10
: feature column!
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A discussion of best TV series finales always turns to the whiplash classics, the ones that change everything that came before. "St. Elsewhere", for example, or "Newhart." ("It was all a dream!") A discussion of the worst ones always turns, well, to "Seinfeld." Welcome to the month of May, when we're bound to see new examples of both, the worst and the best. Expectations are riding especially high this year with the upcoming series finale of "Lost", a show that has always had a history of...
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6.
like it's your job
why tv gets the workplace wrong
television - criticism
4.5.10
: feature column!
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The scene: a glamorous, gorgeous party. Nighttime. Along the waterfront in New York City. Strings of lights. Beautiful people. The center of it all, a man in sunglasses, is thronged by gorgeous young women in down-to-there-dresses. He commands attention from the crowd and begins to speak. About his book. It's the opening scene of the pilot of "Castle", about a novelist, and the least realistic depiction of a book party I have ever seen in my life, which is probably why the pilot is the on...
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7.
guilty pleasures
a little break, a lot of fun
humor - appreciation
3.3.10
: feature column!
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In general, being a grownup pretty much sucks. There are all these things you have to do. Pay your rent/mortgage. Make money so you can pay your rent/mortgage. Work so you can make money. In the time you have left when you're not working, there's laundry to be done, meals to be managed, messes to clean, and other obligations to be met. Throw a couple kids and/or pets into the mix and then you're really overscheduled, even on days when you're not technically "at work". Is it ...
So, my first novel is coming out next spring. A year and change from now. I would like you to buy it, of course. I would like you to buy many many copies and give them to everyone you've ever met and organize book club discussions around them. Also parties. And parades. And over-the-top festivities of all sorts. To that end, I would also like to tell you what the novel is called, but: right now, I can't. It's an occupational hazard of publishing, this. (Of course publishing has ...
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9.
new year's revolution
suggestions for pop culture improvement in 2010
pop culture - general
1.4.10
: feature column!
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You know what I loved about TV, movies, magazines, and the interwebs in 2009? Not much. Yes, of course, I am a shameless, whole-hearted consumer of all that is Pop, and I'm not saying there was nothing worth consuming. I consumed. I consumed "Top Chef" and "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Mad Men" episodes by the bucketful, and (500) Days of Summer +1 day after its premiere, and all the Entertainment Weekly I could get my hands on. But all in all, it left me somehow disapp...
So, you know how pop culture writing is, right? Two is a trend. That's why you're seeing so much coverage these days of "oooh, apocalypse!" just because 2012 and The Road happened to come out within a couple weeks of each other. Oooooohpocalypse. On the face of it, you've got two movies that couldn't be more different. One, a splashy, crashy, disastery blockbuster of an action movie, with ads and trailers that feature OMG THE CRASHTASM. The other, based on a l...
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RAVES | |
re: who cares what you think?
This isn't a professional review, but you're right on target and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
re: who cares what you think?
I was going to rate this poor, just to prove your point, but nice job.
re: like it's your job
We writers aren't interesting, but "Castle" gives us hope that we may someday bag Nathan Fillion. Excellent observations.
re: guilty pleasures
Funny how I agree with every single thing you said.
re: new year's revolution
I always enjoy your stuff.
re: the end of the world as we know it
Pitch-perfect tone on a well-spotted trend.
re: the secret to getting published
Accomplishments always feel great to celebrate; it's how the end of one finish line feels while planning the next races to enter. Rock on, Jael, and well done!
re: the secret to getting published
Great article with sound advice. May you have much success.
re: the secret to getting published
w00t! Plus, every writer should read this column. Twice.
re: the secret to getting published
This is great and should be required reading for all writers.
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PROJECTS
