Celebrity Second Chances, Chris Pratt Edition
Last week, Jake Roberson told us about Tim Tebow’s storybook engagement to Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters. This week, we have another high-profile engagement to make note of: Chris Pratt’s announcement that he’ll be tying the knot with Katherine Schwarzennegger. Now, you might think that we’ve run out of things to blog about since we’re publishing our second […]
Culture Clips: “Alexa, What’s a First Down Anyway?”
It’s that time of year. The time when some of us build our weekend schedules around football games, both college and pro. Bowl games. Championships. Wild Card showdowns and Divisional Rounds. And soon … the Super Bowl. For some of us, we can’t remember a time when we didn’t know what a fist down was, […]
Culture Clips: Is ‘VeggieTales’ Racist?
Hardly a week goes by these days without something somewhere in popular culture offending someone, it seems. Several more such stories made the rounds on the internet the last few days. And this week’s list includes a couple of surprising new “offenders.” Starting with VeggieTales. Yeah, that’s right, Bob, Larry and the gang have apparently […]
Musical Musings 2018: Adam Holz’s Year-End Picks
Every year, I find a handful of music releases to look forward to. (Imagine Dragons and Mumford & Sons, for instance, were on the list this year, even if I wasn’t able to include those two bands’ most recent, more-positive-than-not releases here.) And then, there are surprises. Sometimes big ones. Last year, for example, I […]
Culture Clips: What Do Teens Talk About on Social Media?
If you’ve ever wondered exactly what teens tend to post on social media, well, wonder no more! Pew Research just published an in-depth look at “Teens’ Social Media Habits and Experiences.” And the data mavens at statista.com have broken down those results into this infographic: You will find more infographics at Statista. In addition to […]
Culture Clips: Nostalgia Cuts Both Ways
Nostalgia is big business. If it’s been a hit in the last century, whether on the big screen or small, someone in Hollywood is figuring out a way to reboot, repackage or relaunch it. That’s because familiar entertainment properties from the past pack built-in marketing muscle, full of yesteryear’s fond memories. Disney, of course, has […]
Culture Clips: How Often Do You Check Your Phone?
If you’ve ever wondered whether you check your phone more, less or about the same amount as “normal” people, well, here’s your baseline: 52 times a day. That’s how often a new survey from Deloitte Consulting says the average American adult looks at his or her phone every 24 hours. Deloitte managing director Mic Locker […]
Culture Clips: Are Conservative Stars Keeping Quiet?
Many celebrities these days adopt political views that tend to align with liberal positions and politicians. But what about those who don’t? What price might a conservative actor, actress or entertainer pay for voicing a right-leaning opinion? The Hollywood Reporter notes that conservative celebrities are “skittish” about being politically vocal in our “toxic” times. “There […]
Generation Alpha’s Revolutionary World … And Parenting in It
If you’ve been lying awake at night wondering what we’re going to name the kids born after Generation Z (those who arrived between 1996 and 2009), the solution is simple: Go back to the beginning. Savvy marketers, who always pay more attention to stuff like this that you and I do, are one step ahead […]
Based on a True Story … Mostly
We’ve all seen that tag in front of a movie: “Based on a True Story.” And there’s never any shortage of movies like those. This year alone, there are a whopping 18 of ’em, including several in theaters right now: First Man, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and Beautiful Boy, as well as several from […]