Contributor: Paul Asay

What’s the buzz in Hollywood? Texas Chainsaw, that’s what. The 3-D sequel of 1974’s venerably vile Texas Chainsaw Massacre brap-brap-brapped its way to the top of the box office, chopping down an estimated $23 million in an otherwise sleepy week at the …

Taylor Swift is America’s most philanthropic celebrity, according to the charity-minded website dosomething.org. According to the site, the 23-year-old singer/songwriter donated $4 million to the Country Hall of Fame Museum and has worked tirelessly to …

Next big thing in Hollywood? Furry feet. There are probably some entertainment executives who believe that those tousled toes must be the secret to the success of Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. I mean, it couldn’t be the sto …

Let’s be honest: A lot of us are relieved to see 2012 go. Sure, we got to see some grand Olympic performances and all. But we spent far more time dealing with hurricanes or mourning horrific tragedies or fighting about politics or panicking over the lo …

So, imagine it’s Christmas morning, and you unwrap a present that contains, oh, $50 million or so. Now, imagine being disappointed that it’s not more. That sums up the holiday weekend for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Yeah, director Peter Jackson’ …

“So I’m just wondering, after reading quite a few of your reviews, is there a secular TV show you guys do like?” A reader emailed me that question just a couple of days ago. It’s a pretty simple question, really—one that probably some of the rest …

The tagline for this Tom Cruise crimefest tells us that “The law has limits. He does not.” As if that’s a good thing.

This mother-son road trip movie hits its share of potholes and almost swerves off the road a time or two. But what’s that we spy on the horizon?

The Hurt Locker’s Kathryn Bigelow tracks down Osama bin Laden, step by bloody step. And when the hunt’s done, she asks us whether the reward is worth the price.

You know, I’m not sure whether those dwarves really need to risk life-and-limb tromping to Lonely Mountain to reclaim their family fortune. Looks like they’re making plenty at the movies. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey pillaged an estimated $84.8 mi …

Hey there! Great to see you again! It’s been a bit hectic reconnecting with you. Everything was ticking along just dandily—words were showing up on the blog and everything—when suddenly, our IT experts received a mysterious message from deep in the bow …

The only constant in life is change, so they say. And that’s particularly true if part of your life is lived online. And now change is coming to the Plugged In blog. No, we’re not going to start flooding the thing with lolcat videos or links to off-sho …

Former soccer star and current coach George Dryer wants to reunite with his son and ex-wife. But frisky soccer moms bar his way. (And he’s not inclined to barge right past them … at least at first.)

I wish I could write about another movie. Really. It’s not that I have anything against Edward or Bella or their freakishly old child or Jacob’s perpetually bare chest or Oregon or young-adult literature or the horrible way that vampires have become un …

Last Friday, Nickelodeon stalwart iCarly taped its final iShow and said goodbye (in an episode appropriately titled “iGoodbye”) to 6.4 million viewers. For Plugged In, iCarly’s exit was a little bittersweet. Nickelodeon’s kid-centric, half-hour sitcom …