Arts, entertainment, and more.

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• The Mosque to Commerce Bin Laden's special complaint with the World Trade Center.
  Laurie Kerr Dec. 28, 2001
  
• Love Hurts The five deadly sins of romantic comedies.
  Lisa Levy Dec. 27, 2001
  
• A Real Number A Beautiful Mind's John Nash is nowhere near as complicated as the real one.
  Chris Suellentrop Dec. 21, 2001
  
• Attack of the Mega-Ornaments Christopher Radko, the man who super-sized Christmas.
  Alison Cook Dec. 19, 2001
  
• Unto Us a Hit Is Born Why Handel's Messiah is a holiday soundtrack for the ages.
  Adam Baer Dec. 18, 2001
  
• Project Brown-Nose Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's exercise in competitive glad-handing.
  Stephen Metcalf Dec. 17, 2001
  
• ATLiens Among Us What makes OutKast so good?
  Alex Abramovich Dec. 14, 2001
  
• Plot Holes: HarryPotter and the Sorcerer's Stone A guide for those who didn't read the book.
  Josh Daniel Dec. 12, 2001
  
• Films for the Pre-Literate Which new movies for kids are worth buying on video?
  Justine Henning Dec. 6, 2001
  
• Monsters, Inc., Inc. Pixar's quiet disdain for children.
  David Samuels Dec. 5, 2001
  
• Hearing Aid Sometimes poetry should be seen but not heard.
  Adam Kirsch Dec. 4, 2001
  
• Queer as Volk? A new book claims Hitler was a closet case.
  Ron Rosenbaum Dec. 3, 2001
  
• J. Lo and Behold A thumbnail guide to the Other Latin Boom.
  Rob Walker Nov. 28, 2001
  
• Plot Holes Plugged Don't say a word about serendipitous last castles.
  Tim Carvell Nov. 26, 2001
  
• Hobbits on Film Ralph Bakshi's unfairly maligned Lord of the Rings.
  Glenn Gaslin Nov. 22, 2001
  
• Potter's Parent Trap Scoping out the Hogwarts Hut, electronic Quidditch, and other toys with a 10-year-old.
  Mimi Swartz Nov. 20, 2001
  
• When Harry Met Maggie Harry Potter, starring a witch named Margaret Thatcher.
  Jesse Cohen Nov. 16, 2001
  
• Top Guns Hollywood execs are ready to serve the country. But how?
  Lynda Obst Nov. 14, 2001
  
• Rio on the Hudson The Guggenheim's "Brazil": Fabulous trinkets in search of a map.
  Sarah Kerr Nov. 8, 2001
  
• Plot Holes: The Man Who Wasn't There   
  Scott Shuger Nov. 6, 2001
  
• Ticked Off The Tick doesn't live up to its noble heritage.
  Seth Stevenson Nov. 6, 2001
  
• Buffy Slays. Now What?  The least-watched great show on TV grows up. 
  Tim Appelo Nov. 5, 2001
  
• What To Tell Kids About Terrorism? Pretty much the same thing you tell them about sex.
  Ann Hulbert Nov. 5, 2001
  
• Bell Bottom Classical music's most overrated glamour-puss.
  Adam Baer Nov. 1, 2001
  
• How Can I Help? A role for writers and artists in the new war.
  David Denby Nov. 1, 2001
  
• Jonathan Franzen: A Defense 
  Eliza Truitt Nov. 1, 2001
  
• Billy Joel's Classical Crossover Is it a bold adventure or a grand delusion?
  Erik Tarloff Oct. 31, 2001
  
• Lyric Opera  What Courtney Love might’ve learned from Millay and Dickinson. 
  Meghan O'Rourke Oct. 29, 2001
  
• Towering Babel A new translation makes the mighty author stoop.
  Alex Abramovich Oct. 24, 2001
  
• Beyond Jihad What we can learn from the religious language of the terrorists. 
  Robert Wisnovsky Oct. 23, 2001
  
• Musical Notation A riddle: When can music express non-music? 
  Erik Tarloff Oct. 20, 2001
  
• Rosebud Remix  The Citizen Kane DVD is as coldly magnificent as the original film. 
  Christopher Hawthorne Oct. 19, 2001
  
• Too Much Theft, Not Enough Love Bob Dylan's derivative new album.
  Marc Weingarten Oct. 17, 2001
  
• The Overstuffed World of AIP Remembering the world's greatest producer of bikini-spy-blaxploitation flicks.
  Bill Barol Oct. 16, 2001
  
• Can Television Catch 22? 
  Scott Shuger Oct. 15, 2001
  
• Higher Education, Lower Ratings Why are there so few TV shows about college?
  David Plotz Oct. 12, 2001
  
• Grave Yard Lessons in memorial-building.
  Robert Knafo Oct. 10, 2001
  
• White Lies When WASPiness is used as a plot crutch. 
  Kera Bolonik Oct. 6, 2001
  
• Music for TV Dinners The enduring charm of disposable pop music.
  Bill Barol Oct. 3, 2001
  
• The Western Wingding Mr. Smith wanders home from Washington.
  Chris Lehmann Sept. 29, 2001
  
• Are You a Book Critic? A contest to join Slate's book-reviewing team. 
  Jodi Kantor Sept. 29, 2001
  
• Imagining the Unimaginable The terrorist in my novel versus the real ones. 
  Jennifer Egan Sept. 27, 2001
  
• Chasing After Conrad's Secret Agent It's the archetypal novel about terrorists. And everyone's getting it wrong.
  Judith Shulevitz Sept. 27, 2001
  
• Darwin's Sanitized Idea PBS's Evolution is an exercise in Creationist appeasement.
  Chris Mooney Sept. 25, 2001
  
• Americathon Friday night with Julia, Bruce, and the rest of the gang.
  David Samuels Sept. 23, 2001
  
• Auden on Bin Laden 
  Eric McHenry Sept. 21, 2001
  
• The Faces of NPR Do the correspondents look how they sound?
  Dahlia Lithwick Sept. 11, 2001
  
• Among the Yearlings The oldest young people in country music. 
  Daniel Menaker Sept. 8, 2001
  
• Uneasy Company Band of Brothers is Private Ryan for grown-ups.
  Paul Fussell Sept. 7, 2001
  
• Judge Björk Vespertines shows the singer's mellow side.
  Seth Stevenson Sept. 5, 2001
  
• Not So Special Relationship Down with preferential treatment for British bands! 
  Keith Harris Sept. 1, 2001
  
• Confessions of a Reality TV Bottom-Feeder 
  Marc Weingarten Aug. 30, 2001
  
• Rock On, Geezer! In defense of 50-year-old pop stars.
  Mark Jenkins Aug. 29, 2001
  
• Plot Holes: The Deep End 
  Jared Hohlt Aug. 23, 2001
  
• Why CSI Explaining the year's breakout TV hit.
  Ana Marie Cox Aug. 23, 2001
  
• The Bum Rush A modest proposal for civic art.
  Rob Walker Aug. 22, 2001
  
• The Estranged Twins Woody Allen and Philip Roth: Separated at birth?
  Alex Abramovich Aug. 22, 2001
  
• Symphony In Utero Mozart for the second trimester.
  Aaron Retica Aug. 18, 2001
  
• The Great Late Elvis Taking Vegas-era Elvis seriously.
  Marc Weingarten Aug. 16, 2001
  
• Lost Highway Blues The dirty little secret about Ryan Adams and his record label.
  Jason Cohen Aug. 15, 2001
  
• One Cheer for Cheering What's in a blurb? 
  Eliza Truitt Aug. 14, 2001
  
• Mozart Again?!!? The tricky art of making the classical music canon sound new.
  Adam Baer Aug. 9, 2001
  
• The Prophets of Profit How artists can slyly critique their wealthy patrons.
  Lee Siegel Aug. 8, 2001
  
• Starstuck The Seagull demonstrates why Hollywood and Broadway are on separate coasts.
  Jeremy McCarter Aug. 8, 2001
  
• Plot Holes: Planet of the Apes Why Tim Burton's ending makes sense.
  Josh Daniel July 31, 2001
  
• Apocalypse Soon Booksellers' biggest nightmare has already come true. 
  Eliza Truitt July 31, 2001
  
• Unfair Sentence The case for difficult books.
  Meghan O'Rourke July 28, 2001
  
• I Don't A new book tries to convince you not to marry.
  Hanna Rosin July 26, 2001
  
• Wye You Shouldn't Go The world's most overrated bookstores.
  June Thomas July 25, 2001
  
• Tolkien's Hobbling Habit A warning for those about to read TheLord of the Rings.
  Chris Mooney July 25, 2001
  
• The Apes of Wrath The radical political history of Planet of the Apes. 
  Alex Abramovich July 21, 2001
  
• Akira Again Its animation looks outdated, and its story is a mess. So, what makes Akira a classic anime?
  Glenn Gaslin July 21, 2001
  
• Pee-Wee's New Playhouse Should you Know Jack? 
  Seth Stevenson July 19, 2001
  
• Fashion Do's Marie Claire. Vogue. Harper's Bazaar. What's the difference?
  Karen Lehrman July 18, 2001
  
• Stay Right Where You Are When can an opera singer be a folk singer? Almost never.
  Adam Baer July 12, 2001
  
• Athletes in Skirts Why don't women tennis players wear shorts?
  Eliza Truitt July 7, 2001
  
• Looking for a Boy The lush, lovesick sound of Rufus Wainwright.
  Jeff Turrentine July 4, 2001
  
• A Ghost World Preview What do comic-book authors and teen-age girls have in common?  
  Eliza Truitt July 3, 2001
  
• The $29,900 Styrofoam Cup Do the art cognoscenti like the work they buy?
  Karen Lehrman June 29, 2001
  
• Plot Holes: Memento 
  Erik Lundegaard June 28, 2001
  
• Not Another Impressionism Show  Bored with haystacks, ballerinas, and lilies? Read this. 
  Robert Knafo June 27, 2001
  
• Frank My Dear The remarkable sliminess of the Guggenheim's Gehry show.
  Christopher Hawthorne June 23, 2001
  
• Bluegrass on 57th Street O Brother, Where Art Thou? At Carnegie Hall.
  Daniel Menaker June 22, 2001
  
• Loud, Proud, and One Helluva Crowd A symphony—yes, a symphony—for 100 electric guitars.
  Douglas Wolk June 21, 2001
  
• You're Gonna Like This Amazon's latest, most brazen attempt to read your mind.
  Eliza Truitt June 20, 2001
  
• What Lewis Wouldn't Do When you take God out of Narnia, is there anything left?
  Lauren Winner June 19, 2001
  
• Craft Work If it's beautiful, is it still modern dance?
  Karen Lehrman June 13, 2001
  
• You Don't Know Lucinda Stop searching for Lucinda Williams' Essence.
  Rob Walker June 12, 2001
  
• The Anti-Christs Radiohead defies rock's own, personal Jesus myth.
  Alex Abramovich June 9, 2001
  
• Tale of Two Pastors Life that mimics art that mimics God.
  Alex Abramovich June 8, 2001
  
• Long Gone Lonesome Blues Curatorial rigor amid the tchotchkes at the Country Music Hall of Fame. 
  Daniel Menaker June 7, 2001
  
• Unsound Logic Why don't new audio toys equal better sound?
  Fred Kaplan June 6, 2001
  
• A Stethoscope for Your TV Is there a methodical way to tell when a TV show's kaput?
  Robert Knafo June 5, 2001
  
• Sex and the Gritty Would HBO still be great without its dirty parts?
  Jodi Kantor June 2, 2001
  
• No Polyester Ermine Here Fantasy writers wage a noble battle against the forces of schlock. 
  Polly Shulman May 31, 2001
  
• Chess Hustlers How to play street chess without getting scammed.
  Matt Gaffney May 24, 2001
  
• Clay Idols At home with Wallace and Gromit. 
  Aaron Retica May 23, 2001
  
• Who Watches the Baywatchers? Baywatch: The final jiggle.
  Seth Stevenson May 22, 2001
  
• Anne Frank, Version 20.01 How is this Anne different from all other Annes?
  Jodi Kantor May 19, 2001
  
• When Harry Met Grendel Beowulf: From dreaded high-school assignment to smash hit.
  Scott Timberg May 17, 2001
  
• Ainsley: Now More Than Ever Whatever happened to The West Wing's lone conservative?
  Michael Joseph Gross May 17, 2001
  
• Frère Shock If the French are so blasé, why are they scandalized by reality television?
  Robert Knafo May 16, 2001
  
• Signs of Intelligent Life A.I.'s mysterious and masterful promotional campaign. 
  Douglas Wolk May 15, 2001
  
• The Decline of Fashion Photography An argument in pictures.
  Karen Lehrman May 15, 2001
  
• Summer Internment How to market Pearl Harbor in Japan.
  Jonathan Last May 12, 2001
  
• Book Party Anything—anything—but the dreaded bookstore appearance. 
  Jennifer Howard May 11, 2001
  
• Jackie's Closet The first lady hid herself in silken armor.
  Emily Eakin May 10, 2001
  
• Everybody Hurts When Listening to R.E.M.'s New Album The college-rock gods' long descent into mediocrity.
  Seth Stevenson May 9, 2001
  
• Take My Pink Slip. Please. Is dot-com humor still funny?
  Robert Knafo May 5, 2001
  
• There He Is … Miss Universe Let's open up the competition to transsexuals.
  Dann Halem May 4, 2001
  
• Plot Holes: Along Came a Spider Slate provides the missing scene!
  Tim Carvell May 4, 2001
  
• The Year of the Rock Rock 'n' roll's 12-year itch. 
  Geoff Shandler May 1, 2001
  
• No Baby No Cry Reggae, the new narcotic for screaming children and their beleaguered parents. 
  Joshua Green April 28, 2001
  
• Real Real Estate Bless this house column. 
  Eliza Truitt April 27, 2001
  
• The British Invasion The correct way to Americanize a British TV show.
  June Thomas April 25, 2001
  
• No Backstreet Girls Allowed Why aren't there any coed pop groups? We want it that way.
  Dann Halem April 21, 2001
  
• Grow Up Why are video games for adults so juvenile? 
  Seth Stevenson April 20, 2001
  
• Clean Your Fridge Magnetic, yes. Poetry, no. 
  Benjamin Soskis April 19, 2001
  
• I Wanna Be Joey Why all those rock writers are mourning Joey Ramone.
  Douglas Wolk April 18, 2001
  
• Portrait of a Whipping Boy Advertising's grudge against contemporary art.
  Robert Knafo April 17, 2001
  
• Self-Help for Alt-Country Fans Three bands that will revive your faith in indie pop. 
  Matt Feeney April 14, 2001
  
• Boot Check Does Boot Camp measure up to the real thing?
  Scott Shuger April 11, 2001
  
• Stalking the Elusive Rondo Help solve a musical mystery. 
  Erik Tarloff April 11, 2001
  
• Beer Nuts The new beer commercial.
  Mark Mazzetti April 10, 2001
  
• Classic Concentration On game shows, female hosts usually lose big.
  Chris Suellentrop April 6, 2001
  
• The End of History  
  Chris Lehmann April 5, 2001
  
• What a Crock of Sitcom The South Park guys strike out with That's My Bush!
  David Edelstein April 4, 2001
  
• Dutch Treatment  Book authors, book your flights to Amsterdam.
  Daniel Menaker April 4, 2001
  
• G Is for Greatness Disaster strikes on Sesame Street, to wonderful effect. 
  Justine Henning March 31, 2001
  
• Hey Jack Kerouac Why did sales of On the Road explode?
  Eliza Truitt March 30, 2001
  
• Who Is Shmuley Boteach? He's the Jewish missionary in the A-list position.
  Benjamin Soskis March 29, 2001
  
• Newjack Nation: Living in a Prison State 
  David Plotz March 28, 2001
  
• Remembrance of Things Blast Do you Ms. Pac-Man?
  John Sellers March 28, 2001
  
• Statue of Limitations Oscar cuts back. 
  David Edelstein March 27, 2001
  
• Wilson the Volleyball, Reconsidered 
  James Surowiecki March 24, 2001
  
• The Artist as Critic Will Pollock help you understand the artist's drip paintings?
  Michael Brus March 23, 2001
  
• Out of Africa Half-drawing, half-film, and all heart.
  Lorraine Adams March 22, 2001
  
• Ode to Joy The world's most famous cellist reveals his secret. 
  Jeremy Eichler March 21, 2001
  
• The Sound of Music What makes a film score score?
  Adam Baer March 21, 2001
  
• One Hair Gel NBC's frivolous look at newbie lawyers. 
  Cameron Stracher March 20, 2001
  
• Am I Experienced? Finding sound amid the noise at Frank Gehry's Experience Music Project. 
  Jasen Emmons March 16, 2001
  
• The Semiconducting Superconductor What do conductors do all day, anyway? 
  Jeremy Eichler March 9, 2001
  
• The Literary Critic's Shelf of Shame Moby Dick, The Scarlet Letter, and other books that professional readers skip. 
  Jodi Kantor March 7, 2001
  
• Livia Let Die Let her rest in one piece.
  Jodi Kantor March 3, 2001
  
• An Office of One's Own The history of your desk, 1913-2001.
  Dan Pink March 1, 2001
  
• Black Like Me The TV show that does right by black women.
  K.A. Dilday Feb. 28, 2001
  
• No Thanks for the Mammaries Mardi Gras, defined down.
  Chris Suellentrop Feb. 27, 2001
  
• Plot Holes: Don't They Watch CNN? 
  Jennifer Mendelsohn Feb. 27, 2001
  
• Culturebox Rules: Dave Eggers vs. David Kirkpatrick Who's right, the wounded memoirist or the exposed journalist?
  Eliza Truitt Feb. 24, 2001
  
• Monkeybone Lives Don't hate it just because it's a mess. 
  David Edelstein Feb. 24, 2001
  
• A Comeback for Classical Mus— Oops, never mind.
  Jim Kahn Feb. 23, 2001
  
• Yes, But Why Are the Grammys So Awful? 
  Josh Daniel Feb. 23, 2001
  
• Hanks? No Thanks Tom should never win another Oscar. 
  Erik Lundegaard Feb. 21, 2001
  
• Erin Go Brockovich Soderbergh should win, but not for Traffic. 
  Franklin Foer Feb. 16, 2001
  
• Crashing the Oscar Race 
  David Edelstein Feb. 14, 2001
  
• Short List Watch an Oscar-nominated movie this very second. 
  Eliza Truitt Feb. 14, 2001
  
• A Rant Against the Valentine's Day Rant 
  Cindy Chupack Feb. 14, 2001
  
• Space Cowboys The workplace of the future might make you want to stay in bed.
  Ron Lieber Feb. 13, 2001
  
• Models Are Smarter Than Actresses The price of celebrity bootlicking.
  Virginia Heffernan Feb. 10, 2001
  
• The Perils of Irony. No, Really. 
  Rob Walker Feb. 9, 2001
  
• The Simpsoffs Hell, d'oh, Bart must go.
  Seth Stevenson Feb. 8, 2001
  
• Is Survivor Rigged? Let's hope so.
  Jodi Kantor Feb. 7, 2001
  
• Variations on the Goldberg Variations 
  Erik Tarloff Feb. 6, 2001
  
• Smells Like Holy Spirit Christian rock on a par with the Beatles, Clapton, and Nirvana. 
  David Plotz Feb. 1, 2001
  
• Life and Art: Billy Elliot 
  June Thomas Jan. 31, 2001
  
• Burned Out Why did Ken Burns leave contemporary musicians out of Jazz?
  Seth Mnookin Jan. 31, 2001
  
• The Case Against Meier 
  Brent Staples Jan. 25, 2001
  
• Plot Holes: The Gift 
  Josh Daniel Jan. 22, 2001
  
• Lite Traffic: OK Movie, Bad Drug Policy Analysis 
  Mark Kleiman Jan. 18, 2001
  
• Our Dogs, Our Selves 
  David Plotz Jan. 16, 2001
  
• Goodbye to All That 
  Judith Shulevitz Jan. 16, 2001
  
• Bleeding-Heart TV 
  Judith Shulevitz Jan. 11, 2001
  
• The Implausible Enthusiasm of Jason Epstein 
  Judith Shulevitz Jan. 8, 2001