MOST RECENT ARTICLES BY:

Adam Sternbergh

  1. The Knights of ProsperityIt’s a shame that ABC discarded this show’s quirky original title, Let’s Rob … , in favor of The Knights of Prosperity, which sounds less like a […]
  2. Because What’s the Point of Being Funny in Wisconsin? The news two weeks ago that executive producer Ben Karlin was leaving The Daily Show felt a bit like finding out Mom and Dad are splitting up. […]
  3. Because You Don’t Need a Plane Ticket to Go to a Foreign Country As a New Yorker, you spend a lot of your time not acting like a tourist: not going where tourists go (Rockefeller Center), not wearing what tou […]
  4. ’Tis the Season for the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!In theater, the Curve can be a harsh mistress. Company, for example, is only as good as you think it won’t be: Go with high hopes and be disappo […]
  5. If You Lived Here, You’d Be Cool by NowEver get the feeling that the New York of your dreams is happening elsewhere? These days, the half-life of a hot neighborhood can be measured in […]
  6. Clarification: World War II Spy Movie or Sainted Bohemian?The Good GermanThe Good German is a forties-era tale of an American journalist, played by George Clooney, who returns to Berlin after the war an […]
  7. Slow Death at 6:30 P.M.The faces have changed. The problems remain. How to make network news relevant again.
  8. Home on the RangeGun-shy New Yorkers learn to defend themselves while embracing their inner Dirty Harry.
  9. Lights, Camera, Dissatisfaction on the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations! A basic law of hype: The likelihood of being disappointed by a movie is directly proportional to the volume of that movie’s Oscar buzz. So as […]
  10. Never-Ending StoriesHow to fix shows like ‘Lost.’
  11. Everything Is Beautiful on the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!The curious thing about A Chorus Line is that, with each new review, you get more excited to see the show even though you’ve already seen it 34 […]
  12. Smarty PantsHow Project Runway flatters New Yorkers’ sense of self.
  13. Stephen Colbert Has America by the BallotsThe former Jon Stewart protégé created an entire comic persona out of right-wing doublespeak, trampling the boundary between parody and politics […]
  14. Après le Déluge in the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!Last week, Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 finally arrived—was it worse than you expected, or better than you feared? Either way, it proves that autumn […]
  15. Chris Parnell: An AppreciationChris Parnell, recently bounced from Saturday Night Live along with Horatio Sanz and Finesse Mitchell, isn’t known for funny catchphrases or wac […]
  16. A Killer RoleOn the gloriously bloody Dexter, Michael C. Hall plays the charming psycho next door.
  17. The Aaron Sorkin Show Studio 60 isn’t about TV comedy—it’s about its own creator.
  18. America the BeautifulThanks to America Ferrera, Ugly Betty is shaping up to be the new season’s most unlikely swan.
  19. Hey There, LonelygirlOne cute teen’s online diary is probably a hoax. It’s also the birth of a new art form.
  20. Tune In to the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!Now that TV’s leaked onto the Internet (and vice versa), high hopes for a new series can be dashed even before the show premieres.
  21. Notes on New York’s Celebrity InfestationPlus, where to see a famous person and pretend you didn’t.
  22. I Want My A.D.D.How 25 years of MTV have changed the world (for better and worse).
  23. Perusing the Bookshelf of the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!The Curve isn’t about how good something is; it’s about how good you expect it to be. For example, Bill Buford’s worthy—and loudly praised—Heat […]
  24. Inside the Disco InfernoThirty years ago, a mostly fictional article in this magazine led to the movie Saturday Night Fever. But the pictures that ran with tha […]
  25. Cowpoke: Thomas Haden ChurchPeople don’t think of Thomas Haden Church as a cowboy; instead, they recognize him from the sitcom Wings, or as the endearingly dunderheaded lad […]
  26. Beware the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!Here’s the good news for HBO’s Entourage: It returns June 11. The bad news? The show, which is essentially a smiley but toothless sitcom built a […]
  27. ClarificationLauded video artist or delicious cocktail?
  28. Sleeper Hit ManThe unlikely star of The Drowsy Chaperone has a thing for cool cell phones—but no other bad-celebrity traits.
  29. The Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad PresidentIf TV’s small sample size is to be trusted, we once again have a strong sense that something’s rotten, and we think we know who’s to blame.
  30. The Curtain Rises on the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!Does Lestat belong on the Curve? Low expectations from disastrous early buzz might position it as a perfect not-as-bad-as-you’ve-heard candidate […]
  31. Clarification: Dunderheaded Teen Sitcom or Venereal Disease?The Evidence A procedural crime drama airing on ABC and styled loosely on CSI, The Evidence centers on San Francisco police inspectors Sean Col […]
  32. Missions AccomplishedIf the public is wary of the real-life war, why are viewers eating up shows about a gung-ho military?
  33. Female Lead: Maria BelloThe new film The Sisters is based on a play (Richard Alfieri’s The Sisters) inspired by a play (Chekhov’s Three Sisters). The action swirls arou […]
  34. City Slicker: Fernando MeirellesDirector Fernando Meirelles’ invigorating Brazilian TV series, City of Men, based on City of God (sort of), is premiering this week.
  35. Up With Grups*He owns eleven pairs of sneakers, hasn’t worn anything but jeans in a year, and won’t shut up about the latest Death Cab for Cutie CD. But he is […]
  36. Blythe Danner’s real (Gwyneth) and pretend (vodka) motherhood.When Blythe Danner says she’s been busy of late entertaining “a house full of family,” you might remember that her family includes an A-list mov […]
  37. Springtime for the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!Ah, spring—is there any season more climatically connected with expectations, both rising and dashed?
  38. Cyndi Lauper: The RemixAn eighties icon finally makes it to Broadway.
  39. Beware the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!ith the Oscars race finally over, we can stop looking backward at 2005 and get back to unreasonably inflating our expectations for what’s coming […]
  40. The Good Guy: Dennis HaysbertNever fear, America: Dennis Haysbert is back in charge. The assassination of his character on 24, President David Palmer, was a shocker, but on […]
  41. The Gone ShowWhy networks give new series a quick hook.
  42. ClarificationOlympic-hosting city or lightning-struck golfer?
  43. Julianne’s JobHow Julianne Moore gently sidesteps all the bad parts of being a movie star.
  44. Beware the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!Now that the Oscar nominations have been announced, we can start grappling with the real puzzler: Is Jon Stewart going to blow?
  45. Fantasy IslandWhat ‘Love Monkey’ lacks.
  46. Beware the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!Award season plays havoc with expectations: How often have you walked out of a film thinking, They gave six Golden Globe nominations to this?!
  47. Out of the WoodsHow Forest Whitaker escaped his career slump.
  48. ‘Four Kings’The new show that’s proudly old-school.
  49. Secret SantaMommy, why is Santa holding a bloody knife and a disembodied head? Be glad you didn’t face this question last week—unless, of course, you’re a n […]
  50. Because October RocksNo. 50 What happens in October in a typical city? Sure, you could catch a great concert, stroll through the leaves, maybe take in a local cat s […]
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