JEFF JENSEN

because I keep forgetting to mention it: LITERALLY ANYONE can nominate books for this prize! yes! that means you! you have until march 31st!

Christy Lemire Bids a Fond Farewell to RogerEbert.com A goodbye to one of our favorite writers with links to dozens of her reviews.

I offer a spirited salute to critic Christy Lemire, who is leaving rogerebert.com after a 13 year run in which she wrote about every conceivable type of movie. A total pro. Here's a collection of excerpts of work, with a note from publisher Chaz Ebert: www.rogerebert.com/features/chr...

What incredible work, and what an amazing life. When I was a wee lad, the original run of this title shaped my perception of monster stories. There was an exuberant, poetic quality to the way it looked, and the coloring was a huge part of that.

Coming soon to a comic book shop near you: “Puppy Lake.”

Happy Birthday!

PRE-ORDER SIGNED Documentary Now!: Fourth Edition (Revised and Expanded) Seth Meyers, Documentary Now!, with Matt Zoller Seitz (Intro)(Hardcover, NEW) McSweeney's and Broadway Video present the official nearly-600-page comprehensive companion book to IFC's Documentary Now! , including new writing by Seth Meyers , a foreword by Pulitzer Prize-finalis...

It's only February, but this has gotta be the most unusual, least expected coffee table book of the year: 600 pages and 7 pounds on Documentary Now! I wrote the introduction, I'm proud to say. You can pre-order it signed (by me!) at the link. Publication date is May 2026. mzs.press/PRE-ORDER-SI...

Needless to say, Robert Duvall was iconic to me and it was a cherished honor that I got to speak to him for this interview. www.nytimes.com/2014/10/05/m...

When Hannibal Lecter Took Over - Longreads With "The Silence of the Lambs" hitting theaters, Orion wanted a hit. They didn't anticipate an antihero.

The first excerpt for HANNIBAL LECTER: A LIFE is up today on @longreads.com! It digs into the mania that greeted The Silence of the Lambs" on opening weekend in 1991--and looks at how and why Hannibal Lecter instantly became America's most beloved bad guy: shorturl.at/8joEz

Godspeed, James Van Der Beek. Grateful for your spirit, humor, and grace.

We’re going to destroy this fucking disease one day. I know it. Let’s make it happen.

James Van Der Beek, Dawson's Creek Star and Father of 6, Dies at 48 After Cancer Journey James Van Der Beek has died after he was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in August 2024. The actor was best known for playing Dawson Leery on 'Dawson's Creek'.

James Van Der Beek was part of one of the most influential shows of a certain era, a show that loomed large to a certain generation of critics. Beyond that, he was talented, willing to poke fun at himself & seemed like a good man. Extremely sad news. Way, way too young. 💚 people.com/james-van-de...

Rooting for the Seahawks and Bad Bunny to totally rock it today.

LEFT: the cover of Tales of O'Henry, a 1969 collection of 62 short stories by the master writer— small and large pink lettering against black. RIGHT: The cover of The Western, an American library collection of four landmark Western novels: the Ox-Bow Incident, Shane, The Searchers, and Warlock. The covers painting of three cowboys riding through a valley with Mesa in the background.

LEFT: the cover of footprints, the autobiography of jazz, master Wayne Shorter, showing Shorter in a black pullover, looking like he is conducting in the air with his hands RIGHT: the cover of The Gun, by Chivers, an account of the development of repeating firearms, machine guns, and beyond, and how such weapons enabled colonialism and world wars.

LEFT: the contents page of Making Monsters: Inside Stories from the Creators of Hollywood's Most Iconic Creatures, a hardcover coffee table book about the makeup masters of the film industry. Page divided in half vertically – the right half is small white text against a black background, the left is a vertically bisected painting of Frankenstein's monster. RIGHT: the cover of Queer Art: from Canvas to Club, and the space is in between, a book of photographs and fine art reproductions documenting LGBTQ life

LEFT: the cover of True and False, a book of acting theory by David Mamet, who is shown in the lower right hand corner of the cover stroking his chin thoughtfully. The cover is black and white, but the title is rendered in light blue. RIGHT: the cover of The Official Rocky Horror Late Night Double Feature , a two volume boxed set of coffee table books chronicling both the stage and screen versions of the musical. Small white text on black, except for the words "Rocky Horror," which are of course rendered in huge bloody letters.

Greetings, new followers! My beloved @mzspress.bsky.social & I have an online arts bookstore, and we just added a bunch of new titles—new, used, rare. And yes, we have merch! See "New Arrivals" here: mzs.press/New-Arrivals...

Catherine O’Hara, the comedian best known for her roles in “Home Alone,” “Schitt’s Creek” and “Beetlejuice,” and as a member of the influential Canadian sketch comedy series “S.C.T.V.,” has died. She was 71. nyti.ms/4qbsUMS

Statement from Michael and Susan Pretti Parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti “We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.

Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.

"Please get the truth out about our son."

A video of Alex Pretti reading out the final salute of an unnamed veteran he cared for until the end of his life in the ICU, posted to Facebook by his son.

This. End ICE Now.

Ways to Support Minnesota’s Immigrant Communities as ICE Activity Escalates Food drives, fundraisers, trainings, restaurant specials, and other resources to support immigrant communities during ICE's massive Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

A really solid list of ways to support folks in Minnesota during this awful time. Trainings, food drives, other resources. Please share if you can 💚 mspmag.com/arts-and-cul...

There is a grave moral consequence to letting this go on. Shut down the government, have a general strike, grind the country to a halt, hit the streets. But not treating a demented administration lying about its thugs committing cold-blooded murder as an emergency? That is an emergency in itself.

Donate to Support for Renee Good’s wife and son, organized by Mattie Weiss Please support the wife and son of Renee Good as they grapple with the devastating … Mattie Weiss needs your support for Support for Renee Good’s wife and son

This is a vetted fundraiser for the family of Renee Good, the woman who was killed by ICE in Minneapolis.

www.gofundme.com/f/support-fo...

My “Stranger Things” finale theory, explained in two eighties songs by a band whose name was kinda-sorta constantly invoked by Dustin’s sacrilegious swearing. Vecna’s head? It should be on the ground. But it’s not. It’s still on. And we’re all trapped inside it. (Yes, I’m kinda obsessed.)

So if all these “Stranger Things” rumors are true, then once Eleven frees Mike and whoever else from Vecna’s black lodge, maybe she can head over to Twin Peaks and liberate Agent Cooper. It is 1989, after all.

Northtown Books Fire Northtown Books, our beloved bookstore, is burning to the groundDante will need moneyThat's for sure Let's help him out.I will make sure he sees all the messages and all the names of the donors. If yo...

One of my favorite bookstores out there burned down earlier this week. They're having a fundraiser and are really close to their goal. Pitch in if you can!

giveahand.com/fundraiser/n...

Bonkers wonderful

Los Angeles:

Merry Christmas Eve, you all everybody! ☎️❤️🎄

YouTube video by FRONTLINE PBS | Official Surviving CECOT (full documentary) | Deported to a Maximum-Security Prison | FRONTLINE + ProPublica

Now seems like a swell time to point out that Frontline just released this excellent 11-minute mini-documentary about what happened inside CECOT.

'General Hospital' Icon Anthony Geary Dies at 78 'It was a shock for me and our families and our friends,' Geary's husband, Claudio Gama, tells TV Insider.

www.tvinsider.com/1234092/anth...

Good Lord, what an evil day.

Rob Reiner, who directed such beloved Hollywood classics as 'This Is Spinal Tap,' 'Stand by Me' and 'When Harry Met Sally' after starring in the trailblazing sitcom 'All in the Family,' died Sunday along with his wife, Michele, in their Brentwood home. bit.ly/48UWXSi