My byline on an MSNBC interview with Janice Dickinson.
Since 2004, I've contributed to the entertainment coverage at MSNBC.com, the leading news web site. I primarily write teelvision criticism, including a Q&A column about reality TV. I've also written essays and reports about culture and film.
Below is every article I've written for the site, listed in reverse chronlogical order, and grouped by television criticism and features, commentary, episode analysis, and Ask the Experts column.
- - - - - - -
Television criticism and features
- Fall preview: FOX’s ‘Justice’, FOX’s ‘Vanished’, FOX’s ‘Standoff’, and NBC’s ‘Kidnapped’ / 9.1.06
- Fall preview: Reality shows stick to the old and familiar / 9.1.06
- Janice Dickinson redefines model behavior / 7.7.06
- Like Sydney, ‘Alias’ kept reinventing itself / 5.19.06
- No shackles on ‘Prison Break’ finale / 5.15.06
- ‘Unan1mous’ is unpredictable joy ride to hell / 4.19.06
- ‘24’ has finally hit its stride / 4.17.06
- At five, ‘Apprentice’ needs a reorg / 2.27.06
- Immunity idol complicates ‘Survivor Panama’ / 2.1.06
- Fashion reality show returns to the ‘Runway’ / 12.7.05
- On ‘Prison Break,’ there’s no escape / 11.30.05
- ‘Housewives’ desperately needs a makeover / 11.13.05
- ‘Survivor’ survives by never truly changing / 9.14.05
- Fall preview: Reality shows are tweaking old formulas / 9.1.05
- Fall preview: CBS’ ‘Threshold’ / 9.1.05
- Audience is clay in Aiken’s hands / 8.9.05
- ‘Big Brother’: So awful, yet so addictive / 7.22.05
- Modern reality TV turns five / 5.31.05
- ‘Trek’ has drifted since ‘Next Generation’ / 5.12.05
- Exclusive interview with “Amazing Race 6“‘s Jonathan: ‘I would never hit Victoria’ / 3.21.05
- ‘Carnivàle’ returns — please let there be plot / 1.6.05
- Don’t be ashamed to love ‘The OC’ / 11.1.04
Commentary
- Why are all-star reality shows so disappointing? / 8.21.06
- Gloves are coming off for ‘Contender 2’ / 7.19.06
- Can ‘Project Runway’ maintain the magic? / 7.11.06
- Lack of ‘Idol’ vote information frustrates fans / 5.23.06
- J.J. Abrams: the Goldilocks of filmmakers / 5.7.06
- What a long, strange ‘Idol’ season it’s been / 5.4.06
- How could ‘Dreamz’ miss such an easy target? / 4.20.06
- Shane is latest ‘Survivor’ viewers love to hate / 4.13.06
- Most important ‘Idol’ judge? It’s Paula Abdul / 3.21.06
- ‘Idol’ season four: Country vs. rock ‘n’ roll / 1.6.06
- ‘Idol’ season three: William Hung to Fantasia / 12.30.05
- ‘Idol’ season two: Where are they now? / 12.27.05
- First season ‘Idols’: Where are they now? / 12.20.05
- 10 scariest characters: ‘Prison Break’s T-Bag, ‘Family Guy’ monkey, ‘Desperate Housewives’ cast / 10.24.05
- ‘Amazing Race’ has lost its way / 9.27.05
- Vote Martha’s catchphrase off the island / 8.31.05
- Rob and Amber’s success hurts ‘Amazing Race’ / 4.26.05
- Moviegoers trapped by pre-show ads / 4.13.05
- How has ‘Survivor’ continued to survive? / 12.3.04
- Cruel reality shows don’t play fair / 11.5.04
Episode analysis
- Racial divide doesn’t change ‘Survivor’ / 9.14.06
- Quiet ‘Sopranos’ finale offers no clues / 6.4.06
- ‘Housewives’ finale looks to the past / 5.21.06
- Taylor a lock to make final two on ‘Idol’ / 5.16.06
- On ‘Survivor,’ Aras won by outlasting / 5.14.06
- ‘Survivor’ final four: It’s anybody’s game / 5.11.06
- Real, dream families blend for Tony Soprano / 3.19.06
- ‘Sopranos’ returns with a bang / 3.12.06
- Fired ‘Apprentice’ just couldn’t keep quiet / 2.27.06
- ‘Idol’ results show revels in cruelty / 2.24.06
- TV favorites rewarded, if miscategorized / 1.17.06
- ‘Apprentice’ winner refuses to share title / 12.16.05
- ‘Survivor’ finalists were consistent to the end / 12.11.05
- Curse of the car leads ‘Survivor’ to final four / 12.8.05
- Survivor’s paranoia is self-fulfilling prophecy / 11.17.05
- ‘Survivor’ keeps shaking things up / 10.20.05
- ‘Survivor’ has new tribes, but old cliques / 10.06.05
- Apprentices display male-pattern dumbness / 9.29.05
- For ‘Apprentice,’ it’s just like old times / 9.22.05
- Trump seeks an ‘Apprentice’ he won’t hate / 9.22.05
- Rock, hard place meet the ‘Big Brother’ finale / 9.20.05
- Emmy tries to be hip but still ends up boring / 9.19.05
- ‘Survivor’ gets tough in Guatemala / 9.15.05
- ‘Big Brother’ finally grows up / 8.12.05
- Mysteries of ‘Lost’ detract from the characters / 5.25.05
- Trump should have hired both women / 5.19.05
- ‘Apprentice’ not a test of corporate skills / 5.18.05
- Tom wins [‘Survivor’], but Ian will be remembered / 5.15.05
- ‘Survivor’ finale tough to handicap / 5.12.05
- Gut-wrenching ‘Race’ offers satisfying ending / 5.11.05
- ‘Idol’ special offered a lot of nothing / 5.4.05
- Quitting time on reality TV / 4.21.05
- Which Apprentice will Trump them all? / 4.14.05
- ‘Apprentice’ sponsors are the real losers / 4.8.05
- The Donald, wrong? Say it isn’t so / 3.24.05
- Beauty and the Beasts: Sexism reigns on The Apprentice 3 / 3.3.05
- ‘Survivor returns with surprises / 2.17.05
- ‘Apprentice’ ads don’t connect / 2.10.05
- Auditions make ‘Idol’ a joke / 2.2.05
- Type A Apprentices need an intervention / 1.27.05
- ‘Apprentice 3’ candidates make it personal / 1.20.05
- ‘Idol’ judges starting to crack up / 1.19.05
- Welcome to another season of ‘Delusional Idol’ / 1.18.05
- ‘Race’ contestant has somebody to shove / 12.22.04
- Trump turns ‘Apprentice’ into ‘Idol’ / 12.16.04
- Final Survivor was the best liar / 12.12.04
- You’re fired! And … so are you! / 11.19.04
- Raj was just too much like Trump / 11.5.04
- What’s with Trump’s weird voiceovers? / 10.29.04
- “Survivor” strategies are shifting / 10.15.04
Ask the Reality TV Experts column
- What happens to ‘Project Runway’ clothes?; No new start for ‘Starting Over’ / 9.5.06
- Did Kathy Griffin’s divorce end her show?; Why show up for reunions? / 9.5.06
- Bad ‘Idol’ singers; ‘The One’ / 8.21.06
- Elliot Yamin’s recording contract; return of ‘Extreme Makeover’ / 8.8.06
- ‘American Idol’ voting; performance order / 8.1.06
- Professional comics on ‘Last Comic Standing’ / 7.25.06
- Is ‘Treasure Hunters’ copying ‘Amazing Race’?; ‘Treasure Hunters’ producers / 7.11.06
- Will ‘Big Brother’ be a house of boredom?; reality awards show / 6.20.06
- ‘American Idol’ singers can’t choose singles; ‘The Will’ online / 6.13.06
- Best and worst of summer reality TV; original reality shows / 6.6.2006
- Did Shane’s magic number mean nothing?; Amazing Race’ winter clothing / 5.23.06
- How much does Jeff Probst know at tribal council?; ‘Amazing Race’ and customs / 5.9.06
- ‘Fear Factor’ to return this summer; Heidi Klum disses Jay McCarroll / 4.18.06
- Future of ‘Road Rules’ / 4.4.06
- ‘Rock Star’ to return with newly created band; ‘Amazing Race’ camera crews / 3.27.06
- Why are Survivors so dumb?; ‘Ivana Young Man’ / 3.21.06
- Secrets of those horrible ‘Idol’ montages / 3.14.06
- Return of ‘Big Brother’ / 2.27.06
- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition permits / 2.13.06
- Third season of ‘Blow Out’ / 2.7.06
- Future of ‘Last Comic,’ ‘Surreal Life’ / 1.31.06
- ‘Dancing’ compensation; where did ‘Cupid’ couple go? / 1.23.05
- ‘Making the Band 3’ take two / 1.10.05
- ‘Home Edition’ families surprised, but ready / 12.30.05
- What do second-place finishers win?’; did ‘Losers’ gain back weight? / 12.20.05
- Why no cold-weather ‘Survivor’?; Kathy Griffin show / 12.12.05
- How does ‘Loser’ cast drop so much weight?; ‘Casino’ death / 11.28.05
- Reality TV’s turkeys of the year / 11.22.05
- Best and worst reality-show hosts; ‘Survivor’ jury / 11.15.05
- ‘Free gas for life’ isn’t unlimited prize / 11.8.05
- Secrets of ‘The Biggest Loser’ scale / 11.1.05
- ‘Survivor’ gong; ‘Contender’ rematch purses / 10.24.05
- Most shocking reality TV moments; ‘Being Bobby Brown’ / 10.18.05
- Future of ‘Fear Factor’; ‘Project Runway’ DVD / 10.4.05
- Hurricanes affect ‘The Real World’; Best reality TV sites / 9.27.05
- Shows to look forward to, shows to dread; ‘Big Brother’ and the hurricane / 9.13.05
- Kelly couldn’t lose on ‘Dancing’; What happened to ‘The Law Firm’?; Is Morgan Spurlock’s ‘30 Days’ a reality show? / 8.22.05
- ‘Contender’ returns to the ring; what happened to Paige Davis / 8.15.05
- ‘Real World’ assault; is ‘Laguna’ fake?
- Guilty pleasures and sleeper hits: “Hell’s Kitchen,” “The Surreal Life” / 7.18.05
- Where should ‘Real World’ go next? / 7.12.05
- When will the next ‘Amazing Race’ air? / 6.28.05
- How can contestants put lives and bills on hold?; What happened to “Eco-Challenge”? / 6.21.05
- Good, bad, ugly of new summer shows / 6.14.05
- ‘Contender’ still has fighting chance; When is the next ‘Road Rules’? / 6.6.05
- ‘Project Runway’ will return in fall; ‘Making the Band’ update / 5.31.05
- Where do ‘Idol’ contestants live?; new ‘Contender’? / 5.24.05
- ‘Amazing Race’ finale created lots of questions / 5.17.05
- It’s a long way to tribal council / 5.10.05
- How long is a ‘Race’ rest stop?; ‘American Juniors’ update / 5.3.05
- ‘Amazing Race’ prizes; ‘Apprentice’ profits / 4.26.05
- ‘Home Makeover’ taxes; ‘Newlyweds’ no more / 4.19.05
- How much do Idols spend on clothes? / 4.12.05
- Top 10 underrated reality shows / 4.5.05
- Inside the juicy ‘Survivor’ feud; ‘Amazing Race’ roadblocks / 3.29.05
- the American Idol contract / 3.22.05
- Will reality TV return to ‘Paradise’? / 3.15.05
- How do Amazing Racers map things out?; the future of ‘The Will’ / 3.7.05
- How do reality shows protect their secrets? / 3.1.05
- What happened to that ‘Obnoxious Boss’?; Why no press for ‘Race’?
- Who’s the most famous reality TV alum?; FOX’s “Next Great Champ” / 12.21.04
- Will Kelly or Jenn become ‘The Apprentice’? / 12.15.04
- Why are reality-show casts so nondiverse? / 12.14.04
- Definition of “flying under the radar; what happened to “The Mole” / 12.7.04
- Mark Cuban’s “The Benefactor”; who pays for “Queer Eye” makeovers? / 11.30.04
- “The Benefactor”; “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” product placement / 11.29.04
- We name reality TV’s turkeys of the year / 11.23.04
- Kathy Hilton’s reality show / 11.16.04
- The worst (and best) reality TV moments; “Fear Factor” food / 11.9.04
- “Playing it Straight” update / 11.1.04
- life on Survivor’s loser island; Popstars cast / 10.28.04
- Apprentice media coverage; Amazing Race’s Zach and Flo / 10.21.04
- Apprentice tasks; Amazing Race camera crews / 10.14.04