- Coaching and mom-ing. (New York Times)
- The public-housing complex that helped give rise to Larry David, Alicia Keyes and other artists (Miracle on 42nd Street)
- The origin story of the Marvel superhero — and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (CNET)
- The Manson family murders (CBS News)
- A long read on the Manson crimes (Inside Edition)
- The story behind the first, worst Star Wars toy Christmas. (Yahoo!)
- An appreciation of Carrie Fisher — and Carrie Fisher’s humor. (Yahoo!)
- The really, really, really long line for the Disneyland meet-and-greet with Frozen’s Anna and Elsa. (Yahoo!)
- An obituary-appreciation of Mary Tyler Moore. (Yahoo!)
- A royal red carpet, starring William and Kate (E!)
- A rundown of the most divisive presidents in U.S. history, as ranked by historians (CBS News)
- The origin story of the Apollo 11 moon-landing conspiracy theory. (iDaily)
- The sports lives they led: Appreciations of John Thompson, Tom Seaver, Phyllis George and dozens of other sports figures who passed away in 2020 (247Sports)
- Gary Coleman‘s life and death. (E!)
- The ghost towns of the United States — and beyond. (CBS News)
- A tale of two malls. (Marketplace)
- The rise of the fan-con industry. (Marketplace)
- Books about: Evel Knievel, John Hughes, Albert Maysles, African-American TV history and a guy who watched TV all day. (Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle)
- A look at what’s left behind when military bases close (CNET)
- Anatomy of Tom Cruise’s Risky Business underwear scene. (Yahoo!)
- The aftermath and politics of Britney Spears‘ haircut. (E!)
- The career of Stephen Sondheim. (Yahoo!)
- A photo tour of European cars of the 1960s. (RoadShow by CNET)
- An obituary of Sean Connery. (Yahoo!)
- A definitive ranking of the Twilight Zone franchise’s 50 essential episodes. (TV Guide)
- The weaponry and military gear of the DMZ (CBS News)
- A look at the $2.6 billion US Navy sub, the USS South Dakota (CNET)
- The origin story of Seinfeld (Finance Republic)
- The Star Wars Oscars of 1978. (Yahoo!)
- The evolution of the Oscar feud. (Yahoo!)
- The semi-importance of Super Friends. (Yahoo!)
- When a teen idol dies. (Yahoo!)
- The ghosts of Hollywood. (Yahoo!)
- Michael Jackson’s memorial service. In retrospect, I failed to argue that the event couldn’t help but be like the star’s life: anything but normal. On the other hand, Staples Center was selling hot dogs. (E!)
- That time Jared Leto let reporters put their grubby hands on his Oscar. (Yahoo!)
- That time a Star Wars movie bummed out the parent in me. (Yahoo!)
- Opening day of Michael Jackson’s child-molestation trial. No hot dogs and popcorn, but plenty of circus. (E!)
- Jennifer Lawrence‘s Oscar-night stumble. (E!)
- Books by: Candace Bushnell, Nicole Richie, Taboo and Carolyn Parkhurst. (Los Angeles Times)
- The sad song of Whitney Houston. (E!)
- Amy Winehouse and the myth of the 27 Club. (E!)
- A royal red carpet, along with, as an added bonus, a royal polo match. (E!)
- The box-office weekend that wasn’t. (E!)
- The Robert Blake case, aka the celebrity trial that lacked for celebrity. (E!)
- The story behind the “Night Gwen Stacy Died” Spider-Man story. (Yahoo!)
- That time 81 California gubernatorial candidates appeared on The Tonight Show. The thing I most remember about this circus was watching Gary Coleman and adult-film star Mary Carey quietly chatting in the parking lot—and wondering what on Earth they were chatting about. (E!)
- The Emmys and Jay Leno. (Variety)
- The comedy stylings of Steve Carell and Kathy Griffin. (Variety)
- A “vanished” ex-child actor. (E!)
- The Oscars, from a parking lot, behind a building, across the street from the Oscars. (E!)
- The Emmys, from a Chinese restaurant. (E!)
- The Golden Globes, from a luggage room at the Beverly Hilton. (E!)
- Sundance without a Sundance credential, meaning I covered just about everything in Park City but Sundance, except for the times I stood outside of Sundance theaters. Long story. (Hollywood.com)
- The Grammys, while under the influence of A Million Little Pieces. (E!)
- Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s victory night. (E!)
- An old-school Miss America pageant in Atlantic City. (E!)
- The death of a daytime soap opera. (E!)
- Stars who profess to hate fame. (Us Weekly)
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show character that inspired young, impressionable kids to go into journalism. (American Journalism Review)
- Grandpa Munster’s political aspirations. (E!)
- A Spice Girls concert. (E!)
- Onion Field killer Jimmy Lee Smith, after his booking on a solicitation charge. (Whittier Daily News)
- A fatal meat-grinder accident. (Whittier Daily News–and, no, never a dull moment in Whittier, Calif.)
- A Barney the dinosaur concert. I thought it’d be funny to cover; it wasn’t. (Long Beach Press-Telegram)
- A jar of celebrity air. (E!)