Things I’ve Written About

  1. Coaching and mom-ing. (New York Times)
  2. The public-housing complex that helped give rise to Larry David, Alicia Keyes and other artists (Miracle on 42nd Street)
  3. The origin story of the Marvel superhero — and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (CNET)
  4. The Manson family murders (CBS News)
  5. A long read on the Manson crimes (Inside Edition)
  6. The origin story of the Apollo 11 moon-landing conspiracy theory. (iDaily)
  7. The story behind the first, worst Star Wars toy Christmas. (Yahoo!)
  8. 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)
  9. Gary Coleman‘s life and death. (E!)
  10. The really, really, really long line for the Disneyland meet-and-greet with Frozen’s Anna and Elsa. (Yahoo!)
  11. An appreciation of Carrie Fisher — and Carrie Fisher’s humor. (Yahoo!)
  12. The ghost towns of the United States — and beyond. (CBS News)
  13. An obituary-appreciation of Mary Tyler Moore. (Yahoo!)
  14. A tale of two malls. (Marketplace)
  15. The rise of the fan-con industry. (Marketplace)
  16. A look at what’s left behind when military bases close (CNET) 
  17. Anatomy of Tom Cruise’s Risky Business underwear scene. (Yahoo!)
  18. The aftermath and politics of Britney Spears‘ haircut. (E!)
  19. The career of Stephen Sondheim. (Yahoo!)
  20. A photo tour of European cars of the 1960s. (RoadShow by CNET)
  21. An obituary of Sean Connery. (Yahoo!)
  22. A definitive ranking of the Twilight Zone franchise’s 50 essential episodes. (TV Guide)
  23. The weaponry and military gear of the DMZ (CBS News)
  24. A look at the $2.6 billion US Navy sub, the USS South Dakota (CNET)
  25. The origin story of Seinfeld (Finance Republic)
  26. The Star Wars Oscars of 1978. (Yahoo!)
  27. The evolution of the Oscar feud. (Yahoo!)
  28. The semi-importance of Super Friends. (Yahoo!)
  29. When a teen idol dies. (Yahoo!)
  30. The ghosts of Hollywood. (Yahoo!)
  31. 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!)
  32. That time Jared Leto let reporters put their grubby hands on his Oscar. (Yahoo!)
  33. That time a Star Wars movie bummed out the parent in me. (Yahoo!)
  34. Opening day of Michael Jackson’s child-molestation trial. No hot dogs and popcorn, but plenty of circus. (E!)
  35. Jennifer Lawrence‘s Oscar-night stumble. (E!)
  36. 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)
  37. Books by: Candace Bushnell, Nicole Richie, Taboo and Carolyn Parkhurst. (Los Angeles Times)
  38. The sad song of Whitney Houston. (E!)
  39. Amy Winehouse and the myth of the 27 Club. (E!)
  40. A royal red carpet, along with, as an added bonus, a royal polo match. (E!)
  41. The box-office weekend that wasn’t. (E!)
  42. The Robert Blake case, aka the celebrity trial that lacked for celebrity. (E!)
  43. The story behind the “Night Gwen Stacy Died” Spider-Man story. (Yahoo!)
  44. 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!)
  45. The Emmys and Jay Leno. (Variety)
  46. The comedy stylings of Steve Carell and Kathy Griffin. (Variety)
  47. A “vanished” ex-child actor. (E!)
  48. The Oscars, from a parking lot, behind a building, across the street from the Oscars. (E!)
  49. The Emmys, from a Chinese restaurant. (E!)
  50. The Golden Globes, from a luggage room at the Beverly Hilton. (E!)
  51. 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)
  52. The Grammys, while under the influence of A Million Little Pieces. (E!)
  53. The Museum of Menstruation. (E!)
  54. Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s victory night. (E!)
  55. An old-school Miss America pageant in Atlantic City. (E!)
  56. The death of a daytime soap opera. (E!)
  57. Stars who profess to hate fame. (Us Weekly)
  58. The Mary Tyler Moore Show character that inspired young, impressionable kids to go into journalism. (American Journalism Review)
  59. Grandpa Munster’s political aspirations. (E!)
  60. A Spice Girls concert. (E!)
  61. Onion Field killer Jimmy Lee Smith, after his booking on a solicitation charge. (Whittier Daily News)
  62. A fatal meat-grinder accident. (Whittier Daily News–and, no, never a dull moment in Whittier, Calif.)
  63. A Barney the dinosaur concert. I thought it’d be funny to cover; it wasn’t. (Long Beach Press-Telegram)
  64. A jar of celebrity air. (E!)