Welcome to Listening Habits, a column where I share the music I’ve been fixated on recently. What makes an industry plant? Apparently this is the music internet’s greatest concern. The train of thought is well-established: Is that big artist really as big as everyone says? I don’t listen to them, and I like to believe I’ve got … Read more
The sports media industry is an aviary filled with odd birds, especially when it comes to food. Al Michaels claims he’s never had a vegetable in his life. Mel Kiper supposedly eats a slice of pumpkin pie each morning, and prefers pizza with mashed potatoes in lieu of cheese. At this point, Skip Bayless is … Read more
At this point, it would be hard to blame anyone for coming to the conclusion that the Dallas Mavericks will never climb out of this pit. The Luka Doncic trade, which only gets more shocking and stupid as time goes on, is the biggest piece of evidence in support of such a conclusion, but so … Read more
The first thing to know about Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s latest book, Dream Count, is that it is about women. Four women, to be precise. (Why is it always that women are grouped into fours?) This is Adichie’s first book in 12 years, after she conquered the New York Times bestseller list with her novel Americanah, … Read more
Weeks after the Boston Celtics won the 2023–24 NBA championship, owner Wyc Grousbeck announced that the team was up for sale. Grousbeck was clearly selling as high as he possibly could, on the heels of a new owner-friendly CBA and a title, and ahead of whatever massive economic turmoil caused by the second Donald Trump … Read more
A big part of the fun of watching March Madness comes from being wrong. This may not be true for the loyalists and degenerates who have an emotional or financial stake in the outcomes, but I treat the college basketball season and its giddy final act more or less the same way that I treated … Read more
Consider the sugar beet, a sweet and tapered tuber. Unlike tropical sugarcane, sugar beets grow in temperate zones, enabling colder regions of the United States to farm their own sugar instead of relying on imports. From the late 19th century through the late 1970s, Utah abounded with sugar beet farms, and the crop’s presence influenced … Read more
Welcome to a special, unsanctioned edition of the The Not-So-Great Defector Bake Off. Usually, Kelsey and Chris attempt to complete the technical challenges from the newest season of The Great British Bake Off in their own home kitchens, with the same time parameters as the professional-grade bakers competing on the show. Today, they are just baking, as a … Read more
Detroit basketball fans have a new chant. In addition to the “DE-TROIT BASKETBALL” thing—more of a shout, really, but you take my meaning—they now chant “M-V-P” for young Cade Cunningham, who in his fourth NBA season has made The Leap. Cunningham is posting career highs in points, assists, defensive rebounds, blocks, usage, and scoring efficiency, … Read more
Detroit basketball fans have a new chant. In addition to the “DE-TROIT BASKETBALL” thing—more of a shout, really, but you take my meaning—they now chant “M-V-P” for young Cade Cunningham, who in his fourth NBA season has made The Leap. Cunningham is posting career highs in points, assists, defensive rebounds, blocks, usage, and scoring efficiency, … Read more