Norman Wilner is the senior film writer for NOW Magazine and the host of that new podcast you like, Someone Else's Movie. He lives in Toronto. More importantly, he used to work with PrincessoftheInternet in my old life in Toronto. And once he went to England for work and brought me back Licorice All Sorts WHICH I LOVE even though he was allergic to them (I think? Am I misremembering that?) but then I never got the chance to eat them because I moved back to the Maritimes before we could connect. This week he talks to us about Celebrity Culture & Awards Season!
Dresses! Drama! George Clooney! Oh My!
PrincessoftheInternet is super pleased to welcome Jen McDonnell as our second guest star in our celebrity pop culture Q&A series. (You can read part one with Kevin Naulls here.)
We go way, way back with Jen and together we share a special fondness for Gilmore Girls, George Clooney and general celeb gossipness.
Here's her awards season view of the world:
Awards Season Celebrity Pop Culture Mayhem - Pt 1
I've been covering awards and celebrity culture for years, since 1999 in fact. In that time I've been lucky enough to cross paths with fellow pop culture watchers who make me laugh and can add insight to the ridiculous. So a few of them are getting special treatment on PrincessoftheInternet this season.
First up? Kevin Naulls. Kevin and I meet up (virtually) during awards show to dish the dirt on celebrity fashion. Plus, he basically has the funniest Facebook posts in the world, so he seemed like the perfect first guest. (Sometimes he uses swears, so if you've got delicate sensibilities ... um ... oh well?)
An Ode to the Myth Makers
You know, for every single individual who actually makes it to Rome to see the coliseum ruins, how many more thousands have been transported THROUGH THEIR MINDS to the days of Julius Caesar, to the Ides of March, to the double-crossing scheming of et tu, Brute? Thanks to our good friend Bill Shakespeare? My mathematical answer is "lots more, thousands more".
What I Blog About When I Blog About Running
I am not interested in team sports. Anything with a net, racquet, ball or puck is the enemy. I did a SOLO in SYNCHRONIZED swimming. When I discovered, to my horror, I'd become a mid-twenties chubster due to shift work at a 24-hour cable news channel and a penchant for consuming my misery in late-night carbs, joining some sort of organized orgy of fitness was off the table. And so I ran.
Racist Dating Site Inspires Hilarious Rom-Com Mocking Racist Site
The Incredible Lasting Impact
Incredible shrinking region? Meet my incredible rising hope.
Love, Business and the Incredible Shrinking Region
The Incredible Shrinking Region Awakens
Earlier this year, PrincessofTheInternet.com published a 5-part series in response to the Globe and Mail Article: Canada’s Incredible Shrinking Region .Need a refresher? (This is the part where you click on the link without me telling you to CLICK HERE because telling someone to CLICK HERE is old fashioned.)
Since we published the first round of dispatches, a lot has changed including our national leadership, international strife, war, terrorism and the general terribleness of Donald Trump. Seemed like a good time for some hope. First up on that front is Bob Mann.
To The People Who Are Super Mean On Twitter
Are you sad? Were you bruised emotionally by something outside of anyone's control? And so you release the pain with short spews of hate?
Are you a frustrated, wannabe ruler who dreams of making laws and decisions? And so you decide to sit and pass judgement on everyone and everything else because nobody would elect you, not even ever?
The Daniel vs Pierce Debate is Stupid
Meanwhile, in Pop Culture, We Freaked Out
So first we were all like: "Wow! This Drake song is hilarious - no wait - it's so good. OMG this video is hilarious. No wait. HE IS A GENIUS. Okay, I'll work in a minute, but first I'm going to read every analysis about this video. Hold the phone, shut the front door, there's a Napoleon DYNAMITE mash-up?! Oh and now the New York Times is in on it? I can't stand this. I love it so much, I might explode."
The Best Parenting Tips From The Childless
So, you're having a baby. Congratulations! You're apparently about to enter into one of the most rewarding experiences anyone will ever have, according to people on Facebook who have kids. There are lots of parenting advice manuals out there, so why listen to this one? Well, a friend recently said to me: "Yeah, well why don't you write a parenting book AHAHAHAHAHAHAH" and I'm pretty sure he was not kidding. So, as a special gift to him, I've crafted this very sound advice.
The Best Thing to Happen In Life, Ever
Make Your Own Mythical Creature
I used to think: "any day now, someone important will recognize my special brand of hilarious brilliance and set me up in a nice writer's room on a hilarious and edgy TV show where I can pick from a plethora of takeout options every day for lunch."
Last time I was in New York, I thought "Probably if I just hang out at Bubby's long enough and make enough witty asides, Tina Fey will come in, overhear my one-woman act and make a Netflix show just for me."
Celebrities are Just People
Ben Affleck's Content Marketing Strategy
Workopolis Content Marketing Q&A
I am bored of myself. Know who’s more interesting than I am? Peter Harris. So this week, we’re all about Peter, Editor-in-Chief at Workopolis. Peter is the best kind of colleague – creative, smart, deadline-driven, flexible and funny. We grilled him about his content strategy / content marketing know-how to find out how he makes it all come together.
