Britney Spears burst onto the scene almost 25 years ago with the release of her smash debut album, "...Baby One More Time." (We're guessing many of you just involuntarily started humming the chorus of the title song.) She has since gone on to sell over 100 million records worldwide, while also being subjected to nearly non-stop tabloid coverage for that entire time. Every step, or misstep she's made over the past almost-quarter century has been extensively documented for the world's judgement. The singer has long dealt with an invasive and hypocritical world that has treated her like a product, instead... Read more →

Big Finish is back with the third installment of the Doctor Who: Once and Future series, as part of their celebration of the show's 60th anniversary this year. The War Doctor was attacked by a still-unknown assailant with a weapon which is putting him through a "degeneration crisis." That means he's flipping between various past incarnations, as he tries to figure out who did this to him and how to reverse it. Once and Future is a terrific way to celebrate the Doctor's history while we wait for his new era to begin. This month's adventure, "A Genius for War,"... Read more →

An Irish-American woman living in South Boston in 1974 faces a nightmare when her teenage daughter goes missing. Meanwhile, a young black man dies when he is struck by one of the city's subway trains. Are the two events connected? The only thing the reader knows for sure right from the start is that Mary Pat Fennessy is going to make some powerful people angry when she starts asking questions. That's the gist of Dennis Lehane's new book, Small Mercies, which is out on April 25. The Dorchester, Massachusetts, native is a master at creating gripping mysteries set in Boston.... Read more →

It would be hard to find someone in the United States who has never heard of Vince McMahon. Whether you're a professional wrestling fan or not, the odds are you know him as the owner of the WWE, a man who has been synonymous with the wrestling industry for decades. However, how many people know anything about his background, and how he reached the heights that he has since taking over the family business in the early 1980's? McMahon is a master of storytelling, and he's apt to tell any version of a tale that best suits his purposes at... Read more →

As a member of Generation X, it's safe to say that the 1990's were the most transformative decade of my lifetime. Growing up as a kid in in the 1980's provided a seemingly straightforward framework of how the world operated. A young person could easily believe that this would last forever. Perhaps everyone thinks this about their childhood. However, it seemed like we were cruising down the road of understood expectations, and then we went flying off the map. The 90's was a time of overwhelming change in every aspect of life. It can sometimes be startling to realize that... Read more →

Valerie Bertinelli is a multi-talented woman who has enjoyed success on multiple fronts over the course of her career. Of course, many know her for her roles on TV shows like One Day at a Time and Hot in Cleveland. She is also the Emmy Award-winning host of the Food Network's Valerie's Home Cooking and Kids Baking Championship. However, her accomplishments are not limited to television: She's the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Losing It; Finding It; as well as other books, including a popular cookbook. Bertinelli is well-known for her positive public persona, but like everyone,... Read more →

Will Smith is one of the biggest stars in our lifetime. He's succeeded in multiple mediums with Grammy award-winning rap albums, one of the most popular TV shows of the 1990's, and he also starred in a record eight straight movies that grossed at least $100 million. Smith has a famous wife and kids, and he is recognized and loved by audiences around the world. In short, he's a BFD. Will Smith has now taken his skills to the world of books with his new memoir, Will. (out now) A quick moment to acknowledge some preexisting bias before we go... Read more →

It's been just over a year since Eddie Van Halen died, but it's still hard to believe that the guitar icon is no longer with us. The man reinvented his instrument, both with his playing approach and technical innovations., setting the stage for legions of imitators to try to copy him. He lit up the rock music landscape for almost 50 years, from infamous backyard parties in high school, to Los Angeles clubs, and then arenas around the world. He was a creative force who went through some mind-blowing highs and dark lows during the course of his life. However,... Read more →

There will never be another professional sports dynasty like the New England Patriots. Other teams may win more championships, but there will never be an almost 20-year-run where a league is so consistently dominated by just three individuals like quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick, and owner Robert Kraft. These men are the elite of the elite in their fields. That they were able to both create this juggernaut and keep it going for so long is remarkable. There were many factors that could, and perhaps should, have derailed them much earlier, but these men would not let anything... Read more →

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick made national headlines five years ago when he started taking a knee while the U.S. national anthem played before his games. Kaepernick was exercising his freedom of speech by using this silent gesture to draw attention to the killing of Black men by the police across this country. His simple gesture fueled a national debate that continues to this day, as the Black Lives Matter campaign has become a powerful national movement. Colin Kaepernick was blackballed by the league for his actions, but his influence as a public figure is exponentially greater today than if... Read more →