The Golden Years
An homage to the expansive and hilarious world The Golden Girls offered during the buttoned-up Reagan era
Editor’s Picks
This week, don’t miss a delicate exploration of privilege, a dissection of Russian writers’ tendency to write about existential questions, and a gossipy account of the publishing world
Barbie Ruins the World
After watching Barbie make its billions, all the toy brands—from Hot Wheels to Play-Doh—want a piece of the action
Buckle Up
A new TV series about the short-lived supersonic Concorde is full of crazy twists, turns, and espionage
True Lies
Beware of the quotes on the backs of books, as publishers play fast and loose with critical reviews
Down the Memory Hole
An arresting new biography gives George Orwell’s intrepid first wife her due
Lunch with Patricia Clarkson
On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the actress recalls her early, struggling days, from living in the Upper West Side Y.M.C.A. to seeing Dreamgirls on Broadway 12 times …
Assignment: Sinatra
A legendary editor. A recalcitrant writer. And a subject that was both man and myth. The story behind the writing of what became known as the greatest magazine profile ever
Rumbled
I boxed a speed bag—and came in second place
Exit Laughing
The producer of the legendary comedy show Laugh-In has one regret: allowing Richard Nixon to do a cameo
The Man Who Captured Sinatra
On this week’s podcast, Gay Talese reveals the story behind “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” his masterpiece of magazine writing
Grace Potter
Starting next week, the singer-songwriter will perform ballads from her latest album, Mother Road, written on her Route 66 road trip, around the U.S.
The Barbie Girl Variations
A Spanish cellist in Sweden who moonlights on piano gives Aqua’s golden oldie a half dozen makeovers
Shark Tales
Restoring New England’s great-white-shark population presented conservationists with a new challenge: convincing beachgoers it was good news
Editor’s Picks
This week, don’t miss a comic-strip biography of Charles M. Schulz, a look back at Germany’s turbulent 1923, and the story of how Borges, Heisenberg, and Kant challenged reality
Stands to Treason
A look back at the 1945 trial of Philippe Pétain, France’s World War II–era head of state who was accused of plotting to overthrow democracy
Emma Seligman
In Bottoms, a comedy about a queer fight club, the young director collaborates with college friends, who happen to be rising stars in Hollywood
Low Shelf Esteem
In the last decade, “sad girl” literature, novels about well-off girls who drink, go to therapy, and are consumed by self-loathing, has taken over contemporary fiction
An Actor’s Actor
Rob Brydon, who makes a brief cameo as Sugar Daddy Ken in Barbie, discusses choosing his family over his career and the fun of projects outside of Hollywood
