Monday Medley

What we read while remembering Mother’s Day, we swear…

• An in-depth look at President Obama’s handling of Syria.

• Stephen Hawking joined the academic boycott of Israel, opening himself up to predictable attacks from the nation’s defenders. But will Hawking’s support of the boycott send a message to Israel about the occupation?

• You’re probably using paper towels wrong.

• Breaking down a classic and polarizing episode of The Simpsons.

• An inside look (kind of) at Draft Day from Chuck Klosterman.

• Matt Walsh on Veep and the future of UCB.

• On Michigan’s emergency-manager law and whether or not it disenfranchises the poor.

• Who is the highest paid public employee in your state? Probably a football coach.

• The CIA really did edit the script for Zero Dark Thirty.

Monday Medley

What we read while passing the eye test…

• March Madness is here! Yesterday was Selection Sunday, and following such a wild regular season in college basketball, people are predicting crazy things. Kansas earned a #1 seed, and Joe Posnanski wrote about what makes Bill Self great.

• A 16-year-old was shot and killed by the NYPD last week, inspiring anger and protests on the streets of Brooklyn. Outrage intensified when the autopsy revealed he had been shot seven times, including thrice in the back. The NYPD also allegedly arrested someone for criticizing stop-and-frisk. But, hey, at least New Yorkers can still drink large sodas!

• Kickstarter.com had a breakthrough, when a potential Veronica Mars movie was funded by fans on the site in less than one day. Some criticized it as “charity” for movie studios, but others see it as a hopeful sign of the future of movies. Series creator Rob Thomas is just happy to get to make his movie.

• Seinfeld vs. The Simpsons: The ultimate sitcom showdown.

• Rob Portman, who was almost Mitt Romney’s running mate last year, came out as a proponent of gay marriage last week, after announcing that his son is gay. Some called his move selfish, since he only did when it affected his own family.

• What was the new Pope’s role in Argentina’s Dirty War?

• Jack Kerouac: Sportswriter.

• Get ready for the most depressing 10 year anniversary ever.

• Is solitary confinement worse than death?

• Brandon McCarthy believes in chemistry.

Monday Medley

What we read before the sequester cuts set in…

• Bradley Manning admitted leaking documents and explained his motivations in court last week, though his plea was hardly covered by the media. What will Manning’s legacy be? And what are the legal ramifications of his prosecution?

• MTA fares are going up yet again. This map shows the impact of the fare hikes.

• The Times weighs in on tenting at Duke.

• Pat Jordan on the pain and pleasure of spring training.

• A guide to literary references on The Simpsons.

• An interview with a figure behind the Anonymous movement.

• Wealth inequality with a visual aid.

• A nifty guide to whatever this “sequester” is.

• Details on the Chipotle secret menu.

Monday Medley

What we read while Peyton Manning’s head stayed on…

• NPI’s thoughts go out to Brandon McCarthy, a good pitcher and a great Tweeter, who got hit with a line drive. He’s still in serious condition, but keeps making us laugh.

• The Atlantic breaks down where Bill Clinton improvised in his DNC speech.

• Vikings punter Chris Kluwe offers an amazing response to a Maryland state senator’s idiotic letter opposing an NFLer’s support of gay marriage.

• Mitch Hurwitz talks about bringing back Arrested Development.

• The Awl tries to solve a murder.

• D.T. Max’s biography of David Foster Wallace came out last month (read an excerpt). Max has been discussing certain documents he reviewed in the course of writing, including DFW’s childhood writing and his first pitch letter. Meanwhile, at least one prominent author hates Wallace, and someone who edited both of them says he knows why.

• Vince Gilligan discusses the finale of Breaking Bad. Someone on the Internet estimates how much cash Walter White actually had.

• Speaking of the drug war, here’s an excellent piece on the use/abuse of confidential informants by the police.

• Ten heartbreaking moments from The Simpsons.

• Art Modell died. Joe Posnanski, a native of Cleveland, offered his thoughts, which were more generous than some other Clevelanders. Posnanski also weighed in on the Strasburg decision.

• An interesting look at the parallels between Kristen Stewart and the “war on women.”

Monday Medley

What we read while Billy Crystal sang…

• Bill Wyman explains the Oscas’ sequel problem, which is close to the point John S tried to make back in 2009.

• Baseball’s almost back! To get you excited, Sam Fuld relived last season’s riveting final day, SABR created a Google Doc of old-timey baseball articles, and NPI-favorite (at least on Twitter) Brandon McCarthy landed the cover of ESPN: The Magazine. In other baseball news, how did The Simpsons put together the famous “Homer At The Bat” episode 20 years ago?

• The NYPD has been spying on Muslim students throughout the Northeast, as part of a spying program the AP has been exposing for months. Which makes one wonder: Why don’t Americans riot anymore?

• On the origins of Ron Paul.

• Some TV critics have been bemoaning this season of 30 Rock for turning Liz Lemon dumb. Emily Nussbaum, though, has come bravely to her defense.

• In honor of David Foster Wallace’s birthday last week, here’s everything he ever wrote for Harper’s. The Point wrote about DFW’s relationship with Jonathan Franzen (referencing Franzen’s oft-discussed piece for The New Yorker last year). Also, did DFW hate AC/DC?

Monday Medley

What we read while ESPN got a little carried away with the Jeremy Lin jokes…

• The Simpsons aired its 500th new episode last night, putting it up there with Gunsmoke and Lassie in terms of longevity. Of course, in terms of cultural influence, it’s probably #1. It’s common to rank episodes, but at this point it might be easier to rank seasons. For fun, try to come up with your favorite single quote.

• A graphical display of why aging is scary.

• The New York Times had an excellent piece on America’s expanding social safety net last Sunday, highlighting that even those most passionately against government spending are increasingly dependent on it. Some, like Paul Krugman, are quick to call this hypocrisy, but it’s much more complicated than that.

• Another cool Times thing: This interactive budget graphic!

• Linsanity is sweeping the nation! He’s making the Knicks relevant, and fun to watch again. Of course, New Yorkers are already thinking about how this could go wrong when Carmelo Anthony returns to the lineup. But the story has transcended sports: Lin has led to moronic columns from political commentators, and one of the most racist headlines you’ll ever see. ESPN has since apologized and fired those responsible for the headline… It’s just ironic, since ESPN had already spent so much airtime devising Lin-related puns.

• Comedy news: David Wain talks about his new movie, and Jim Gaffigan decides to follow the new Louis C.K. model for his next special.

• How Target can tell your pregnant before your father does.

• Goodbye A.J. Burnett. You will not really be missed…

• Speaking of baseball, here are the 10 worst swings of last season.

Monday Medley

What we read while Al Davis told Steve Jobs to “Just win, baby!”…

• Steve Jobs passed away last week at 56. His influence on the world of technology was obviously unmistakable. But perhaps almost as great was his influence on people, including Bill Gates. His career was inspiring, from his introduction of the Mac in 1984, to his ouster from Apple a few years later, to his triumphant return and introduction of the iPod and iTunes. He was the “new archetype for the American businessman.” Not everyone was so laudatory.

• Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, also died last week. He was 82. A summary of his complex legacy.

• Breaking Bad‘s fourth season ended last night, and Vince Gilligan and cast members like Bryan Cranston, Dean Norris, and Giancarlo Esposito have been doing rounds of interviews to promote the finale.

• In other TV news, Harry Shearer made a plea for the cast of The Simpsons, who quickly folded in exchange for two more seasons of the show. And Dan Harmon of Community was profiled in Wired.

• A Google book review.

• Is Twitter a sustainable business?

• This profile will make you resent Michael Lewis.

Monday Medley

What we read while Seth Greenberg wondered what he did…

• Felicia “Snoop” Pearson, who played a character of the same name on The Wire, was arrested on drug charges. David Simon issued a response criticizing America’s absurd “War on Drugs.”

• We continue our new Monday Medley tradition of linking to profiles of great college basketball analysts!

• Shortly after The New York Times Magazine profiled him, Baylor’s Perry Jones was suspended by the NCAA. The move was questioned by many.

• Nate Silver wants you to pick against Notre Dame.

• Parks & Recreation was part of PaleyFest 2011, put on by the excellent Paley Center.

• Who wouldn’t watch CNBC if Gus Johnson were reporting on the Dow?

• Rand Paul is no faint-hearted libertarian.

• Will future generations understand The Simpsons? And should we care?

• More DFW stuff: After an excerpt from The Pale King appeared in The New Yorker, The Howling Fantods compared the excerpt to an earlier reading given by Wallace. Meanwhile, some are wondering if people are trying cash in on the author’s death.

• Is the film industry fundamentally broken?

• A recent episode of 30 Rock dealt with the issue of women in comedy, which has led some to wonder what Liz Lemon means to feminism. Meanwhile, Molly Lambert breaks down how to be a woman in a boys’ club. (I’ll bet you never expected a whole women’s issues bullet point in an Monday Medley!)

• An interview with an NPI favorite comedian, in which the nature of comedy is debated. Also, he balances out that whole feminism point with his on-stage misogyny.

• For the creative scorekeeper in you…

• Have you been wondering why Tim hasn’t been recapping this season of Survivor? Well, hopefully this can tide you over….

Got a Secret? About PLL’s “Je Suis Un Ami” and “The New Normal”

Does the reduced frequency of my Pretty Little Liars’ reviews reflect perhaps a taming of my zeal for the show or a latent unhappiness with the second half of the first season?

I want to quell such worries now. Sure, the last few episodes — including the last two — have not been as transcendent as I came to expect each week’s offering to be. But I’ve grown to appreciate the subtle genius on a week-to-week basis. It’s kind of like watching Tim Duncan in 2011.

I, for one, was nothing short of stunned to see that last night’s episode wasn’t Valentine’s Day themed. In fact, there wasn’t a single mention of V-Day. I suppose they didn’t know the air dates when filming, but these days, every show seems to put out a Valentine’s Day special. Part of me was happy to see PLL buck that trend, and part of me wanted to see what it would have looked like.

Let’s look back on “Je Suis Un Ami” and “The New Normal”:

Monday Medley

What we read while eating a goddamn snack on Revis Island:

• So what’s the state of political discourse in the week after the tragedy in Tucson? Some want us to tone it down, while others think that’s a silly overreaction. Tom Junod at Esquire and Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone have each offered intriguing thoughts on the debate about debate.

• Less seems to be more in football announcing.

• Wikipedia celebrated its tenth anniversary last week.

• CalTech: In a class by itself? Speaking of intelligence, Jeopardy may have for itself a perpetual winner.

• Only one of us still occasionally puts two spaces after a period. It’s such an editing hassle.

• Roger Ebert’s best documentaries of 2010.

• What was more awkward: Ricky Gervais’ monologue at last night’s Golden Globes, or Bill Murray’s speech to Sofia Coppola at the NBR awards?

• Shake Shack’s different locations are compared by Serious Eats.

• Agree to disagree on this one: SplitSider on why the Arrested Development is a lousy movie AND why that’s OUR fault.

• Jill Lepore dissects America’s relationship with the Constitution.

• We don’t agree with all of their choices over at This Recording (there’s no way DFW is the White Swan), but this is obviously a great game…

• A breakdown of pretty much every funny tweet you’ll ever read.

• It may be in Spanish, but this graphic of The Simpsons‘ demise couldn’t be clearer. And as far as gifs go, they don’t get much better than Homer’s Night Out (h/t on each to Dead Homer Society, as usual).