Hitchhiking is one of those things that feels incredibly tied to a very specific kind of freedom. It’s romantic in theory, terrifying in reality, and absolutely perfect for movies. The idea itself is simple: stick your thumb out, stand by the side of the road, and trust a complete stranger to take you somewhere. Sometimes it’s across town. Sometimes it’s across the country. Sometimes it’s across Europe with a backpack and twenty bucks in your pocket and nowhere to sleep. And

The new animated film adaptation of George Orwell's Animal Farm (directed by Andy Serkis and featuring the voices of Seth Rogen, Woody Harrelson, Glenn Close and Kieran Culkin) is an absolute train wreck and should be avoided at all costs, especially if you're a true fan of Orwell's...like I am. Okay, so here’s the thing about George Orwell (and yeah, I know, everybody throws that name around like they’ve actually read him, like they didn’t just pick up Nineteen Eighty-Four i

Hey, I have an idea! Let's watch people with way more money, way more fame, and way bigger egos than any of us could ever imagine just absolutely go at each other. I gotta tell you, sometimes I love it. I really do. There’s something endlessly entertaining about rivalries in show business. Always has been. And part of that is because entertainment, at its core, is built on ego. Let’s be honest. You don’t become a movie star or a rock god or a legendary TV personality without

Jon Hamm …man, I gotta tell you, this guy is one of those performers that kind of sneaks up on you, and then before you know it, he’s everywhere, and he’s great in everything, and you’re like, “Wait a minute…how the hell did this happen?” And then you go back and you look at the career and you go, “Oh, okay…yeah, that makes sense. This guy’s the real deal.” Jonathan Daniel Hamm, born March 10, 1971, in St. Louis, Missouri…Midwestern guy, Cardinals fan, which, as a Cubs fan,

It’s that time of year again. The time when I start pacing around the house muttering about snubs. The time when I rewatch acceptance speeches from 1974. The time when I yell at nominations, cheer surprises, and prepare myself emotionally for the inevitable moment when the Academy gets something spectacularly wrong. Oscar Sunday is coming. And this year, we’re doing it live. In Chicago. The right way. Before the 98th Annual Academy Awards air on March 15th, I’ll be on stage

The TV theme song. Just saying those words makes me smile. Or sigh. Or get a little pissed off. Or all three at once. Because once upon a time, the TV theme song mattered. It wasn’t just background noise. It wasn’t something you skipped past so you could shave ten seconds off your binge-watch session. It was an event. It was a statement. It was mood, tone, personality, storytelling, and sometimes the entire damn plot of the show, delivered in under a minute. And now? It’s pre