entertainment

It Is Fight Week and Las Vegas Is a Timeless Vortex

Hamilton Nolan · 04/29/15 12:39PM

“You here for the fight?” said my cab driver, who looked like a less successful Guy Fieri. “I used to work for referee Jay Nady, the highest grossing boxing referee of all time.” He gestured out the window at a stoplight. “See that cab? That’s Jay Nady’s cab company right there. The ones with the ‘A.’ The ‘A’ is for asshole. Fuck that guy.”

Here's How Sprite Tries to Buy Off Reporters With Free Tickets

Hamilton Nolan · 02/03/15 12:20PM

Here is an email illustrating how brands (Sprite, in this case) pay off reporters and bloggers with free stuff as a direct quid pro quo for coverage. There's also some info about a TOP SECRET Drake and Nas concert we would like to share.

Reality TV Stories: "Who in Here Is a Jew?"

Hamilton Nolan · 10/14/14 10:54AM

The rumbles of workplace discontent among reality television workers are not stopping. Some hopeful signs are emerging. But shitty conditions in the industry persist. Let's hear more!

A Rich Treasury of Reality TV Worker Stories

Hamilton Nolan · 07/29/14 02:58PM

Over the past few weeks, we've brought you several installments of true stories from the overworked, underpaid, and ill-treated employees who work at all levels in reality TV. We now offer you an absolute slew of new emails about the dark side of the "nonfiction" TV industry.

"A Twisted Industry": Reality TV Workers Are Really Fed Up

Hamilton Nolan · 07/07/14 11:59AM

Reality television can seem exciting and glamorous. Working on reality television, much less so. As the following stories from "professionally abused" insiders show, reality TV workers will continue to be beaten down as long as they have no union to defend them.

Reality TV Work: Thankless and Dangerous

Hamilton Nolan · 07/01/14 03:05PM

Yesterday, we brought you true stories of people who work behind the scenes in reality (or "nonfiction") television. Since then, we've been flooded with more emails from industry insiders, detailing poor working conditions. We bring you some of them below.

The Grim Realities of Reality TV: Workers Speak

Hamilton Nolan · 06/30/14 03:30PM

The rise of reality TV programming over the past two decades has been driven in large part by the fact that reality shows are cheap to produce. Labor costs are a big reason why. What does that mean for the people who work on these shows? Allow some of them to tell you.

Hamilton Nolan · 05/27/14 01:16PM

"I would not consider it fair if someone in Williamsburg were complaining that we weren't portraying Williamsburg in an accurate light," says a TV location scout, "considering that person probably just moved here from Ohio." It's too hard to tell who to dislike in Williamsburg these days.

America Will Now Be Entertained By Bible Sequels

Ken Layne · 08/30/13 04:00PM

All the good superheroes are used up, so the next fun entertainment for Americans will be various sequels and spinoffs from the Holy Bible. A lot of Americans still claim to believe in the Christian religion: 77 percent say they still follow the breakaway Jewish sect, which remains a huge demographic even if it's down considerably from its 90 percent market penetration a half century ago.

The Sheer Gall of Celebrities Demanding Privacy

Hamilton Nolan · 01/14/13 12:44PM

Last night, Jodie Foster, a famous actress who has been a famous actress for many decades, stood on stage at a glittery Hollywood awards show being broadcast around the world, and, in a lengthy, self-glorifying speech, in front of a crowd of the world's most famous people, asked for.... privacy. Is Jodie Foster clinically insane?

Hamilton Nolan · 11/13/12 01:55PM

Among the reasons why you can't bring yourself to cut off your expensive cable TV: it might not save you any money.