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James Parker

James Parker is an Atlantic contributing editor.

Filtered by magazine articles (Clear filter)

Issue June 2012

Glenn Beck in Exile

Don’t cry for the former Fox star—he’s building a 24/7 media empire in his loopy image.… More »

Issue May 2012

The Filthy Moralist

How the comedian Louis C.K. became America’s unlikely conscience… More »

Issue April 2012

The Enchanted State

HBO’s Game of Thrones, based on the novels by George R. R. Martin, represents a triumph of storytelling.… More »

Issue March 2012

Horror for Kids

How Goosebumps outlasted Harry Potter by terrifying fourth-graders and mocking their parents… More »

Issue January 2012

America’s Rock Band

How R.E.M.’s almost-utterances allowed listeners to find their own meaning… More »

Issue December 2011

The Anti–James Bond

A new film adaptation of John leCarré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy prompts a look at the various incarnations of his greatest character, George Smiley.… More »

Issue November 2011

Family Portrait

The secret of Modern Family’s runaway success: it’s just a sitcom.… More »

Issue October 2011

Everything Old

Our obsession with musical nostalgia is strangling pop.… More »

Issue September 2011

Valley of the Trolls

It’s the rare star who can withstand the predatory cameras of TMZ on TV.… More »

Issue July 2011

The Joy of Vex

The godless charm of Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm… More »

Issue June 2011

The Beast Within

The secret formula of Animal Planet: it’s all about us.… More »

Issue May 2011

How Heavy Metal Is Keeping Us Sane

Dark and disturbing, the music is honest about human nature… More »

Issue April 2011

Our Zombies, Ourselves

Why we can’t get the undead off our brains… More »

Issue March 2011

Daydream Believer

Justin Bieber found teenybop perfection with an insolent naturalness, a shimmer of religious transcendence, and a mastery of social media. Can he make the moment last?… More »

Issue January 2011

The Wild World of Sports

In SportsCenter, ESPN’s increasingly arcane and anarchic highlights program, the fan still finds solace—even order—in chaos.… More »

Issue January 2011

Rudyard Kipling Wrote Here

Inside the home—in Dummerston, Vermont—where the recorder of Empire created his most-classic tales­… More »

Issue December 2010

The Tragedy of the Talk Show Host

Miscast in the age of viral humor, the late-night star remains eternally freaky—and oddly reassuring.… More »

Issue November 2010

The Doctor is In

Why a 47-year-old English sci-fi show is suddenly an American hit… More »

Issue October 2010

The Jackass Effect

As Johnny Knoxville and friends release their newest film, has everyone finally wearied of their absurdist, violent, and sublime daredevilry? Or is it now in our cultural DNA?… More »

Issue September 2010

And the World Turned

Cheesy, clichéd, and still strangely bewitching, soap operas are falling victim to their own bastard children.… More »

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The Biggest Story in Photos

The Unreal World

May 31, 2012

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