James Parker

James Parker is an Atlantic contributing editor.

Issue May 2013

The Hair-Metal Diaries

In a new memoir, the lead singer of Ratt remembers what may be the most forgettable cultural phenomenon of the modern era.

Issue April 2013

The Housewife-Industrial Complex

How a TV franchise mutated into a demented hybrid of gossip generator and infomercial

The Boston Phoenix Set Me Free

The Boston Phoenix Set Me Free

And now it's gone. More »

Issue March 2013

Reliving Groundhog Day

On the 20th anniversary of the beloved Bill Murray comedy, it’s time to recognize it as a profound work of contemporary metaphysics.

Issue January/February 2013

Brideshead Regurgitated

The ludicrous charms of Downton Abbey, TV’s reigning aristo-soap

Issue December 2012

The Demonic Genius of Daniel Tosh

The Comedy Central star brings the Colosseum to your couch.

Issue November 2012

The Amis Obsession

How Martin Amis expanded the possibilities of English prose—including my own

Issue October 2012

Bad Romance

What the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon says about the modern sexual condition

Issue September 2012

TV's Angriest Man

With his latest reality show, Chef Gordon Ramsay extends his patented froth from the kitchen to the hotel business at large.

Issue July/August 2012

A Long, Strange Trip

How a new 14-DVD box set turned me on to the Dead

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.

Issue May 2012

The Filthy Moralist

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

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.

Issue March 2012

Horror for Kids

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

What a Pigeon's Entrails Told Me About Justin Bieber's 2012

What a Pigeon's Entrails Told Me About Justin Bieber's 2012

The Atlantic's entertainment columnist makes his predictions for 2012 More »

Issue January/February 2012

America’s Rock Band

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

Metallica and Lou Reed's 'Lulu' Is Actually Excellent

Metallica and Lou Reed's 'Lulu' Is Actually Excellent

Seriously! 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.

Issue November 2011

Family Portrait

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

Issue October 2011

Everything Old

Our obsession with musical nostalgia is strangling pop.

The Biggest Story in Photos

Photos of Tornado Damage in Moore, Oklahoma

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