Tilda Swinton and Pro Wrestling: The Week in Pop-Culture Writing

Highlights from seven days of reading about entertainment

Tilda Swinton Is In a World of Her Own
Zach Baron | GQ
"She's been acting for nearly three decades and has won an Oscar, yet it always seemed like she was never quite available to us."

Inside the Pro Wrestling Ring: Up Close at Hoodslam
Stacey Leasca | The Los Angeles Times
"Hundreds of people raise their middle fingers at a muscle-bound bro standing on stage in ripped jeans and an orange wig, while he pours a bottle of Jack down bystanders’ throats. Welcome to Hoodslam."

"It's a White Industry. It Just Is": One Black Man's Big Hollywood Adventure
Chris Rock | The Hollywood Reporter
"I put a microchip in Steve [McQueen]'s pocket and track him like an Uber driver. Steve thinks we keep bumping into each other by accident. 'Hey, Steve, my man!' I don't care if I have to play a whip, I'm going to be in a Steve McQueen movie."

Emmanuel Mudiay's Injury Highlights the Absurdity of the NBA Age Limit
Tom Ziller | SB Nation
"The entire cost of the policy is borne by 18-year-old players. In that sense, the policy is as brilliant as it is disgusting."

Can a Better Football Helmet Save Your Kid’s Brain?
Patrick Hruby | The Washingtonian
"The dilemma that confronted Mathews two years ago—can I be a good dad and a football dad at the same time?—isn’t resolved. It’s just a lot more scientifically complicated."

The Weight of Guilt: Inside the Secret World of Competitive Bass Fishing Cheaters
David Hill | Grantland
"What does a person do when they find themselves just a few ounces shy, mere minutes from maybe the most important weigh-in of their life?"

Totally Obsessed: The New Age of Cultural Manias
Willa Paskin | Slate
"Why are we getting hysterically excited about very good but not hugely original cultural products seemingly every other month?"

I Got You Sweetikin: Why We Call Each Other Babe
Jen Doll | The Cut
"Babe and baby as used to describe a romantic partner can be traced to usage that began in the 19th and 20th centuries in America."