Washington Post
Staff writer for the Washington Post
PROFILE
Monica Hesse
Guest
FROM Monica Hesse
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
In #MeToo era, Looney Tunes' Pepe Le Pew is just gross Another week, another sexual misconduct allegation. A personal stylist accused talk show host Ryan Seacrest of years of sexual harassment and abuse. Now publicists are telling their star clients to steer clear of him at the Oscars this weekend. Now that we are hyper aware that this behavior is not okay, it’s changed how we watch our favorite movies and TV shows, like “Sixteen Candles,” “The West Wing,” and even “Looney Tunes.”
To the Point
The Harry Potter Phenomenon Harry Potter made his first appearance in 1997. J.K. Rowling's last book was finished in 2007. Now the last of eight movies has opened, The Deathly Hallows, Part II . "In the cottage industry of Potter analysis, no superlative is too super, no grandiosity is too grand, no pie in the sky is too high." That's according to Monica Hesse of the Washington Post , who's read all the books and seen all the movies.
Recommended
Design and Architecture
Farewell LA freeways, Peter Shire is back Angelenos don't want more freeways but we seem not to want mass transit either. Metro has killed the 710 freeway extension, and bus and train ridership is down across the region. What's the future of getting around in LA? And, Peter Shire is having a comeback. What attracts a new generation to his playful ceramics and furniture?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Gov. Jerry Brown: California and China will fight climate change together President Donald Trump reportedly wants the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, and he’s expected to announce a decision soon. California Governor Jerry Brown heads to China to strengthen climate and clean energy ties.
Bookworm
George Saunders: Lincoln in the Bardo (Part I) Lincoln in the Bardo dramatizes a grieving President Lincoln as he visits the grave of his beloved son Willie, who died at age eleven. In the novel, the buried dead believe they're not dead -- "they're sick and refer to their coffins as "sick boxes."
Design and Architecture
Securing Public Spaces, Super Wealthy Asians Vehicles are increasingly being used as weapons, as seen in the London Bridge attack over the weekend and in New York’s Times Square last month. The Compton-based company Calpipe is designing security bollards to help make public spaces safer. And novelist Kevin Kwan satirizes the “crazy rich” Asian jet set and their luxurious tastes in his latest book, “Rich People Problems.”