Inquirer Columnists

TODAY'S COLUMNS

David Cassidy: Do you think you´ll love him on cable?

"Don't stop till you get enough," sang Michael Jackson. So TV's infotainers never can say goodbye.

By David Hiltbrand, For the Inquirer

The new TV philosophy seems to be "If a story is worth doing, it's worth doing nonstop." Two days after Michael Jackson died, TV's obsession with all things Jacko had already grown so relentless that I was curled up on the couch, whimpering, "Make it stop."

Lauren Conrad on the success of her novel "L.A. Candy": "I am so honored."

Sideshow: First, 'The Hills'; now, a best seller . . .

By Tirdad Derakhshani, Inquirer Staff Writer

The Hills alum Lauren Conrad has proven she is a creative force of awesome power: Her first novel, L.A. Candy, is No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller List in its second week, after debuting at No. 2. The poetic bildungsroman traces a 19-year-old Holly

Karen Heller: Ed's behind you nearly 100%!!!

By Karen Heller, Inquirer Columnist

Friends, looking for a job? Perhaps Gov. Rendell can lend an ambivalent hand. Consider this stunning endorsement. "I have been asked by counsel for defendant Vincent J. Fumo to write a letter to the Court regarding his upcoming sentencing. I do so willingly but with mixed feelings," Rendell wrote Judge Ronald Buckwalter, possibly with an arm twisted behind his back.

Bob Ford Phillies don't need Martinez - 07/10/2009: By Bob Ford, Inquirer Columnist

The news coming out of Santo Domingo yesterday was only occasionally accurate and consistently confusing regarding the Phillies' interest in 37-year-old pitcher Pedro Martinez, which, quite naturally, didn't make the Dominican Republic media reports much different than our own.
Annette John-Hall: Ugliness in the water at Valley Club - 07/10/2009: By Annette John-Hall, Inquirer Columnist

I thought I had fallen into a time warp. Like a lot of people, I had to pinch myself when I heard that the Valley Club, a predominantly white Montgomery County swim club, had disinvited a group of predominantly black and Latino city children from using its pool.
Changing Skyline Let there be pedestrian light - 07/10/2009: By Inga Saffron, Inquirer Architecture Critic

The right lighting does wonders for an old city like Philadelphia. Just look at Baltimore Avenue, where a column of new street lamps is positioned among the fledgling sidewalk restaurants and secondhand shops. Come nightfall, the aspiring hipster hangout is dusted with a fairy glow that makes even the vacant storefronts look good.
Sideshow: Brüno goes in for a Matt cuddle - 07/10/2009: By Tirdad Derakhshani, Inquirer Staff Writer

Dressed in his trademark sexy silver lamé jumpsuit, famously flamboyant Austrian jet-setter and fashionista Brüno yesterday fell into the possibly loving - but certainly shocked - arms of Today journalist Matt Lauer.
Cheat Sheet: Usually, buying is better than building bookcases - 07/10/2009: By Alan J. Heavens, Inquirer Real Estate Writer

Until Amazon's Kindle makes physically purchasing individual books online or at the bookstore a thing of the distant past, voracious readers who would rather buy than borrow from the library will continue to need vast spaces for storing their tomes.
PhillyDeals: Rep. Sestak contemplates run against Sen. Specter - 07/10/2009: By Joseph N. DiStefano, Inquirer Staff Writer

U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak is only half-done with his exploratory tour of Pennsylvania's 67 counties but he's talking like he already has decided to challenge Sen. Arlen Specter (D., Pa.) next year.
Garden Q&A - 07/10/2009: By Michael Martin Mills, Inquirer Columnist

Question: What causes trees and perennials not to bloom? We have a seven-year-old Styrax japonicus (Japanese snowbell tree) in a relatively small West Philadelphia backyard. It is now 20 feet tall and wide, appears to be quite healthy, and has bloomed for
Power Up: Grid games are going to college - 07/09/2009: By Dennis McCauley, For The Inquirer

The pace of life slows down appreciably in the summertime and so does the flow of new video games. Thankfully, a pair of college-football titles shipping later this month will stir up some excitement among fans of sports and music games. NCAA Football 2010 rushes into stores on Tuesday for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable, while Black College Football Xperience (BCFx): The Doug Williams Edition takes the field on the 360 on July 20.
Daniel Rubin: Behind bars, a Pa. think tank - 07/09/2009: By Daniel Rubin, Inquirer Columnist

Getting Ed Rendell's attention isn't easy in these days of multibillion-dollar budget wars, which is why the cost-cutting suggestions of an unlikely group of constituents is to be commended.
Sideshow: In feminist forefront: Kate - 07/09/2009: By Tirdad Derakhshani, Inquirer Staff Writer

Forget Susan B. Anthony. Forget Simone de Bouvoir and Hélène Cixous. Throw out your Andrea Dworkin and Susan Faludi books. There's a new avant-garde feminist leader in town, and her name is - Kate Gosselin.
Morning Bytes Summer of '69: A snooze in Philly - 07/09/2009: By Frank Fitzpatrick, Inquirer Columnist

This is a remarkably rich anniversary summer. Even now, from the distance of 40 years, 1969's seems a little unreal. There was simply too much jaw-dropping news to digest: