long reads

Your Sunday Long Reads: Beyoncé, the Real Carrie Bradshaw, and Why It’s Hard Keeping Up With Pop References

Photo: beyonce.com

It’s Sunday afternoon — your last chance to read all that stuff you meant to read last week before Monday brings a new deluge of things you will want to read. Below, some of our recommendations:

“Miss Millennium: Beyoncé,†by Amy Wallace (GQ): The Queen Bee’s on a mad dash post-baby comeback, and there’s still her all-things-Beyoncé HBO hagiography to look forward to.

“In a Fragmented Cultureverse, Can Pop References Still Pop?†by Neda Ulaby (National Public Radio): At least we’re not alone in admitting we don’t always get those obscure Saturday Night Live references.

“Candace Bushnell’s Fantasy World, Starring Candace Bushnell,†by Edith Zimmerman (The New York Times Magazine): Little Carrie Bradshaw is newly back on television, but her creator has moved on to fancy holiday homes and a spread in Equestrian Quarterly.

“TV’s $200 Million Charlie Sheen Experiment,†by Lacey Rose (The Hollywood Reporter): Because you’re not totally sick of Charlie Sheen yet, here’s a reminder of how he (and the geniuses behind FX’s Anger Management) are still raking in more money than God.

“For Amusement Only: The Life and Death of the American Arcade,†by Laura Jane (The Verge): A beautifully rendered reminder of what arcades were like in their heyday — all clanging pinball machines, unwashed teenagers, and “No Moms Allowed.â€

“The Only Black Guy at the Indie Rock Show,†by Martin Douglas (MTV Hive): The author explores the complicated world of racial and musical stereotypes, and why blurring the lines between them just makes sense.

For more in-depth weekend readings, visit our friends at Longreads.

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