Contributions Index

Please note that minor entries — meaning those posts that were written in under an hour and resemble traditional blog entries — have been elided from this list, which concerns itself with the more substantive pieces contained on this site.

3/25/2008: The Early Films of Jim Henson by Edward Champion. Before Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, Jim Henson dabbled in experimental films. What do these films reveal about the American landscape?

3/24/2008: David Kamp, Blog Snob by Edward Champion. A response to David Kamp’s blowhard review of blogs.

3/21/2008: NYPL: Nicholson Baker & Simon Winchester by Edward Champion. A report of an event at the New York Public Library involving Nicholson Baker and Simon Winchester.

3/20/2008: RIP Arthur C. Clarke by Edward Champion. A remembrance for the great science fiction writer.

3/17/2008: How Drugged is That Doggie in the Window? by Eric Rosenfield. A review of Ellen Palestrant’s Pretzel on Prozac that further examines why someone would want to put their pet dog on an antidepressant.

Human Smoke Roundtable

(During the week of March 9, 2008, Filthy Habits featured a lengthy roundtable discussion of Nicholson Baker’s Human Smoke, which included a response by Baker himself.)

3/14/2008: Human Smoke — Part Five. (Includes Baker’s response.)

3/13/2008: Human Smoke — Part Four.

3/12/2008: Human Smoke — Part Three.

3/11/2008: Human Smoke — Part Two.

3/10/2008: Human Smoke — Part One.

3/7/2008: Cinematic Authenticity by Edward Champion. In examining Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and The Bank Job, the question must be asked: Are today’s films living up to the human authenticity seen in post-Great Depression films?

3/3/2008: Interview with Bill Plympton by Edward Champion. We talk with the legendary animator about some of the motifs and images one finds in his striking animations.

2/29/2008: On Cruelty and Journalism by Edward Champion. What does a YouTube video featuring parents pulling a cruel prank upon a kid have to say about the nefarious way that all Americans have become photographers? And what are the ethical obligations in telling the truth?

2/27/2008: The Myth of Karma by Edward Champion. If karma does not exist, how then does one approach the notion of coincidence from a secular and ethical standpoint?

2/26/2008: A Can of Grape Soda by Edward Champion. We often eat food and drink beverages with little thought about what’s in them. This examination of a can of grape soda leads to a number of questions that remain troublesomely unanswered about the way we eat. Is the web and topographical accountability the answer?

2/25/2008: The Devil and Miss Cody by Edward Champion. Diablo Cody’s Oscar win for Best Screenplay is nothing less than diabolical.

2/20/2008: Steroid Nation and American Gladiators by Michael Czobit. Why would one watch American Gladiators? And what does this mean for a steroid nation?

2/19/2008: The Irresponsible Self by Nigel Beale. A thorough examination of James Wood’s The Irresponsible Self, laced with a very important question: If Wood is so wrong, why doesn’t anybody challenge Wood’s precision?

2/18/2008: The Other Bald Man by Edward Champion. An examination of baldness as unnecessary stigma and confidence as a panacea.

2/16/2008: Bill Keller Can Do No Wrong by Edward Champion. An egregious conflict of interest at the New York Times Book Review is unearthed.

2/15/2008: The Politics of Boasting by Levi Asher. Have Americans truly had enough of arrogant presidential types? Or are they just used to this?

2/14/2008: Diary of the Dead by Edward Champion. A lengthy consideration of George Romero’s latest zombie film and where contemporary horror films now stand.

2/13/2008: I Need a Husband! by Edward Champion. A rather strange Atlantic article containing numerous assumptions about gender by Lori Gottlieb requires an anecdotal tale.

2/11/2008: Chapter One by Edward Champion. A special audio presentation of Edward Champion’s novel-in-progress, Humanity Unlimited.

2/8/2008: Conscience and Integrity by Edward Champion. A more serious consideration of Zadie Smith’s decision to reject all manuscripts while judging a literary contest, with a few thoughts on urgent writing.

2/7/2008: Breaking News: Snobbery Ain’t Cute by Edward Champion. An open letter to Zadie Smith concerning recent actions of snobbery.

2/5/2008: A Tribute to Frank Wilson by Edward Champion. The books editor for the Philly Inquirer closes up shop. Here’s what this all means.

2/4/2008: Dave Itzkoff: The Genre Dunce Who Won’t Stop Dancing by Edward Champion. Dave Itzkoff, the science fiction columnist for the New York Times Book Review, goes too far with his inanity.

1/30/2008: Class Distinctions by Edward Champion. A meditation on getting caught in the nine-to-five trap.

1/29/2008: The U.S. Copyright Office by Edward Champion. What really lurks inside the Copyright Office? And are there other copyright enthusiasts out there?

1/28/2008: The Decline of Book Reviewing: A Case Study by Edward Champion. Vollmann’s latest book, Riding Toward Everywhere, reveals a paucity of perspicacity in today’s book review sections.

1/24/2008: Night at the Boxcar by Edward Champion. A report on readings from Lee Siegel and Mark Sarvas and company.

1/22/2008: Interview with Charles Burns by Edward Champion. The man behind Black Hole talks about the relationship between art and personal experience.

1/21/2008: The Video Game as Art by Edward Champion. Pundits are quick to pooh-pooh the video game as a hollow experience, but to dismiss the video game’s artistic possibilities is premature.

1/18/2008: Beware of the Owl by Edward Champion. A thought experiment involving feral expectations.

1/17/2008: Quadruple Bypass by Sarah Weinman. Wither the quadruple jump in ice skating? A look at Elvis Stojko’s contribution to the form.

1/16/2008: Hillary’s Tears, Our Tears by Edward Champion. What does the commentary on Hillary Clinton’s tears say about the way we decide on a Democrat for the 2008 presidential election.

1/15/2008: Sprezzatura the Maligned by Edward Champion. In which a crazed emailer by the name of “sprezzatura” weighs in a year late and a sanity short on the Lee Siegel controversy.

1/14/2008: Forgotten Statue, Forgotten Spirit by Edward Champion. A study of Carl Schurz, the man who spawned a forgotten statue at Morningside Park.

1/13/2008: Weekend Sightings: “People in Order.” A short film depicting the trajectory of life, with aid of the drum.

1/11/2008: Rosebud 2.0 by Erin O’Brien. An examination of amateur porn sites from a woman’s perspective.

1/10/2008: Interview with Jami Attenberg by Edward Champion. We talk with the author of The Kept Man about the burdens of topographical narratives. (Long excerpt from forthcoming edition of The Bat Segundo Show.

1/9/2008: Rep. Randy Forbes: Revisionist Historian by Edward Champion. An examination of House Resolution 888, a bill celebrating “America’s Religious History Week,” and the representative who wrote the bill.

1/8/2008: Mothlight and the WGA Strike by Edward Champion. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report returned to the airwaves without their writers on an unseasonably warm January afternoon. But does the American public truly care about the WGA Strike?

1/7/2008: Pommes Frites by Edward Champion. A personal meditation on the wasteful nature of French fries, with strange ethical concerns.

1/5/2008: Filthy Habits: An Introduction by Edward Champion. An introduction to the new format of the site.