Shape of you

Ten years ago, most people hadn’t even heard of a podcast. Now, they’re an integral part of the media landscape, and none more so than those about true crime . To rank the best, we polled true-crime aficionados about their favorite shows, then sifted through the top choices. Whether they cover a new case each episode or present a story over the course of a season, these picks each shaped the genre in their own way. Some are the results of deep investigative journalism; others are by amateur sleuths trying to help families find answers. Some focus on bringing publicity to cold cases in underrepresented communities, and some changed the way we think about crime storytelling altogether. Perhaps equally important, they’re all great listening, promising the kind of captivating intrigue that continues to draw generation after generation to true crime: tragedy, mystery, a search for answers, and always the hunger for justice. 25. CounterClock Fans of procedurals will bond with … [Read more...] about The 25 Best True-Crime Podcasts of All Time

“I’m going straight to the White House,” John Kerry says. “I’m thrilled with where the campaign is right now.” Just 90 minutes earlier, on this warm afternoon in late September, he stood on an outdoor stage at the University of Pennsylvania campus in downtown Philadelphia and gazed out onto a sea of 20,000 supporters. The school had hosted only one other rally this big in recent memory – when Bill Clinton came through on his re-election tour in 1996. It’s heady stuff when a first-time presidential candidate draws crowds comparable in size to those of a popular sitting president. “I feel as if we have finally gotten the American people and the press simultaneously focused on the real issues,” he says. “Things I’ve been talking about for two years. George Bush has made catastrophic mistakes in Iraq, catastrophic mistakes in foreign policy. He’s shown bad judgment, made bad choices about how to proceed in a war on terror. I think he’s also out of touch with the American people on what … [Read more...] about Kerry Fights Back

“Records are broken. Championships last forever.” This is what Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said last Saturday as the team recovered from a loss to the Boston Celtics, just their eighth of the season. It was their first home loss in 54 games. If you’re a fan of any NBA team that’s not the Warriors or the San Antonio Spurs – and especially if your team is getting nowhere near the playoffs – try to conceive for just a moment of your team losing their first game at home 76 games into the season. Now come back from that hazy, wildflower-covered, late-summer afternoon in your mind and let’s talk. It’s possible Kerr said this because he genuinely believes it. It’s possible he said it because he thinks his players need to hear it. But it’s also possible Kerr doesn’t believe a word of it – because he shouldn’t. This whole rings-over-records thing is, in this specific case, total bullshit. After beating the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night, the Warriors have … [Read more...] about Golden State Should Go For It

The Black Keys have revealed the title and release date of their new LP: Turn Blue , their eighth studio album, will be released on May 13th. And they shared that information in an incredibly cryptic and absurd way – through a Mike Tyson tweet . “Turn Blue,” the boxing legend wrote on Friday, along with a link to a kooky, David Lynch-ian Youtube video of a hypnotherapist and a spinning pink record. “You will obey my each and every word,” says the unidentified man. “I am inside you now.” (Good to know.) The two-minute clip does end with some album confirmation, though, as details flash onscreen like a B-movie trailer. The Black Keys: A Decade of Hard Work Pays Off The Youtube account for “Turn Blue” also features two more trailers, which are shorter (yet equally bizarre ) and include some ghostly bass grooves. Meanwhile, drummer Patrick Carney has been teasing the album on his Instagram with various images of people who are tinted blue – including David Cross as … [Read more...] about The Black Keys Detail New Album, ‘Turn Blue,’ Through Mike Tyson Tweet