Linda Holmes

Credit Chris Hartlove
for NPR

Linda Holmes writes and edits NPR's entertainment and pop-culture blog, Monkey See. She has several elaborate theories involving pop culture and monkeys, all of which are available on request.

Holmes began her professional life as an attorney. In time, however, her affection for writing, popular culture and the online universe eclipsed her legal ambitions. She shoved her law degree in the back of the closet, gave its living-room space to DVD sets of The Wire and never looked back.

Holmes was a writer and editor at Television Without Pity, where she recapped several hundred hours of programming — including both High School Musical movies, for which she did not receive hazard pay. Since 2003, she has been a contributor to MSNBC.com, where she has written about books, movies, television and pop-culture miscellany.

Holmes' work has also appeared on Vulture (New York magazine's entertainment blog), in TV Guide and in many, many legal documents.

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Monkey See
11:26 am
Tue April 9, 2013

Let's Rush To Judgment: 'Carrie'

Credit Sony Pictures
Monkey See
1:03 pm
Fri April 5, 2013

Let's Rush To Judgment: 'Grown Ups 2'

Credit Tracy Bennett / Sony Pictures

This is an experiment with a minimalist approach to the Let's Rush To Judgment post.

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Monkey See
11:46 am
Fri April 5, 2013

Pop Culture Happy Hour: In The Long Run

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  • Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour

On this week's extremely punchy round-table podcast, once we cover our most important landmark of the week, Stephen Thompson gets through some preposterous claims loosely connected to this video and we get on the topic of

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Monkey See
6:03 pm
Thu April 4, 2013

Remembering Roger Ebert

Credit Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Film critic Roger Ebert, seen here in 2009, died Thursday.

Originally published on Fri April 5, 2013 9:37 am

Monkey See
10:43 am
Thu April 4, 2013

Putting Late Night In Perspective: Under The Massive Boot Of Judge Judy

Credit Damian Dovarganes / AP
Judge Judy Sheindlin, seen here in 2006, presides over a case as bailiff Petri Hawkins Byrd listens.

Originally published on Thu April 4, 2013 2:36 pm

While we go on about the Johnnys, Jimmys, Daves, Jays, Conans, and additional Jimmys of the late-night wars, where was Joe? Specifically, where was the enormous media coverage of the end of Judge Joe Brown?

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Monkey See
8:21 am
Thu April 4, 2013

'Arrested Development' Comes Back On Netflix On May 26, So Get Extra Sleep Now

Credit AP
Jeffrey Tambor, left, and Jason Bateman appear in a scene from the comedy Arrested Development, which returns with new episodes on Netflix on May 26.

Netflix has announced that the new "anthology" season of Arrested Development will arrive — all 15 episodes at once — on May 26. The show, which ran on Fox from 2003 to 2006 and won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, will bring back its entire cast, including Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Cera, David Cross, and many, many more.

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Monkey See
12:17 pm
Mon April 1, 2013

Viewer Discretion: Deciding When To Look Away

Credit Streeter Lecka / Getty Images
The Louisville Cardinals huddle up on the court after teammate Kevin Ware injured his leg in the first half against the Duke Blue Devils on Sunday.

I was out of the house, as it happens, for most of the first half of yesterday's Louisville-Duke game, and when I got home and looked at Twitter, before I turned on the TV, there was a huge stack of stuff to read, and the first thing that caught my attention about the game was this.

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Monkey See
8:37 am
Thu March 28, 2013

The Good News Is That We Know 'Idol' Is Really Live Now

Credit Michael Becker / Fox

Originally published on Thu March 28, 2013 10:56 am

Last night on American Idol was Motown Night, when we all learned that Motown songs (like "I Heard It Through The Grapevine") should all be sung as seriously as possible, wearing a scowl, with all the fun sucked out. (And that was a performance that was pretty good.) It's in keeping with this season, in which melodramatic ballads have dominated even more than usual.

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Monkey See
11:02 am
Fri March 22, 2013

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Kickstarter TV And Comedy Contests

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Originally published on Fri March 22, 2013 11:14 am

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On this week's show, the regular band is back together, and I am a rock. I am an island.

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Monkey See
11:48 am
Thu March 21, 2013

Here We Go Again: Leno, Fallon, And Why The Late-Night Wars Are So Boring

Credit Kevin Winter / Getty Images
Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon pose in the press room during the Golden Globe Awards in January.

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