Willa Paskin

New York

TV Critic at Slate

Host at Decoder Ring Podcast

Host of @Slate's Decoder Ring podcast

Articles

From washboards to Hitachi Magic Wands, sometimes it feels right to use something wrong.

1 week ago | slate.com | Willa Paskin

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These Feel-Good Books Were Everywhere. Now, the Brand is Cooked.

3 weeks ago | slate.com | Willa Paskin

The self-help book series’s strange journey from best-seller to meme stock. Choose your preferred player: For questions about subscriptions or your Slate Plus feed, check our FAQ. If you can't access your feeds, please contact customer support. Thanks! Check your phone for a link to finish setting up your feed. Please enter a valid phone number.
From Midcentury Teens to MTV, Spring Break Is a Ritual of Remarkable Persistence

1 month ago | slate.com | Willa Paskin

How spring break became the party that never ends. Choose your preferred player: For questions about subscriptions or your Slate Plus feed, check our FAQ. If you can't access your feeds, please contact customer support. Thanks! Check your phone for a link to finish setting up your feed. Please enter a valid phone number.
How books about things that changed the world became a publishing trope.

1 month ago | slate.com | Willa Paskin

Whether it’s cod, kudzu, or nutmeg, authors love to claim their subjects shaped history. Did they really? Choose your preferred player: For questions about subscriptions or your Slate Plus feed, check our FAQ. If you can't access your feeds, please contact customer support. Thanks! Check your phone for a link to finish setting up your feed. Please enter a valid phone number.
The strange and wacky world of novelty testicle products like Truck Nutz.

2 months ago | slate.com | Willa Paskin

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Comedian Jerry Lewis made a landmark Holocaust movie called “The Day the Clown Cried.” Why can’t anyone see it?

2 months ago | slate.com | Willa Paskin

How The Day The Clown Cried became notorious—and notoriously impossible to see. Choose your preferred player: For questions about subscriptions or your Slate Plus feed, check our FAQ. If you can't access your feeds, please contact customer support. Thanks! Check your phone for a link to finish setting up your feed. Please enter a 10-digit phone number.
Did the World’s Most Famous Clown Make the Worst Movie Ever?

2 months ago | flipboard.com | Willa Paskin

Now“I think it might be time to give the planet to the apes, because we’re finished,” Kimmel said on Tuesday. Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now. Fired Fest …
How the scratch-off ticket boosted state lotteries.

Feb 12, 2025 | slate.com | Willa Paskin

Ian Coss shares how scratch-off tickets became a part of American life. Choose your preferred player: For questions about subscriptions or your Slate Plus feed, check our FAQ. If you can't access your feeds, please contact customer support. Thanks! Check your phone for a link to finish setting up your feed. Please enter a 10-digit phone number.
How the 1990s swing revival went from cool to corny.

Jan 29, 2025 | slate.com | Willa Paskin

Why the swing revival sizzled and then fizzled almost as quickly as it started. Choose your preferred player: For questions about subscriptions or your Slate Plus feed, check our FAQ. If you can't access your feeds, please contact customer support. Thanks! Check your phone for a link to finish setting up your feed. Please enter a 10-digit phone number.
How Tupperware and plastic storage containers took over our homes.

Jan 15, 2025 | slate.com | Willa Paskin

Skip to the content Bursting Into Sarcastic Applause The storage container, a stealthy star of the modern home, started with Tupperware. Choose your preferred player: For questions about subscriptions or your Slate Plus feed, check our FAQ. If you can't access your feeds, please contact customer support. Thanks! Check your phone for a link to finish setting up your feed. Please enter a 10-digit phone number.