Baseball

“I wrote 63 songs this year. They’re all about Jeter.” Just kidding. The game we love, the players we hate, and more.

Culture and Criticism

From Norman Mailer to Wendy Pepper — everything on film, TV, books, music, and snacks (shut up, raisins), plus the Girls’ Bike Club.

Donors Choose and Contests

Helping public schools, winning prizes, sending a crazy lady in a tomato costume out in public.

Stories, True and Otherwise

Monologues, travelogues, fiction, and fart humor. And hens. Don’t forget the hens.

The Vine

The Tomato Nation advice column addresses your questions on etiquette, grammar, romance, and pet misbehavior. Ask The Readers about books or fashion today!

ODR11 Ill-Advised Double Feature: Blue Valentine and 127 Hours
January 27, 2011 · 22 Comments
ODR11 Ill-Advised Double Feature: <I>Blue Valentine</I> and <I>127 Hours</I>

Death Race 45, Sarah 11; 1 of 24 categories completed
When “Blue Valentine” ended, I knew [Derek] Cianfrance had directed his actors, but I wasn’t sure he’d done the hard work of writing (he’s the cowriter).
Without …

The Vine: January 26, 2011
January 26, 2011 · 19 Comments
The Vine: January 26, 2011

Dear Sarah and Tomato Nation,
It’s Green here, saying a big thank-you to all of you for your fantastic suggestions and very kind invitations for our U.S. road (and air) trip. I had the most amazing …

Alice In Wonderland
January 25, 2011 · 23 Comments
<I>Alice In Wonderland</I>

I’d never have seen Alice In Wonderland of my own accord. I like Tim Burton a lot and I enjoy everyone in the cast, but the source material has always annoyed me; even as a …

Bradelor! DUN!: And Ah Love It
January 25, 2011 · 15 Comments
Bradelor! DUN!: And Ah Love It

Sars: Michello!
Miss Alli: Oh my GOD, seriously. SHE IS INSANE.
Sars: I had a few moments last night where I thought, fleetingly, that her whole shtick is a giant put-on. Because who can actually act like …

Oscars 2011 Death Race
January 25, 2011 · 47 Comments
Oscars 2011 Death Race

Welcome to The Tomato Nation Oscars 2011 Death Race! In case you missed last year’s iteration, the ODR is exactly what it sounds like: I try to watch every single Oscar nominee before the ceremonies …

Oscars 2011 Death Race Preview: Shutter Island
January 24, 2011 · 21 Comments
Oscars 2011 Death Race Preview: <I>Shutter Island</I>

It’s tempting to blow Shutter Island off with a “there’s no there there,” but there’s a there. It takes the script about an hour too long to arrive at, is the issue, and the story …

The Vine: January 21, 2011
January 21, 2011 · 40 Comments
The Vine: January 21, 2011

Dear Vineyarders,
I have a question about a movie or TV series I once saw. Before I describe it, let me announce a trigger warning for those sensitive about sexual assault.

The Vine: January 19, 2011
January 19, 2011 · 56 Comments
The Vine: January 19, 2011

This is not REALLY a cat-peeing-outside-the-box question, it’s more of a theoretical question based on that circumstance.
The backstory: I gave my boyfriend a kitten 4 1/2 years ago, it was cute and squeaky and my …

Bradelor! DUN!: Little Buddies
January 18, 2011 · 4 Comments
Bradelor! DUN!: Little Buddies

Sars: Bachello again.
Miss Alli: Bachello!
Sars: I’d just like to say right up front here that I kind of got a little for-real crush on Brad when he called that marshmallow “little buddy.”
Alli: I was watching …

TN Read-Along #7: A People’s History Discussion Thread
January 18, 2011 · 22 Comments
TN Read-Along #7: <I>A People’s History</I> Discussion Thread

William James, the Harvard philosopher, wrote a letter to the Boston Transcript about “the cold pot of grease of McKinley’s cant at the recent Boston banquet” and said the Philippine operation “reeked of the infernal …