Hey, folks -- we had a software upgrade on the commenting system today. If you're having trouble seeing comments (check previous posts to see), try clearing the cache of your browser, and they should show up.

Yes, it's a little inconvenient, but we're going to talk about Neil Patrick Harris in a little bit, so that should make up for it.

Hi, everybody --

Trey Graham here. I'm Linda's editor, and an occasional contributor too. Wanted to give you a quick heads-up about a change that's going live ... well, now.

NPR.org is launching a new set of social-media tools designed to let you communicate more directly with us -- and with each other.

You can set up a profile, and tell us (and other users) more about you. You can friend other NPR.org users, Facebook style. (Check out the NPR Community home page for more.)

There's more: You can comment on all our stories now, not just on the blog posts. And your comments will show up instantly; no more waiting for me or another moderator to approve them.

It gets better: Your comments may get above-the-fold treatment sometimes -- they'll appear in the inset column on a story sometimes, and sometimes even on the NPR home page.

And starting now, you can recommend stories you like, so both your NPR.org friends and users at large can see what's really generating interest on the site.

Check out the note about the social-media launch from our editorial director, Dick Meyer, over on the Inside NPR blog.

When you're done there, g'head on over to the community home page and set up your profile. Mine's here.

And then jump right in. We're looking forward to hearing more from you.

-- Trey Graham

Why "Monkey See"?

Monkeys: You can study them to learn about human behavior, or you can dress them up in funny outfits and have them deliver telegrams. Which is to say, they lie exactly at the intersection of anthropology and comedy. (See Figure A.)

That spot — the intersection of high and low — is the territory this blog stakes out. You can, after all, learn a lot about people from what they choose to watch, listen to and read. You can also have a lot of fun viewing YouTube videos of local news anchors sneezing in the middle of a broadcast.

Of course, the name also plays off the famous three monkeys — the ones who see, hear and speak no evil. Because to us, despite a whiff at times of guilty pleasure, there's not much in the pop universe that feels "evil."

Continue reading "A Word About Our Name" >

What is Monkey See?

Monkey See is a blog about popular culture — the good and the bad; the high and the low. We aspire to be a haven for the geek and a translator for the confused, and to carve out a space where both longtime residents and curious visitors can comfortably roam the pop-culture landscape.

Why is it called 'Monkey See'?

For several reasons, not the least of which is: Monkeys are fun. So is pop culture.

And because I used to explain my interest in pop-culture writing by saying that if you were interested in monkeys, you'd naturally be interested in what monkeys should eat. But you'd also be interested in what monkeys actually do eat, which may not be the same thing.

I'm interested in people, so I'm always interested in what they're watching and reading and listening to, both good and bad.

(Want a more detailed take? Read on ...)

Who are you calling a monkey?

Well ... myself. And you. And that guy over there. We're all monkeys, in my book.

What do you talk about here?

Pretty much anything you're talking about: Television, movies, books, the vast and terrifying Internet, video games, magazines, a touch of music. (Though NPR's music team does plenty of heavy lifting there.) Also miscellany like fashion, etiquette, trends of various kinds, and whatever else is out there in the ether.

We're intrigued when something from whatever realm pops — when it goes from niche phenomenon to full-on pop-cultural meme. This is where we'll talk about why.

Who are you?

I'm Linda Holmes, and I've been a pop-culture writer for more than 10 years.

I had a little movie-review site at one time; I've written about movies, books and television at MSNBC.com; and I was a longtime writer and editor at Television Without Pity. I once interviewed Donald Trump for TV Guide, and I intend to be buried with my minicassette of him asking, "Hello, Linda, how-a you?"

I also co-wrote a book about dating, which is something everyone should try once, if only so that you can be interviewed on television about whether you advocate loose morals. (Tip: Say no.)

I also used to be a lawyer, but that didn't allow me to interview Donald Trump or moon over Gene Kelly, so I had to quit.

What if I don't like pop culture?

It's not about being a fan; it's just about having a good discussion -- oftentimes about what inspires fandom in others. So if your co-worker's devotion to Dancing With the Stars makes no sense to you, we may be able to shed some light.

Does "pop culture" mean I have to care about celebrity gossip?

There are places where "pop culture" means "gruesome divorces and mug shots," but that's not really our style. (Exception: Nick Nolte's mug shot, which is a classic.)

How often do you post?

Every weekday, at least once. I will be joined from time to time by various other folks, from NPR and elsewhere, and we hope to cover a lot of territory.

Can I comment?

We're counting on it. Please follow the comment guidelines, which mostly come down to (1) "Make sure your comment relates to the topic at hand"; and (2) "Maintain a level of civility adequate to advance the discussion and not cause it to degenerate." That last is also known as "If it's not the way you talk to people in person, it shouldn't be the way you talk to people online." Keep in mind that fans and non-fans of, for instance, Batman are not actual enemies; they are eating out of the same figurative bowl of popcorn, and should treat each other accordingly.

Can I e-mail you?

Most definitely. Comments, questions, blog ideas? Write us.

Every blog has its rules, and these are ours. If you break them, don't be surprised if we block your comments.

First things first: If you can't be polite, don't say it. We don't want to stifle discussion, and we're not always going to agree with each other. And of course the whole point of this blog is that people care deeply about, and can have spirited discussions about, popular culture. Still, please try to disagree without being disagreeable. Focus your remarks on positions, not personalities. No name-calling, slander, comments about someone's mother, comparisons to notorious dictators — you get the idea. And under no circumstances should you post anything that could be taken as threatening, harassing, sexist or racist.

Don't use obscenities — even if the word in question is often used in conversation. We're not going to list the words we object to; you know what they are. Remember, this is a public forum, and we want everyone to feel comfortable participating.

Your posts should be your work. You're welcome to link to relevant content and to quote from other people's work with attribution. But that doesn't mean you can copy and paste wholesale.

Please stay on topic. We're here to talk about what you read, watch, and listen to, and how you feel about it. We're willing to allow a certain amount of leeway when it comes to discussing us, or our society, or other topics that follow logically. But let's not stray too far. And try to comment on the book, movie, site or whatever else, rather than giving your opinion of the quality of the ongoing discussion, because then it's a conversation about the conversation, and we can wind up chasing our tails a bit at that point.

Rambling is the kiss of death. There is no limit on the length of blog comments. But anything beyond a few paragraphs had better be very, very interesting to the larger community. We reserve the right to edit for brevity as well as clarity.

Please respect others' privacy. We love to learn about new and interesting individuals, but most people will not be happy to have their phone numbers or e-mail addresses published. If you need to share someone's contact information, please submit it through our contact form.

Feel free to share your ideas and experiences about religion, politics and relevant products or services you've discovered. But this is not a place for advertising, promotion, recruiting, campaigning, soliciting or proselytizing. We understand that there can be a fine line between discussing and campaigning; please use your best judgment — and we'll use ours.

We appreciate the news tips members of the public send us. However, NPR reserves the right not to publicize allegations, conspiracy theories and other information which we know to be false or unsubstantiated.

Please don't use public forums for private communication. Most of our forums have a link (it's on the right side) for sending private messages to a blogger or host. Similarly, if you have comments about NPR coverage or policies generally, please don't use the blog discussion threads to air them. For issues regarding NPR editorial content or policies, write to the office of the ombudsman. To contact an NPR program or any of our business and technical departments, use the NPR contact form.

If you want to know even more about what is and isn't allowed on NPR.org, please see our terribly official Terms of Use page.