John Ridley archive

September 14, 2009 If you're dreaming of becoming a high-priced Hollywood writer, you might want to dream on, says commentator John Ridley. The union that represents the bulk of movie and TV writers recently released its annual report. It reads like the script of a horror movie. And, he says, things are only going to get worse.

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June 24, 2009 Notable directors have reportedly signed on to big-budget versions of Monopoly and Battleship, and there's even a version of Candy Land in the works. Commentator John Ridley looks at the recent Hollywood trend of banking on child's play.

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May 12, 2009 Give someone an avatar and a URL, and he can't tweet, post or hyperlink enough personal information about himself to as many people as possible. Where is the expectation that people will keep their private nonsense to themselves?

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February 17, 2009 With a black president now in the White House, some are asking if it's time to retire Black History Month. But commentator John Ridley says it's still relevant because, even in 2009, most schools do a poor job of integrating black history into their curriculum.

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December 31, 2008 They were issues that dominated a news cycle — or many — but, in the end, they just didn't matter. Before they completely fade from memory, commentator John Ridley highlights some of the major "non-troversies" of the past year.

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December 10, 2008 Las Vegas, like much of America, is in post-Money Party detox. You could make that point with a bunch of dry stats. Or you could visit Vegas on a fight night and compare it to a visit in the middle of 2007.

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November 7, 2008 Now that Barack Obama has been elected the nation's first African-American president, what does that mean for the previous African-American power structure? Some older black leaders, like Jesse Jackson, did not welcome Obama with open arms in the campaign.

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October 23, 2008 The only bromide in Hollywood older than "boy meets girl" is that "movies are recession-proof." And it seems to be true — local theaters can offer a cheap getaway from life's troubles. John Ridley says that often, the boost in box-office sales seems to inspire some great movies.

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August 27, 2008 As the summer movie season draws to a close, Morning Edition commentator John Ridley weighs in on what he thinks has been a really bad spell for minorities at the multiplex — both for actors and moviegoers.

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March 25, 2008 Comic books — or, in more highbrow parlance, graphic novelizations — are nudging their way onto the shelves of bookstores and the pages of literary magazines. And writers such as Joss Whedon and Jodi Picoult are trying their hand at the genre.

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