Erica Palan

Joined: Nov 21, 2012

Erica Palan is a writer, editor, and social media manager living in Philadelphia. By day, she keeps watch over Philadelphia Magazine's online presence—she does a lot of tweeting these days. By night, you can find her teaching digital journalism at Temple University. Erica is a fast reader, a slow runner, and a Bruce Springsteen enthusiast.

11 Surprising Facts About Prince

8 Actors Who've Played Batman (and What Fans Had to Say About Them)

Obscura Day 2012: Get Out There and Explore!

Watch 'A Muppet Family Christmas' in its Entirety!

Rest in Peace, Clarence Clemons

Editor's Note: E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons has died of complications from a stroke, CNN reported tonight. To honor the Big Man's life and legacy, here are some video clips Erica Palan assembled back in January to celebrate Clarence's 69th b

Why Does My Gadget Say It's December 31, 1969?

If you’ve ever had the date on a cell phone or computer mysteriously switch to December 31, 1969, you may have thought it was simply random. However, the reason behind this odd glitch is a nice little tidbit of computer trivia.

7 Memorable TV Bosses

Happy National Boss Day! The holiday was first celebrated in 1958 by Patricia Bays Haroski. She felt bad about forgetting her boss’s birthday, so she registered the date as a holiday. (Her boss was also her dad.) Since it’s Saturday and lots of folks won

10 Stars Who Appeared on Saved by the Bell

While the main cast of Saved by the Bell had varied success in their post-Bayside lives, many of the show's guests star went on to achieve Hollywood success. Here's 10 appearances by now-notable performers.1. Christine TaylorThe former fake Marcia Brady a

The Late Movies: 10 Weird Duets

Natalie Cole and her dead father. Bing Crosby and David Bowie. Eminem and Elton John. These notably weird duets shocked and (usually) entertained us, but there are plenty more odd musical couplings out there. Here are 10 of our favorites. 1. Nelly and Ti

The Late Movies: Karaoke Songs

While I don't consider myself a shy person, one thing I've never had the guts to do is sing my heart out in public. It's a personal goal, one I constantly remind myself of by keeping a running list of songs I'd like to sing if I ever work up the nerve. He

The Late Movies: Celebrities Reciting the Alphabet on Sesame Street

If you can read this, thank the gang at Sesame Street. Since 1969, they've been cranking out episode after episode of quality, entertaining children's programming—with some fun stuff for adults too. In the four decades since its debut, Sesame Street

Librarians Doing the "Thriller" Dance

In her new book This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All, Marilyn Johnson explores the relevance of librarians in the technological age. She also makes them seem like the coolest people on earth. In one chapter, she notes tha

The Late Movies: Springsteen on the Ukulele

Last week, I stumbled upon Uke Springsteen's MySpace. Uke, who by day is Pat Healy, is a one-man cover band, using his ukulele to strum out renditions of popular Bruce Springsteen songs. (His remix of "Atlantic City" rivals The Band for best cover of the

From Zippo Cars to the Peepmobile: 7 Bizarre Marketing Vehicles

If your college was anything like mine, a day didn't go by without some company giving out free samples in wacky cars. The Red Bull car even had its own parking space down the street from the dorms. (Trying to resist the temptation when walking past a gia

Jesus Spotted in Pancake (and 6 other places)

My favorite things about Slow News Days are the wealth of religious sightings that seem to crop up. Whether it's Jesus making an appearance on a snack food, or other religious figures spotted in knots of wood, local news crews are always there to get the