Jon O'Brien
Joined: Jul 28, 2020
Jon O'Brien is a freelance entertainment journalist with bylines in Esquire, Billboard, Vulture, New Scientist, Vinyl Me, Please, i-D, The Guardian and Paste. He spends most of his spare time going to gigs, but he's also a soccer enthusiast, garage drummer, Icelandophile, and carrot cake connoisseur. He lives in North West England with his partner and King Charles Spaniel.
How An Unsuccessful TV Pilot Spawned One of the Greatest Films of the 1990s
10 Hit Songs That Weren’t What They Seemed
10 Great Olympics Movies
40 Years Ago: When Breakdancing Crashed the Box Office of 1984
In 1984, a succession of breakdancing-themed movies did battle at the box office.
15 Surprising Facts About ‘The Thick of It’
Armando Iannucci’s iconic BBC comedy is one of television’s finest, and sweariest, sitcoms
Make “Believe“: How Cher Staged One of Pop Music’s All-Time Greatest Comebacks
In 1998, Cher reinvented herself yet again—and forever changed the way hit songs were made—with “Believe.“
15 Celebrities Who Played (Versions of) Themselves in Movies
From Nicolas Cage to Jean-Claude Van Damme, plenty of Hollywood stars have performed on screen as fictionalized versions of themselves.
10 Wonderfully Weird Muppet Duets
The Muppets have squared off against everyone from Johnny Cash to Celine Dion.
‘In the Line of Duty’: The Waco Movie Made Before The Siege Ended
In 1993, just 34 days after the Waco siege ended, NBC premiered 'In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco'—a TV movie greenlit, scripted, and largely shot while the tragedy was still unfolding.
11 Fictional Bands Who Scored Very Real Hit Songs
The Monkees may not have been a "real" band, but their chart-topping legacy speaks for itself.
10 Fun Facts About ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York’
10 Actors Who Have Played Marilyn Monroe
With Netflix's 'Blonde,' Ana de Armas is the latest in a long line of actors who have attempted to portray Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood’s ultimate It Girl.
Slow Burn: How Elton John's "Candle in the Wind '97"—the Best-Selling Single in Music History—Became a Royal Relic
In the weeks following the death of Princess Diana, "Candle in the Wind '97" provided a form of musical catharsis. Then it simply burned out.
How The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert Became the Biggest All-Star Gig of the '90s
On April 20, 1992, the world's biggest musicians took the stage at London's Wembley Stadium to honor the late, great Freddie Mercury. Some tributes fared better than others.
10 Totally Unconventional TV Christmas Specials
Not every seasonal offering brings maximum yuletide cheer. Here’s a look at 10 that suggest those responsible had indulged in a little too much eggnog.