Features
Highlights from nearly two decades of longform feature writing
“The Y Hanging Diamond ranch sit 43 km north of Jordan, on the south bank of the Missouri River. About 800 meters from its fenced-off eastern border was a dry patch of land with clear sight-lines across the horizon and a dinosaur skull sticking out of the ground.” - ROM’s palaeontology team heads to Montana’s badlands to uncover remains of triceratops named Dio for the Globe and Mail
"Six years later, the burden left by the day’s events haunt Selway. Seated on the rooftop of his Chicago hotel, the drummer sighs deeply. ‘We should have been there. We should have all been on that stage. That carries a weight with it.’”- Radiohead’s return to Toronto: Why they’re still angry about the fatal stage collapse that nearly caused them to call it quits for The Globe and Mail
"The future, he argues, is interactive, global and beyond the capabilities of a single human. After all, there can only be one Britney Spears, Beyoncé or Taylor Swift, and each comes with their own set of very human problems. In contrast, multiple versions of Kodes can work 24/7 around the world without fear of burnout or language issues." - She sings. She dances. And she's a hologram. Inside the Montreal company engineering virtual-reality pop star Maya Kodes for The Globe and Mail
"On Last Week Tonight, Oliver and his team deep dive on issues in a manner Stewart was oft criticized for not doing regularly enough, in the process uncovering shockingly depressing information. “The problem is the loudest journalism in America is generally saying the least. There is amazing in-depth journalism — what Frontline and ProPublica do is fantastic — they’re just not loud enough.” - The John Oliver effect: How the Daily Show alum became the most trusted man in America for the National Post
"Oddly, considering the show’s penchant for relieving central characters of their heads, the actor’s concern is not for the safety of his Game of Thrones character, the kind-hearted bastard Jon Snow, nor for his brothers in the order of The Night’s Watch — the Seven Kingdom’s miscreant defense against wildling humans and supernatural ice zombies. Rather, Harington’s unease stems from a worrisome mental lapse that has put both his safety and the day’s tight production schedule in grave jeopardy - On Set: As Game of Thrones gets bolder and bloodier, big things are coming for Jon Snow for the National Post
That the simple, baroque movement purportedly written in the 18th century by an otherwise little-known Venetian composer lives on as one of the most popular, adaptable and recognizable pieces of classical music is impressive enough. But the story of Albinoni's Adagio is much more complicated than that. It is, in fact, arguably the biggest fraud in music history. — Is Albinoni's Adagio the biggest fraud in music history? for CBC
"45-years-old, pale, balding, pudgy and foul-mouthed, Louis C.K. was the unlikely modern face of comedy. “Yeah, a lot of people like me and it’s great but I still go to sleep with me at night. It doesn’t change my own view of myself at all.” - Funny business: Louis C.K.’s DIY strategy for The National Post
"Cranston, head shaved, wide smile, is whittling away a crisp January evening in a hotel room high above Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's here he'll spend his final days as Walter White, the notorious antihero and protagonist of AMC’s Breaking Bad, and the experience has put the 57-year-old into one of his achingly reflective moods. “I’m embracing it; I’m not letting any moment get past me,” he emphasizes. “And when it’s over I will say goodbye. But the journey has been extraordinary.” - 'They’re burning all their bridges': The cast of Breaking Bad on ending AMC's series after five high-stakes seasons for the National Post
"He’s thinking, of course, of John Bonham, the thunderous war machine backbone of Zeppelin whose death in 1980 stopped arguably the most influential and inarguably most monumental group in music history in its tracks, dissolving them instantly. “I was just so aware of the loss to his family and the world of music in general,” he stammers before conceding, “If it had been me who went I don’t think they’d been able to replace me either.” - Jimmy Page reflects on the end of Led Zeppelin and losing 'bosom buddy' John Bonham for the National Post