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Sign up for Derek’s newsletter here.Let’s start with a simple mystery: What happened to original blockbuster movies?Throughout the 20th century, Hollywood produced a healthy number of entirely new stories. The top movies of 1998—including Titanic, Saving Private Ryan, and There’s Something About Mary—were almost all based on original screenplays. But since then, the U.S. box office has been steadily overrun by numbers and superheroes: Iron Man 2, Jurassic Park 3, Toy Story 4, etc. Of the 10 top-grossing movies of 2019, nine were sequels or live-action remakes of animated Disney movies, with the one exception, Joker, being a gritty prequel...

Hello and Happy December! Today, I have a super quick and easy Christmas Stocking tutorial for you. For years, I've searched for the perfect stocking shape and last year, I think I finally nailed it. That's right, I've been saving this tutorial for a whole year! If you've been following me for a while then you might know that I like a sewing project to be as simple to construct as possible and this stocking fits the bill. In fact, there are only three main steps and you'll have your own handmade Christmas Stocking. Last year, the infamous 2020, I...

Vladimir Putin The Accidental AutocratVladimir Putin is not a democrat. Nor is he a czar like Alexander III, a paranoid like Stalin, or a religious nationalist like Dostoyevsky. But he is a little of all these—which is just what Russians seem to want By Paul Starobin March 2005 Like many Russians, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a late riser. Sometimes he doesn't roll out of bed until 11:00 A.M. Russia's president lives with his wife, Lyudmila, and two teenage daughters, Maria and Katerina, about twenty-five miles west of the center of Moscow, at Novo Ogarevo, a country estate dotted with white birch and pine...

With Thanksgiving a distant memory and less than one month to Christmas, the holiday season is truly upon us. And like many of you, my focus is on decorating my home and bringing a bit of holiday cheer to each nook and cranny. It's somewhat easy to accomplish your outdoor Christmas decorating - we all probably have limited storage space and tend to use the same outdoor decorations year after year - but Christmas decorating indoors? That's an entirely open and sometimes overwhelming opportunity. Indoor Christmas Decoration Ideas It's much easier to come up with indoor Christmas decorating ideas when...

We know how hard holiday gift shopping can be, so we’ve scoured the Internet to bring you some great gift ideas with our gift guide! You’ll find monogrammed gifts like personalized mats, customized portraits, the hottest toys, and charging stations. From family to friends, Prime Women has you covered! Keep reading for the best gifts to shop for this year (and maybe some to keep for yourself).  Prime Women General Gift Guide 2021 Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Barefoot Scientist Heal and Shield Kit, $39 Transforming dry, cracked heels into soft, smooth skin requires specialized tools and products. That’s why...