Adam Sternbergh

Adam Sternbergh

@sternbergh.bsky.social

culture editor, NYTimes Opinion novelist: THE EDEN TEST (out now); THE BLINDS; NEAR ENEMY; SHOVEL READY I wear suits now

100.7K followers2.1K following3.1K posts

Adam Sternbergh reposted

It’s just so appalling and enraging how casual and commonplace this has become. I’m out of words.

The Bulwark@thebulwark.com

RFK: "There's five hundred million Arabs in the world. And yet they don't produce science. They don't win the Nobel Prize. They don't win the Fields Prize. They don't win the Wolf Prize. They don't produce literature."

once again the joke explainer is here to explain that “looks as if Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory” is not in fact a joke about the Cheesecake Factory

Adam Sternbergh@sternbergh.bsky.social

everyone trying to gin up culture war controversy around President Obama’s Cheesecake Factory joke is conveniently leaving out the part about Saddam Hussein We aren’t red states, or blue states, but a country of people who can agree that if Saddam opened a dessert franchise it would look very tacky

Bill Clinton made a similar joke that the new Rose Garden looks like the entranceway to Liberace’s bathroom and whatever you think of the joke no one’s out there suggesting it’s a comment that impugns bathrooms

everyone trying to gin up culture war controversy around President Obama’s Cheesecake Factory joke is conveniently leaving out the part about Saddam Hussein We aren’t red states, or blue states, but a country of people who can agree that if Saddam opened a dessert franchise it would look very tacky

Adam Sternbergh reposted

I swear to god if I hear another person talk about “the mainstream media” while mainlining disinfo slop online all day, I’m going to lose my mind

Adam Sternbergh reposted

if you ever happen to see someone post a joke you don't understand or discuss a subject you aren't familiar with, you are well within your right to complain, and perhaps even scold them if necessary. you are their customer and you have rights

just going to repost the best response I've seen about using generative AI to "make art," which comes from Kane Parsons, director of BACKROOMS and not exactly a luddite "art is a way of processing life... and I don't see the value of outsourcing any element of that" www.youtube.com/shorts/MwUnK...

youtube.com"Backrooms" director Kane Parsons explains why he's “absolutely not” going to embrace AI #shortsYouTube video by CBS Mornings

‘Sudowrite, the “best AI for novel writing”, promises to maintain your ‘unique voice’. Whether or not you have a unique voice, it will give you scene directions and alternative options for the plot, and act as your editor.’ Alfred Nunney on AI and books, from the blog. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/oc...

if the promise is "write a novel in 30 days using AI" it's an inherently false promise, because at the end of the 30 days, you didn't write a novel. you didn't write anything. might as well make it write a novel in 30 seconds, you still didn't write it

the only appeal of an AI program to write a novel is that you feel like the actual writing part will be too hard and take too much effort. unfortunately, without the writing part, what you're doing isn't writing if I stand next to a robot while it plays the violin I can't say "look I'm a violinist"

Adam Sternbergh reposted

The Devils was to be a one-week-only release, launching WB's new indie-ish and rerelease label Clockwork (which will purportedly survive the Skydance purchase). But it's done such big business ($2.3 million in five days) that it's staying in theaters. If you can, see this wild piece of film history.

Mark Harris@markharris.bsky.social

Just saw the restored, NC-17 version of The Devils. 55 years later, Ken Russell remains A LOT, for better and worse. But OMG, Vanessa Redgrave. One of our greatest actresses 100% committing to a part that could have been camp. She and Derek Jarman's production design lift this into the stratosphere.

this fascinating look at book monoculture reminds me of a publisher who said online that there's basically 4 types of books, sales-wise: 1) fails to find its audience; 2) finds its audience; 3) finds an audience beyond its audience; 4) becomes the book that people who read one book a year will read

elle.comWhy Does It Feel Like Everyone Is Reading the Same Books?BookTok promised us endless discovery. So why does everyone seem to be reading the same thing?

the ultimate One Book a Year Book being, of course, "The Da Vinci Code," which was so ubiquitous after its release that it looked like they were handing copies out for free at every airport and hotel and beach resort, like they would leave one on the beach chairs with the towels

Adam Sternbergh reposted

Replying to @marisakabas.bsky.social

Huge follow-up reporting to my scoop: The Guardian confirmed America Next—the conservative nonprofit founded by Bobby Jindal that was offering students $ to disrupt El-Sayed events—paid a firm registered to Tommy Teepell’s dad Timmy $250k for “canvassing and influencer marketing” against El-Sayed.

theguardian.comMichigan heckler the son of Republican adviser paid for ‘influencer marketing’ against El-SayedTimmy Teepell’s firm paid $250,000 by America Next, which has been trying to gin up ‘organic’ opposition to El-Sayed

Criterion's Complete Kubrick is what was inside the briefcase in PULP FICTION

Jacob Oller@jacoboller.bsky.social

I got extremely nerdy with Michael Chaiken, producer of Criterion's amazing new Complete Kubrick set! We talked about restoring Kubrick's shorts, the one shot in Eyes Wide Shut that still drove its DP crazy, and much more: www.avclub.com/the-complete...

Adam Sternbergh reposted

Patrick Mahomes is “fun” to watch like it’s fun to see your grandma do the Cupid Shuffle at a wedding. Josh Allen is fun to watch like it’d be fun to see a gorilla riding a rocket ship at a rodeo.

the big opening of YCSE is definitely real and true but also this is actually kind of a crazy list!

Jonathan@jonathanmb32.bsky.social

This was actually a fun stat to dive into, because by the time $10M+ openers were a thing, movies that could open that high were automatically going into 1,000+ theaters so it's not that long a list (discounting inflation obviously)

I so clearly mixed up the names of Andy Samberg and Adam Sandler here in my line of work this is a firing offense to be clear BOTH ARE IN THE MOVIE

Adam Sternbergh@sternbergh.bsky.social

no one told me that because Adam Sandler does a voice in HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA they also snuck in a Lonely Island song

it’s not like I thought Sandler was Samberg or vice versa just in the process of crafting an otherwise perfect skeet I phonetically substituted one name for the other MANY HAVE DONE THIS