A Man, A Plan, A Twitter, A Book, A Show

“I was offstage in the writer’s room when somebody came up to me and they said ‘William Shatner just did an impression of you,’” says Halpern. “And I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is the greatest moment of my life.’ They were like, ‘I don’t think it was flattering, but it was a good impression.' I don’t think you can do a flattering impression of me, but I was very pleased to hear that.”

If Justin Halpern is an expert at one thing, it's humility. And not just when William Shatner is involved. Halpern, the creator of the "$#*! My Dad Says" empire spoke to me about growing up with his real tough-love father, his new CBS show and how he survived moving back home in his '20s. Read up at The Wall Stret Journal's Speakeasy.

William Shatner Don't Mince No Words

I adore William Shatner. But not in the way that "Star Trek" fans love him and not in the way that pop culture vultures love him. I recently wrote three stories on his new CBS show, "$#*! My Dad Says," and he was a gracious, intelligent and thoughtful subject. And he didn't say things he knew would please me. (Is that often a problem with Hollywood interviews? Yes, it is.) In fact, I don't think that instinct is anywhere on the list of things he is made of.

My Q&A with him at The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy: "I learned that I can’t please you. I wish I could, but I don’t know what your tastes are..."

Or click here for my preview of the "$#*! My Dad Says" series premiere for The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy.

I Interviewed Rod Blagojevich. Yes, It Was Weird.

I am not a political reporter. Writing entertainment stories on why we love Cee-Lo Green's "Fuck You" song ("Forget You" to radio listeners) and helping TV viewers pick studs over duds this fall TV season are my love. My specialty. My thang, you might say. I went to Chicago Comic Con to cover nerds gone wild over pop culture (myself included) and came out with the only 30-minute interview with disgraced former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Why was he there? I asked him that. He also told me his dream: to make a reality show out of the next leg of his corruption trial. You could almost see the gears in his head interlocking. For brevity's sake, this Wall Street Journal article is of course missing the other 4,000 words of the transcript.

"I did everything I could to watch Batman. And then I had a chance to meet him [actor Adam West] today, which was kind of interesting. I would say that there was a little moment there in the mid-to-late ‘60s when I was 9, 10, 11, when he was almost as significant to me as Abraham Lincoln."

Mary Elizabeth Winstead vs. Our Hearts

"I said in an interview that I could relate to Ramona because I've had one or two guys that I maybe walked away from in a way that wasn't so nice. So now there are all these headlines that say, MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD IS HEARTLESS!"

My interview for Details Magazine with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, dream girl of both "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" and everyone who watched the film, was a litle bit sultry and a little bit rock & roll. But mostly sweet. Click to read more about her girlhood crush, her next big role and why she never gets hit on.

USA Network Uses Social Media For Good, or Pineapples Are the Funniest Fruit

“We believe our fans, especially the super fans,are the best kind of brand ambassadors for the network,” says Alexandra Shapiro, senior vice president of brand strategy and digital strategy for USA Network. “What better way to get them to do what they love to do, which is share content and spread the word, but also reward them in the process?”

Fans of USA Network, but especially of Psych, can now earn rewards for promoting and participating in interactive experiences from their favorite shows. I looked into the new TV marketing  phenomenon, and into Psych's pineapple obsession, over at the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog.