What to do and not to do when you exercise in the heat

Another outdoorsy piece, this time about precautions to take when you exercise outdoors and the temperature is climbing. I wish I'd known some of these things when I almost passed out after playing tennis in 100 degrees last summer...

Helen Mirren's deep catalogue

The only people who should be surprised to see Helen Mirren in the next Fast and Furious movie are the ones who haven't paid any attention to her long and wildly diverse career.

The Taming of the Shrew

Does this play work better with a single-sex cast? My favorite production remains Propeller's all-male one at BAM, but then I did like the mixed one with Maggie Siff a few years back. Phyllida Lloyd chose to go broad — in every sense of the term. My review's here.

Paddleboarding in the Rockaways

I just love exploring the nooks and crannies of New York, especially when I also get to try a new sport — in this case standup paddleboarding. I didn't do too much of the pilates session, though! More details on what I found out here.

The Baloneys are back

It was a lot of fun to award the Baloneys for the second year. As the Tonys celebrate Broadway's best, my little awards revel in Broadway's worst. The list of shame is here.

Beyoncé at Citi Field

As much as I admire Beyoncé's determination and just how cool her show looked, I found it hard to feel anything in this military-precision spectacle. My review's here.

The Bechdel test should not be a litmus test

Can you use a checklist to gauge a movie's quality? My take on how the Bechdel test is being used and abused is here.

Tegan and Sara

I was so primed to love Tegan and Sara's new album — for the past three years they've been doing all the right things, saying all the right things, wearing all the right things. And then I just liked it well enough. My review's here.