Genius grants don't pay off in lit. Well, that's the thing about lit. If you haven't been recognized before and you haven't yet published anything, you're a nobody. And when people are on some committee doing nominations, they're not going to vote for a nobody. Besides, lit is extremely subjective. What may be genius to one person may be downright moronic to another. (Like Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow--I can't even think about it now without cringing.)
100 Soundtracks of All Time List. Most of these are old movies so I'm not sure how fair this list is. And when it comes to soundtracks, I'm more about visceral aesthetics anyway. Lots of romantic strings or pounding techno? Bring it on.
Mommy hottest. Sure, I grimaced when I read this, but these women can wear whatever the heck they want. But is the next generation going to be populated by more than their fair share of kids with Oedipal complexes? I personally don't buy their excuse for being sexy for themselves--I think they're just succumbing to society's obsession with youth.
Big Art/Short Fiction. Is your attention span not long enough for an epic novel? Then read faster! Okay, so that advice may only pertain to me, but it is worth a try. As for equating art for literary fiction--ugh. I can't stand it. If I want to read about truth, I'm going for non-fiction. Fiction for me is supposed to be an escape. I want action! Adventure! Totally crazy stuff! I want a story and not some narrative so frought with meaning and symbolism that I need a lit doctorate to decode.
