Lisa Edelstein has been cast in Bravo’s divorce series from one of the Buffy writers

Mindy Kaling is one of the most interesting professionals in the entertainment industry. Read snippets and get a sneak peek behind the scenes of her interview with Parade RT

People hilariously use the Breaking Bad finale to bash Damon Lindelof (again) RT

Speaking of funny, Mallory Ortberg at The Toast deliciously takes on Jonathan Franzen by not taking him seriously, which is how everyone should respond. RT

Zoe Heller on why book criticism – a fading art – is important – “No, the real reason for encouraging novelists to overcome their critical inhibitions is that their contributions help maintain the rigor and vitality of the public conversation about books. Practical experience in an art form is not an essential qualification for writing about that art form. (As Samuel Johnson pointed out, “you may scold a carpenter who has made you a bad table, though you cannot make a table.”) Yet an artist’s perspective is clearly useful to the critical debate. (The thoughts of a master carpenter on what went wrong with your wonky table will always be of some interest.)

From the novelist’s point of view, participation in what Gore Vidal used to call “book chat” is not just a public service, but an act of self-interest. Whenever a novelist wades into the critical fray, he is not only helping to explain and maintain literary standards, but also, in some important sense, defending the value of his vocation.” RT

But was it FUN. Barbara Kingsolver reviews Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book and I am left with a question. RT

Tagged: book criticism, Bravo, Breaking Bad, contemporary lit, Damon Lindelof, Elizabeth Gilbert, favorite women, female icons, funny, Gore Vidal, Jonathan Franzen, Lisa Edelstein, literary review, literature, Mindy Kaling, shining stars, TV, TV finales, women in entertainment, women in TV, Zoe Heller