Author Joshua Ferris loves a good screwed-up character. His first novel, "Then We Came to the End," chronicles an advertising firm full of strange and dysfunctional employees. Now, he's following up the bestseller and National Book Award finalist with "The Unnamed" -- a tragic tale of a seemingly normal family man whose life is destroyed by his compulsive need to walk. Asylum also shares a ...

Advancements in sexual technology move so quickly that it can often be daunting to stay, uh, abreast of the latest developments. But fear not, adventurous masturbators! Asylum recently sent Anthony Layser to the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas to investigate the latest in sex toys ... if(typeof ...

Celebrated on the third Monday of January (a time close to King's real birthday on the 15th), MLK day is a great holiday to bum around by the TV, or get hammered with your friends. But it also celebrates Martin Luther King Jr., a truly mantastic historical figure who promoted nonviolence and acceptance over hatred and prejudice, pushing the civil rights movement into the public consciousness. ...

Michael Cera often plays an adolescent everyman who finds himself pulled into difficult situations by unscrupulous cohorts. His latest movie, "Youth in Revolt," features him in a similar role to his appearances in "Superbad" and "Year One" -- except the unscrupulous cohort is an imaginary version of himself. I recently sat down with the actor to discuss this new role and men's lifestyle issues, ...

Cheech and Chong, without a doubt, are the most famous stoners ever to burn one down. How do we know? Well, after 25 years apart, they reunited in 2008 to perform in sold-out, hazy arenas for their "Light Up America" comedy tour. Now, even as they inch closer to the AARP set, Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin plan to head out in January to bring their "Get It Legal" comedy tour to the ganja-loving ...

Earlier this year, I was asked to go on a press trip to test drive the Volkswagen GTI in the South of France. I was uneasy; I know very little about cars. Unsurprisingly, I set forth and returned with reportage that clearly revealed my ignorance. So needless to say, I was amazed when VW invited me to Germany for another event in October. But what would be the angle? I couldn't continue to do ...

The lives of celebrated authors are often romanticized. Apparently, the real story is far more relatable -- at least the way Michael Chabon describes it in "Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son," his new collection of autobiographical essays. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Kavalier & Clay" is raw and candid in his personal reflections on the ...

Jonathan Ames has been an Asylum favorite since we got a hold of his candid collection of essays, "What's Not to Love? The Adventures of a Mildly Perverted Young Writer." Ames's latest comic self-exploration is HBO's new comedy "Bored to Death," which stars Jason Schwartzman as the character Jonathan Ames. We shared a drink with Ames, and were excited when he agreed to show us how to do a ...

In pop culture, collectors of action figures, comic books and other presumed accoutrement of childhood are portrayed as hapless losers, a la Steve Carell in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." In reality, there's such a thing as the functional geek. Record producer and rapper Kwamé is one such individual, a serious collector of action figures and sneakers, who's also been able to have a career (other ...

Old Navy swim trunks top out at $19.50, and since summer is already in full swing you can score a pair for half that. So why would you pay any more? Well, because Old Navy shorts look like you've given up. The homogenized design and endless inseam does about as much for your mojo on the beach as zinc oxide and man tits. I know this from personal experience. I've also tried various other board ...