Recently in Features Category

Rick Reilly has come to be one of my favorite sports columnists.  He balances wit with a supreme knowledge of all sports and their intricacies. 

Although some may argue he is just a columnist and blogger, he writes many columns that have the values and traits of a feature.  Such is the case in "It isn't easy being green."

In this column, Reilly attempts to do what no other sports journalist has done before, which is to do a completely green column.  This also seems fitting, considering all of the hype surrounding "going green."  It seems, however, his purpose is more to entertain than to save the environment.

In the column, Reilly chronologically describes the day he spends putting this article together, in a green way.  He bikes a full 30 miles with a friend to catch a Colorado-Boulder football game, and details all of the green facilities that the campus has. 

Still, in an ironic ending, Reilly realizes he has not been the green sportswriter he had hoped.  His son reminds him that publishing a column in a mass-produced magazine in ESPN is far from being green friendly.

"Cult Classic" is a delightful piece about the little thought of and perhaps underrated Mexican version of Coca-Cola.  The author, Rob Walker, takes a look at the cult classic and even inputs some enjoyable personal commentary.

Walker believes the Mexican coke reigns supreme in the world of Coke.  He begins by talking about the Facebook page for Mexican coke, looks at the misconceptions about it, and even gets American Coke's take on the recent surge in Mexican Coke's popularity.

The article is so great, in my opinion, because it is so simple, comical at times, and very original.  What I also like is that the writer isn't afraid to speak his mind and talk about his personal experiences with Mexican Coke.  He puts himself into his own story and it's no lie that Walker is a big fan.

I really found the author's use of quotes effective.  He has a great one from Andy Warhol, and even speaks to a Coke spokesman as if he were an actual reporter.  There is a great balance going on here.

"Cult Classic" is definitely a combination of entertainment and food feature, added with a dash of lifestyle.  In an obvious way, it is a consumer feature, but I think there is more to it.  This obsession with Mexican Coke is a relatively recent phenomenon, so the feature could also be considered a trend story of today.

The feature, in a time of hard-hitting news about economic uncertainty and war, is an example of a light-feature that is guaranteed to entertain most readers.

With the recent White House crashing by husband and wife Tareq and Michaele Salahi, it only seemed fitting that Esquire would put together a feature chronicling some of the best party crashers of all time. 

From the Beastie Boys to Jesse Ventura, this list was entertaining and true to its title in every way.  Also included were the Boise State Broncos, Christopher Rocancourt, and the Sex Pistols, to name a few.

11 total "party crashers" are looked at, each with their own page with a picture and a short paragraph. 

The feature falls into the entertainment category, but is also a portrayal of a certain lifestyle--the party crasher to be exact.  It could also be understood as a trend or even flashback feature, reminding the reader of some of the biggest partiers that have lived.

The style of the feature was very appealing to me.  The slideshow that profiled each party crasher, with both a picture and an explanation, was visually pleasing. 

Plus, it cannot be denied that this plain fun and entertainment.  Reliving the Ventura years and reading about the unique and animated Beastie Boys just brought back great memories for me.