What do television series including Sherlock, Doctor Who, Fargo, and LOST; J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings; artist Vincent Van Gogh; and the performances of actor Benedict Cumberbatch have in common? They are all research topics analyzed in my books, articles, reviews, and presentations. As a researcher/author about popular culture (especially television and film and including fan culture) and celebrity studies, I often incorporate information gathered from my research in film, theater, or television archives; attendance at screenings or premieres; interviews with cast or crew; or analysis of a wide variety of texts in my humanities courses. I also serve on the editorial board of Studies in Popular Culture and am currently an assistant editor for the journal. I have been a columnist for the online pop culture magazine Pop Matters and currently am a contributing editor who writes reviews and articles. Frequently I am a speaker at academic conferences hosted by the Popular Culture Association and their regional associations, and, outside the U.S., I have presented papers for pop culture, Tolkien-related, film, television, or celebrity studies conferences in the U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.