Dana Stevens is Slate’s movie critic. Before bringing the live edition of the Slate Culture Gabfest to Los Angeles, she confessed in the Zócalo green room that she’s quite taken with the Los Angeles vegetation, although getting around the city is less than easy with her atrophied driving skills.
Q. What’s your favorite movie snack?
A. Raisinets.
Q. Who do you go to for advice?
A. That’s a tough one. My best friend.
Q. Do you like costume parties?
A. Yes. I love them because I like trying on different personas. Halloween’s my favorite holiday.
Q. Where would we find you at 10 a.m. on a typical Saturday?
A. Taking my daughter to ballet class.
Q. What’s the worst thing about being a critic?
A. The hours of the press screenings. They’re always at my kids’ bedtime.
Q. Do you have any pets?
A. Yes, I have a cockapoo.
Q. What do you like most about L.A.?
A. The vegetation-I’m thrilled by the plants.
Q. Who taught you how to drive?
A. My ability to drive has atrophied since moving to New York. I think I took driving in high school …
Q. What’s the last live performance you saw?
A. I saw the Mark Morris Dance Group in New York; it was great.
Q. Whose talent would you most like to have?
A. Probably a great singer’s, like Judy Garland’s or somebody like that.
*Photo by Aaron Salcido.