Riley Utley
The Background: Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.
What She's Into: Riley’s range in likes is random and wide, from Marvel to musicals and from Game of Thrones to the latest Netflix rom-com you can catch her watching just about anything. Her favorite movies include but are not limited to When Harry Met Sally, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, Finding Nemo and The Grand Budapest Hotel. She loves going to the movie theater, consuming copious amounts of popcorn and logging whatever she saw on Letterboxd immediately afterward. She constantly walks around quoting Ted Lasso, SNL and Parks and Rec. She has been known to create the occasional PowerPoint explaining the MCU to those who don’t get it. In the non-media realm, Riley is a massive college basketball fan. She is a firm believer that the Gonzaga men’s basketball team is the best team of all time, and she is patiently waiting for the day they finally win a national championship. She grew up in Washington and loves skiing, coffee and making sure that people know she is from the state, not D.C.
What She's Excited About Right Now: Anything Taylor Swift or Andrew Garfield does, finally seeing strong female representation in the MCU and eventually seeing Jonathan Bailey sing his heart out in Wicked.
Latest articles by Riley Utley
Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Showrunner Breaks Down How They Condensed The Animated Series Into An 8-Episode Netflix Drama
By Riley Utley published
Exclusives Avatar: The Last Airbender's showrunner, Albert Kim, tells CinemaBlend how they condensed the animated series into an eight-episode Netflix drama.
The Ted Lasso Cast Didn’t Win A SAG Award, But They Did Win The After Party In Matching Tracksuits
By Riley Utley published
The cast of Ted Lasso didn't take home any SAG Awards. However, they did win the afterparty with their matching tracksuits.
Why Are Australian Swifties Screaming 'Sydney' While Taylor Swift Sings 'Blank Space'? Here's The Story Behind The Viral Eras Tour Moment
By Riley Utley published
Australian Swifties are screaming "Sydney" during "Blank Space," and this is why.
The Top 10 Best Oscar Hosts, Ranked
By Riley Utley published
Ranking the top ten best Academy Awards hosts.
David Spade And His Skiing Joke Have Become A Viral TikTok Trend, And Here’s The Story Behind It
By Riley Utley published
David Spade's joke about skiing is being used for a hilarious viral TikTok trend, and here's the story behind the bit.
Maisie Williams Told Me The Sweet Story Behind How Sarah Jessica Parker’s Perfume Takes Her Back To Her Game Of Thrones Days
By Riley Utley published
Exclusives Maisie Williams told me why Sarah Jessica Parker's perfume Lovely takes her back to her Game of Thrones days.
How Kevin Costner Is Allegedly Doing Following Divorce Case With His Ex-Wife
By Riley Utley published
Following Kevin Costner's divorce from Christine Baumgartner, a source opened up about how he's allegedly doing.
After Watching Kevin Alejandro’s Episode Of Fire Country, I Can’t Stop Thinking About His Comments On The Incredible Number Of People It Takes To Create The Show
By Riley Utley published
Exclusives Following the episode of Fire Country that Kevin Alejandro directed, I'm thinking about what he told CinemaBlend about how many people it takes to make the show.
Fire Country Season 2: What We Know About The CBS Drama
By Riley Utley last updated
Everything we know so far about Season 2 of Fire Country.
Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Cast And Showrunner Tell Us Their Favorite Easter Eggs From The Animated Series, And Why They’re Special
By Riley Utley published
Exclusives Avatar: The Last Airbender's showrunner and stars Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley and Dallas Liu break down their favorite Easter eggs.
After Glen Powell's Chad Powers Show Was Announced, Eli Manning Trolled Him And The Top Gun: Maverick Star Had An A+ Response
By Riley Utley published
Following the announcement of Glen Powell's Chad Powers show, Eli Manning trolled him, and the Top Gun: Maverick star threw it right back.
A Timeline Of Timothée Chalamet's Best Red Carpet Looks
By Riley Utley published
From Dune events to Wonka premieres to the Oscars and the Venice Film Festival, here is a timeline of Timothée Chalamet's best red carpet looks.
Avatar The Last Airbender's Zuko And The Royal Fire Nation Family Explained
By Riley Utley published
Explaining Zuko and The Royal Fire Nation Family from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Ghosts: Jay Finally Has A Way To Interact With A Ghost Directly, And I Asked Utkarsh Ambudkar How He Feels About It
By Riley Utley published
Jay finally has a way to interact with a ghost directly on Ghosts, and Utkarsh Ambudkar told CinemaBlend how he feels about it.
Exclusive Fire Country Clip Shows Bode Learning Jake Didn’t Tell Him The Full Truth About Cara’s Kid, And I Have A Theory About Its Implications
By Riley Utley published
Exclusives CinemaBlend has the first look at a clip from Fire Country's second episode of Season 2, and it could have serious implications.
Critics Have Seen Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, And Their Opinions Are Wildly Different
By Riley Utley published
Critics have shared their thoughts on Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender, and their reviews are wildly different.
James Gunn Debuted Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor Bald Head In Superman: Legacy Cast Photo, And The Comments Section Blew Up
By Riley Utley published
James Gunn debuted Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor bald head in a Superman: Legacy cast photo, and the comments section is so excited about it.
How Bending In Avatar: The Last Airbender Works
By Riley Utley published
How bending elements works in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.
Fire Country’s Cast Explained How Awkward It Was For Their Characters To Be Involved With Bode And Gabriela’s Big Moment
By Riley Utley published
Exclusives The final moment of Fire Country's premiere was awkward for every character involved, and Max Thieriot, Stephanie Arcila and Jules Latimer told us why.
Abbott Elementary’s Chris Perfetti Tells Us The Hilarious Story Behind How He Ended Up Jumping Into A Trash Can At The End Of The ‘Smoking’ Episode
By Riley Utley published
Exclusives Chris Perfetti tells CinemaBlend the story behind how he ended up jumping into a trash can during Abbott Elementary's episode "Smoking."
Juliette Binoche Breaks Down The Meaning Behind Coco Chanel’s Iconic Jewelry In The New Look
By Riley Utley published
Juliette Binoche broke down the meaning behind Coco Chanel's iconic jewelry while chatting with CinemaBlend about The New Look.
Have You Ever Wondered How Taylor Swift Chooses Who Gets The ‘22’ Hat On The Eras Tour? Lucky Fans Shared Their Stories
By Caroline Young, Riley Utley last updated
Taylor Swift hands one lucky fan her hat during each of her '22' performances on The Eras Tour. Here's how the fans get picked.
Daniel Dae Kim Geeks Out About Mark Hamill’s Performance As Fire Lord Ozai, And How It Impacted His Live-Action Portrayal Of Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Big Bad
By Riley Utley published
Exclusives Daniel Dae Kim tells CinemaBlend how Mark Hamill's performance as Fire Lord Ozai impacted his version of Avatar: The Last Airbender's big bad.
The First Trailer For Lindsay Lohan's Netflix Rom-Com Irish Wish Is Giving Major Early 2000s Energy, And I'm So Here For It
By Riley Utley published
The first trailer for Lindsay Lohan's Irish Wish is giving major Early 2000s rom-com energy with all its hijinks and shenanigans, and I'm so here for it.