Matheson joined USA Today in 1999 and created Pop Candy that same year. Pop Candy began as a weekly online pop-culture column that covered television, movies, comic books, and music. During this period, Matheson also wrote a daily blog, Hip Clicks. As her web audience grew, Matheson merged Hip Clicks and Pop Candy in 2005 to form the Pop Candy blog. During its tenure, Pop Candy was cited in Wired, Slate, The Rough Guide to Blogging, and on many other entertainment blogs, including Stereogum, Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch, and RollingStone.com.