Entertainment
Bradley Cooper: Beefcake Thespian
How the "Silver Linings Playbook" star became a serious actor
It’s a real shame that the planned big-screen production of Paradise Lost, which was to feature Bradley Cooper as Lucifer, will never see the light of day. It might have been the perfect role for the 38-year-old actor, who’s nominated for Best Actor at this Sunday’s Oscars for his work as in Silver Linings Playbook. READ MORE >>
Before Sunrise
When President Obama arrives in Tokyo on Friday, he will confront a country that seeks to be an ally of the United States. For Japan has never been an American ally. It was first a rival, then an enemy, and finally, after it lost the war it foolishly started with the U.S., it became a protectorate, not an ally. READ MORE >>
Rumors Before The Internet
Forty years ago, the rumor that Paul McCartney had died, and that the Beatles had covered up his death while for some reason scattering clues of it in their albums, leapt from the counterculture to the mainstream, where it briefly transfixed millions. The key event in the rumor going viral was a Michigan Daily article by student Fred LeBour. Michigan Today recounts the story: READ MORE >>
It's not Blackmail, It's Entertainment
The NYT has a short piece today that gives us yet another reminder of why it's so much fun to tell lawyer jokes. (Don't get me wrong: As a journalist, I appreciate this line of humor--much the way residents of Arkansas appreciate the existence of Mississippi when it comes time to whip out the jokes about poor, dumb, toothless, inbred crackers.) READ MORE >>
Slideshow: Mr. Smith Goes to Sesame Street
New Evidence of Pharma's Sweetheart Deal
Critics have complained that a drug industry got a sweetheart deal when it struck a bargain with the White House and Senate Finance Committee over health care reform. There’s new reason to think those critics were right. READ MORE >>
Michael Steele Thinks White Republicans Are Fearful Nerds
A number of people have noted the off-script hilarity of Michael Steele's response on Roland Martin's show when the host suggested that white Republicans are "afraid of black folks": You're absolutely right. I mean, I've been in the room and they've been scared of me. READ MORE >>
Board to Death
Should We Care About the "Big" in "Too Big To Fail"?
Oftentimes when you debate a skeptic of structural reform on Wall Street, the skeptic will say something like: "Why are you so worked up about 'too big to fail'? Lehman was far from the biggest bank on Wall Street, but it caused plenty of damage." If anything, "too-interconnected-to-fail" is the real issue, they'll say--implying that this makes addressing the problem utterly futile, since severing interconnections is a lot harder than limiting bank size. READ MORE >>
