AP - NBC News could rent a small plane just for the top news personalities going to Beijing to cover the Olympics: Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry, Lester Holt, Richard Engels, and Kevin Tibbles among them.

Randy Pausch, the Inspirational Professor from Carnegie Mellon, Dies - eFluxMedia

Moneyweb

Randy Pausch, the Inspirational Professor from Carnegie Mellon, Dies eFluxMedia - 1 hour ago By Charlie Brett Randy Pausch, who became famous with his “Last Lecture” series, becoming a YouTube phenomenon, died on July 25 of pancreatic cancer. Video: Randy Pausch's 'Last Lecture' CBS ‘Last Lecture’ Professor Randy Pausch Dies at 47 New York Times USA Today - Reuters - SouthCoastToday.com - Evangelical Covenant Church all 967 news articles

One Surreal Saturday in the Hamptons

There are few times in life when one can see, in a single day, sweaty celebrities trying on dresses in a field, hot men chasing a tiny ball while riding horses, and performance artists prancing through the woods with cardboard boxes on their heads. The Hamptons offers this opportunity every year on the third Saturday of July, when Bridgehampton plays host to the Super Saturday megasale to benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, the Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge, and the annual benefit for Robert Wilson’s artists’ residency, the Watermill Center. Even cynical Hamptons outsiders like ourselves can’t resist that lineup, even though we will never own enough white clothing to really fit in.

After a mandatory traffic jam, we got to Super Saturday at eleven, just in time for the special VIP shopping hour. Kelsey Grammer had been dragged along by his wife, former Playmate Camille Donatacci, to act as both porter and bank. “I throw money and it ends up at our home,” he said. “That’s sort of how it goes.” Kelly Ripa, a five-time vet of the event, handed out advice to newbies — “If there’s a surplus of stuff, wait on that and come back because the prices drop … far” — and told us, “I’ve gotten into it over some Marc Jacobs bags. I use the old elbows.”

Just down the road at the Bridgehampton Polo Club, the only famous polo player, Nacho Figueras, was kicking ass. Ardent fan Richard Johnson told us he frequently feels like a failure when it comes to the time-honored polo tradition of replacing the field’s divots (chunks of grass and dirt torn up by the horses). “By the time I get out there I’m too slow and the divots are back in already,” he said. “It’s deeply disappointing. You have to drown your sorrows, then.” The event’s token celebrity, Kristin Cavallari, was equally nonplussed: “I have no idea where I am or what I’m doing,” she said, laughing.

There was similar confusion at the last big stop of the evening, the fifteenth annual Watermill Summer Benefit. As we entered, we were greeted by a man wearing gigantic inflatable balls, head to toe black-and-white-patterned Lycra, and lipstick-red platform pumps. At the end of a tiki-torch-lit walkway, the entrance was flanked by two women in traditional Taiwanese opera costumes — white faces, red cheeks, long colorful robes — standing on what looked like twelve-foot-high stilts. But the real treat was a walk through the woods, which were populated by more than a dozen youths in white rags, either sitting against trees with cardboard boxes over their heads or tossing fitfully on mattresses.

The awesome Brooklyn noise rock band Japanther played nearby, while guests were encouraged to operate a huge dragon puppet. On the other side of the forest was a room made of red mesh containing people-size candles spelling out L-O-V-E, and an incredibly long table set for dinner, on which a woman would walk very slowly in high heels without ever looking down, or disturbing a glass. Performance artist Marina Abramovic was impressed, “It’s very difficult to create your own space around all these people and still be charismatic. She’s incredibly precise. It’s not easy.”

The entertainment at dinner was a live auction headed by the ever-entertaining Simon du Pury. Someone paid $16,000 to have her portrait painted by Rufus Wainwright, who’d shown up in a sequined suit Victor & Rolf had custom-made for his London Judy Garland show. Later, Du Pury paraded out a horse for auction. Wainwright had been waiting all night for this moment, he’d told us earlier. “I’m going to take the horse home after, give the horse one last fling, then off to the glue factory,” he explained. To the relief of everyone, the horse eventually went to PR scion Vanessa Von Bismarck for $30,000, which she said was a very good price for a horse these days. —Jada Yuan

'Lost' fans to start finding answers

Kitson’s Fraser Ross: The Do’s and Don’ts for Celebrity Designers

Celebrities, let these ladies be an example to you.Photo: Getty Images

1. Do remember that not everyone's a size 2 like you.
2. Don't think your clothing line will fly off the shelves just because you're a celebrity.
3. Do make multiple personal appearances at retail stores that support your brand. After all, you're shopping all day anyway.
4. Don't believe everything your publicist says. They are paid to agree with you.
5. Do walk to the nearest coffee shop carrying a sketchbook after alerting the paparazzi. After all, it never hurts to look like you're doing work.
6. Don't take yourself too seriously. You're not Coco Chanel.
7. Do wear your own designs more than once a year.
8. Don't have Amy Winehouse wear them.

'Knight's' Bale: Who is that masked man?

'Knight's' Bale: Who is that masked man? - CNN

Times Online

'Knight's' Bale: Who is that masked man? CNN - 1 hour ago Though in his case the armor and mask are metaphorical, the 34-year-old "Dark Knight" star likes to keep his personal life as shadowy as a superhero's back story. 'Dark Knight' a masterpiece Great Falls Tribune Christian Bale's Batman dismissal China Daily Entertainment Weekly - Bloomberg - BBC News - Los Angeles Daily News all 1,239 news articles

John C. Reilly and Philip Seymour Hoffman: Two Paths Diverged in a Forest

Photo: Columbia Pictures, WireImage

Remember Magnolia, Paul Thomas Anderson's sprawling, Altman-y 1999 film, with the Aimee Mann songs and the frogs? Amid a large ensemble cast were two rising actors on the verge of breakout: Reilly and Hoffman. The pair played the movie's working-class heart and soul — Reilly as a lonely cop, Hoffman as a lonely nurse — quiet sounding boards for other characters broken by lives of privilege and decadence. Anderson, who'd cast them before in Hard Eight and Boogie Nights seemed to recognize they were cut from the same cloth — actors of considerable talent, depth, and pants size, both with invisible technique and an impressive knack for disappearing in a role. Their performances in Magnolia, the movie's two most memorable, made clear they were headed for bigger things.

And, for a while at least, it seemed like they were headed for the same thing. In a 2000 Broadway revival of Sam Shepard's True West, Hoffman and Reilly earned Tony nominations by alternating roles nightly as brothers, a straight-laced, college-educated screenwriter and a transient white-trash burglar, who gradually morph into the same person. From there, Hoffman won critical and commercial notice with supporting parts in acclaimed hits like The Talented Mr. Ripley and Cold Mountain; Reilly did too, in The Hours and Chicago, for which he scored an Oscar nod. Reviews for Hoffman's performance in 2003's Owning Mahowny tipped him as one of the leading actors of his generation; that same year, Daniel Day-Lewis, Reilly's co-star in Gangs of New York, called him a "terrible man" for "making all the actors around him look like they're acting."

These days, though, their work couldn't possibly seem more different. In 2006, Hoffman won an Oscar for his portrayal of Truman Capote and, for reasons still unclear, Reilly fell in with the Apatow fraternity, playing Will Ferrell's NASCAR sidekick in Talladega Nights. Hoffman followed Capote with serious roles in The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, and Charlie Wilson's War, which got him another Academy Award nomination. Last year, Reilly countered with a biopic of his own: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. And while Hoffman's never been a drama snob, exactly (as you may recall, he once pooped his pants in a Ben Stiller movie), at this point in his career, the chances of him making a movie with McLovin seem as unlikely as Reilly's of winning an Oscar.

In Step Brothers, it's actually Reilly responsible for most of the Ferrell-esque humor; the best (and dumbest) lines ("Your voice — it's like a combination of Fergie and Jesus!") are his, plus, of the two main stars, he spends the most onscreen time in his underpants, astonishing considering who he's up against. Even more amazing, though, is how quickly and capably he's been able to fill the role of the classic Apatovian lead, a job for which, on paper at least, he seems to have none of the requisite credentials (he was never on Saturday Night Live OR Freaks and Geeks). So why, then, did he change directions? He turned down Anchorman in 2004 to make The Aviator — did he regret it? Was he sick of earning a character actor's salary? Maybe he just felt like having more fun. Heck, any of these reasons probably would've done it for us.

But who's really better off now? Hoffman can take his pick of challenging dramatic roles; Reilly gets to party with Seth Rogen and Sacha Baron Cohen on weekends. Hoffman shoots depressing sex scenes with Marisa Tomei; Reilly does hilarious ones with Jenna Fischer. Hoffman has the respect and adoration of critics and peers; Reilly is almost certainly making more money. Hoffman … actually, he may want to see if McLovin's free after all.

The Subprime Awards: The Saddest, Most Hilarious Tales From a Battered Wall Street

Photo-illustration: Everett Bogue; Photos: istockphoto

Best Revenge for Being Fired
Merrill Lynch employees apparently don't take any shit: Charlie Gasparino reported that in January, a worker “inappropriately relieved himself” because he was angry over his bonus. And it's rumored that one former analyst responded to his firing by sending out a mass internal e-mail that contained a crippling computer virus.

Pettiest Money-Saving Measure
The 2,000 workers who got the boot from Morgan Stanley could take solace in the fact that they would no longer have to work for a company that, as part of a new cost-cutting initiative enacted in early May, refused to provide taxi reimbursement until after 10 p.m. (Previously, it was 9 p.m.)

Most Insulting Bonuses
In July, Citigroup — which on the Street is affectionately known as “Shittygroup” — doled out bonuses to first-year employees according to a five-tier scale. The best performers, who were placed in tier one, took home an extra $65,000, according to DealBreaker. The tier-five prize was never leaked. Citi insiders like to think it was the message “You’re fired,” supplemented with a DVD of Glengarry Glen Ross.

Least Funny Kidding E-mail About Imminent Layoffs
With rumors of layoffs circulating, a Wachovia supervisor in the company's Charlotte headquarters showed he had a sense of humor about the whole thing, telling his nervous staff in an e-mail that “If you are here by the end of the day, you're okay.” (CEO Ken Thompson, incidentally, was one of the unlucky ones.)

Most Ironic Actual Award
Swiss bank UBS found time between helping clients avoid paying taxes to pink-slip 1,000 New York employees, including CEO Peter Wuffli. On the same day, May 6, that the bank let go a gaggle of workers, it collected an honor called the “Heart of Gold Award” from the Volunteer Center of Southwestern Fairfield County. They made sure to broadcast the news in a mass e-mail to current and former staff.

Smallest Solace for Layoffs
On June 30, new UBS CEO Marcel Rohner announced that all employees (not counting MDs) are entitled to take one extra day off in 2008.

Best Sacrifice of a Long-Term Ally
Morgan Stanley has held up a bit better than some of its brethren, which is not saying much. (Morgan wrote down $10.8 billion at the end of last year.) Rumors circulated that the end was near for CEO John Mack. But he spared himself the ax, taking the chivalrous route and instead firing his lady co-president Zoe Cruz. Read the wonderful story in full here.

Best Euphemism for “You're Canned”
Goldman Sachs made it out of this thing relatively unscathed, having to eliminate only 500 of its New York staff. And the bank got rid of them in its inimitable “we-always-win” fashion. According to a source, the firm let go of a handful of first-years in June by telling the small fries that they were being “placed into the accelerated one-year analyst program — and it ends today.” They stopped short of offering a hearty “Congratulations!” (The young alums are being paid through August.)

Next Best Euphemism for “You're Canned”
Though a few lucky Bear Stearns employees were offered jobs after JPMorgan took over their bank, many, many were not. (Seven thousand New Yorkers were left out in the cold.) According to one former worker, a JPMorgan director paid a visit to BSC’s 383 Madison Avenue headquarters, rounded up a large group of employees and told them: “As you probably realize, we cannot take you on, and as you may or may not be aware, JPMorgan decided to keep the head count the same as before the merger. So now, you are free to look for other jobs.”

Most Impotent Kiss-Off E-mail
One Bear Stearns associate e-mailed a bunch of senior executives to complain about the details of his firing: “It saddens me that you have so simply, arrogantly and cruelly changed the severance classification of the equity research department personnel on the very day no-less that layoffs commenced. This change is reprehensible and you-can-bet grounds for litigation. Many of us in the research department were persuaded to stay and await final determination of our employment status because of the way the severance packages were structured; mind-you, a very deliberate structuring on JPMorgan/Bear's part for the very reason to dupe us into staying at Bear. Shame on you! You lied! And, of course, the loyal employees your glib lies hurt the most are those who earned the least, the Associates.” —Bess Levin

'Paparazzi have gone too far,' says Halle Berry

Early yesterday morning, Shia LaBeouf, the favorite young actor of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Michael Bay, was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor drunk driving after his pickup truck hit another car in Los Angeles. LaBeouf, currently in the middle of shooting a follow-up to last summer's Transformers, was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for treatment of injuries to his hand and knee, either of which, if serious (he'll reportedly be sidelined for a month), could make difficult the stunt work in his rumored upcoming trilogy of Indiana Jones spinoffs.

This isn't the first time the star of Disturbia (and its planned sequel) has had trouble with the law; last November, he was arrested for trespassing at a Walgreens in Chicago, where he was filming Eagle Eye with director D.J. Caruso, who's recently expressed an interest in casting the star in films based on Brian K. Vaughan's comic book series Y: The Last Man. LaBeouf was given an August court date and released without bail. If he's found guilty, it's feared Hollywood could be forced to come up with an original idea for once.

LaBeouf booked for DUI after late-night wreck [AP]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:15 pm

Keke Palmer Stars in New Nickelodeon Series True Jackson, VP

All-New Half-Hour Live-Action Series Joins Hit TEENick Line-up in Fall 2008 Series Created by Award-Winning Veteran Comedy Writer/Producer Andy Gordon SANTA MONICA,
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:13 pm

Forecast: 90s to stay; more chances for rain - Daily Camera

NECN

Forecast: 90s to stay; more chances for rain Daily Camera - 1 hour ago Partly sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 60s kick off this Monday morning - but a chance for rain showers and thunderstorms in Boulder County lingers for the afternoon. 30 percent chance of rain today El Paso Times Enjoy a mostly sunny day Times Herald-Record Huntington Herald Dispatch - Belleville News Democrat - The Virginian-Pilot - The Birmingham News - al.com all 203 news articles

Source: Google News - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:12 pm

Refreshing Green Tees (Fashion Wire Daily)

Fashion Wire Daily - What one imagines when thinking of an eco-political "green" t-shirt is generally neither visually appealing nor stylistically stimulating- the perennial clip-art squeezed globe with a recycle symbol around it comes to mind. Yet the means by which an eco-friendly message impacts the world is usually largely due to innovative design. Spreading the "green" message should not mean giving up on style.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:11 pm

Refreshing Green Tees (Fashion Wire Daily)

Fashion Wire Daily - What one imagines when thinking of an eco-political "green" t-shirt is generally neither visually appealing nor stylistically stimulating- the perennial clip-art squeezed globe with a recycle symbol around it comes to mind. Yet the means by which an eco-friendly message impacts the world is usually largely due to innovative design. Spreading the "green" message should not mean giving up on style.

Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:11 pm

India's Tendulkar to make Bollywood debut (Reuters)

Reuters - Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar will make his Bollywood debut with a cameo role in a film about the miracles of the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesh.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:10 pm

Lindsay Lohan Apparently Hit By Motorbike; Motorbike Apparently OK - hecklerspray

Sydney Morning Herald

Lindsay Lohan Apparently Hit By Motorbike; Motorbike Apparently OK hecklerspray - 2 hours ago Ever since Lindsay Lohan decided to trade alleged drug abuse for alleged lesbianism, you have to admit that she’s been a bit of a snore. Update: Lindsay Lohan Involved In A Minor Motorcycle Accident eFluxMedia Lohan's Parents Slam Accident Report KSBW New York Daily News - Reuters - Boston Herald - E! Online all 220 news articles

Source: Google News - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:09 pm

Fans get early look at new 'Terminator'

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:08 pm

Miley Cyrus Sorry for Mocking Selena Gomez in YouTube Video - FOXNews

MTV.com

Miley Cyrus Sorry for Mocking Selena Gomez in YouTube Video FOXNews - 2 hours ago AP Teen superstar Miley Cyrus is "super sorry" for a video on YouTube in which she and best friend Mandy Jiroux mock fellow Disney Channel stars Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. Miley’s ‘super sorry’ for mocking teen queens MSNBC Miley Cyrus kinda apologizes for video mocking Selena Gomez, Demi ... New York Daily News The Gossip Girls - E! Online - Access Hollywood - Just Jared all 58 news articles

Source: Google News - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:02 pm

The Diminishing Returns of Faux-Lesbianism

The girls of summer.Photos: Jackson Lee/Splash News, Getty Images

Faking it for Sappho's sake is nothing new in pop culture, but what was once a winking tease has, in the summer of 2008, hit an obnoxious fever pitch. This is due in no small part to Lindsay Lohan, who has been engaged in a very public relationship with Samantha Ronson; the couple’s every nuance is carefully archived in the annals of celebrity gossip. Then "Page Six" announced the romance between Johnson & Johnson heiress Casey Johnson and Yahoo progeny Courtenay Semel (whose last tabloid appearance was her are-they-or-aren't-they relationship with … Lindsay Lohan). And a strong contender for song of the summer is Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl," the lesbian-for-a-night anthem with blunt lyrics ("I kissed a girl, just to try it, I hope my boyfriend don't mind it") and a blunter video (Perry strokes a cat). No room for subtlety on the new isle of Lesbos.

Once upon a time, pop lesbianism was a more coy affair. k.d. lang and Melissa Etheridge were both very much out, but they didn’t tease us with their sex lives. In 1995, folk-pop singer-songwriter Jill Sobule created a sensationalist stir with "I Kissed a Girl," her cutesy confessional tale of suburban girlfriends taking their mutual fondness a step further. But Sobule (who was, in fact, bisexual) was no sexpot, and the song's popularity was largely accredited to its catchy tune and Fabio's starring role in the video.

In 2003, the Russian pop duo t.A.T.u. broke Stateside, bringing with them the video for "All the Things She Said," for which they writhed about in private-schoolgirl regalia in a darkly Slavic rainstorm. But the wet T-shirt sexuality wasn’t enough for t.A.T.u., and rumors floated that the girls had a sapphic connection. Later it came out that the ladies were not, in fact, gay — that was just part of their marketing scheme, but the mere suggestion was enough to make the song a hit. By the end of that summer, faux-lesbianism would hit its watershed moment when Britney and Madonna kissed during their performance at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, and what was once limited to undertones entered the realm of overt suggestion. The moment is now so deeply entrenched in our collective pop-culture psyche that it barely elicits a roll of the eye — but at the time, it was monumental.

And now we have Lindsay Lohan practically leaning on Samantha Ronson for all sorts of support. Exploring her lesbian side is the least shocking thing Lohan could do at this point; in fact, for any other young woman, it’d be positively normal. But even if Lohan is truly gay and not just testing the lady-waters, the publicity timing is such that we're inclined to question it. And without that perceived authenticity, LiLo seems less like a burgeoning lesbian and more like a confused young woman. The same applies to Johnson and Semel, and Perry — well, she was an unsuccessful gospel singer before her lesbian-flirtation hit, so it's hard take that as much more than an irritating Girls Gone Wild–style play for Top 40 success (alas, it’s worked).

These moments seem more like a performance for attention than actual sexuality. As far as career moves go, going insta-gay has entered into downright predictable territory (and predictability, in these matters, might as well be a sin). These may, in fact, be the last months in which we even notice lesbian-tinged lyrics. For these women performing for the public gaze, adopting the lesbian pose is as easy a career move as grabbing a bottle of peroxide. —Jessica Coen

Related: If Katy Perry's 'I Kissed a Girl' Is the Song of Summer, Vulture Will Move to Canada
Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson Grab a Low-Key Dinner
Casey Johnson and Courtenay Semel Are 'Completely in Love'

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:00 pm

The Siemens Foundation, Discovery Communications and NSTA Announce Major Partnership to Launch First Ever K-12 Sustainability Education Initiative, Siemens We Can Change The World Challenge

- Challenge Kicks off in September with National Middle School Competition to Develop Innovative Green Solutions for Local Environmental Issues - NEW YORK, July 28...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsEnter | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:00 pm

Why Banking Is a Movement

Sometimes you should judge a book by its cover.Image courtesy of Hyperion

For the first time in at least a decade, it’s not a great time to be a banker in New York City. So one might think it’s not the best time for the satirical book Damn It Feels Good to Be a Banker. But as author Amit Chatwani of the Website Leveraged Sellout explains, if you’ve lost your high-powered banking job, you have plenty of time for new hobbies. Like reading.

Who is this book for?
I think it should be read by people in finance, people that want to be in finance, and people that hate people in finance. Or people that somehow are closely related to people in finance. That's basically the entire world. Even if you're not in finance, elitism is an accessible emotion.

Are outsiders reveling in the troubles on Wall Street this year?
You can see that in the media right now. Everybody is so stoked to take a potshot at the finance community. The envy is all over the place. If you're like a first-year analyst, you made more in your bonus than that person hating on you will make in six years. The word ‘banker’ generates such a visceral reaction, because finance dudes run New York City.

Do you think laid-off Wall Street employees will read the book?
Definitely. It's not the financial thing, it's about the mentality. Being a banker is just tight, even if you're playing Wii in your mom's basement. It's a group of people. It’s a movement.

What's going to happen to all those young dudes who were living the life you describe in that book?
A lot of them are traveling. Moving back home. Working in industry is a big thing. You get a corporate finance job at a Fortune 500 company.

Is that something they would have sneered at previously?
Yes, definitely.

What would your narrator do if that happened to him?
He'd never get fired because he's not bush league like that. He'd probably just go round up some family capital and start a fund.

I noticed there was nary a mention of Bear Stearns in it, or Lehman.
Even historically, Bear used to be just like this meathead shop. It came out in the media when they were described as cowboys — a lot of meathead dudes that weren't that smart and did a lot of blow.

Why didn’t you put your name on the book?
I didn't see any added value in slapping some Indian dude's name on there.

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:56 pm

'Mad Men' is the best of summer TV - MSNBC

Newsweek

'Mad Men' is the best of summer TV MSNBC - 2 hours ago Even if you haven't watched the AMC drama about Madison Avenue ad men in the 1960s, you've probably heard about its 16 Emmy nominations. "Mad Men" lives up to hype as second season begins Reuters 'Mad Men' season premiere recap: Changing times Entertainment Weekly New York Magazine - Film.com - San Francisco Chronicle - Zap2it.com all 223 news articles

Source: Google News - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:53 pm

Pop Tarts: Maria Bello Calms Woman During Mid-Air Attack

When it comes to saving the day, Maria Bello isn't confined to her reel-life role in the upcoming "Mummy." The actress recently became a real-life hero during a flight from Los Angeles to New York.
Source: FOXNews.com | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:52 pm

‘Mad Men’ Season Premiere: Baby-Boomers Confuse and Frighten Don Draper

"Hey, lover. You in the mood for an awkward sexual interaction in which I am unable to achieve an erection?"Photo: Courtesy of AMC

Mad Men was one of the most successful product launches in the history of cable television, pelted with awards and producing record-breaking ratings for AMC. Who knew that square (and square-jawed) Wasp admen in 1960 could make for such addictive TV? The questions at the outset of season two, which kicked off last night, are these: Where do you go once you've littered a plot with affairs, heart attacks, corporate betrayals, and a pregnancy? And how do you sell a prestige product to a demanding Sunday-night audience who now expects nothing less than the next Sopranos? Our recap looks at this episode through — what else? — the lens of advertising.

The Pitch (doubling, conveniently, as the episode title): “For Those Who Think Young”

The Campaign
Mad Men creator Matt Weiner isn't a traditionalist or a rebel. As Don Draper might say, he's about finding the essence of the thing — the satisfaction of smoking, the excitement of travel — and refreshing core brands. So nobody's messing with the show's core interests, from midcentury glamour and male anguish to casual lechery and executive-class assholery. The last season collapsed into a beautifully depressed mess on Thanksgiving 1960. The second kicks off fourteen months later: Valentine's Day, 1962, just enough time to push the story forward and raise the stakes, with little risk of ruining a (very) good thing. Apparently, though, Don Draper wasn't screwed up enough in the first season. He might have been a wreck at home, but he was invincible at work. Now he's not safe anywhere. A visit to the doctor's office reveals that he's suffering from a bit of middle-age pudge, high-blood pressure, and what doctors used to call “executive stress syndrome.” (In the late fifties, scientists did a specious study with monkeys, finding that simians who administered shocks died earlier than the poor monkeys who received them.) Worse, a Valentine's night at the Savoy confirms something truly awful: The old stud can't get it up, not even with his wife dressed in kinky lingerie. Since Pete, the sniveling, cretinous striver, was proven not to be a threat to Don's office fiefdom, Weiner and company now reveal that Duck, the account manager Draper hired at the end of season one, is stepping on Don's toes and meddling with his creative staffing, demanding young blood (and implying that Don doesn't get kids these days). Don is on the defensive for the first time at work. He even installs a deadbolt on his office door.

Meanwhile: Va-va-voom Joan shtups a doctor — and not aging Roger Sterling — while she watches Jackie Kennedy on TV, and Pete delivers his most casual and cluelessly cruel line yet by asking the once-preggy Peggy, “You want to have kids?” “Eventually,” she says. “Exactly,” he barks back. (Ugh!) In the world at large, the age of Aquarius is dawning. Boomers are everywhere, and Duck's targeting them in his new coffee campaign (the kids are all drinking Pepsi). So threatening twentysomethings in cute white sweaters suddenly appear in the office, rattling Don and his crew. There are even frisky young men at the stables, where Don's wife, Betty, turns her nose up at her friend's harmless flirting — before revealing that Don isn't the only Draper with a libido. After finding out an old model friend of hers is a prostitute, Betty can't stop thinking about it — and nearly trades sex for a fan belt when her car breaks down. Her friend's young horseback rider could be next.

The Early Result
It's the same old Mad Men, thank God — only a bit younger, friskier, and with more enemies lurking around the corners. To cap off the grand movement afoot, Draper reads three full stanzas of a Frank O'Hara poem at the end of the episode (with an unfortunate, highly clichéd shot of him taking a drag on a cigarette). Will Draper get his groove back? O'Hara says yes. The final line goes: “And if I do / Perhaps I am myself again.” Of course, the reading — heavy-handed but effective — supplies a different worry: Will Matthew Weiner succumb to his own highbrow hype? —Logan Hill

Check out Vulture's complete Mad Men coverage:
Jon Hamm of ‘Mad Men’ on the Future of Don Draper
Don Draper’s ‘Mad Men’ Bookshelf
Emily Nussbaum on Pete Campbell and His Poignant Crumminess
Logan Hill on Don Draper, Granite Statue and Train Wreck

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:45 pm

'Dark Knight' Grosses $300M, Shattering Record

'The Dark Knight' grosses $300 million in 10 days, continuing to set box office records
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:41 pm

Verizon starts selling TV service in NYC - The Associated Press

NY1

Verizon starts selling TV service in NYC The Associated Press - 2 hours ago NEW YORK (AP) - Verizon Communications Inc. on Monday started selling its fiber-optic TV service in New York City, but it's initially available in only a few areas. UPDATE: Verizon CFO: OK With Looking At Dividend Increase CNNMoney.com FiOS TV Launches in NYC Broadcasting & Cable NY1 - WNBC - New York Times - PR Newswire (press release) all 89 news articles

Source: Google News - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:40 pm

A French minister carrying the new album "Simply"

French Secretary of State for the Interior and Local Authorities Alain Marleix leaves the Elysee Palace holding the new album by Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. The French President's pop star wife has given a copy...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:24 pm

Shia LaBeouf Arrested on Suspicion of Drunken Driving

Shia LaBeouf was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Sunday after an early morning wreck in which the "Indiana Jones" star injured his hand and knee, authorities said.
Source: FOXNews.com | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:22 pm

'Indiana Jones' co-star arrested after accident

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:01 pm

Yee-ha! Reliving the Wild West in Wyoming

Started in 1897, Cheyenne Frontier Days draws 300,000 people over 10 days.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 11:34 am

'R' -- Hollywood's Scarlet Letter

Why studios push for PG-13 ratings on seemingly adult movies like "Dark Knight."
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 11:21 am

Will Ferrell's best songs, ranked (Reuters)

Reuters - Batman buried his rivals at the North American box office for a second weekend on Sunday, racing past $300 million in a record 10 days.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 28 Jul 2008 | 10:40 am

LaBeouf booked for DUI after late-night wreck (AP)

AP - LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shia LaBeouf was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Sunday after an early morning wreck in which the "Indiana Jones" star injured his hand and knee, authorities said.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 28 Jul 2008 | 10:24 am

"Mad Men" lives up to hype as second season begins (Reuters)

Reuters - When it debuted as AMC's first original weekly drama series July 19, 2007, "Mad Men" could not have started out further from the TV industry's consciousness. Its premiere was pretty much a spectacular non-event.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 28 Jul 2008 | 9:05 am

Shia LaBeouf Dinged in DUI Crash (E! Online)

E! Online - Shia LaBeouf is nursing his wounds in a Los Angeles hospital, the result of an early morning car crash that left him with a messed-up hand and a DUI count on his rap sheet.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 28 Jul 2008 | 7:34 am

Stiller triumphs with "Tropic Thunder" (Reuters)

Reuters - Oh, what a lovely war movie Ben Stiller and his platoon have concocted in "Tropic Thunder."

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 28 Jul 2008 | 6:58 am

Shia LaBeouf Dinged in DUI Crash

Shia LaBeouf is nursing his wounds in a Los Angeles hospital, the result of an early morning car crash that left him with a messed-up hand and a DUI count on his rap sheet. Sheriff's...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 28 Jul 2008 | 6:07 am

Ali Lohan's New Single Is Ronson-Approved

Who likes Ali Lohan's new single, "All the Way Around"? Samantha Ronson, for one. On her MySpace blog, the celebrity DJ quashes a Page Six report that she refused...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 28 Jul 2008 | 5:01 am

'Indy' Star Injured In Crash, Busted for DUI

Shia LaBeouf arrested in Hollywood after a late-night collision.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 28 Jul 2008 | 1:43 am

Coldplay Back On Top Of U.K. Album Chart

Dizzee Rascal's "Dance Wiv Me" (Dirtee Stank), featuring Calvin Harris & Chrome, started a fourth week atop the U.K. singles chart yesterday, while Coldplay's "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" (Parlophone/EMI) returned to No. 1 on the album survey.
Source: Billboard News - Daily | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:00 am

Willie Nelson Anchors South Padre Music Fest

Willie Nelson, Foghat, Los Lonely Boys, Blue Oyster Cult, Ghostland Observatory, Grupo Fantasma, Fastball and Alejandro Escovedo will lead the lineup for the second annual South Padre International Music Festival, to be held Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 across 10 beachside venues on South Padre Island.
Source: Billboard News - Daily | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:00 am

Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Hough Revamp Gum Jingles

Wrigley's is turning to contemporary artists Ne-Yo, Chris Brown and Julianne Hough to remix its signature gum jingles. Chris Brown will sing about Doublemint, Ne-Yo will update Big Red and Julianne Hough is paired with Juicy Fruit.
Source: Billboard News - Daily | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:00 am

Liz Phair Feeling 'Natural' On New Album

Although it's still without a title or track listing, Liz Phair's new album is in its final recording stages. "This I can tell you: all my sloppiness is in there," she tells Billboard of her ATO debut, due this fall. "I fought all the way through, and I'm not letting anyone take it to a perfected style."
Source: Billboard News - Daily | 28 Jul 2008 | 12:00 am

Comic-Con: All the Stars! All the Action! All Here!

Now that Comic-Con has been slipped into the Mylar bags of our memory, we're ready to flip through our favorite moments of this year's event—some of which include hot,...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2008 | 11:00 pm

Iowa Case Raises Question: Is Stripping an Art?

Future of Iowa nude dancing clubs hangs on answer to question: Is stripping an art?
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 27 Jul 2008 | 9:13 pm

Another Titanic Weekend for Dark Knight

Next up: $400 million. The Dark Knight was primed to enter a stratosphere reached by only seven films in Hollywood history after grossing an estimated $75.6 million this weekend, and...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2008 | 7:08 pm

Dizzee Rascal

Rapper Dizzee Rascal performs onstage at the Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park on July 19, 2008 in Chicago. Rascal topped the British singles charts released Sunday for a fourth week running, while...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 27 Jul 2008 | 7:04 pm

Nick Hogan Turns 18, Treated Like a Man

As far as happy birthdays go, Nick Hogan probably won't want to remember this one. As E! News reported earlier this week, Nick celebrated his 18th birthday today by being transferred...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2008 | 6:45 pm

Bennifer's Battle of the Celebrity Blabbermouths

While Jennifer Garner's Alias costar Victor Garber recently did back handsprings of denial about Jen and hubby Ben Affleck's rumored second rug rat, Ben's pal Kevin Smith...well, not...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2008 | 6:45 pm

Mayer Mayhem: New 'Do and a Dreamy Don't

John Mayer is already cheating on Jennifer Aniston—in his dreams. Concertgoers in Mountain View, Calif., got an earful of Mayer's infidelities last night during a stop on the...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2008 | 6:30 pm

Taylor Swift Celebrates Grad With Top 2 Albums

Country music sweetheart Taylor Swift had a good reason for missing her high school graduation—she's on tour with Rascal Flatts. The 18-year-old "Our Song" singer just...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2008 | 6:00 pm

Nick Hogan Turns 18, Treated Like a Man (E! Online)

E! Online - As far as happy birthdays go, Nick Hogan probably won't want to remember this one.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 27 Jul 2008 | 4:55 pm

Comic-Con: Star Wars Scoop & Will Ferrell Poop

That "Star Wars Kid" from YouTube may have been ahead of his time. Soon, many American kids will look just as dorky as they play a brand new lightsaber fighting game for the Wii. This was...

Source: E! Online - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2008 | 3:35 pm

Chahine was sometimes criticised for his "Western" style

Youssef Chahine holds up his trophy for lifetime achievement at Cannes film festival's 50th anniversary. The veteran Egyptian film-maker, who was Arab cinema's most celebrated director, has died in Cairo...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 27 Jul 2008 | 3:23 pm

Chahine courted controversy during his career

Youssef Chahine in Paris in 1977. The veteran Egyptian film-maker, who was Arab cinema's most celebrated director, has died in Cairo aged 82 after several weeks in a coma.
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 27 Jul 2008 | 3:23 pm

Youssef Chahine will be buried in Alexandria

Youssef Chahine at his Cairo office in 2005. The veteran Egyptian film-maker, who was Arab cinema's most celebrated director, has died in Cairo aged 82 after several weeks in a coma.
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 27 Jul 2008 | 3:23 pm

His films were hugely popular throughout the Arab world and beyond

Youssef Chahine (L) seen in 1965 during the shooting of the Lebanese musical Bayaa al-Khawatem (The Ring Seller) starring Lebanon's diva Fairuz. The veteran Egyptian film-maker, who was Arab cinema's most...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 27 Jul 2008 | 3:23 pm

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