Jerry Curl

Holden Nowell (A.K.A. this guy ) as featured on DNA .

True Blood is returning this summer on HBO, so here's something for the kick-off party. If you're looking to feed the humans, shifters or witches in your group, you're in luck. HBO is releasing the True Blood Cookbook . Sure the fairies eat lumiere fruit and the vamps drink True Blood (and people), but were-panthers and humans need something a little more substantial. If the food served at Merlotte's makes your tummy growl like a wolf when you watch the show, you can pre-order it now. The book is official and full of full page pictures. It ships on August 29th. No official date has been given for the show's premiere.

College Humor cooked up some retro posters with urgent Hunger Games messaging. More at the College Humor site . (Via Towleroad )

KeysNet reports : The corals of the Florida Keys which took centuries to grow died within days during the frigid January 2010 cold snap, says a newly published scientific study. "Some monumental corals that were 200 or 300 years old perished in a span of five days," said Rob Ruzicka, a co-author with Michael Colella of the patch-reef study published in the February edition of Coral Reefs, the journal of the International Society for Reef Studies . Colella and Ruzicka work for the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and have been involved with the 17-year history of the institute's Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project. The published cold-water study focuses on patch reefs, generally found in depths of 12 to 20 feet in Hawk Channel, inside the main Florida Keys coral reef, that did not suffer damage as severe. Some of the patch reefs lost from half to two-thirds of their coral cover as a result of the cold-w

HuffPo Miami reports : An 65-year-old woman is facing charges in the case of eight emaciated animals found Sunday in Southwest Miami-Dade. Migdalia Ameller, 65, was arrested Wednesday on charges of animal cruelty, confinement of animals and disposal of bodies of dead animals. Six horses, one cow and one emu were seized by Miami-Dade Police and the South Florida SPCA on Sunday when Ameller was not home, according to a police report. According to the police report, the starving animals were discovered among the rotting bodies of others who were already dead. "There was a decaying cow which was covered by a blue tarp along with a deceased horse which was located in a pen. The horses were all emaciated with rib bones, spinal column, hip bones all showing... These animals have been diprived (sic) proper grain, hay to sustain body condition. The horses coats (fur) was falling out in chunks from lack of nutrition." Because she cares for an elderly mother, Ameller was allowed to lea

Reuters reports : When Joshua Fontañez began training as a cadet at Norwich University in 2008, he kept silent about his sexuality for fear of being expelled from the military school's Reserve Officer Training Corps. Now after the repeal of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, a gay pride group he helped found is staging a "Queer Prom" and a "Condom Olympics" as part of the first gay pride week at any of the nation's public and private military academies. Events kicked off on Monday. "It really wasn't talked about," said the 22-year-old Fontañez as he stood before a rainbow flag and an information booth for the Vermont school's club that is aimed at lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders as well as those who are questioning their sexuality and their supporters. The groups have sprouted up at academies in the wake of the repeal six months ago, decades after similar groups first appeared at civilian unive

The hotly anticipated Broadway Bares will pay tribute to our favorite childhood fairy tales as only the modern-day burlesque show could as this year's edition of the immensely popular event becomes Broadway Bares XXII: Happy Endings.

Towleroad reports : The UK's Sonisphere festival has been canceled, taking with it Adam Lambert's planned performance as frontman for Queen . The promoters write : Putting the festival together in what is proving to be a very challenging year was more difficult than we anticipated and we have spent the last few months fighting hard to keep Sonisphere in the calendar. Unfortunately circumstances have dictated that we would be unable to run the festival to a standard that both the artists and that Sonisphere’s audience would rightly expect. Tweeted Lambert : "While I'm sad that the Sonisphere festival has been cancelled, I'm hopeful that Queen and I will share a stage again someday in the future." In related news: here's an arrested drunkard singing a killer rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Bloomberg Businessweek reports : Best Buy Co. said it plans to close 50 U.S. big box stores and open 100 small mobile locations in the U.S. during the 2013 fiscal year. It will also cut $800 million in costs by fiscal 2015. The news came yesterday as the biggest U.S. specialty electronics retailer posted a fiscal fourth quarter loss partly due to restructuring charges. Despite the loss, Best Buy's adjusted results for the quarter topped Wall Street's expectations. But the company's full year revenue guidance fell slightly short of analysts' expectations, sending its stock down 6%. Best Buy, which has 1,450 locations nationwide and 2,900 globally, is focusing on closing some of its hulking stores to concentrate on smaller Best Buy Mobile outlets because of two emerging trends. Sales of TVs, digital cameras and videogame consoles have weakened, while sales of tablet computers, smartphones and e-readers have increased. And with the rise of competition from Internet rivals

"The greatest singer... in the world" is 44 today. In recent news, she's announced a return to the stage at Caesars Palace after being forced to cancel several shows at the end of February when she contracted a virus that caused an inflammation of her vocal cords. Dion, who was originally instructed by doctors to rest for eight weeks, was given good news during a follow-up examination at the UCLA Medical Clinic and her voice should be back to 100% within four weeks time. According to a press release from her rep, Dion is scheduled to start working with a vocal coach in two weeks and will begin recording songs for her new English and French albums sometime in mid-April. As for her Vegas gig, the songstress plans to resume performances on June 9. "During this recovery period, so many fans, many of whom were inconvenienced by the cancelled shows, have posted kind words of encouragement on my website," Dion said in a statement. "I'm so grateful for their th

--> Epic clip of a few legends doing what they do best at the Ebony Showcase Theatre in Los Angeles, April 15th 1987.

Victor as featured on We Love Guys .

Will Sonny Kiriakis and Will Horton become the next hot couple on NBC's Days of Our Lives ? The Advocate reports : Actors Freddie Smith and Chandler Massey who play the characters recently posed for a photo shoot which indicate the two characters could become even more intertwined during future episodes Last summer viewers saw the arrival of Smith's openly gay character Sonny Kiriakis, who struck up a quick friendship and business partnership with Massey's more conflicted Will Horton. The two young men have had gay fans hoping the friends might also embark on a romance. The photos of Massey and Chandler were taken by Michael Desmond at The Charlie Hotel in West Hollywood.

Photo caption: Same-sex couple Nowlin Haltom, left, and Michael McKeon hold a sign calling for the right to marry outside the county clerk's office in Los Angeles on Valentine's Day. The Washington Blade reports that the First Court of Appeals in Boston will hear oral arguments about the matter next week. On Wednesday starting at 10 a.m., a three-judge panel on the First Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments on DOMA, which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriage, marking the first time an appellate court has considered the constitutionality of the statute. Normally, oral arguments before the court last 30 minutes, but that time has been extended for an entire hour because judges are hearing two cases: Gill v. Office of Personnel Management, filed by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Department of Health & Human Services, filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. The arguments that attorneys wil

Towleroad reports : American Idol runner-up David Archuleta is now officially a Mormon missionary. The 21-year old singer embarked yesterday on his two-year journey, starting with basic missionary training, but not before leaving his fans a farewell video. --> Luck and courage, David. We love and will miss you fondly.

The AP reports : Aerosmith has reunited with Jack Douglas, who produced the band's key 1970s albums, to record a new studio album. Steven Tyler said Aerosmith was finishing two final songs for the as-yet-untitled album, its first since 2004's Honkin' on Bobo , and that he expected it to be released in about three months. Joined yesterday by Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer at a Los Angeles mall, Tyler revealed three track titles: "Legendary Child," "Beautiful" and "Out Go the Lights." Earlier in the week, the band announced that its 18-stop US "Global Warming Tour" begins June 16 in Minneapolis. "We will not let you down," Tyler told reporters and cheering fans. Tyler said he reached out to Douglas – who produced 1974's Get Your Wings , 1975's Toys in the Attic and other seminal albums from the multiplatinum Boston band – and the other group members joined him in Los Angeles. The group's 15th studio album

ArtsBeat reports : In a surprise appearance on last night's broadcast of Conan , Will Ferrell donned the 1970s period garb (and mustache) of the titular newscaster he portrayed in the hit 2004 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy , to announce that he will be making a follow-up to that film. After indulging in a lengthy flute solo and tossing a few insults at the host, Conan O’Brien, Mr. Ferrell — or is that Mr. Burgundy? — said: “As of 0900 hours Mountain Time, Paramount Pictures and myself, Ronald Joseph Aaron Burgundy, have come to terms on a sequel to ‘Anchorman.’ It is official, there will be a sequel to ‘Anchorman.’” No other details on the project were immediately available, but the original Anchorman film, written by Mr. Ferrell and Adam McKay and directed by Mr. McKay, played a crucial role in establishing Mr. Ferrell as a credible movie star after he left Saturday Night Live . Released by DreamWorks, it grossed more than $85 million in the United States and helped intro

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MSNBC reports : Verizon and AT&T have agreed to stop “cramming” consumers' telephone bills with unauthorized third-party charges, Sen. Jay Rockefeller announced yesterday. The move comes after a Senate investigation revealed last year that consumers were hit with $10 billion in fraudulent charges due to the practice over the past five years. A Today show investigation in July revealed how extensive and frustrating cramming is, with maddening, mysterious $10 or $20 charges appearing every month on millions of Americans' phone bills. The investigation relied on a report commissioned by Rockefeller that found that three telecom firms - -- Verizon, AT&T and CenturyLink/Quest -- earned $650 million as their cut of cramming charges levied by third-parties since 2006. "AT&T made the right decision to end cramming by August," the West Virginia Democrat’s office said in a statement yesterday. "Something had to be done. And while the decisions of AT&T and

The New York Times reports : Following a string of critical reports about its contracting practices in China, Apple’s chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, visited Foxconn Technology’s manufacturing plant for the iPhone yesterday. Details about Mr. Cook’s visit to the plant, in the city of Zhengzhou, located in the north-central province of Hebei, were not immediately available. Reuters reported that photographs provided to the news service dated yesterday showed Mr. Cook smiling and meeting workers in the facility. The plant, located at the Foxconn Zhengzhou Technology Park, employs 120,000 people, Bloomberg News reported. Apple, which contracts with Foxconn to produce iPhones and iPads, has had to confront a series of negative reports this year about labor practices at the technology manufacturing company. In January, The New York Times reported that workers assembling iPhones, iPads and other devices often labor in harsh conditions, according to employees inside those plants, worker

Photo caption: Job seekers at the Job USA fair in Robstown, Texas yesterday . In good news: The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped last week to the lowest level in almost four years, adding to evidence of an improving U.S. labor market. Initial jobless claims fell 5,000 in the week ended March 24 to 359,000, the lowest since April 2008, the Labor Department reported today in Washington. The median forecast of economists in a Bloomberg News survey called for 350,000 claims. With the report, the government data also contain revisions dating back to 2007. Companies are retaining workers and hiring as sales pick up along with confidence in the expansion. The pace of employment has gained momentum in the past three months, helping drive income growth that may ease the strain of higher gasoline prices. “The labor market is still improving at a modest pace,” said Russell Price, senior economist at Ameriprise Financial Inc. in Detroit. “Across almost all sectors, compani

The AP reports : The spiritual leader of the world's Roman Catholics and the brothers who have carried Cuba along an increasingly solitary Communist path mixed warm smiles with the hard language of their respective camps during Pope Benedict XVI's three-day tour of Cuba. Often, the polite octogenarians at the heart of this religio-political drama appeared to be talking past each other, the pontiff using biblical parables about cruel, long-dead kings, the Castros their customary language of revolution and defiance to American dominance. In his respectful send-off, President Raul Castro acknowledged in the visit's greatest understatement: "We do not think alike on all matters." The first indication of whether the sides heard each other could come as early as next week, when Castro must decide whether to grant the pope's unusual request to declare Good Friday a holiday, despite the fact it does not have that status in the United States or much of Europe or even M

--> A sad and sweet story of people doing right by animals. Rescues like this one cost a lot of money, so please help by making a small donation. Their website: http://www.hopeforpaws.org

Just weeks after a similar incident in the area, nine emaciated animals have been found abandoned in Southwest Miami. The South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) went to two scenes Sunday with the Miami-Dade Police Department. At 14041 SW 197th Avenue, volunteers found an injured horse considered to be in “extremely critical condition,” according to Jeanette Jordan, president of the South Florida SPCA. At 15100 SW 205 Avenue investigators discovered five horses, two cows and an emu, according to a release from the SPCA. A horse and cow carcass were also found at the second location. “The one horse we picked up stray is injured and in extremely critical condition. We're just going to be taking it day to day with him,” Jordan told HuffPost Miami . “We’re not sure he’s going to make it.” The animals were found blocks away from another incident of animal abandonment that made headlines . Jordan says that 26 horses have come to the SFSPCA rescue ranch this

Matthew Vines writes for the Huffington Post : I love God. I also happen to be gay. In a better world, this would be no more interesting or noteworthy to people than loving God and happening to love, say, cheesecake. But of course, we all know that that isn't the world we live in. And for some reason, a lot of people have a big problem with anyone who believes in God and is gay. As someone who grew up in a conservative Christian church in Kansas, I am all too aware of the problem of religious homophobia. So when reality won out during my sophomore year of college and I finally had to admit to myself that I was gay, I was both relieved and crushed -- relieved because everything that hadn't made sense about my life finally did, and because love no longer seemed like an impossibility for me, but crushed because of the likelihood that I would be rejected and lose the community I had always called home. Two years ago, I took a leave of absence from college and committed myself to th

Veit as featured on Soul Artist .

In a new video clip from Bruce Weber (one of 4 new 'Webersodes' ) for Abercrombie & Fitch, a man-on-man kiss appears for the first time in an official company promo, which I guess is surprising because none of the rest of it is homoerotic at all. Watch all the clips below: - Basketball Is What Boys Do… ( click here ) - Everything Else In Life Seems Easy ( click here ) - Live, Eat and Sleep Wrestling ( click here ) - Other Sports Require One Ball ( click here )

Michael Hayne has a few bones to pick. Namely, those of Dana Perinio: So you remember how a small group of oligarchs, banksters, and politicians collectively allowed their blind avarice and risky financial measures (or “casino capitalism”) to bring the entire world’s economy to its very knees, begging for sweeping bailouts from the unbeknownst unwashed masses in order to return to the very same greedy and risky ways that caused the economic abortion in the first place? And certainly you remember (it’s still going on) how these same monied interests bought their own personal teabagger Republicans to make sure the all the blame went towards all those ever-so greedy school teachers, firemen, students, and low to middle-income people,–all of whom were the ones who were forced with layoffs, pay cuts, and significant austerity measures? And, in the midst of all this insane and uncaring bickering were the nation’s twenty-somethings–forced with tuition hikes during a recession and a total dea

Muppets vs. Goldman Sachs from Neal McDonough The resignation manifesto read round the world – the Op-Ed page article published two weeks ago in The New York Times by Greg Smith, the disheartened Goldman Sachs executive – has already spawned more than its share of parodies , most of them in mock-serious epistolary prose. But the comedy Web site “Funny or Die” has gone these parodies one better with a slickly produced short sketch starring Kyle MacLachlan as a Goldman Sachs honcho bemoaning the firm’s bad press when his meeting is suddenly interrupted by three Muppets bearing their own grudge. (Via ArtsBeat )

The Miami Herald reports : Despite public claims that there wasn’t enough probable cause to make a criminal case in the Trayvon Martin killing, early in the investigation the Sanford Police Department requested an arrest warrant from the Seminole County State Attorney’s office, the special prosecutor in the case said. A Sanford Police incident report shows the case was categorized as “homicide/negligent manslaughter.” The state attorney’s office held off pending further review. Asked to confirm that the police recommended a manslaughter charge, special prosecutor Angela Corey said: “I don’t know about that, but as far as the process I can tell you that the police went to the state attorney with a capias request, meaning: ‘We’re through with our investigation and here it is for you.’ The state attorney impaneled a grand jury, but before anything else could be done, the governor stepped in and asked us to pick it up in mid-stream.” A capias is a request for charges to be filed. The Semin

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy --> In related news: A Tibetan man died today after setting himself on fire earlier this week in New Delhi to protest Chinese rule of the Himalayan region, activists said, hours before Chinese President Hu Jintao was due to arrive in India for a summit of emerging market nations. Thirty Tibetans, mostly Buddhist monks and nuns, have set themselves on fire, mostly in southwestern China, in the past year, according to Tibetan rights groups. At least 20 have died. More on the ongoing turbulance at Reuters . Warning, pictures are graphic.

The AP reports : Pope Benedict XVI wraps up his visit to Cuba today with an open-air Mass in the shrine of the Cuban revolution, hoping to revive the Catholic faith in this communist-run country. His other appointment: a meeting with Fidel Castro. The former Cuban leader announced late yesterday that he would happily meet with Benedict, saying he was asking for just a "few minutes of his very busy time" in Havana. The Vatican had already said Benedict was available, so the confirmation from Castro ends weeks of speculation as to whether Castro would repeat the meeting he held with Pope John Paul II during his historic 1998 visit. "I will happily greet His Excellency Pope Benedict XVI as I did John Paul II, a man for whom contact with children and the humble raised feelings of affection," Castro wrote. Benedict's Mass in Revolution Plaza comes 14 years after John Paul preached on the same spot before hundreds of thousands of people, Fidel among them. Then, an ima

Alexander as featured on DNA .

Photo caption: Jeremy Jordan with the Newsies bear. Queerty reports : Last week, lovers of Broadway and bears (the stuffed variety) filled B.B. King Blues Club, where Broadway Cares/Equality Fights AIDS raised a record $198,300 at the 15th and final edition of Broadway Bears , the annual auction of theatrically inspired teddy bears. What started as a one-time event in 1998 with only 20 bears has, in its 15 editions, raised a staggering $2 million for Broadway Cares’ programs. But these aren’t your normal children’s toys, Broadway Cares executive director Tom Viola explains: “Led by BC/EFA producer Scott T. Stevens, an extraordinarily talented team of Broadway designers, costume shops, and wardrobe personnel designed, costumed, draped, dressed and frocked, painted, outfitted, stuffed and lipoed, shod and hatted, feathered, tattooed and armored, bedecked and bedazzled these furry masterpieces, giving of their time, energies and amazing talent over 15 years to create this unique and deli

The Advocate reports : The controversial documentary Bully will be released without a rating, prompting director Lee Hirsch to say he knows "kids will come, so it's up to the theaters to let them in." Entertainment Weekly reports the film, which looks at the bullying epidemic in the American school system, will be released in Los Angeles and New York Friday without a rating. Theater owners will then be able to make decisions on who will be permitted to see the film. This is despite the efforts of the Weinstein Co., numerous high-profile personalities including marriage equality attorneys David Boies and Ted Olson, and others to have the rating changed by the Motion Picture Association of America from R to PG-13 , which would allow it to be seen by a wider audience, including the young people being affected by bullying. Katy Butler, the lesbian teen who famously launched a petition that collected nearly half a million signatures to urge the MPAA rating changed to PG-13 a

Towleroad reports : After being attacked yesterday by Deadmau5 for remarks she made about "Molly" (street for Ecstasy) at the weekend's Ultra Music Festival, Madonna responded during a Q&A session on Twitter last night with the post above. Said Madonna: "From one mouse to another, I don't support drug use and I never have. I was referring to the song called "Have you seen Molly?" written by my friend Cedric Gervais who I almost worked with on my album." Deadmau5 appeared to accept the explanation, tweeting: "fair enough, I was just voicing my concerns as I usually do. +1 respect for clearing it up personally."

[ Editor's note ] I would sooner walk on my own lips than talk bad about Madonna or anything she does. She is, after all, the reason most of us became gay in the first place. However, MDNA doesn't leave a lot of room for blind adoration. I've listened to the whole album thrice now and can report that it leaves a lot to be desired. If you can buy into Madonna still being a girl at 53, then the best song is "Girl Gone Wild". It was a hopeful track to release after that Super Bowl single travesty . I liked it and hoped the album would be just as good. It's not. MDNA should stand for Madonna Delivers Noise Again. Let's discuss. In "I'm a Sinner", Madge conjures up all the Saints in Catholocism. Don't take my word for it, here are some of the lyrics: ♫ Saint Christopher found my way / I'll be coming home Monday / Saint Sebastian don't you cry / Let those poisoned arrows fly. Madonna practically disappears on tracks like "Gang B

Photo caption: Researchers found coral at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico covered with "black scum" and gooey brown mixture of materials. CNN reports : The Deepwater Horizon oil spill damaged coral formations deep beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico and miles from the ruptured well at the heart of the disaster, researchers reported yesterday. Scientists using remote-controlled probes and the venerable research submersible Alvin spotted a coral colony covered in "black scum" about 7 miles (11 kilometers) southwest of the undersea gusher, Penn State University biologist Charles Fisher said. Another nearby formation was covered in a gooey brown and white mix of oil and organic materials from the coral, he said. "What this does tell us is there was acute damage to a reef 7 miles away," Fisher said. "It tells us it's likely this oil hit a lot of other areas of the seafloor." Fisher was the chief scientist for an expedition that surveyed the

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Still Supremely beautiful.

By Chris Weyant The Huffingtin post reports: The Supreme Court plunged into debate today on the fate of the Obama administration's overhaul of the nation's health care system, and the justices gave every indication they will not allow an obscure tax law to derail the case. A decision is expected by late June, in the midst of a presidential election campaign in which all of President Barack Obama's Republican challengers oppose the law and promise its repeal if the high court hasn't struck it down in the meantime.

Rob (left) and Ryan (right) as featured on DNA .

Madonna did a Facebook interview with Jimmy Fallon over the weekend in which she listed her priorities as President and instructed Fallon on how to dance. In related news: Madge was in Miami for Ultra this weekend. This too was not short on controversy as Deadmau5 ripped Madonna for referencing "Molly", the street name for Ecstasy. "Very classy there madonna. "HUR DUR HAS ANYONE SEEN MOLLY???" such a great message for the young music lovers at ultra," he posted on Facebook early this morning. "quite the f'n philanthropist. but hey, at least yer HIP AND TRENDY! fucking cant smack my head hard enough right now." (Via Towleroad )

The Huffington Post reports : The 2012 GLAAD Media Awards were kicked off on Saturday in New York City with a gala event hosted by Glee stars Naya Rivera and Cory Monteith. The first of three events -- the other two will take place in Los Angeles on April 21 and San Francisco on June 2 -- included a who's who of the LGBT community and its allies like actress Dakota Fanning, hip-hop icon Russell Simmons, Top Chef star Padma Lakshmi, Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, the Food Network's Ted Allen, Wendy Williams, Jay Manuel and Isis King from America's Next Top Model and more. ( Ed. note : AKA a lotta nobodys). GLAAD's acting President Mike Thompson noted in a blog he penned for HuffPost Gay Voices : "The events, which help fund GLAAD's storytelling and media advocacy work, not only celebrate and recognize the best of the best in LGBT-inclusive journalism, film, music, television, and more; they also serve as a benchmark for the media industry, helping to impr

Aretha Franklin says she has resurrected her partnership with Clive Davis, the record executive who engineered her comeback in the 1980s, and will record a new album. Ms. Franklin made the announcement during a short interview at her 70th birthday party on Saturday night in the Helmsley Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan. Mr. Davis, who is the chief creative officer for Sony Music Entertainment, sat next to Ms. Franklin for most of the night. “I have re-signed with Clive Davis, so I’m recording with Clive again,” Ms. Franklin said. She added that next month “we’re going to sit together and decide what it is we’re going to record.” Mr. Davis brought Ms. Franklin to Arista Records in the early 1980s when her career was at a low ebb after her falling out with Atlantic Records. At Arista she re-established herself as a hit-maker with the album “Jump to It” in 1982, and, despite some personal setbacks and tragedies, recorded the commercially successful Who’s Zooming Who? in 1985. (Via AP )

[ Editorial note ] I caved in to the pressure of the masses last night and saw the much-hyped and highly anticipated Hunger Games . While I didn’t read the best-selling novels (nor do I plan to), I can report that the film itself was an unexpected edge-of-your-seat thriller. It was visually stunning, thought-provoking, and action-packed. Also, it had Lenny Kravitz and you all know how I feel about Lenny Kravitz . I’m sure many of you haven’t seen it yet, so I won’t give away too many plot points. Not that there’s a whole lot of plot to give away. It’s pretty much about a group of kids, picked at random and put into a no holds barred game of survival. Think: the Triwizard Tournament sans all le magique . However, this is not to say that the film lacks anything. On the contrary, The Hunger Games packs a lot of heart and poignant meaning into a story about teenagers slaughtering each other for the televised amusement of others. The stand out of The Hunger Games is undoubtedly Jenn

Lionsgate's The Hunger Games made history this weekend when it opened to an astounding $155 million at the domestic box office, the third-best debut of all time and the best for any film opening outside of summer. Hunger Games -- the big-screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins' best-selling young-adult novel starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth -- also reeled in the biggest opening for a nonsequel. "It was the perfect storm. Having the first film in a franchise to be so gigantic is amaing. We had a great book and a great director in Gary Ross," said Lionsgate president of marketing Tim Palen, whose team is credited with a savvy campaign. Domestic box-office revenues were up a whopping 78% from a year ago, thanks to the might of Hunger Games , which changes the fortunes of Lionsgate and gives the studio an instant tentople franchise. Lionsgate will make three more films by splitting the final book in Collins' trilogy into two movies. Overse

Weekend Top Five: #1 The Hunger Games ($155M) #2 21 Jump Street ($21.3M) #3 Dr. Seuss' The Lorax ($13.1M) #4 John Carter ($5.01M) #5 Act of Valor ($2.06M)

In the rife, overstuffed annals of Hollywood, few real-life love stories can match that of Liz Taylor and Montgomery Clift. That Clift was gay made little difference in the intensity and duration of the two stars’ adoration of one another: here, after all, were two talented, passionate artists who met at a young age — well, she was in her teens; he was in his late twenties — and immediately discovered that they were, for lack of a better phrase, soul mates. By the time they shared the screen together for the first time, in the classic murder-romance-melodrama, A Place in the Sun (1951), both were bona fide box-office draws: Taylor had been onscreen since she was 10, and Clift — a soulful, introverted Method actor who influenced countless others who came after him — had already garnered the first of his four career Oscar nominations. (He never won an Oscar, although most movie aficionados feel he deserved at least one, for his unforgettable turn as the tortured Robert E. Lee Prewitt in

EW reports : NBC is doubling down on Smash . The network just renewed the musical drama for a second season, but when it returns it will be under new leadership. Deadline reports that current showrunner Theresa Rebeck, who also created the series, will step away from her day-to-day duties with the show after this season. She will continue to hold her position as an executive producer. The ratings for Smash have been a bit modest lately, but overall have managed to boost the network’s Monday night time slot at 10 p.m. The show, which goes behind-the-scenes of a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe, has averaged 7.7 million viewers and a 2.6 adult demo rating. --> Admittedly, I haven't been keeping up with this show. I watched the first episode and was bored for most of the run so I didn't go back. I have it on good authority that it's gotten better though so I'm happy Broadway is seeing its way to people's living rooms in some way.