Broadcast Networks Battling Uphill for Profit and Audience - NYTimes.com

Broadcast Networks Battling Uphill for Profit and Audience - NYTimes.com: "For decades, the big three, now big four, networks all had the same game plan: spend many millions to develop and produce scripted shows aimed at a mass audience and national advertisers, with a shelf life of years or decades as reruns in syndication.

But that model, based on attracting enough ad dollars to cover the costs of shows like “Lost” and “ER,” no longer appears viable. Network dramas now cost about $3 million an hour.

The future for the networks, it seems, is more low-cost reality shows, more news and talk, and a greater effort to find new revenue streams, whether they be from receiving subscriber fees as cable channels do, or becoming cable networks themselves, an idea that has gained currency."

From the Panels to the Screen: Hollywood drawn to comics

From the Panels to the Screen: Hollywood drawn to comics: "From the Panels to the Screen: Hollywood drawn to comics"

Book Reviews: New Comics Collections - NYTimes

Comics - Book Review - New Comics Collections - Review - NYTimes.com: "In the tense, murky years before Ameri ca entered World War II, its young couldn’t get enough tales of costumed mystery men. SUPERMEN! The First Wave of Comic Book Heroes 1936-41 (Fantagraphics, paper, $24.99) is a rambunctious anthology of the earliest superhero stories — gaudy, crude, infernally potent things, cranked out by scrappy young cartoonists who were more concerned with what the likes of Silver Streak, Yarko the Great and Skyrocket Steele could do than with what they might mean."

Hearst to launch a wireless e-reader - Feb. 27, 2009

Hearst to launch a wireless e-reader - Feb. 27, 2009: "Against a backdrop of plummeting ad revenue for newspapers and magazines, and rising costs for paper and delivery, Hearst Corp., is getting set to launch an electronic reader that it hopes can do for periodicals what Amazon's Kindle is doing for books.

According to industry insiders, Hearst, which publishes magazines ranging from Cosmopolitan to Esquire and newspapers including the financially imperiled San Francisco Chronicle, has developed a wireless e-reader with a large-format screen suited to the reading and advertising requirements of newspapers and magazines. The device and underlying technology, which other publishers will be allowed to adapt, is likely to debut this year."

Do TV Commercials Make You Happier? - TIME

Do TV Commercials Make You Happier? - TIME: "According to a surprising study to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research, commercial interruptions often enhance enjoyment of television, at least for younger viewers. How could that possibly be true? How can brain-shearing jingles, annoying announcers and awful acting possibly make you happier? According to the researchers, it all boils down to a behavioral trait called adaptation. Adaptation predicts that even positive experiences become less enjoyable over time. Prior studies have shown that the longer people live in an enjoyable place, consume their favorite ice cream or listen to their favorite song, the more the intensity of their happiness declines. One study concluded that even after people win the lottery, their happiness returns to prior levels a few months after cashing in the ticket."

Economic Scene - Obama’s Budget Plan Sweeps Away Reagan Ideas - NYTimes.com

Economic Scene - Obama’s Budget Plan Sweeps Away Reagan Ideas - NYTimes.com: "The Obama budget — a bold, even radical departure from recent history, wrapped in bureaucratic formality and statistical tables — would sharply raise taxes on the rich, beyond where Bill Clinton had raised them. It would reduce taxes for everyone else, to a lower point than they were under either Mr. Clinton or George W. Bush. And it would lay the groundwork for sweeping changes in health care and education, among other areas.

More than anything else, the proposals seek to reverse the rapid increase in economic inequality over the last 30 years. They do so first by rewriting the tax code and, over the longer term, by trying to solve some big causes of the middle-class income slowdown, like high medical costs and slowing educational gains."

Our Lent - Day 3

Our Lent Partners: "I invite you to read Psalm 31.
'Love the Lord, all you his saints. The Lord preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily. Be strong, and let your hear take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.' (Psalm 31: 23,24)"

The amazing Amazon Kindle is bad news for the publishing industry. - By Farhad Manjoo - Slate Magazine

The amazing Amazon Kindle is bad news for the publishing industry. - By Farhad Manjoo - Slate Magazine: "Amazon's reader is a brilliant device that shanghais book buyers and the book industry into accepting a radically diminished marketplace for published works. If the Kindle succeeds on its current terms, and all signs suggest it'll be a blockbuster (thanks Oprah!), Amazon will make a bundle. But everyone else with a stake in a vibrant book industry—authors, publishers, libraries, chain bookstores, indie bookstores, and, not least, readers—stands to lose out."

'The Simpsons' Extended by Fox - TVWeek

'The Simpsons' Extended by Fox - TVWeek - News: "Fox ordered two more seasons of the animated comedy series 'The Simpsons,' extending the longest-running primetime series in history into its 22nd season.

The News Corp. unit ordered 44 more episodes of the show, which debuted in January 1990 after the Matt Groening-created cartoon was featured as part of Fox's 'The Tracey Ullman Show.' The series will have aired 493 shows at the end of the extension."

Magazine Editor Thumps Bible: Good Book -Publishers Weekly

Magazine Editor Thumps Bible: Good Book - 2/26/2009 9:27:00 AM - Publishers Weekly: "David Plotz, Slate editor and author of The Genius Factory, decided he should finally really read his Bible. Happily for us, he kept notes: Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible (Harper, March; see starred review below).

RBL: Do you have a favorite book or part of the Bible?

David Plotz: My favorite parts tend to be where you have heroes who are skeptical, questioning and doubtful. But my favorite story of all is the book of Ruth. It is so beautiful and moving, like a Jane Austen novel or a Patsy Cline song."

Christian Encyclopedia Causes Scholarly Stir - Publishers Weekly

Christian Encyclopedia Causes Scholarly Stir - 2/25/2009 9:06:00 AM - Publishers Weekly: "A major scholarly encyclopedia that took many years and pots of money to produce is the book of contention in a battle between what some involved are portraying as an “anti-Christian” publishing house and the work's “committed Christian” editor-in-chief.

The four-volume, 3,000-page Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization was to have been published by Wiley-Blackwell in July, but the house ceased its promotion in November when some members of the work’s editorial board raised concerns over its merits."

Oh.... I had some dealings with this editor-in-chief before...

Ash Wednesday 'flash mob' at MARTA station | ajc.com

Ash Wednesday 'flash mob' at MARTA station | ajc.com: "This was Ash Wednesday for the 21st century. A group of Christians in metro Atlanta, connected by personal friendships and social Web sites such as Facebook, organized a surprise service in the MARTA Five Points station at 5 p.m."

Jerry Seinfeld steps into reality

Jerry Seinfeld steps into reality: "Jerry Seinfeld is reteaming with NBC to launch his first reality series.

The comedian's project is tentatively called 'The Marriage Ref' and features celebrities, comedians and athletes who will judge couples in the midst of marital disputes while recommending various strategies to resolve their problems.

Seinfeld is partnering with 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' veteran Ellen Rakieten on the project, which reunites the comedian with the network that aired his hit sitcom 'Seinfeld' for nine years."

2009 PEN/Faulkner Award Winner is Joseph O'Neill's "Netherland" - washingtonpost.com

2009 PEN/Faulkner Award Winner is Joseph O'Neill's "Netherland" - washingtonpost.com: "oseph O'Neill has won the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction for his widely praised novel 'Netherland.' Set in New York after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the book has drawn repeated comparisons to 'The Great Gatsby' while managing to overcome American readers' indifference to cricket, the game around which much of its narrative is built."

Our Lent Partners: Day 2 reflections from our Partners

Our Lent Partners: Day 2 reflections from our Partners: "I invite you to read Psalm 37. 'Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight and he will give you the desires of your heart.' (Psalm 37:3,4)"

Jindal had his moment, and he blew it | Jay Bookman

Jindal had his moment, and he blew it | Jay Bookman: "If you had asked me about the worst high-profile political speech I’d ever seen, I would have said it was John McCain’s effort last June, the one with the green backdrop, cringing smile, strangely awkward crowd and the whining “my friends, that’s not change we can believe in.”

Bobby Jindal’s effort last night approached McCain. I had never heard Jindal speak on a formal occasion, and he was bad. Bad message, worse delivery. Some of the harshest reaction came from conservatives who had hopes Jindal could be the party’s standard bearer."

Roy Blount Jr. - The Kindle Swindle? - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Contributor - The Kindle Swindle? - NYTimes.com: "BEING president of too many well-meaning organizations put my father into an early grave. The lesson in this was not lost on me. But now I am president of the Authors Guild, whose mission is to sustain book-writing as a viable occupation. This borders on quixotic, given all the new ways of not getting paid that new technology affords authors. A case in point: Amazon’s Kindle 2, which was released yesterday."

Our Lent: Day 1

Our Lent: Day 1: Loading up our U-Hauls — and hitting the road together: "WELCOME to 'Our Lent: Things We Carry'! Each day, you've got choices:
1.) Read our daily chapter in this adventure (right here).
2.) CLICK HERE to read our Partners' rich array of reflections.
3.) Add a Comment."

Our Lent Partners: MEET: Peter Wallace —

Our Lent Partners: MEET: Peter Wallace —

The history of the smiley face

The history of the smiley face symbol - The Guardian: "Feelgood corporate logo, acid house icon and txt msg emoticon: one chirpy yellow emblem has kept grinning since the first summer of love. Jon Savage celebrates the life of Smiley"

U2-Scored "Spider-Man" Gets Broadway Start Date

U2-Scored "Spider-Man" Gets Broadway Start Date: "Spider-Man has conquered the movies. Now, with a little help from Julie Taymor and U2, it's Broadway's turn.

'Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark' will open Feb. 18, 2010, at the Hilton Theatre, its producers announced Tuesday.

Preview performances begin Jan. 16.

The musical, directed by Taymor, will feature a score by Bono and The Edge, both of U2. Taymor who was the creative force behind 'The Lion King,' Disney's long-running musical, now in its second decade on Broadway. She will co-write the 'Spider-Man' book with Glen Berger."

Grace Under Pressure: Reclaiming Hope for Progressive Religion - RD

Grace Under Pressure: Reclaiming Hope for Progressive Religion | Daniel Schultz | ReligionDispatches: "If progressive religious believers are going to provide any kind of witness to our diverse society we must reclaim the idea of “hope” from the realm of politics. Hope, as theology, is not only about finding common purpose, but about liberation."

Survey Reveals Broad Support for President - NYTimes.com

Survey Reveals Broad Support for President - NYTimes.com: "President Obama is benefiting from remarkably high levels of optimism and confidence among Americans about his leadership, providing him with substantial political clout as he confronts the nation’s economic challenges and opposition from nearly all Republicans in Congress, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll."

Google rejects Atlantis discovery claims - vnunet.com

Google rejects Atlantis discovery claims - vnunet.com: "Google has denied claims made in the national papers that its Google Earth tool had been used to discover a grid of streets in the ocean thought to be the lost city of Atlantis.

The claim was originally made to the Sun by UK aeronautical engineer Bernie Bamford who saw a grid of lines undersea off the coast of west Africa, a location Atlantis experts have argued is one of the possible sites of the Atlantean metropolis.

Plato had described Atlantis sinking into the ocean 'in a single day and night of misfortune' around 9000 BC, after the city had failed in its attempt to invade Athens. The remains of the city have never been found."

Tom Shales - Oscarcast 2009: Golden Statuettes, but Leaden Television - washingtonpost.com

Tom Shales - Oscarcast 2009: Golden Statuettes, but Leaden Television - washingtonpost.com: "The whole Oscarcast, live from Hollywood last night on ABC, really had more to do with television than movies, but maybe it always does, as producers of the show struggle against tradition to make it good TV. They failed again this year, but a few earnest attempts were made to liven up the program -- one of them the hiring of multitalented movie star Hugh Jackman as the show's host."

Our Lent - Coming Wednesday

Our Lent is a guide through the 40 days of Lent, with David Crumm, Phyllis Tickle, Peter Wallace, and other contributors. Check it out daily starting this Wednesday.

'Slumdog Millionaire' Wins Eight Oscars, Including Best Picture - NYTimes.com

'Slumdog Millionaire' Wins Eight Oscars, Including Best Picture - NYTimes.com

New Search Technologies Mine the Web More Deeply - NYTimes.com

New Search Technologies Mine the Web More Deeply - NYTimes.com: "Now a new breed of technologies is taking shape that will extend the reach of search engines into the Web’s hidden corners. When that happens, it will do more than just improve the quality of search results — it may ultimately reshape the way many companies do business online."

Op-Art - Credit Where Credits Are Due - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

Op-Art - Credit Where Credits Are Due - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com: "There’s an Oscar for pretty much every aspect of filmmaking, except one: the title sequences. Titles, though, have always played a significant part in motion pictures. They may have started out as simple black-and-white cards. But in the days before sound, they already did more than identify key players: they communicated dialogue and advanced plot. And as filmmaking evolved, so did title design. Titles have become wonderful bridges from reality into the cinematic world and back out again. At their very best, they are themselves innovative, emotional experiences, microcosms of their movies. Here are some highlights from the history of title sequences:"

Holy Reading, Batman! - Bennington Banner

Holy Reading, Batman! - Rev. Jerrod Hugenot in the Bennington Banner: "It might strike you as a bit odd: a minister who reads comic books.

Since middle school, I have found the latest exploits of the Justice League or the Green Lantern Corps to be time well spent at the end of a long day. Recently, I combined my love of comic books with vacation leave from parish duties two weeks ago by attending the fourth annual New York Comic Con (NYCC)."

Conan's Final "Late Night" Episode: Will Ferrell, Classic Skits, Andy Richter, Tribute To Staff (VIDEO)

Conan's Final "Late Night" Episode: Will Ferrell, Classic Skits, Andy Richter, Tribute To Staff (VIDEO): "'Late Night' with Conan O'Brien aired its final episode Friday night, ending its run in New York after 2,725 shows. Conan will be moving to Los Anges to over Leno's 'Tonight Show' slot, starting in June.

Conan had been counting down to the moment all week by taking apart his stage piece by piece and giving it to fans, as well as airing many of the show's best moments."

Its Muscle Car Glory Faded, Pontiac Shrivels Up - NYTimes.com

Its Muscle Car Glory Faded, Pontiac Shrivels Up - NYTimes.com: "on Tuesday, when General Motors asked the federal government for more bailout money, it also announced a reorganization plan that included demoting Pontiac to a “focused niche brand,” signaling that its lineup of vehicles would shrink and that it would no longer be a separate division.

To industry analysts and Pontiac’s longtime fans, the downgrade provides a case study of the product missteps that helped put G.M. in its precarious state, and a reminder of the dangers in straying from a successful formula."

WaPo Working with Roger Black - City Desk - Washington City Paper

WaPo Working with Roger Black - City Desk - Washington City Paper: "The Washington Post is undergoing a remarkable shrinking act, with some sections folding and others taking on more complicated identities. Making it all happen will require some tweaks to the paper’s design. The paper’s Web site, washingtonpost.com, has long had layout problems of its own—a crowded homepage that poses something of a gantlet for users in search of their favorite blogs and articles.

That’s where Roger Black comes in. The paper has contracted with this renowned New York design guru to redo its newspaper and Web site. In recent weeks, Black has been meeting with staffers to get their ideas on freshening the look of the Post brand."

Nicholas Kristof - Trailing George Clooney - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Trailing George Clooney - NYTimes.com
The Darfur conflict has now lasted longer than World War II, and the international community has remained monumentally feckless. Can George Clooney get the world to take action?

At NBC, Conan O’Brien Is Building a Home in Late Night’s Shifting Sand - NYTimes.com

At NBC, Conan O’Brien Is Building a Home in Late Night’s Shifting Sand - NYTimes.com: "That will be his last night on NBC’s 12:35 a.m. series, “Late Night” — show No. 2,725 in his 16-year run — before he decamps for Los Angeles to prepare to replace Jay Leno as host of NBC’s “Tonight Show.” As part of an unusual deal Mr. O’Brien has waited patiently for five years after the network announced that he would become Mr. Leno’s successor in the premier real estate in late-night television."

Ben Blank, Innovator of Graphics for TV News, Dies at 87 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com

Ben Blank, Innovator of Graphics for TV News, Dies at 87 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com: "Ben Blank, who as graphics director for CBS and later ABC television news introduced the concept of using logolike images behind anchors as signatures for major news coverage, died on Feb. 3 at his home in Teaneck, N.J. He was 87."

The Cartooning of John Updike - Hogan's Alley

The Cartooning of John Updike: "I can't remember the moment when I fell in love with cartoons. Almost certainly it was an image out of the Disney studio, which in the 1930s pervaded popular culture, including cheap (10 cents) books for children."

From Hogan's Alley

Sirius XM Radio and Liberty Media reach $530 million agreement - Orbitcast

BSirius XM Radio and Liberty Media reach $530 million agreement - Orbitcast: "Sirius XM Radio Inc. and Liberty Media Corporation have reached an agreement in which Liberty would invest an aggregate amount of $530 million into Sirius XM, in return for an equity stake in the company."

Cartoon Network orders 'Squad' - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety

Cartoon Network orders 'Squad' - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety: "Marvel Entertainment is packaging some of its most vaunted superheroes for an upcoming Cartoon Network animated series.
The Turner Networks cabler has ordered 26 episodes of the 'Marvel Super Hero Squad,' in which Captain America, Silver Surfer, Hulk, Wolverine and Iron Man will team up to fight crime."

Explore the Spirit: Why Middle-Aged Seekers Will Be Up Past Bedtime for WATCHMEN!

Explore the Spirit: 368: Why Middle-Aged Seekers Will Be Up Past Bedtime for WATCHMEN!: "Here is playwright, cultural critic, gardener and online commentator Jim Leach's
WHY THE WATCHMEN MOVIE WILL STINK
(AND WHY I REALLY HOPE IT WON'T)"

Our Lent: Coming soon

Our Lent: "Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (February 25) for Western Christians and on Clean Monday (March 2) for Orthodox Christians. We invite you to bookmark this page, think about buying a copy of our companion book — and plan to enjoy an exciting, challenging and spiritually rewarding journey with friends! We've got some exciting 'Partners' this year who will share a wide range of spiritual reflections."

I'm honored to be one of the contributors to David Crumm's OurLent.info website this year!

Explore the Spirit: Invite Old Friends — and Meet New Friends — in new "Our Lent" Adventure

Explore the Spirit: 367: Invite Old Friends — and Meet New Friends — in new "Our Lent" Adventure: "Today, we invite you to visit a ReadTheSpirit landing page that's about to 'go live' in 9 days as more than 1 billion Christians around the world reach Ash Wednesday and begin the season of prayer and spiritual preparation called Lent."

The Simpsons' New Opening Sequence (VIDEO)

The Simpsons' New Opening Sequence (VIDEO): "After 20 years the Simpsons have changed their opening sequence. Tonight the show had its premier in HD and with it brought the first revamp of the main titles since 1989."

As Darwin turns 200, Jefferts Schori the scientist reflects

Episcopal Life Online - NEWS: "Decades before she was elected presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, when even the priesthood seemed an unlikely calling, a teenage Katharine Jefferts Schori wrestled with big questions through the night.
In the darkness of the Stanford University chapel, she pondered the usual puzzles of young adulthood: Where do I belong? Why am I here? But Jefferts Schori was also hunting bigger fish -- how to reconcile her Christian faith with the science she was learning as a biology major."

What Convergence? TV’s Hesitant March to the Net - NYTimes.com

What Convergence? TV’s Hesitant March to the Net - NYTimes.com: "So how is it that the Internet has largely escaped the single biggest screen in most of our lives — the TV?

An intensifying, and perhaps surprising, debate is playing out around this question and others. Should televisions be able to get access to the Web? And not just the thin slices of the Web allowed by a few services, but the whole cacophonous, unregulated, messy thing? And if they should, how should they?

Now a movement is afoot by chip makers big and small to spur a new generation of TVs with full browser capability, like a personal computer. In October, Intel released its own TV-centric chip, and many other semiconductor designers and manufacturers are doing the same, industry analysts said."

The Oscar Ceremony Gets a Makeover, Thanks to the Man Who Designed Its Home - NYTimes.com

Film - The Oscar Ceremony Gets a Makeover, Thanks to the Man Who Designed Its Home - NYTimes.com: "With last year’s Oscar viewership at an all-time low, Mr. Rockwell, who also designed the plush Kodak Theater, is out to do no less than “redefine the show’s DNA,” as he put it. (This year’s mantra: “More intimacy. Less multiple layers of lame.”) Along with the executive producer Bill Condon (director of “Dreamgirls”) and the veteran producer Laurence Mark, Mr. Rockwell — the first architect to design the show — is turning back the clock, Benjamin Button-style, to recapture the show’s nightclubby, Champagne-popping, convivial, communal roots."

Do We Need a New Internet? - NYTimes.com

Do We Need a New Internet? - NYTimes.com: "there is a growing belief among engineers and security experts that Internet security and privacy have become so maddeningly elusive that the only way to fix the problem is to start over.

What a new Internet might look like is still widely debated, but one alternative would, in effect, create a “gated community” where users would give up their anonymity and certain freedoms in return for safety. Today that is already the case for many corporate and government Internet users. As a new and more secure network becomes widely adopted, the current Internet might end up as the bad neighborhood of cyberspace. You would enter at your own risk and keep an eye over your shoulder while you were there."

When Updike and Cheever Came to Visit - Dick Cavett Blog - NYTimes.com

Writers Bloc: When Updike and Cheever Came to Visit - Dick Cavett Blog - NYTimes.com: "A recent obituary brought memories of one of the best of those times. Though a bit more genteel than my notorious Norman Mailer/Gore Vidal show, this one was no less thrilling.

“What if we could get John Cheever and John Updike?” someone said. “Together. On the same show!”

The fantasy came true."

DirecTV Owner Said to Seek Deal for Sirius XM - NYTimes.com

DirecTV Owner Said to Seek Deal for Sirius XM - NYTimes.com: "Sirius XM Radio, the satellite radio giant that is on the brink of bankruptcy, is in preliminary talks with Liberty Media, the conglomerate controlled by John C. Malone, people briefed on the negotiations said on Wednesday."

Scientists eye debris after satellite collision - Yahoo! News

Scientists eye debris after satellite collision - Yahoo! News: "Scientists are keeping a close eye on orbital debris created when two communications satellites — one American, the other Russian — smashed into each other hundreds of miles above the Earth.
NASA said it will take weeks to determine the full magnitude of the unprecedented crash and whether any other satellites or even the Hubble Space Telescope are threatened."

Silver Age Comics: Secret Origins of the Marvel Comics Corners

Silver Age Comics: Secret Origins of the Marvel Comics Corners: "Mark Engblom remarked awhile ago on the top left corners of Marvel Comics, where they had a small image of the lead characters, and the Marvel Comics Group logo and the price. This has been an amazingly durable feature of the comics. When did it start?

Answer: With the May 1963 issues as illustrated by Fantastic Four #14."

AppleInsider: Marvel to unleash digital comic books on iTunes

AppleInsider | Marvel to unleash digital comic books on iTunes: "Marvel Entertainment will help lead the way in exploring a brand-new frontier for content on the iTunes Store. Coming soon to an iPhone or iPod near you: motion comics."

Sally Quinn interviews +Katharine Jefferts Schori

ABC Greenlights Comedic Superhero Series - TVWeek - News

ABC Greenlights Comedic Superhero Series - TVWeek - News: "Just weeks before the much-anticipated release of the feature film 'Watchmen,' ABC has decided to move forward with a comedic take on the superheroes-among-us genre.

The network Tuesday said it has greenlit a remake of the British import 'No Heroics,' a comedy that takes place in a world in which superheroes reside among ordinary folks. The four main characters, who boast B-list, semi-super abilities, try to balance their powers with their personal lives."

PEACH BUZZ: Jane Fonda stars, blogs at same time | ajc.com

PEACH BUZZ: Jane Fonda stars, blogs at same time | ajc.com: "For Jane Fonda’s Atlanta friends, family and fans, keeping up with her Broadway adventures is now as easy as logging on to Janefonda.com.

To coincide with her new starring role in director-playwright Moises Kaufman’s “33 Variations” —- her first Broadway appearance in 45 years —- the two-time Oscar winner has started writing a daily blog on her personal Web site.

Much like her 2005 best-selling memoir, “My Life So Far,” Fonda’s blog is a fascinating, unflinchingly honest peek behind the scenes. Fonda credits blogging celebrity friends Lily Tomlin and Rosie O’Donnell for persuading her to post online."

HarperCollins Restructures and Dismisses 2 Top Executives - NYTimes.com

HarperCollins Restructures and Dismisses 2 Top Executives - NYTimes.com: "The ax continued to fall in the New York publishing world on Tuesday, as HarperCollins Publishers announced a restructuring and layoffs that claimed the jobs of two of its top executives.

The industry had been expecting some news from HarperCollins, a division of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, as it was one of the few major publishing houses not to have announced layoffs during the current punishing retail downturn. Random House, Simon & Schuster, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Macmillan, which operates divisions including Farrar, Straus & Giroux and St. Martin’s Press, have all announced job losses in recent months."

Sirius XM Prepares for Possible Bankruptcy - NYTimes.com

Sirius XM Prepares for Possible Bankruptcy - NYTimes.com: "Sirius XM, the satellite radio company, has problems with much bigger price tags. It has hired advisers to prepare for a possible bankruptcy filing, people involved in the process said.

That would, of course, be a grim turn of events for the normally upbeat Mr. Karmazin, Sirius XM’s chief executive, who had hoped to create a mobile entertainment juggernaut with stars like Howard Stern.

It is unclear how a bankruptcy would affect customers. Service is unlikely to be interrupted, but the company might have to terminate contracts with high-priced talent like Mr. Stern or Martha Stewart."

Marvel Makes Motion Comics - Publishers Weekly

Marvel Makes Motion Comics, DC Teases New Format - 2/9/2009 8:54:00 PM - Publishers Weekly: "After its recent experiment with a comics and animation hybrid via the “graphic video” adaptation of Stephen King’s short story N, Marvel Comics announced at New York Comic Con on Saturday that it will be translating Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men into a motion comic, and also launching an all-new Spider-Woman motion comic by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev this spring."

Bill Press; Bring back the Fairness Doctrine?

Washington Post blog: "For years, the Fairness Doctrine prevented such abuse by requiring licensed stations to carry a mix of opinion. However, under pressure from conservatives, President Ronald Reagan’s Federal Communications Commission canceled the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, insisting that in a free market, stations would automatically offer a balance in programming.

That experiment has failed. There is no free market in talk radio today, only an exclusive, tightly held, conservative media conspiracy. The few holders of broadcast licenses have made it clear they will not, on their own, serve the general public. Maybe it’s time to bring back the Fairness Doctrine — and bring competition back to talk radio in Washington and elsewhere."

Newsweek Plans Makeover to Fit a Smaller Audience - NYTimes.com

Newsweek Plans Makeover to Fit a Smaller Audience - NYTimes.com: "Newsweek is about to begin a major change in its identity, with a new design, a much smaller and, it hopes, more affluent readership, and some shifts in content. The venerable newsweekly’s ingrained role of obligatory coverage of the week’s big events will be abandoned once and for all, executives say.

“There’s a phrase in the culture, ‘we need to take note of,’ ‘we need to weigh in on,’” said Newsweek’s editor, Jon Meacham. “That’s going away. If we don’t have something original to say, we won’t. The drill of chasing the week’s news to add a couple of hard-fought new details is not sustainable.”"

Electronic Book Start-Up Finds Partners - NYTimes.com

Electronic Book Start-Up Finds Partners - NYTimes.com: "Plastic Logic, maker of an electronic book reader, plans to announce partnership deals on Monday that it says will bring a number of major publications to its planned device.

The company plans to make a device with a 10.7-inch diagonal electronic display, larger than the screens on an Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader, two of the more popular models currently on the market. Plastic Logic says the device will be available early next year. It uses the same technology to display print as its main competitors.

Amazon is expected to announce a new version of its Kindle Monday."

"Ancient" Syriac bible found in Cyprus - Yahoo! News

"Ancient" Syriac bible found in Cyprus - Yahoo! News: "Authorities in northern Cyprus believe they have found an ancient version of the Bible written in Syriac, a dialect of the native language of Jesus.
The manuscript was found in a police raid on suspected antiquity smugglers. Turkish Cypriot police testified in a court hearing they believe the manuscript could be about 2,000 years old.
The manuscript carries excerpts of the Bible written in gold lettering on vellum and loosely strung together, photos provided to Reuters showed. One page carries a drawing of a tree, and another eight lines of Syriac script.
Experts were however divided over the provenance of the manuscript, and whether it was an original, which would render it priceless, or a fake."

Tina Brown Discusses The Book Beast: 'It's Really Important to Support Books' - mediabistro.com: FishbowlNY

Tina Brown Discusses The Book Beast: 'It's Really Important to Support Books' - mediabistro.com: FishbowlNY: "Anyone one with even a passing interest in books is by now painfully aware of the struggles the publishing industry is currently undergoing. Troubles came to a head last December when widespread layoffs were announced at both Random House and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (which had already ceased accepting manuscripts). Meanwhile, book sections nation-wide have consistently been the early casualties of newspaper cutbacks — another one fell last week with the announcement that the Washington Post Book World would cease to exist as a stand-alone publication.

Enter Tina Brown, who just this week announced the addition of the Book Beast page to her recently-launched website The Daily Beast."

Google and Amazon to Put More Books on Cellphones - NYTimes.com

Google and Amazon to Put More Books on Cellphones - NYTimes.com: "More electronic books are coming to mobile phones.

In a move that could bolster the growing popularity of e-books, Google said Thursday that the 1.5 million public domain books it had scanned and made available free on PCs were now accessible on mobile devices like the iPhone and the T-Mobile G1.

Also Thursday, Amazon said that it was working on making the titles for its popular e-book reader, the Kindle, available on a variety of mobile phones. The company, which is expected to unveil a new version of the Kindle next week, did not say when Kindle titles would be available on mobile phones."

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on Day1.org

Serving Others - Community - Episcopal Church - The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori on Day1.org: "The touch of a hand can heal, restore life, and exorcise our demons as well. Michelangelo used that powerful image of life-giving touch when he pictured creation as God reaching out a hand to Adam, offering life. We often say that Christians are the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. How do our hands serve as instruments of healing, and help to raise others to new life?"

Ford to Sell Volvo to Chinese? - Bloomberg

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide: "Ford Motor Co., seeking to raise cash to avoid a federal bailout, is in talks to sell its Volvo Car unit to China’s Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd., according to three people familiar with the discussions.

Ford probably will get less than the $6.4 billion it paid for Sweden-based Volvo in 1999, said one of the people, who declined to be identified because the preliminary talks are confidential. Ford has also approached Chinese automakers Chery Automobile Co. and Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., the people said."

Obama Attends Prayer Breakfast, Orders Review Of Faith-Based Groups

Obama Attends Prayer Breakfast, Orders Review Of Faith-Based Groups: "President Barack Obama said Thursday he will establish a White House office of faith-based initiatives that will show no favoritism to any religious group and adhere to the strict separation of church and state.

Addressing the National Prayer Breakfast, Obama spoke of how faith has often been a divisive tool, responsible for war and prejudice. But, he said, 'there is no religion whose central tenet is hate. There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being,' and all religions teach people to love and care for one another. That is the common ground underlying his faith-based office, he said."

Barack Obama - The Action Americans Need - washingtonpost.com

Barack Obama - The Action Americans Need - washingtonpost.com: "What Americans expect from Washington is action that matches the urgency they feel in their daily lives -- action that's swift, bold and wise enough for us to climb out of this crisis.

Because each day we wait to begin the work of turning our economy around, more people lose their jobs, their savings and their homes. And if nothing is done, this recession might linger for years. Our economy will lose 5 million more jobs. Unemployment will approach double digits. Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse."

Ackerman sci-fi, horror collection up for sale

Ackerman sci-fi, horror collection up for sale: "He always vowed that he wouldn't die unless he could take it with him.

But now that Forrest J Ackerman really is gone, the grand old man of science fiction's memorabilia collection is on the auction block.

Thousands of items, including the Count Dracula ring worn by Bela Lugosi in the 1931 horror classic 'Dracula,' the vampire cape Lugosi wore for decades _ even the actor's outfit from the 'worst film ever made,' Ed Wood's cheesy 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' _ are going up for bid."

Explore the Spirit: Conversation With Barbara Brown Taylor on "An Altar in the World"

Explore the Spirit: 359: Conversation With Barbara Brown Taylor on "An Altar in the World"

Maureen Dowd - Well, That Certainly Didn’t Take Long - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Well, That Certainly Didn’t Take Long - NYTimes.com: "Even as he told the children his favorite superheroes were Batman and Spider-Man, his own dream of being the superhero who swoops in to swiftly save America was going SPLAT!

It just ain’t that easy.

Unlike W. and Dick Cheney, who heroically resisted acknowledging their historically boneheaded mistakes, President Obama summoned a conga line of Anderson, Katie, Brian, Chris and Charlie to the Oval Office to do penance, over and over.

“I think I messed up. I screwed up,” he confessed to Couric."

Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller dies | ajc.com

Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller dies | ajc.com: "Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity and the Fuller Center for Housing, which together have built more than 200,000 houses for the poor around the world, died Monday night."

A Leap for Teleporting, Between Ions Feet Apart - NYTimes.com

A Leap for Teleporting, Between Ions Feet Apart - NYTimes.com: "Without quite the drama of Alexander Graham Bell calling out, “Mr. Watson, come here!” or the charm of the original “Star Trek” television show, scientists have nonetheless achieved a milestone in communication: teleporting the quantum identity of one atom to another a few feet away."

Advertising - Ads Pushed the Usual (Well-Worn) Buttons - NYTimes.com

Advertising - Ads Pushed the Usual (Well-Worn) Buttons - NYTimes.com: "Few commercials that ran during Super Bowl XLIII on NBC offered viewers anything special. To paraphrase a line from the movie “Sabrina,” you could pick some ads out of a hat blindfolded and come up with better ones."

Comedian Steve Martin Plays Banjo on His New Bluegrass Album, ‘The Crow’ - NYTimes.com

Comedian Steve Martin Plays Banjo on His New Bluegrass Album, ‘The Crow’ - NYTimes.com: "In his mercurial career Mr. Martin, 63, has gone from manic, rabbit-eared stand-up comedian to introspective memoirist. He has made movies for Carl Reiner (“The Jerk”) and David Mamet (“The Spanish Prisoner”) alike. Through his many incarnations a banjo has never been far from his reach, whether the instrument was an integral part of his act or a tool to help him unwind in private.

Now Mr. Martin is once again in the musician’s role as he releases an album called “The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo.”"

Frank Rich - Herbert Hoover Lives - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Herbert Hoover Lives - NYTimes.com: "“It’s up to me to hijack the Obama honeymoon,” Limbaugh soon gloated, “and I’ve done it.” In his dreams. He has hijacked what’s left of the Republican Party; the Obama honeymoon remains intact. The nightmare is that we have so irrelevant, clownish and childish an opposition party at a moment when America is in an all-hands-on-deck emergency that’s as trying as war. To paraphrase a dictum that has been variously attributed to two of our most storied leaders in times of great challenge, Thomas Paine and George Patton, the Republicans should either lead, follow or get out of the grown-ups’ way."

Film - Comic-Book Watchmen Skulk to the Screem - NYTimes.com

Film - Comic-Book Watchmen Skulk to the Screem - NYTimes.com: "WHEN Zack Snyder became the director of the film adaptation of “Watchmen,” the graphic novel about troubled superheroes in a declining age, he knew that he was taking on not only a seminal piece of popular culture but more than 20 years of unfulfilled expectations and competing agendas.

From his encounters with the original comics, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, he was well versed in the creators’ weighty, grown-up ideas about the futility of heroism and knew that they had no enthusiasm for seeing “Watchmen” turned into a movie. He was also aware that many directors before him had been unsuccessful at the same endeavor, and he expected that he would have to fight his studio to make the film he wanted."