Heading into the third Hangover's Memorial Day weekend release, the proposition of reviewing such a ridiculous film set off a competition of sorts between critics who have each tried their hardest to criticize the movie in the most excoriating way possible. Let's award some prizes.
The Summer of Love has come and gone, never to be recorded in the official Mad Men record as the show's historical context — at once subtle and yet always looming — heads deep into the shadows of a complex year.
American royalty Beyonce and Jay-Z recently took their families on a vacation to Cuba, despite restrictions on American travel to that country. This has some Florida Republicans writing sternly worded letters to the Department of Treasury looking for answers.
Welcome to the Box Office Report, where we're never astounded by America's appetite for blood and guts on the big screen.
Box office hero Melissa McCarthy stopped by Saturday Night Live for the second time in her career last night and saved the episode when some of the jokes weren't that great. Oh, and a certain Tyrion Lannister showed up ahead of this Sunday's Game of Thrones premiere.
The San Antonio Spurs' Stephen Jackson is one of the most overpaid players in the National Basketball Association, according to a man who Jackson says is "dying inside."
If you had an extortion investigation in your "what twists the Rutgers basketball scandal will take next" pool, well, collect your winnings. Also, buy a lottery ticket because you may be telepathic. Because the F.B.I. is investigating Eric Murdock, the whistleblowing former assistant coach, for extortion.
Yesterday a rumor about four gay NFL athletes coming out of the closet together seemed to push the gay rights in sports debate to the precipice. Except that rumor was more than a little untrue, and now gay rights in sports advocates are more than a little mad.
It was easy to forget he was gone, but Wesley Snipes has been in a Pennsylvania jail since December 2010 for failing to file his tax returns. And now he's free! Sort of. He's confined to house arrest until July 19. And just in case he's reading this: being under house arrest DOES NOT get you out of filing your taxes. Get on it!
Today in show business: History has renewed its first-ever scripted series, Jessica Chastain is headed to a haunted house, and the new Godzilla movie has a weird cast.
We're sure some people were excited by the news Friday that the Hallmark Channel will be launching a kitten-themed competitor to Animal Planet's immensely popular (but apparently speciesist) Puppy Bowl come halftime next February. We are not those people. Are you?
Today in viral videos: Kid President gets the White House tour he deserves, remembering Roger Ebert, and the best fake social media sites created by the television industry.
The most richly satisfying comedy on television, Veep is an assured, but manic, delight. And it benefits hugely from the second season settle, when a show has worked out the kinks and can truly hit the ground running come premiere time.
According to the strict media spoiler rules of the notoriously secretive show runner, the most revealing parts of Sunday's two-hour premiere include "partnerships" and, well, office-building architecture. Don't worry, we're not really spoiling anything here.
Danny Boyle's new art heist/hypnotism picture Trance can't help but ooze a sense of dreamy soulfulness.
Call this the anti-Veronica Mars. A James Franco "guided" performance art piece called BirdShit is going up at MoMA PS1 on Sunday and needs $30,000. So he's asking for the money on Indiegogo.
It's hard to write about Mad Men before a season premiere because — well, because there are a lot of rules about this stuff. But some outlets have succeeded at offering (excited!) fans some (somewhat important!) insight into what's ahead.
Last night, after trotting out Carrie Underwood in some misguided attempt to remind us why we watch Idol in the first place, the awful, terrible, vain and aggravating Lazaro survived — either to keep us watching before he gets bumped off next week, or because this is really where America's at right now. Voting for dreadful Lazaro.
Today in celebrity news: Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen look for a place in Manhattan, William and Kate meet some Scottish people, and a real housewife has a real plane problem.
As we mourn the passing of Roger Ebert, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that another film and journalism icon who recently died, Nora Ephron, will be the subject of an HBO documentary.
There's some very exciting news for Y.A. readers and nostalgists today. Via a new imprint, Lizzie Skurnick Books, an array of long-forgotten reads from the '30s to the '80s will be back.
Movie fans, journalists, Chicagoans, and, truly, all Americans lost a hero yesterday when they learned that Roger Ebert had died following his lengthy battle with cancer. We've collected some of the words — and images — from those remembrances.
On The Daily Show last night, Stewart went after Jeff Zucker's newfangled approach at CNN, taking aim at hologram goats, vegetarians who eat bacon, and horrifying murder recreations.
When the Mike Rice controversy exploded this week, the one person everyone immediately thought of was Bobby Knight. He's the guy you think of when an NCAA basketball coach puts his hand on a player, but he won't be saying anything and ESPN is fine with that.
We've seen Sunday's two-hour season six opener, but we can't say much about it. We can, however, gently point you to Netflix for ten previous episodes that you might find very helpful.
Today in show business news: Ryan Murphy is selling a show about sex, Barbra Streisand wants to direct again, and a first glimpse at the new Carrie movie is not promising.
As we ping-pong temperature-wise on the East Coast between winter and spring, spring books are arriving, regardless of the weather. Here are a few we can't wait to dive into.
The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that its longtime film critic Roger Ebert, whose long battle with cancer couldn't take him away from the words he loved so much, has passed away at the age of 70.
Friday marks the re-release of Jurassic Park in 3D, and Entertainment Weekly has put together a fun oral history of Steven Spielberg's classic blockbuster, which reveals that the iconic puppet playing the iconic dinosaur had something of a mind of its own.
Of the many silly ways that Fox and the show's producers have tried to shake up this season of American Idol, last night's was maybe the silliest. But we must press on, so let's do just that.
Your save the date for the Bluth family reunion has arrived. You have a little over a month to prepare, and prepare you must. Like so.
Remember how Gatsby's green light was so important? No? Did you not write an entire five-page essay on that once? Well, now Florence and the Machine will sing about it to you.
Today in celebrity news: Charlie is leaving Girls, a Game of Thrones actress is completely broke, and big One Direction dental news.
The grade-school antics of the Late Night Feud of 2013 may have officially concluded with NBC's announcement that Jimmy Fallon would take over for Jay Leno. But, come on, late-night television is full of comedic egos and big contracts — you thought they were going to stop the fun there?
Wednesday was a big day for Jimmy Fallon. He officially became the host of Tonight, joining the ranks of Johnny Carson. For his predecessor Jay Leno, though, Wednesday was "really awkward."
Hacker News today surfaced this Angel Fire page that looks like it was created by a 15-year-old Mark Zuckerberg, which we hope is the case because it would be a wonderful little look into a hacker's humble beginnings.
Today in show business news: Disney is looking for the perfect Cinderella, Warner Bros. assesses the Giant damage, and Matthew McConaughey is a go for Christopher Nolan.
This afternoon we became excited because we heard some rumblings about a trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. How exciting, we thought to ourselves. Might we get a peak at Katniss and Peeta's victory tour? At new characters Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason? At the arena for the Quarter Quell? Then a teaser for a teaser broke our hearts.
Now that it's official that Jimmy Fallon will take over The Tonight Show from Jay Leno next February, it's time to start thinking about what it all means for the entertainment powers-that-program-NBC are shifting form an old yukkity-yuk to a hip R.A. Well, if anything it shows us this generation is, for better or worse, getting the Tonight Show host it deserves. Just as the last one did.
Now that we know that Jimmy Fallon is officially taking over The Tonight Show from Jay Leno in 2014, there's one big question remaining: Will the Roots go with him?
After weeks of very public infighting and very bad jokes, NBC confirmed Wednesday afternoon that Fallon will replace Jay Leno in February 2014. And according to interviews in a detailed report breaking the story wide open, Leno insists that this is not a repeat of the Conan O'Brien affair — even after all the recent high-profile nastiness.
The indefinite suspension didn't last very long for the Florida morning-radio hosts who used a chemical name for water in a public health scare gone weird, and according to an official at the local health department they also won't be charged with a felony.
The school finally fired its head basketball coach after immense pressure over video that surfaced Tuesday showing Rice's outrageous behavior at team practices. But the public outrage continues, with many saying the move came too late and that the school athletic director and even its president should be next to go. Even Chris Christie is speaking out.
As is usually the case with a Justified finale, most of the season's plot threads were tied up, with a main villain vanquished, but one major note of uncertainty hung in the air.
Honey, don't stop — touring, that is. Yes, the Stones announced today that, after shows in New York and London last year, the world's oldest biggest rock band is going back on the road in 2013.
Today in celebrity news: The embattled Today host recently had some Hamptons issues, a Glee actress is pregnant, and Justin Bieber is still upset about Selena.
The world's most legendary movie critic with a career longevity that no illness has seemed to conquer, announced in a blog post last night that he's receiving treatment for another bout of cancer and "must slow down" his voracious output. For anyone else, that would mean slowing down a lot.
NBC has now signed, sealed, and almost delivered its next host of The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon, who has the contract in hand to prove he'll take the biggest promotion in late night — even if nobody really knows when he'll actually take it.
Maureen Johnson, the Y.A. novelist whose latest book, The Madness Underneath, was released in February, provides regular dispatches to 75,000-plus followers via her "main thing online," Twitter.
Jane Henson, the woman who helped create and bring the Muppets to the world stage, died in her Connecticut home on Tuesday after a battle with cancer. She was 78.
Have a story we missed? A link we have to click? A sharp opinion about the news? Instead of waiting for us to post it, tell us on the Open Wire.
Submit your news and ideas | See all reader postsThe Atlantic Wire is your authoritative guide to the news and ideas that matter most right now. Our team tracks newsmakers and opinions across the entire media spectrum: newspapers, web sites, television, radio and magazines.
But we do more than just collect information. By synthesizing, analyzing and summarizing what’s out there, and adding new information when we can, we are a news engine that gives you a quick and valuable account of the issues of the day.
Have a hot tip? A story we missed? Tell us on the Open Wire
How to send us editorial or technical feedback
Get Five Best Columns in your inbox each morning (preview)
