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Fuck, we just realized that we actually HAVE heartstrings and, what's worse, the New York Times is pulling on them. Well, it's actually Joyce Wadler's Boldfaced Names and, more specifically, her poor legger Lily Koppel that we want to protect (must we consider them part of the Times? They're too cracky for that. They deserve better, no?).

Little Lily went to the Columbia campus (never heard of it. Is that uptown?) for a screening of I Heart Huckabees; afterwards, in the Q&A with director David O. Russell, Lily was ousted from the room by Russell and hiveminded students who couldn't seem to understand why a reporter from the freaking Times would want to politely ask questions. Read on for an excerpt of the incident, which must make Journalism Dean Lemann super-duper proud of his academic "community."

"So what are you writing about?" Mr. Russell asked. "Are you like one of those Page Six people who are like a stringer and write something and try to sell it to them?"

"Why are you here?" Mr. Russell repeated.

Is this a existentialist question? Must be, for the peanut gallery of 90 or so students are angrily echoing it:

"Yeah, why are you here?" "Yeah, why is she here?" "Why are you here, man?"

Would Mr. Russell like us to leave?

The class's reaction time is faster. They erupt with shouts of "Yes!"

"This is journalism for you," Mr. Russell said as we left.

Yup. He got that right.

Columbia Film School vs. J-School rumble after school! At the bike racks!
Hey, Pal! Where's The Lousy Compassion? [NYT]