Former senator Scott Brown has reportedly decided not to run for John Kerry's vacated Senate seat, for bqhatever reason.

If you need any more proof of the increased cultural pull of Jennie Livingston's 1990 New York drag-ball documentary Paris Is Burning, look no further than the most popular show in the United States. On last night's American Idol, former judge/Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler donned a wig, makeup and a dress for a gag audition. He introduced himself as "Pepper LaBeija, from the House of LaBeija," referencing an actual (now dead) human being, who is featured prominently in Burning. Granted, the joke of Tyler's appearance was to be antithetical to the "realness" rhapsodized by the Burning queens. His drag was more on the Milton Berle side of things, approaching disrespect for the medium, but at least he knows his shit — or knows someone who knows. Wise.

As part of an ongoing project, we've written letters to American death row prisoners scheduled for execution this year. We asked them about their lives in prison, their daily routines, and their thoughts on the American justice system. Today, a response from Douglas Feldman, a death row prisoner in Texas.

NBC News President Steve Capus is leaving the network after 20 years.

Twenty-seven New Hampshire bear cub orphans are having the slumber party of their lives this winter, because they have decided not to go to sleep.

In an interview with the New York Times that was "not to be made public until Mr. Koch's death," former NYC mayor Ed Koch—who died earlier this morning—finally said what he really wanted to about his former mayoral opponent Mario Cuomo—he's "a prick."

In 2011, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania went bankrupt. Municipally bankrupt. The city is broke, tapped, in penury, scraping by on nada. Personal bankruptcy is tragic, and corporate bankruptcy is financially significant, but there is something especially pitiful about municipal bankruptcies. An entire city of thousands, whose leadership has failed them. It's like watching a scrappy but flailing football team losing in a particularly bloody way.

Applebee's this morning finally issued an official statement concerning the controversial termination of server Chelsea Welch, and managed to rile up even more potential customers in the process.

Suicide is the leading cause of death among active duty US soldiers. And it's widely known that suicide is a big problem for veterans, too—but solid statistics have been hard to come by. Now, a new study says that, yes, suicide is a problem for veterans. And for everyone else.

Though it initially made "absolute assurances" that all of its burgers were 100% beef, Burger King has been forced to admit that some of its patties may have contained horse meat, after traces of equine DNA were found at one of their processing plants.

A suicide bomber struck inside the American embassy in Ankara, the Turkish capital, on Friday, killing a Turkish embassy worker and the suicide bomber. According to investigators, the bomber panicked at the security checkpoint and detonated the bomb early.

Ed Koch, the former New York City Mayor who took the city back from the financial brink before presiding over its crack epidemic and AIDS crisis, died of congestive heart failure early this morning. He was 88.

Good news for the entirety of the internet, which it turns out is an entity solely supported by people arguing about "Girls": HBO has picked up another show to be helmed by Lena Dunham hired Dunham to write a new pilot. It's called "Harlem," and will see Dunham profiling the lives of those in New York City's worst projects in a show that insiders are likening to "The Wire." Just kidding.

Burger King has finally admitted to being Horsemeat King.

Early this morning, veteran Kaufman, Tex. County prosecutor Mark E. Hasse, pictured above, was walking across an employee parking lot near the courthouse there like he probably has countless of times. But today was different: at least one gunman hopped out of a Ford Taurus and murdered him in broad daylight before speeding off. Witnesses described a scene that seemed ripped straight from a million generic Hollywood films: the assailants were wearing masks, vests and all-black clothing.

Some cops play by the rules, others do not. Gerald Gibson is a narcotics officer in Philadelphia who allegedly does not play by the rules. He's also the son-in-law of Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett (pictured above). This should be fun.

Can someone in Indiana swing by and pick up these elephants?

Just like Katie Couric's interview with Manti Te'o last week, Dr. Phil's session with Te'o's hoaxer Ronaiah Tuiasosopo was basically a lot of sorry explanations from Ronaiah followed by an equal number "are you for real?" faces from Dr. Phil.

A number of people have reportedly been injured in an explosion at the Mexico City skyscraper that serves as the offices of Pemex, the state-owned oil monopoly. Details right now are scarce, but the company confirmed via Twitter that people were injured on the ground floor and mezzanine level of the building. According to Telemundo, the explosion was caused by an electrical issue.

The Dr. Frankenstein who wrought Kate Middleton's infamously terrible official portait upon the world has finally been negged into submission: driven mad by the endless bad press, he has created a second, lovely portrait in black and white.