The Iron Lady: At Least the Soundtrack Will Be Good

Max Read · 11/14/11 10:24PM

Here's the first non-teaser trailer for the new Meryl Streep-starring Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady. She nails the voice! But is "heroic" really the right tone for a Thatcher movie? (Or "funny," for that matter?) Or maybe the studios are just hoping that no one remembers who she was, so they can sell her as a transcendental figure, rather than a venal, racist warmonger and friend of oppressive regimes the world over? Whatever the case, the soundtrack is going to be good, for sure. Never has a single individual inspired so much great music!

Wimps Infest Tech

Ryan Tate · 11/14/11 08:45PM

The internet has enabled instant feedback from millions of consumers, but that doesn't mean you always have to listen to them. Online discounter Overstock.com became O.co six months ago but announced today it is switching back. Enough flip flopping. Grow a spine, tech companies.

Jerry Sandusky and His Teen-Impregnating Lawyer Give an Unbearable Interview

Max Read · 11/14/11 08:25PM

Accused pedophile and former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky kicked off a sad attempt at a positive publicity campaign Tuesday night with an interview on NBC, accompanied by his lawyer, who impregnated a 16-year-old when he was 49. Sound P.R. strategy, Jer! Update: And oh, wow, was that interview worse than anything you could have imagined.

The Fashion World Is on the Cusp of Forgiving John Galliano

Brian Moylan · 11/14/11 07:17PM

John Galliano, the Dior designer who was found guilty of hate speech for his anti-Semitic rant in a Paris bar and fired from both Dior and his John Galliano label, is about to be welcomed back to the fashion fold. How can we tell? The sympathetic quotes are piling up.

Facebook Is Drowning in a Flood of Hardcore Porn

Adrian Chen · 11/14/11 06:42PM

If you walked by your coworker today and saw hardcore porn filling her screen, there may be an innocent explanation. Some sort of hack is currently spewing porn and gore all over Facebook. It's a porn flood!

Watch a 12-Year-Old Put Your Startup To Shame

Ryan Tate · 11/14/11 06:11PM

This 12-year-old iPhone developer has a couple of all-too-rare things going for him: A solid product idea, and a strong ability to communicate with the public. The rest of the tech world should watch his TED talk—yes, his TED talk; what, haven't you done one?—and learn.

Mississippi Sorority Blackface Incident Is Year's Most Predictable Incident

Hamilton Nolan · 11/14/11 05:40PM

College sorority blackface Halloween party controversy news of the day: "The [University of Southern Mississippi] Dean of Students Office said the six women, all members of Phi Mu sorority, dressed in blackface to depict themselves as the Huxtable family from 'The Cosby Show,' as part of their participation in a 1980s-themed, off-campus costume party on Wednesday."

Libya Question Leads to Hot Herman Cain Brain Fart Action

Jim Newell · 11/14/11 05:25PM

In a meeting with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's editorial board, Herman Cain was asked whether he agreed with President Obama on Libya or not. Maybe that was vague, but that's a good thing! It invited him to simply deliver his canned spiel about Libya. He did have a canned spiel about Libya, right?

Rapper Lil B 'Got AIDS'

James Apsimon · 11/14/11 05:09PM

You may have noticed that "Got AIDS" is now trending on Twitter. That's because Berkeley rapper Lil B—who is either the Wesley Willis or the Andy Kaufman of hip-hop—just released a track called "I Got AIDS (AIDS Awareness Song)."

Why Doesn't CBS News Want You to Know This Mayor Is Gay?

Brian Moylan · 11/14/11 04:58PM

Last night CBS News did a segment about Alex Morse, the newly-elected 22-year-old mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts. It's not only newsworthy that Morse is the country's youngest mayor, but also newsworthy that he's one of only a handful of openly gay mayors. So, why did they gloss over the second fact?

The Supercommittee's Brilliant Plan to Punt Yet Again

Jim Newell · 11/14/11 04:11PM

Here's a brief guide to congressional debt politics in 2011: In the debt ceiling deal, $1 trillion in spending cuts (or caps on future spending, mostly) was made, while punting at least $1.2 trillion in additional savings to be determined by a supercommittee, later. The supercommitee, now, is considering this brave solution as its deadline nears: Making trillions in additional spending cuts, while punting decisions on additional tax revenue to be determined by congressional finance committees, later.

White People Have Lost Control of the Heartland

Hamilton Nolan · 11/14/11 04:06PM

What an age we live in! Whereas America sprung full-formed from the breast of Jesus as a white Christian nation in 1776, now we have all types of weird foreign people here. And we welcome them, now that they've gotten in despite our considerable national spirit of xenophobia! Middle America is no longer as white as it's always been (since we killed the natives!).

Mad Men Creator Gives Away the Series' Ending

Brian Moylan · 11/14/11 03:54PM

On Friday night, moody Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner had a public discussion in L.A. to talk about all sorts of things. Grantland, the site no one wants to admit that they're reading religiously, was there to jot down his thoughts, including how Mad Men will end.