What's Next for Beloved Consumer Advocate Elizabeth Warren

Jim Newell · 07/18/11 01:36PM

President Obama broke some news this weekend, while he and the fam were watching ladies' soccer games. He chose to nominate Richard Cordray, a former Ohio attorney general, to be the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that was created in last year's Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. But the interesting thing about this Cordray fellow is that his name isn't "Elizabeth Warren." What gives?

Real Housewives of New Jersey: Hell's Bells

Richard Lawson · 07/18/11 01:16PM

Last night's episode of The Tan Without a Face saw everyone preparing for Christmas, hanging stockings with care and trying desperately to not get in another huge family brawl. Well, actually, they weren't trying that hard at all.

Parasitic Aggregator 'Reader's Digest' Wants a Billion Dollars

Hamilton Nolan · 07/18/11 01:11PM

In your sunny Monday media column: Reader's Digest is for sale (and maybe Wenner Media too?), a theory of typos, a horrific penalty for insulting Fox News, and your Immediately Discarded Rupert Murdoch Theory of the Day.

The Racist and Homophobic Yard Sale Posting You Won't Believe

Brian Moylan · 07/18/11 12:53PM

Imagine a bargain hunter's shock and dismay when responding to an ad on Craigslist listing a bunch of possessions for sale and then receiving an email announcing that gay people, Muslims, and illegal immigrants aren't allowed to purchase the wares. Read it for yourself.

The Anti-Climactic Debt Ceiling Endgame Is Coming Into Focus

Jim Newell · 07/18/11 11:29AM

What will be the final budget-cuttin' number Congress agrees on before raising the debt ceiling, assuming they don't go with "the apocalypse option" instead? Two trillion? Four trillion? Nine trillion bajillion dollars? Let's go with "zero trillion but something that lets Republicans pretend to look tough anyway" as the probable end to this farce of a government negotiating process.

Whites Win Control of Nation's Capital

Hamilton Nolan · 07/18/11 11:08AM

Free at last! For the past half-century, the capital of our whole entire nation (Washington, DC) has been under the numerical dominance of second-class citizens: black people. Sounds like bad PR, for America!

Only You Can Save Emmy Rossum Using Facebook

Studio@Gawker · 07/18/11 11:00AM

Remember the golden days of childhood, when you'd consume musty library copies of Choose Your Own Adventure books like so many Warheads, feeling like you controlled the universe? Well, here's your opportunity to recreate the magic: Inside, a legit film experiment in which you can help control the action, is premiering next Monday, July 25.

Justin Bieber Crashed a Wedding Because He Heard His Song Playing

Maureen O'Connor · 07/18/11 10:35AM

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez crash a wedding. Khloe Kardashian's husband mauls a pedestrian. Rachel Uchitel loses $10 million. Nikki Blonsky is the saddest washed-up celebrity in America. Monday gossip is the stuff of legend.

Are Dads Cool With Their Sons Wearing Pink? An 'Investigation'

Whitney Jefferson · 07/18/11 10:30AM

Good Morning America has gone ahead and created a non-issue out of a few Dads feeling weird about their sons wearing pink. We know how much GMA loves their panels, so they gathered a group of fathers and a separate group of little dudes to get some opinions on the non-matter. The series of questioning involved the interviewer raising a tiara in her hand and asking, gravely, "What would you say if your son wanted to wear this to school?" Dum-dum-DUM!

Harry Potter Is Bigger Than Ever

Richard Lawson · 07/18/11 10:26AM

The boy wizard has broom-swooped through multiplexes one last time, and holly hippogriffs did he do well. Other stuff was in theaters too, of course, and it was a busy weekend overall, but Harry reigned hugely.

Which Actress Got So Drunk She Peed Her Pants?

Brian Moylan · 07/18/11 10:06AM

This actress got so sloppy at a local bar while on location she had an "accident." These married celebrities never have sex. And this singer broke up with her man because she's having an affair with another superstar. Who could it be? We're wetting ourselves with anticipation.

Mila Kunis & Justin Timberlake Discuss Embracing Marines' Balls

Dodai Stewart · 07/18/11 09:35AM

This morning on Today, while promoting Friends With Benefits, Mila and JT brought the testicular humor as they talked about the Marine Corps Ball. Mila declared, "Marines have a lot of balls." Justin agreed, "Marines got balls," and added, "we want to pay honor to our country and embrace their balls." Justin continued to ham it up even after Lester Holt ended the segment.

Swedish Police Have a Sperm-Sniffing Dog

Jeff Neumann · 07/18/11 06:27AM

Police in southern Sweden have a new tool for fighting sex crimes — a dog named Rapports Opus that is trained to sniff out sperm at crime scenes. According to English-language newspaper The Local, police in the town of Karlskrona have arrested a 23-year-old man and charged him with rape after Rapports Opus was brought to a park in the town where a woman was sexually assaulted: