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Latest from Boston

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:37:00 +0000

Updated: 5:01 p.m.

The organizing body pledges to run the maration next year. Here's the complete statement from Thomas Grilk, Executive Director of the Boston Athletic Association.

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) extends its deepest sympathies to all those who were affected by Monday's tragic events. Those who lost their lives and were injured are in our thoughts and prayers.

It is a sad day for the City of Boston, for the running community, and for all those who were here to enjoy the 117th running of the Boston Marathon. What was intended to be a day of joy and celebration quickly became a day in which running a marathon was of little importance.

We want to express our deepest gratitude to all of the B.A.A. medical personnel and volunteers and the City of Boston’s first responders who reacted so courageously to help save lives. Special thanks to the loyal Boston Marathon community – over 8500 volunteers, 1000 medical personnel, the organizing committee, and hundreds of thousands along the race route – who make the experience what it is for all our runners, who are hurting today.

We would like to thank the countless people from around the world who have reached out to support us over the last 24 hours.

We are cooperating with the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and all federal law enforcement officials in the investigation and the effort to bring those responsible for this tragedy to justice, so we are limited in what information we can provide.

Boston is strong. Boston is resilient. Boston is our home. And Boston has made us enormously proud in the past 24 hours. The Boston Marathon is a deeply held tradition – an integral part of the fabric and history of our community. We are committed to continuing that tradition with the running of the 118th Boston Marathon in 2014.

The politics of “ZD30,” “House of Cards”

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:15:00 +0000

Steve Kornacki: I was just thinking, this is for me -- being with Ramin and Andrew -- is good practice for “Up,” because I’m surrounded by two people who are much, much smarter than me. So I’m going to basically ask the questions here and try to steer the conversation and let you hear from these guys. I guess a good place to start would be that we had three really high-profile films last year that were politically themed: “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Lincoln,” and “Argo.” I’m going to start with you, Ramin: Do you see any kind of a trend there, or any kind of statement about the time we’re in? Is there more of an appetite for political films?

Ramin Bahrani: Well, probably Andrew would know historically, but I think depending on what’s happening in the world, there’s always a possibility for a political film to exist. I mean, “Zero Dark Thirty” was probably the one that was the most directly connected to what was happening, “Lincoln” in more of a shadow way, “Argo,” I think, in maybe a way that makes the least sense in terms of what’s happening, actually. I think there’s always an appetite, and now that we clearly have a major conflict in Washington, I think that Occupy Wall Street is making people think very differently about society and our role in it. I think wealth and equality and this whole idea [of a] 99 percent is a huge topic – it’s on people’s minds, especially young people. So anyway, that informs cinema.

We’re updating our sign in and registration system

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 03:00:00 +0000

We're happy to announce that we are revitalizing the Salon community with great features like a new Salon profile, a much-needed complete comments overhaul, and improvements to the sign in and registration process. We've started by updating the sign in and registration pop-up with a less buggy interface and more clear messaging. We hope this makes signing into Salon much easier.

Users with a current Salon account can still log in via their Google, Facebook or legacy Salon accounts. You may have to re-authenticate with Facebook and Google, but you will be signed in to the correct comments accounts that your social network login has already been associated with. New users can also create an account by using Facebook or Google .

Please bear with us while we take the time to improve the overall user experience. If you are experiencing issues or have any questions, feel free to check the comments FAQ or email help@salon.com. We'll be happy to help you through this transition.

Happy commenting!

The week in 10 pics

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0000

From Oscar Pistorius to Oscar preparations, a look at the stories that defined the week

The Grammy Awards: Who won?

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:30:00 +0000

RECORD OF THE YEAR

Lonely Boy - The Black Keys

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson

We Are Young - Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe

WINNER: Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra

Thinkin Bout You - Frank Ocean

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

El Camino - The Black Keys

Some Nights - Fun.

WINNER: Babel - Mumford & Sons

Channel Orange - Frank Ocean

Blunderbuss - Jack White

SONG OF THE YEAR

The A Team - Ed Sheeran, songwriter (Ed Sheeran)

Adorn - Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)

Call Me Maybe - Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen)

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Jörgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi, songwriters (Kelly Clarkson)

WINNER: We Are Young - Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe)

BEST NEW ARTIST

Alabama Shakes

WINNER: Fun.

Hunter Hayes

The Lumineers

Frank Ocean

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE

WINNER: Set Fire To The Rain [live] - Adele

The 2013 Academy Awards readers poll

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:25:00 +0000

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Super Bowl liveblog

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 23:30:00 +0000

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How should “30 Rock” end?

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 22:24:00 +0000

For the past four months, we've grappled with our grief as "30 Rock's" series finale was drawing closer and closer, by reaching out to kindred spirits, and asking — teary-eyed, in earnest — "How does it all end?"

And now that dreaded night has arrived: The last episode airs tonight, and before it does, we'd like to share the hilarious fantasies of how our favorite TV sitcom wraps up:

Patton Oswalt, stand-up comedian, actor and author of "Zombie Spaceship Wasteland."

What happens in the last episode of "30 Rock"? Easy. Jack and Liz get together. That’s what it says here in the script they sent me. I play the minister who marries them in the final scene. Wait, am I not supposed to be revealing this?

Rachel Shukert, author of the forthcoming novel "Starstruck":

My fantasy is that Tina Fey will break the fourth wall during the "30 Rock" series finale and tell us that the last year has been a total fake-out and the show isn’t ending at all. But this seems unlikely. Still, it feels only appropriate for a show so unabashedly about the glories (and failures) of television itself to take inspiration from the great series finales of the past. So here goes.

“Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall”

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:06:00 +0000

The address Obama will deliver Monday at the U.S. Capitol:

Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth. The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob. They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.

Salon’s guide to writing a memoir

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 23:00:00 +0000

It’s a genre that critics love to bag on, and readers love to devour. But we like to think that it’s not bad to write a memoir, it’s just very hard to write a good one. So we asked 10 of our favorite first-person authors for their best advice on the form. Get ready to take notes, gaze at your navel -- and learn from the masters.

Anne Lamott (“Operating Instructions,” “Grace, Eventually,” “Help, Thanks, Wow”):

The most important advice I could give to aspiring memoir writers is that it's pretty much all hopeless. There is very little chance that you will get your memoir published by a mainstream publisher (or, for that matter, your novel). Also, if you do get published, the process will make you way more mental than you already are. Plus, almost no one makes a great living as a writer. You have to be willing to take a real job, to finance your writing life. I cleaned houses and taught tennis lessons on the one court in Bolinas, Calif., for most of my 20s. Before that, I worked as a clerk typist at Bechtel, and as an assistant at a magazine.

Golden Globes 2013: The winners

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:13:00 +0000

Watch the Golden Globes with us and keep track of your favorite movies and TV shows!

MOTION PICTURES

1. Best Motion Picture (Drama):

WINNER: “Argo”

“Django Unchained”

“Life of Pi”

“Lincoln”

“Zero Dark Thirty”

2. Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama):

WINNER: Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”

Marion Cotillard, “Rust & Bone”

Helen Mirren, “Hitchcock”

Naomi Watts, “The Impossible”

Rachel Weisz, “The Deep Blue Sea”

3. Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama):

WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”

Richard Gere, “Arbitrage”

John Hawkes, “The Sessions”

Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master”

Denzel Washington, “Flight”

4. Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical):

“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”

WINNER: “Les Miserables”

“Moonrise Kingdom”

“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”

“Silver Linings Playbook”

5. Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical):

Emily Blunt, “Salmon Fishing In The Yemen”

“Lincoln” leads race to Oscars with 12 nominations

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:10:00 +0000

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The Civil War saga "Lincoln" leads the Academy Awards with 12 nominations, including best picture, director for Steven Spielberg and acting honors for Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. Also among the 9 nominees for best picture Thursday: the old-age love story "Amour"; the Iran hostage thriller "Argo"; the independent hit "Beasts of the Southern Wild"; the slave-revenge narrative "Django Unchained"; the musical "Les Miserables"; the shipwreck story "Life of Pi"; the lost-souls romance "Silver Linings Playbook"; and the Osama bin Laden manhunt chronicle "Zero Dark Thirty."

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Chronicling Abraham Lincoln's final months as he engineers passage of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, "Lincoln" stars best-actor contender Day-Lewis in a monumental performance as the 16th president, supporting-actress nominee Field as the notoriously headstrong Mary Todd Lincoln and supporting-actor prospect Jones as abolitionist firebrand Thaddeus Stevens.

Joining Day-Lewis in the best-actor field are Bradley Cooper as a psychiatric patient trying to get his life back together in "Silver Linings Playbook"; Hugh Jackman as Victor Hugo's tragic hero Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables"; Joaquin Phoenix as a Navy vet who falls in with a cult in "The Master"; and Denzel Washington as a boozy airline pilot in "Flight."

Oscar nominations: Actors

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 13:45:00 +0000

A look at the nominees for best actor and actress and best supporting actor and actress

Dumb tweet of the day: “Mr Obama Clause”

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 22:19:00 +0000

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NBC chief: We might whack Trump if he goes too far

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 01:20:00 +0000

Donald Trump has called for revolution and advocated ridiculous birther nonsense. But none of that seems too outrageous to NBC chief Bob Greenblatt.

At the Television Critics Association conference on Sunday, Greenblatt was asked if NBC asked the host of "The Apprentice" to dial back his clownish politics. The answer appeared to be no.

No mild sexual innuendo! This is Utah!

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 23:40:00 +0000

A software company with offices in Utah is afraid that a possible sexual innuendo in its street address may make business go, well, soft.

The address? Morning Glory Road.

Xactware Solutions Inc., concerned that sharing a road with the uncommon slang term for an erection might distract customers or simply make them confuse software with hardware, asked the city of Lehi to change the name to Morning Vista Road. They said it did not fit their "international corporate image."

The city, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, complied -- though they didn't understand the problem. "We never knew about the ulterior definitions until that came to light a little while ago," local economic development director Jonathan Gardner told the paper.

Dumb tweet of the day: “Obama’s gestapo EPA”

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 22:35:00 +0000

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Dumb tweet of the day: Colin Powell or Simon Cowell?

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 22:04:00 +0000

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Cleric “gang rape” story debunked

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:32:00 +0000

Salon re-published a story Wednesday from one of our partner sites, AlterNet, with the headline "Saudi religious leader calls for gang rape of Syrian women." The story reported that cleric Sheikh Mohammad Al-Arifi had urged Syrian fighters to satisfy their sexual urges in "short-term marriages" as a means of boosting morale in their fight against the Assad regime. AlterNet has since retracted the story, saying it was "based on a false report," and published an explanation for how a story so flawed could be published. Salon has removed the story from our archives, and regrets running the original story.

Dumb tweet of the day: “Who invented sex?!”

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 22:19:00 +0000

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