culture

It may have taken the De Blasio family a while to decide whether or not they were going to move to Gracie Mansion but it didn’t take long for them to open the doors up to the public, The New York Times reports. On Sunday, newly christened mayor, Bill De Blasio opened his new digs…

On an empty street and under the cover of night, an ambulance appeared at a secured gate at Children’s Hospital Oakland and then quietly pulled away. Inside on a gurney lay Jahi McMath, the 13-year-old girl declared brain-dead nearly a month ago. Her family had been fighting for this day as they clashed with officials…

Now that Chicago has recorded the fewest number of murders since 1965, maybe the hyperbole that the city is the murder capital of America will die. Doubtful. But I would like to use this opportunity for the city’s residents to think differently about crime and neighborhoods, and how we respond to perceptions. Chicagoans, let’s please…

It’s been nearly a year since 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found dead, rolled up inside of a mat in the gym of his Georgia high school. Investigators concluded that he died in a freak accident, falling head-first while reaching for a shoe and becoming trapped, the Associated Press reports. But almost a full day passed…

Dennis Rodman has released the list of athletes who will play in an exhibition basketball game against a top North Korean Senior National team on Jan. 8, marking Kim Jong Un’s birthday in Pyongyang, the Associated Press reports. Rodman reportedly will lead a team that includes former NBA All-Stars Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson and Vin…

Ten-year-old Oscar-nominated actress Quvenzhané Wallis stands to earn $1.5 million for her performance in the remake of Annie, TMZ reports. Wallis was nominated last year for the Oscar for best actress for her breakout role in Beasts of the Southern Wild. Now, for her role in Annie, Wallis is scheduled to receive a base salary…

Michelle Obama will remain in Hawaii for a few extra days after her family heads back to the White House Sunday, following a two-week vacation, the Associated Press reports. The first lady will spend time with friends before her 50th birthday party. The White House says the extra time in Hawaii is part of President…

Former Republican presidential candidate and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appeared on Fox News Sunday to address the controversy surrounding comments made about his grandson on a segment Melissa Harris-Perry’s MSNBC show last week. He told Fox host Chris Wallace that he accepts her “heartfelt apology” and was ready to move on from the episode. The controversy began after Harris-Perry…

(Update 11:50 am: On Fox News this morning, Mitt Romney accepted Melissa Harris Perry’s apology. View here.) MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry issued a tearful on-air apology Saturday to Mitt Romney’s family for her controversial comments about the former GOP presidential candidate’s adopted grandchild, saying she was “deeply sorry” for how the segment unfolded.  Harris-Perry came…

O.J. Simpson is asking President Barack Obama for clemency, saying he may have brain cancer and should be allowed to leave his Nevada jail cell, the Washington Times reports. Simpson, 66, reportedly wrote a letter appealing to Obama for relief from his 33-year sentence for kidnapping and robbery, the Times says. Citing the Mirror News,…