culture

A white Massachusetts mother, whose biracial son was the alleged target of racist graffiti scrawled on the side of their home, is now at the center of the investigation, the Huffington Post reports. Police are examining handwriting samples of the mother, Andrea Brazier, after she reportedly said, “OK” when an FBI agent investigating the potential…

Fans of ABC’s Scandal will have to make do with four fewer episodes this season. Yes, it’s a scandal for acolytes of the stylishly smart and transgressive Olivia Pope character, but there’s likely a good reason. Although the network did not offer an explanation for why it will broadcast 18 instead of 22 episodes, the Associated Press…

Veteran rapper Jay Z led all artists, with nine Grammy nominations on Friday, but newbies Lorde, Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis surpassed other heavyweights like Justin Timberlake for rankings in the top categories of the annual music awards, Yahoo News reports. In second place with seven nods apiece were Timberlake and Pharrell Williams,…

Although he has a few more years in his second term, President Barack Obama is beginning to open up about plans after the White House. And one thing the avid sports fan would like to do is to become an ESPN anchor. He reportedly made the statement to Disney executive Robert Iger, whose company includes…

An African-American member of the Long Island, N.Y. police force alleges that she was racially profiled by colleagues during an arrest on Nov. 29, despite identifying herself as a member of the force, reports show. Officer Dolores Sharpe was charged with resisting arrest and harassment while off-duty, after she was confronted by an unidentified white…

“I have been researching my genealogy since 1996. This year, I discovered the names of my grandmother’s grandparents. However, their birthplace is proving to be a mystery. It is listed as Hacot Eurville, Ga. I have searched the Web for information about this place and find nothing. My grandmother and her parents lived in Lowndes County, Ga., and Hamilton County,…

We gathered 10 moments in film and song that capture the essence of the anti-apartheid movement. 1. Invictus The 2009 film starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon documents Nelson Mandela in his first term as president of South Africa as he enlists the national rugby team to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Mandela’s embrace…

Have you ever played that game where you try to one-up Scandal’s writers’ room and come up with the craziest thing that could happen next? No? Good, because you’ll lose. Every. Single. Time. In last night’s episode, “YOLO,” our favorite Washington wunderkinds put on their white hats to ride in and save Olivia’s mom, the…