US – Thursday, March 11
The Grid
The week's releases
Metro staff reviews the latest CDs, DVDs and books for your reading pleasure.
 
The Word
Is nothing in her life real anymore?
When we first read that Heidi Pratt was firing husband Spencer Pratt as her manager, we thought, “Yay! Heidi’s new face is finally doing something right!” But then we found out that although she did fire Spencer, it seems like she’s replacing him with psychic Aiden Chase to take the reigns on her “career” — and then we got scared.
 
The Word
Is nothing in her life real anymore?
When we first read that Heidi Pratt was firing husband Spencer Pratt as her manager, we thought, “Yay! Heidi’s new face is finally doing something right!” But then we found out that although she did fire Spencer, it seems like she’s replacing him with psychic Aiden Chase to take the reigns on her “career” — and then we got scared.
 
New York Arts
The mistrial minstrel show fails to balance
Clearly John Kander and the late Fred Ebb, creators of musical classics such as “Cabaret” and “Chicago,” knew how to spin cynicism into theatrical gold. And that talent is very much in evidence in “The Scottsboro Boys” at the Vineyard Theatre, which combines hard-boiled skepticism with tuneful razzle-dazzle to often entertaining effect.  Yet despite its clever story-telling, “Scottsboro” fails to find its balance. It should take your breath away but barely elicits a sigh.
 
Movies
An ‘Ugly’ farewell and a role in a ‘Wedding’
It’s time to say so long to “Ugly Betty” as America Ferrera returns to the big screen this month with “Our Family Wedding,” a culture-clash comedy about a Mexican-American law student (Ferrera) who brings her African-American fiancé (Lance Gross) home to meet her caught-off-guard family. It’s the actress’ first film since the announcement that her 4-year-old ABC comedy won’t be returning in the fall.
 

Photo: ALISON MAYFIELDThis week, celebrate girl power
Last year, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, published “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. The book is a sobering study of many societies’ suppression of women through terrible — and culturally accepted — measures such as genital mutilation, sex slavery, forced marriage, honor killings and other atrocities. But the book also focuses on the small, empowering steps these oppressed women are taking to change the status quo and show that women really can hold up “half the sky,” as the Chinese proverb says.
 

New York Music
‘Here We Go Again,’ indeed
Stop the presses! Demi Lovato has posted something on Twitter!
 
Movies
An ‘Ugly’ farewell and a role in a ‘Wedding’
It’s time to say so long to “Ugly Betty” as America Ferrera returns to the big screen this month with “Our Family Wedding,” a culture-clash comedy about a Mexican-American law student (Ferrera) who brings her African-American fiancé (Lance Gross) home to meet her caught-off-guard family. It’s the actress’ first film since the announcement that her 4-year-old ABC comedy won’t be returning in the fall.
Movies
Tim Burton in ‘Wonderland’
Twenty-five years after his first feature film (“Pee-wee’s Big Adventure”), director Tim Burton has continued to defy categorization, delving into animation, comic books, musicals and ghost stories. But one thing has remained constant: his focus on outsiders, from Pee-wee to Sweeney Todd to Batman to Beetlejuice. And in Disney’s big-budget, 3-D “Alice in Wonderland,” Burton takes on one of literature’s ultimate outsiders.
 

Movies
Going from spy to prime minister
In Roman Polanski’s “The Ghost Writer,” in theaters now, Pierce Brosnan plays a British prime minister facing a possible war crimes prosecution. We caught up with the actor about preparing for the part, but couldn’t help asking the former James Bond about his earlier work and upcoming role as Robert Pattinson’s father in “Remember Me,” which opens this weekend.
 
New York Movies
Surprised? ‘Cop Out’ takes the easy route
Extra, read all about it!
She’s got range, and she uses it
Meet the new sidekick from ‘Shutter Island’
Standing tall on the shoulders of giants
‘Shutter Island’ a score for Scorsese
On the wild side
Shah Rukh Khan strives to downplay controversy
Uncle Junior gets romantic in NYC
One serious red-letter ‘Day’
New York Movies
Bring on the beast!
‘New Moon’ trumps this dog
Love sure stinks for A-list cast, audience
Presenting the new ‘Olympian’
Photo: GETTY IMAGESChanning Tatum on love and war
John Travolta ruins a lovely trip to ‘Paris’
Dear Channing’s abs: Thank you
And the nominees are...
She’s lucky in love
‘Winter’s Bone,’ ‘Restrepo’ win top Sundance awards
 
 
 
Share
 
Music
MMMpod
The March MMMpod features conversation and music from Surfer Blood and The Allman Brothers Band (There's a double-bill you're not too likely to see. However, Gregg Allman does mention Hannah Montana!). We also speak with Vampire Weekend and the Dropkick Murphys.
 
 
 
Metro Life Panel
Read more