The Story Within a Landscape

Showtime's Bad Girls Make Good

A crop of shows with dysfunctional leading women—including Toni Collette, Edie Falco, Mary-Louise Parker and Laura Linney—has given the cable network a burst of momentum.

• Video: The Ladies of Showtime
• The Legacy of Maude

'Spider-Man' Star in a Tangled Web

The setbacks of the musical "Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark" have led to speculation about whether the Broadway show will go on, but Reeve Carney is still getting ready to don the tights.

Musician Alex Chilton Dies at 59

Alex Chilton, an influential musician who achieved success with two rock groups in the '60s and '70s, has died. He was 59.

Naked Man Statues Make Public Art Entertaining

Ron Long writes about Antony Gormley's naked man statues being installed around New York, and says that they are rare examples of public art that is entertaining.

A Dumb Hypothesis on Good Looks

Does rational choice theory explain Jessica Simpson?

Shore's Haunting Pictures

An exhibition of more than 150 photographs made by the American artist Stephen Shore in the 1970s and '80s is currently at the Museo di Roma in Trastevere.

Beyond 'Swan Lake'

Ballerina Leanne Benjamin tackles dramatically demanding work in her on- and off-stage lives.

Ex-Gallery Owner Guilty in $120 Million Art Fraud

The former co-owner of a defunct Manhattan art gallery pleaded guilty to stealing $120 million from investors and art owners.

A Return to Grace

Two new churches designed by Duncan Stroik avoid the modern designs and ersatz-traditional schlock of recent years and return to a more traditional Roman Catholic architecture.

• Photos: Two Churches by Duncan Stroik

In So Many Wonderlands

Which 'Wonderland' is best? David Mermelstein looks at the many film interpretations of the Lewis Carroll classic, including Tim Burton's latest.

• Joe Morgenstern: 'Alice': Half a Wonderland
• Clip: Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland'

'I Am Big in Australia'

Five favorite words every manager longs to hear from his faded '80s rock act of a client.

A Rocker's Artistic Side

KISS's Paul Stanley doesn't just front for the iconic rock band—he has sold millions of dollars of his art work.

• Photos: Paul Stanley's Art

Hong Kong Film Close-Up

As the city's 34th international film festival kicks off, the local movie industry is re-evaluating its role in Chinese-language cinema.

• Photos: Bodyguards, Assassins and Parades
• Vote: What's Bruce Lee's best kung-fu film?

Theater Sets Stage for Alameda Revival

The reopening of an Art Deco movie palace in Alameda, part of a $37.3 million redevelopment project, has aided a city bruised by the recession.

Michelangelo: The Frugal Genius

A notorious miser, the Italian artist drew on every piece of scrap he could find, working out visual ideas as well as, yes, poetic verses.

• Photos: From the Mind of Michelangelo

Songs for Kellys and Cohens

Two recent albums by musician and scholar Mick Moloney celebrate Irish and Jewish life in late-19th-century New York.

• Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?
• McNally's Row of Flats

Visiting Cagney's Neighborhood

In "Bowery to Broadway," Christopher Shannon describes the ways in which Hollywood has depicted the world of Irish-Americans. Peter Duffy reviews.

Sony Bets Big on Fallen 'King'

Sony signed a recording deal with Michael Jackson's estate valued at as much as $250 million for 10 albums over seven years.

• News Hub: Sony Inks Mega Deal
• Speakeasy: Still Wanted, Dead or Alive
• Readers React: 'Setting the record once again'

Garrett Fisher Crosses Borders

The composer's new one-act opera, "At the Hawk's Well," employs antique, often non-Western dramatic forms and musical influences to conjure an exotic atmosphere.

The Art That Fed Chiefs Like

Mary Anne Goley helped select works for the offices of Fed chairmen Paul Volcker, Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke. The artistic tastes of these sobersides will surprise you.

Humor in Hopelessness

"Zeno's Conscience" takes a wry look at life's paradoxes.

A Master of Technique

Alexey Titarenko's "Saint Petersburg in Four Movements" at the Nailya Alexander Gallery, and other shows worth seeing in New York.

• Photos: The World in Black and White