SEQUEL EDITION
GOOD WEEK/BAD WEEK
Monsters Inc.
Mike and Sulley will reunite in 2013 for a prequel about the duo's college years
Dumb and Dumber
Jim Carrey backed out of the long-awaited Dumb and Dumber To, putting its fate in jeopardy
READING RAINBOW
Back in App-tion
LeVar Burton fanatics, rejoice! Three years after its final broadcast, the kids' TV show has returned as an interactive smart-phone app, serving up educational videos, animated puzzles and beloved host Burton, all yours for just $9.99.
BECOMING OTHER
"Art is above all the experience of transformation," says Kimiko Yoshida. And to prove it, the Japanese photographer continually depicts herself wearing unexpected, otherworldly garments--like the metal and plastic dress she dons in Painting (Venus by Veronese), above, which she likens to a "hijacking of haute couture." To see more, visit lightbox.time.com
VERBATIM
'It's only weird if you make it weird.'
CHANNING TATUM, discussing his role as a stripper in the new film Magic Mike, which is loosely based on his own life. Among his castmates' onscreen essentials: handcuffs, thongs and very strategically placed fig leaves.
HISTORY
$9.8 million
Selling price for George Washington's annotated copy of the Constitution and Bill of Rights--a world record for a U.S. book. Here's hoping it contains passive-aggressive doodles about King George III.
Currently reading Paramahansa Yogananda's Understanding the Hidden Teachings of the Gospels (seriously!)
QUICK TALK
Russell Brand
The irreverent British funnyman is known for his tabloid-ready personal life (as Katy Perry's ex), no-holds-barred opinions and edgy stand-up style--all of which should suit him well as the host of the "comedy news" show Brand X, Thursdays on FX.
--STEPHANIE ABRAHAMS
Brand X was originally called Strangely Uplifting. Why the name change?
I have a friend who didn't name his twins for months--just called them Big One and Little One. I said, "Look, they're going out into the world now. You're going to have to give them names." The same was true for the show. When it was apparent it was real, we named it.
You won't have live guests, but you will encourage audience participation. Should they be worried about debating you?
As long as they don't have outstanding arrest warrants, they should pass gracefully through the studio.
There are a lot of things you can't say on American TV, you know.
They bleep stuff, don't they?
Maybe if you had someone to rein you in ...
I have a sidekick! Matt Stoller, a political analyst, Harvard graduate and former congressional adviser. He doesn't have the charisma of Paul Shaffer or the derring-do of an Andy Richter, but he's incredibly well informed about American bureaucratic and political life.
You made out with Alec Baldwin in Rock of Ages. How was it?