6. Reasons to Be Pretty

Sara Krulwich / The New York Times / Redux
The plays of Neil LaBute, American theater's most prolific and astute chronicler of the really bad things men do to women, are sometimes marred by contrivance and a too-facile cynicism. But every once in a while he hits it on the nose, as in this astringent tale of the assorted entanglements of two working-class couples. The fine off-Broadway production directed by Terry Kinney (moving to Broadway early next year) struck a nice balance between LaBute's truth-telling and his moralism.

Junior Eurovision: Schoolyard Crushes with Glitter
Can the A380 Bring the Party Back to the Skies?
Who Will Inherit Joel Stein's Kid?
Cartoons of the Week
The Weekly Acoustic News
Climate Central: Training Pilots to Land on Skis
Asterix at 50: The Comic Hero Conquers the World
Silvio Berlusconi and the Politics of Sex
Pictures of the Week
Twilight Sequel New Moon Sets Records at the Box Office