Amanda Hess

The Rise and Fall of Charm in American Men

theatlantic.com — If one were to recast The Rockford Files, as Universal Pictures is intending to do, would the Frat Pack actor Vince Vaughn seem the wisest choice to play Jim Rockford, the character James Garner inhabited with such sly intelligence and bruised suavity? Universal apparently thinks so.

The Rise and Fall of Charm in American Men

theatlantic.com — If one were to recast The Rockford Files, as Universal Pictures is intending to do, would the Frat Pack actor Vince Vaughn seem the wisest choice to play Jim Rockford, the character James Garner inhabited with such sly intelligence and bruised suavity? Universal apparently thinks so.

Club Applebee's?

businessweek.com — In July, Nick Pirrone and three friends were driving home from a St. Louis Cardinals game when they stopped at an Applebee's in St. Charles, Mo., for dinner. It was after 10 p.m., and when the teenagers walked into the casual dining restaurant, they didn't find the traditional family-friendly

'Girls Gone Wild' founder Joe Francis lashes out at jurors

latimes.com — Joe Francis, creator of the "Girls Gone Wild" franchise, has said jurors in his false-imprisonment trial should be shot. (Chris Pizzello / Associated Press / ) Digging deeper in his never-ending war on everyone, Joe Francis has now suggested that the jurors in his recent trial be shot by firing squad.

A Pew study says that 94 percent of teens use Facebook, and hate it.

slate.com — A new report released this week from the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that Facebook remains the leading social network among American teenagers. It's also the most reviled. While some teenagers interviewed by Pew claimed they "enjoyed using it," the majority complained of "an increasing adult presence, high-pressure...