By Maria Russo 7/06/10 9:58pm

Private Lives

The Postmodern Hester Prynne

Oh, these naughty alpha males and their uncontrollable libidos! We’ve had a parade of powerful men in picture-perfect marriages, exposed as lying horndogs: John Edwards, Mark Sanford, Tiger Woods, Eliot Spitzer, now even (allegedly) Al Gore. And just look at their lovely, betrayed wives, each one “handling” the situation with her own brand of dignity. Read More

By Sara Vilkomerson 4/21/09 7:28pm

Film Tri-athalon

Overhwlemed by choices? Here are the Observer’s top nine picks at Tribeca. Click on the slideshow to see what not to miss! And check back during the week for dispatches, updates and everything else from the festival.

By Andrew Sarris 9/09/08 6:56pm

Bad Makeover

The Women
Running time 114 minutes
Written and directed by Diane English
Starring Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing

Diane English’s The Women, from her own screenplay, is supposedly based on George Cukor’s 1939 adaptation by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin of Clare Boothe Luce’s 1936 Broadway play. Both Read More

By Caroline Bankoff 9/08/08 10:05pm

A Reader’s Guide to Celebrity Parent Tell-All Books

Apparently, an increasingly coherent and aware Britney Spears is upset about her mother Lynne’s forthcoming tell-all, Through the Storm. The book reveals, among other things, that the pop star lost her virginity at 14 and began drinking in middle school, along with embarrassing details about Britney’s many, many crack-ups. No longer content to act as Read More

By Sara Vilkomerson 9/02/08 4:31pm

Curl, Interrupted: Do Frizzy Coifs Equal Frazzled Psyches?

In the upcoming film The Women, a remake of the 1939 George Cukor classic that’s been re-imagined by writer-director Diane English, Meg Ryan’s hair could be billed as a supporting character to its gaggle of stars: Annette Bening, Cloris Leachman, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, Candice Bergen, Eva Mendes and, of course, Ms. Ryan. When Read More