By Colin Campbell 4/18 5:58pm

whodunit

One of the two suspects. (Photo: FBI.gov)

The Real ‘Bag Men’? F.B.I. Publishes Photos of Two Boston Bombing Suspects

The Federal Bureau of Investigation held a press briefing today in which they released photo and video footage of two individuals suspected of being involved in Monday’s deadly bombing of the Boston Marathon.

“Today we are enlisting the public’s help to identify the two suspects,” F.B.I. Special Agent Richard DesLauriers said at the conference.

“After a very detailed analysis of photo, video and other evidence, we are releasing photos of these two suspects. They are identified as ‘Suspect 1′ and ‘Suspect 2.’ They appear to be associated.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 4/15 6:48pm

Boston Bombing

President Barack Obama talks on the phone with FBI Director Robert Mueller to receive an update on the explosions that occurred in Boston, in the Oval Office, April 15, 2013. Seated with the President are Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and Chief of Staff Denis McDonough. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

‘We Still Do Not Know Who Did This or Why’: President Obama Addresses America With Comfort, Not Answers

Earlier this evening, President Barack Obama addressed the nation about the deadly bombing of the Boston Marathon. And, while extending his condolences, the president urged the American public to avoid jumping to conclusions—terrorism, unmentioned by Mr. Obama, seemingly being the most obvious—as the devastation is investigated.

“We still do not know who did this or why and people shouldn’t jump to conclusions before we have all of the facts,” Mr. Obama explained. “But, make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this. And we will find out who did this. We’ll find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals—any responsible groups—will feel the full weight of justice.” Read More

By Colin Campbell and Jordyn Taylor 4/15 3:13pm

Breaking

A man is loaded into an ambulance in Boston. (Getty Images)

Devastating Explosions Near Boston Marathon Finish Line Leave Two Dead, Dozens Injured

The Boston Marathon was interrupted this afternoon by multiple large explosions, killing at least two attendees and injuring dozens more, according to the Boston Police Department.

The New York Post is reporting that as many as a dozen have been killed, with fifty injured, but other outlets are currently more conservative in their estimates.

The three blasts, which took place near the marathon’s finish line, occurred about four hours after the start of the men’s race, according to The New York Times. The Associated Press reported that additional explosive devices were found near the event and are being dismantled.

“There were two bombs that exploded near the finish line in today’s Boston Marathon,” the organizing body behind the race said today on their Facebook page. Runners and spectators have been redirected from the blast area as law enforcement officials secured the scene.

Initial accounts described the devastation as extremely serious. “It was huge. There had to be people killed. There had to be,” a witness told the  The Boston Globe. Another said there was “blood everywhere.”

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick issued a statement earlier today, urging people to stay away from the area.

“This is a horrific day in Boston. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been injured. I have been in touch with the President, Mayor Menino and our public safety leaders,” he said.

“Our focus is on making sure that the area around Copley Square is safe and secured. I am asking everyone to stay away from Copley Square and let the first responders do their jobs.” Read More

By Drew Grant 11/13/12 5:42pm

viral videos

Video

BOOM BOOM TERRORISM! (Jest.com)

Young Ryan Gosling and Justin Timberlake Talk About Terrorism With R&B Group Xscape (Video)

We know you’ve seen the video of Mouseketeers Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, and JC Chasez singing “Cry For You” on The Mickey Mouse Club, back before their relative successes (and in one case, slide back to anonymity). But have you seen the video of just Gosling and Timberlake harassing the all-female R&B group Xscape? Do you want to? Are you sure? Read More

By Matt Chaban 9/18/12 8:30pm

FIREWORKS

Securing the subways... (Getty)

Burn After Reading: How Some Tech-Savvy Firefighters May Be Putting New Yorkers in Danger

The Fire Department’s promotional exams may be the most challenging civil service tests in the city. The guys who take them certainly think so. “The fire exam is definitely the toughest there is, ten times harder than cops or anything else,” Captain Joe Loftus told The Observer recently.

In the past few years, a cottage industry has sprung up to help firefighters study for the exams that allow them to rise through the ranks. Capt. Loftus and a group of his colleagues were at the forefront three years ago when they launched LtQuestions.com, a simple WordPress site that offers fellow firefighters sample tests—16 for only $96.

Unfortunately, LtQuestions.com and similar sites meant to help firefighters better serve the city also appear to be imperiling it at the same time.

Ah, the Internet. It makes life easier, it makes life harder. Like this, hate that. Share baby photos, kiddie porn, revolutionary Tweets, fatwas, bomb plans. All from the convenience of a keyboard. Read More

By Rex Reed 3/21/12 11:26am

movies

One of Dorff's more provocative close-ups.

Brake Time: Dorff’s 90-Minute Close-Up Keeps Audiences Zoomed in on the One-Man Show

Brake is both the title of a new thriller that will leave you breathless, and the one thing you’ll be yelling for to survive it. Directed at break-neck speed by Gabe Torres, it’s a movie so original and terrifying that to even attempt to tell you what it’s about would ruin the fun of discovering it for yourself. Suffice it to say, you will not be bored.

The star is Stephen Dorff, an unpredictable and always interesting actor who eschews the big bucks and easy fame of mainstream movies to devote his career to more challenging and transformative roles in quirky, low-budget independents—68 of them so far—ranging from good (Public Enemies) to bad (Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere) to downright unspeakable (Cecil B. Demented). He prefers risks to even bets, and he has proved himself fearless. (Don’t forget, he once played drag queen Candy Darling in I Shot Andy Warhol.) In Brake, he comes closest to leading-man status as he is likely to get, and the crackerjack results are well worth the 90-minute investment. Read More

By The Editors 1/31/12 7:21pm

opinion

Mr. Kelly’s Starring Role

Top officials in the Police Department did themselves no favors last week as they were caught in a lie about Commissioner Ray Kelly’s appearance in a controversial film about militant Islam. Police officials initially denied that the commissioner was interviewed specifically for the film, called The Third Jihad, but they had to retract that claim almost immediately. The department’s claim was so easily proven false that you have to wonder how these kinds of decisions are made at 1 Police Plaza.

The commissioner’s appearance in the film, it seems to us, should have been a nonissue. Public figures are interviewed for stories—whether on film or in print—all the time. They are not responsible for the content of a story or a film. Makers of The Third Jihad have been accused of fomenting hatred against the city’s Muslim community, but Mr. Kelly certainly did not and does not endorse that view. (For the record, the filmmakers deny that they tarred all Muslims with the same brush. The film’s narrator is a devout Muslim.)

More problematic was the department’s decision to screen the film and its controversial assertions to more than 1,000 police officers. Read More