Nowadays Times columnist Frank Rich is usually explaining Obama's agenda to the masses or championing this civil rights cause or some other issue. But first he was known for his theater criticism in the Times. This week he'll be interviewing Sondheim out in Seattle, so The Stranger's editor, Dan Savage, decided to interview Rich. He doesn't mince words—calling Washington D.C. much more unsophisticated than Seattle (or Chicago)—and sharing his opinions about theater. But Savage also asks Rich why he spends so much time and ink on gay issues:

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After what seemed like the least crowded L train in history shuttled us into Manhattan this morning—without stalling in between Bedford and First Avenue!—we were feeling pretty up on Williamsburg. Over at The Rumpus, Stephen Elliott isn't in the same way. "Williamsburg is simply someone’s joke," the author of The Adderall Diaries says.

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Actor Harry Connick Jr. was on Australia’s version of The Gong Show when a group called Jackson Jive came on featuring five guys in blackface and one man in whiteface playing Michael Jackson. If reading those words didn’t make you disgusted, just watch the video, complete with a crowd of Aussies cheering along, and see where that gets you.

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I wonder if Ashley Alexandre Dupre ever took out a loan to buy a home or paid her taxes. And if so, would she have used ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), the nation’s largest grassroots community organization of low--and moderate--income people. Probably not… she was too high end. But not all prosties can say the same.

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The New York jazz community came off its respirator long enough to remind critics it's still alive, kicking andready to stampout questions regarding jazz's salvation.

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Anyone guilty of giving out fake names at bars, inflating their resumes or telling small tales, no matter how white and virginal, can sleep a little easier. According to psychologist Robert Feldman, we're all a bunch of liars.

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As she stepped down from her esteemed position of governorship this weekend, Sarah Palin did not go out quietly.

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In today’s Metro, CNN Political Correspondent Tom Foreman addresses American viewpoints on Sarah Palin and potential similarities between Palin and President Obama.

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Nothing says summer like the return of the dreadlocked crust punks who take up residence on corners of the East Village and, increasingly, Williamsburg. Recognizable by their dogs, Crass patches and penchant for picking up cigarette butts from the street, these lovable freegan scamps are as much a part of the season as blackouts and to-go margaritas. So why is the man hassling them?

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Armond White spoke about Michael Jackson during this On Camera Program, "Pop Video Artists and Hollywood Influence" Jan. 18, 2008. In part 1 of the video clip of White speaking, which really gets started around the 3:35 mark, he focuses on Jackson's "era-defining movements." See part 1 below, and click here for part 2.

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