From CJR, Bending to Power: How Rupert Murdoch built his empire, and how he uses it. A noble trade: Press photographers are often wrongly cast as cynics or manipulators. In fact, they are romantic figures, driven by a desire to tell the truth. But hey, it's what the readers want: The "most read" lists on news websites seem to tell us some bracing things about what really interests people. Could this become a substitute for the editor's judgment?
From The New York Review of Magazines, A Cover Story: How Annie Leibovitz deposed the Taliban, and other global crises; Miles Above: Why Air Canada's enRoute is an in-flight magazine good enough to buy; The Minions Wear H&M: The life of a fashion mag assistant isn't all Prada; Death Has a Blog: The Grim Reaper asks which magazine will be next; and Good's Intentions: Can the heir to the Inc. fortune make money by giving it away?
From New Statesman, a review of Off the Road: Twenty Years with Cassady, Kerouac and Ginsberg by Carolyn Cassady. The Great American Novel was written by: (a) Steinbeck (b) Cather (c) none of the above. Has the novel been murdered by the mob? Brilliant though it was, The Sopranos moved in to a place in US culture that used to belong to prose fiction. John Freeman wonders whether they have killed it off forever.
Form TNR, Jed Perl on why ancient art still has a claim on our attention. Sex, jugs, pots and bowls: A hugely prolific painter, draughtsman, sculptor and ceramicist, Pablo Picasso is regarded as the supreme artist of the 20th century, and his private life continues to fascinate. But exactly why is he so widely accepted as a genius? Springtime for Hitler: The hidden art of the Third Reich, argues Roger Griffin, betrays uncomfortable links with more radical modernism. Bleak Mythology: From eugenics to unicorns, one museum's history. Art makes a scene on Second Life: The online virtual world is becoming one of the best places for artists, curators and dealers to meet.
A review of Not Remotely Controlled: Notes on Television by Lee Siegel. Whose side is Bart Simpson on? It's surprisingly hard to pin down the politics of America's favourite family. The young ones: As would-be child actors queue up for a part in the next Harry Potter movie, Barry Didcock investigates the thorny business of employing minors in a grown-up film industry. From Blackadder to Four Weddings and a Funeral Richard Curtis has made millions out of making us laugh. He tells Laurie Taylor why comedy has a duty to bring relief.
From Eat the State!, a look at why Hipsterism is an oil-age artifact. Homey Don't Play That: Here are 50 things you should never say: "#6 So I was reading The Fountainhead..." Does self-help breed helplessness? An interview with Jennifer Niesslein, author of Practically Perfect in Every Way: My Adventures through the World of Self-Help—and Back.
