The Post-Berlin Aftermath: Many Walls Still Need to Be Brought Down

Jean-Pierre Lehmann, 11.09.2009

Professor of International Political Economy at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland

While the Berlin Wall may have been torn down, there remain many walls that are defiantly standing and indeed new ones that have been erected.

Film Music City - Ghent, Belgium: Composers Take Center Stage

Tamara Conniff, 10.18.2009

Entrepreneur, music expert and former chief editor of Billboard

Most film festivals celebrate the directors and actors of the silver screen with glitzy red carpets and paparazzi. However, imagine movies with no mus...

Slumdogs And Americans: Equal Opportunity Police Brutality in India

Mira Kamdar, 10.13.2009

Author, Essayist, Aspiring Jazz Violinist

Anyone who has seen Slumdog Millionaire, remembers the scenes of police torture. Last week, American journalist, Joel Elliott, got to experience that violence first-hand.

Please, Dear Novelists - Get Real

Johann Hari, 08.24.2009

Columnist, London Independent

The Slumdog Kill-ionaire is back, and he is reminding us how exhilarating fiction can be when novelists finally leave their seminar rooms and dive into the real world.

INTERVIEW: Filmmaker Havana Marking On The Dangers Of Being An 'Afghan Star' (VIDEO)

Diane Tucker, 07.17.2009

Writer/producer/director living in Washington DC

"Watching young girls with only one mobile phone in the house debate about who to cast that one vote for -- it was pretty powerful. It wasn't a presidential election, but it was the idea that these girls had a role to play..."

Doc Director Megan Mylan Brings Smile Pinki to the World

Brad Balfour, 07.23.2009

Veteran Interviewer and Pop Culture Chronicler

The story behind the making of this year's winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Short -- Smile Pinki -- is something of a fairy tale equal to the story within the film.

A Cause for Comedy: A Cause for Mild Alarm

Jonathan Daniel Harris, 07.06.2009

Impact Editor

Here's the concept. A bunch of idealistic flower people put down their peace pipes for one minute and decide to host a comedy show. You, the sucker, go and shell out $10 of your hard-earned scratch to watch an hour of penis jokes or something. Here's the communist part: they take the money earned from the show and give it to some not-for-profit organization!

India Shining? Not Quite.

Parvez Sharma, 06.19.2009

Director/Producer, "A Jihad for Love", Islam commentator

The world's largest middle class remained largely apathetic with the poorest of the poor voting with greater gusto.

Weekend Horoscoop* for May 16-27, 2009 ~ sensory overload edition

Holly Cara Price, 06.16.2009

Agent Provocateur

March 21 - April 19 Aries Aries is a fire sign, ruled by the planet Mars. You're a mover and a shaker. Next time you're moving and shaking in West Hol...

WATCH: Slumdog Millionaire and the Hollywood Fairy Tale

Lee Camp, 06.14.2009

Comedian, LeeCamp.net

India, What the Heck?

Tabby Biddle, 06.10.2009

Writer

Admittedly, I may just be naïve to think that talking about issues can solve them. But in my heart of hearts I do believe this. With transparency, comes accountability, comes responsibility, comes change.

Police Brutality

Shashi Tharoor, 06.04.2009

Member of Parliament, Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India

The police may have fallen into the pattern of routinely continuing practices left over from India's colonial days, when police were instruments of repression, but that's no excuse today.

James Beard Awards: Crazy for Kebob?

Michele Kayal, 06.04.2009

Michele Kayal writes about the intersection of food, culture and identity

The culinary world will award its Oscars tonight and who wins -- or doesn't -- will tell us whether America's food establishment is ready to elevate the Melting Pot to soufflé status.

Round 2 -- The Transformation of the Media and Entertainment Landscape

Kevin Morris and Glenn Altschuler, 05.31.2009

Entertainment lawyer; Professor of American Studies at Cornell

The era of "creative destruction" in media and entertainment is best thought of as a round-robin boxing match.

Movies for Grownups

Chuck Weinstock, 05.29.2009

Movies for grownups seem to be in trouble. You can't pick up a newspaper without reading another article about the new studio decree: They're not making adult dramas anymore.

Well, It's Not Rubina Ali's Fault...

Disgrasian, 05.25.2009

Diana Nguyen and Jen Wang are the creators of DISGRASIAN.com

We feel deeply for poor Rubina, who really just can't seem to catch a break. And to anyone who's thinking about buying a kid, we suggest following PETA's advice: "Always Adopt. Never Buy."

Madonna, Angelina & Me: What an Absentee Dad Can Teach Us All About Adoption

Deborah Levine, 05.25.2009

Adoption has been a hot topic lately, what with Madonna's application to adopt another child from Malawi denied, and the father of young "Slumdog Mill...

Why Danny Boyle Had To Save His "Slumdog Millionaire" Star From Being "Sold"

Bonnie Fuller, 05.22.2009

President & Editor-in-Chief, HollywoodLife.com

You can't just take underprivileged children from the slums to a splashy Oscar party without near-disastrous consequences. Director Danny Boyle stepped up, but is he doing enough?

Why Must We Still Wait Months To See First-Run Movies On DVD?

John Farr, 05.17.2009

Writer, editor and lecturer on timeless film

The conventional thinking that a movie is best appreciated on a huge screen and in an assemblage of strangers no longer holds true when compared to a high-definition home theater.

Today's Hottest Tourist Attraction? Slum Dwellers

Anneli Rufus, 05.09.2009

Coauthor, The Scavengers' Manifesto

From Brazil's favelas to Nairobi's refuse heaps to the Mumbai dump seen in Slumdog Millionaire, landscapes of seething deprivation are now prime destinations for enterprising tour operators.

Operation Buzzkill: Random Drug Testing for the Unemployed

Warren Holstein, 04.27.2009

A NYC Based Stand-Up Comedian and Writer

If you are struggling to stay afloat, looking to alleviate your Depression depression and do not dwell on the righteous path of abstinence and salvation it seems the only other alternative is to put down that blunt and pick up some booze.