The Hobbit, TV, Music, Videogames, Comics, Art and Literature, Signs of the Times

The Hobbit

• 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey': Inside Peter Jackson's 'Lord of the Rings' Prequel
• The Hobbit Box Stacking--Doin' it right.
• The Onion: Highlights Of 'The Hobbit'

TV

• Breaking Bad : Reflections On Heisenberg - The Uncertainty Of Walter White
• The 'Mad Men' Economic Miracle--"Television's golden age is an artistic feat built on a disturbing economic model." Note: Has TV plot spoilers right on the first paragraph.
• The CALM Act finally puts the muzzle on loud TV commercials

Music

• The greatest blessing: R&B legend gets a second chance--[Lester] Chambers had been worked over by Columbia Records during his heyday, a 10-year era that included the making of such hits as 'Time Has Come Today,' Love, Peace and Happiness,' and a remake of Otis Redding's 'I Can't Turn You Loose.' He never saw a penny in royalties from 10 of the 17 albums that the Chambers Brothers released."
• Teen Titan: The man who made Justin Bieber.
• Meet the Late Night Barbershop Quartet: The Ragtime Gals--"Jimmy fulfills an audience request to fuse both reggae music and a barbershop quartet

Videogames

• Atari Teenage Riot: The Inside Story Of Pong And The Video Game Industry's Big Bang
• Games are art: Rock Band, and its history, prove it
• These 14 Video Games Have Been Definitively Declared Art By The New York Museum Of Modern Art
• All-TIME 100 Video Games
• Spike VGA's 10 Best Videogames of the Last Decade

Comics

• Full 'Batman: Dark Knightfall' Short Delivers Intense Stop-Motion Animated Action
• World's Finest Film [Thanks legion!]
• Cool DC Posters
• Bazooka Joe and pals laid off as gum company discovers kids don't like comics
• All The Skottie Young Marvel NOW! Baby Variant Covers

Art and Literature

• I'm Sick Of Pretending: I Don't "Get" Art--He's got a few follow-ups to this article.
• Local historian finds Hans Christian Andersen's first fairy tale
• A Hunger for Tales of Life in the American Cul-de-Sac--"Russians are making a surprise hit out of a book that explains the minutiae of life in the United States, including the phenomenon of teenage baby sitters and unfortunate aversions to vodka." NYT

Signs of the Times

• "No motorboats"--Just in case, you're at a loss.
• "Alcoholism. There is hope ahead."
• "Trespassers..."
• "Is there life after death?"
• "Warning: Depression on highway"--Seems to be contagious.