Principal Ernest Jackson runs a tight ship at the Chester Academy up there in Orange County. And when a parent calls in to say her two boys are "sick," he sees no reason to take the explanation at face value. So, just like fictional Principal Ed Rooney—the heroic, determined protagonist of the Hollywood epic Ferris Bueller's Day Off—Jackson saddled up and went to personally verify that Michael DiQuattro's two sons were indeed too sick to learn. For that, he may face criminal charges. more ›

We love stories about public school teachers and sick days: There was the guy who wanted some time off to serve a jail sentence, the principal who was actually conducting an orchestra, and, our favorite, the teacher who took sick days when performing as a wrestler for the WWE. But we would never have dreamed that Lynne Stewart, the controversial lawyer who was convicted of aiding terrorist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman while he was in prison, would even be involved in one! more ›

THEATER: At the end of December 2003, with her daughter in an induced-coma brought on by septic shock from a fatal bout with pneumonia, Joan Didion’s husband John Gregory Dunne unexpectedly died during dinner. Her struggle to navigate the subsequent minefields of grief formed the basis for her best-selling memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking. She’s now adapted the book into a one-woman play of the same name, directed by David Hare and starring Vanessa Redgrave. (Photo of Didion and her late husband.) - John Del Signore more ›

December is a special time for comedians. Not only are they trying to scrape together enough money from the commercials and VH1 shows they booked this year to buy presents for their family, but it’s also Aspen audition time. The U.S. Comedy Arts Festival held in Aspen is a Mecca for comedians. Auditioning and being chosen for the USCAF and mingling with the comedy elite (past performers have included…basically everyone famous) is a career maker for many who attend. This weekend, check out the shows that just might end up catapulting these New York comics toward sitcom deals, Hollywood scripts or at the very least, a Sierra Mist ad. All shows are free. more ›

Mario Stipinovich, Designer more ›

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