Don't you worry, Avery Jessup-Donaghy's fate will be influenced by real-life events. more ›

The funeral of deceased North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-Il was performed yesterday with "totalitarian choreography," as the Times puts it, with a 25-mile procession through the snowy capitol of Pyongyang. Thousands of dramatically weeping mourners lined the route and broke into hysterics as a giant portrait of "Dear Leader" was escorted by. Kim Jong-un, who despite rumors to the contrary appears to have solidified control of the country and now bears the title "Supreme Commander," walked alongside the funeral procession for a bit, then rode the rest of the way in a limo. Here's video of the scene that greeted him along the route: more ›

As North Korea continues to mourn its late leader Kim Jong-Il, it seems that his young son will not be as powerful as his father: Reuters reports, " North Korea will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week's death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son will be at the head of the ruling coterie, a source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said." more ›

Yesterday, the country witnessed the dramatic reunion between formerly imprisoned journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling and their families, a reunion orchestrated by former President Bill Clinton, his former Vice President Al Gore, and the White House. Though the White House was working to secure the release of Lee and Ling, Current TV journalists who were sentenced to 12 years in a labor camp by North Korea for illegally entering the country, and had considered envoys like Gore, Bill Richardson, and Senator John Kerry, it turned out that North Korea requested former president Clinton. Lee and Ling, who were being held in a guest house, both told their families in phone calls that North Korea would consider amnesty if "an envoy in the person of President Clinton would agree to come to Pyongyang and seek their release." more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Today, former president Bill Clinton met North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. Clinton made the surprise trip to the isolated Communist nation to discuss the release of two American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who were sentenced to 12 years in labor camps for illegally entering North Korea. more ›

The New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s historic concert in North Korea concluded hours ago, marking the first performance by an American orchestra in the impoverished, totalitarian nation. The event also marked a first for much of the press, who are routinely denied access to North Korea and, once inside, usually find their movements tightly controlled. The Times has a stunning slideshow of photos snapped en route from the airport to the center of Pyongyang, something the photographer says is never permitted. more ›

Towards the end of the year, it becomes sport to wonder who Time's Person of the Year will be. It's sort of like wondering who will be on the cover of Sports Illustrated or who People's Sexiest Man Alive is (both are also Time Inc. publications, as it were). Time tried to get its readers excited, asking them to vote online for who they thought should be the Person of the Year, with choices being George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Kim Jong Il, Al Gore, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez, Nancy Pelosi, and The YouTube Guys. Well, if you bothered to vote, you never had a chance - Time decided to make "You" the Person of the Year. more ›

You have just a couple more days to decide whether you'll be dressed up or dressed down next Tuesday for Halloween. New York magazine has a How to Dress Like... Halloween Guide for anyone who want to dress up like Naomi Campbell, Borat, Kim Jong Il, Flava Flav or Baby Suri Cruise; there are even some high-concept ideas like tainted spinach! Our favorite is Dog the Bounty Hunter, because Cartman really inspired us. more ›

Yesterday, the countries on the United Nations Security Council had an emegency meeting after North Korea announced it had tested a nuclear device. The U.S. proposed cargo inspections and limited sanctions to North Korea (including luxury items - and Kim Jong Il loves his Henessy), as well as banning any military trade. The North Korea nuclear tests now bring up some new questions about how the administration handled the situation, making international policy even more of an election day issue. And the city's Korean-Americans tell the Daily News they are upset with the blasts and worry about relatives in South Korea, but hope that there is a peaceful resolution. more ›

With Tina Fey gone from the writers' staff to primetimier pastures and Chris Parnell, Horatio Sanz and Finesse Mitchell axed from the staff, people were wondering how this season of Saturday Night Live would stack up. And while articles calling it "Saturday Night Dead" are a mainstay every fall, Gothamist wasn't very confident given that the host would be Dane Cook, who already hosted not even a year ago! Here's our thoughts about the season premiere: more ›

Gothamist is excited about Team America, the marionette movie from Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park that will spoof both left and right wing Americans, as well as world leaders in rude and hilarious fashion (purposefully bad accents for Kim Jong Il, for starters, let alone the marionette sex issue). But we don't know exactly why composer Marc Shaiman left the film Or that's what we thought we heard. Marc, a film and musical composer (he won a Tony for Hairspray and kissed his partner on live TV), was working on Team America and actually was blogging about working on the film's score. It's not up anymore, but Gothamist had the foresight (okay, we were going to do a post ages ago but never got around to it) to copy one entry:

But on TEAM AMERICA, I finally got them to write MY titles on the music, so, taking important lines of dialogue from the movie, I had the joy of watching these virtuosic musicians see they were playing a piece of music entitled "SURPRISE, COCK FAGS!" or "HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A MAN EAT HIS OWN HEAD?" some bowed their heads in shame, while others played with a brand new intensity!! On this score, I have gotten to write a much more muscular score than I am usually given the opportunity to do. And none of the usual kooky comedy flourishes. There has not been one measure of pixilated pizzicato strings or wacky woodwind passages. Oh no, it's all low brass and blaring horns here today. And banging ethnic and techno drums. And even better, NO PRODUCER or DIRECTOR!! They're too busy elsewhere!! Whheeeeeee!!!!

while the book's cover shows the beauty of Photoshop and some pictures of George W., Kim Jong Il, and Saddam. more ›

If Kim Jong Il's North Korean army is built of tiny prodigies, like the adorable three year old Mo Kin who can play the xylophone like nobody's business or mug and sing shamelessly in a creepy Shirley Templeish way, the U.S. is screwed. more ›

Non–Asian world leaders wear traditional Asian jackets. Giggles then, too.
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