Rachelle's Reading List, Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

by Rachelle Hruska · February 8, 2011

The Getty family member with the missing right ear has died, Arianna Huffington is the Queen of Media, and Spider-Man is finally getting reviews. Plus! The "Super Granny" that saves the day, Keith Olbermann's new gig, and the world according to the Winklevi! It's hard to top today's list.

1. Keith Olbermann, the former MSNBNC anchor that got canned for no reason, is going to be hosting a prime time program for Current TV, the low-rated cable channel co-founded by Al Gore. The one-hour program will begin sometime in the spring. Olbermann will also become the Chief News Officer for Current. Didn't know what Current TV was? Well, you do now... [NYT]

2. J. Paul Getty II, kidnapping victim and heir to oil fortune, dies at 54. The "golden hippie" who had his ear severed by Italian thugs when his family didn't initially pay his ransom has died at 54. [WaPo]

[Photo]: J. Paul Getty III, missing his right ear, left the police station in Lagonegro, Italy, on Dec. 15th, 1973, after kidnappers freed him. [NYT]

"The eldest Mr. Getty paid $2.2 million, the maximum that his accountants said would be tax deductible. The boy’s father paid the rest, though he had borrow it from his father — at 4 percent interest." [NYT via Katie] -

3. Why "I Love You" is so hard to say and how to get around saying it this Valentine's Day. The WSJ goes in-depth with this one. [WSJ]

4. Fashionista just named their "50 most influential people in NY Fashion." I was happy to see friends like Carol Han, Steven Alan, Terry Richardson, Alexa Chung, etc. on the list. [Fashionista]

5. Every newspaper decided to break reviews of "Spider-Man on Broadway" today. The consensus was made to go against their tradition of waiting until opening night.

"At best, the reviews find a few redeeming qualities in the show. But all of them highlight problems that should have been worked out without the presence of paying audiences in the theater."[PatsPapers]

6. Groupon.com responds to its Super Bowl ad controversy. CEO Andrew Mason says the company is actually giving money to the causes it mocked. Um, you lost us. [Mashable]

7. Everyone is still talking about the HuffPo/AOL merger:

"Kenneth Lerer and Arianna Huffington brought contrasting personalities and complementary abilities to the table when they started the Huffington Post." [NYT]

Anyone else "kind of surprised that out of the $315 mil paid for HuffPo, Arianna will only get $20 mil, with $4 mil in salary. [@simonowens] But who got the rest and who is going to answer first? [Fimoculous]

Arianna, the "new Internet Queen," is set to join the Piers Morgan show to talk about the merger tonight. [@piersmorgan]

How much cash does AOL have after the deal? Not a lot. [CNN]

8. Check out this terrific behind-the-scenes piece on the Secret Service by the Atlantic's Marc Ambinder. [The Atlantic via @markknoller]

9. This "Super Granny" fought off 5 jewelry robbers in England with her purse! [PatsPapers]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8FVAHuQvjc[/youtube]

10. Ever wonder, like I have, what it would have been like to have been sent to a Montessori School? Leigh Alexander gives us the details in "What it was like at Montessori School." [ThoughtCatalog]

11. Sprint unveils dual-screen Android Smartphone. [Engadget]

12. Reagan's "Eternal Sunshine," says Neal Gabler, simplified issues for nation tired of complex, intractable problems. [Politico]

13. Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg ,files a restraining order against an alleged stalker that has been harassing him through....Facebook! ha. [NYP]

14. Metro New York, don't you know the first rule of journalism: you don't talk about fight clubs. Check out today's cover featuring underground fight clubs. [Dens]

15. Go inside Kate and Andy Spade's new Business venture. [NYM]

16. Today's Google Doodle commemorates the 183rd birthday of sci-fi author Jules Verne...by letting you go Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. [InOtherNews]

17. The menu of the new Los Angeles Rolling Stone restaurant was leaked today according to WWD. "The 10,500 sq-ft space was designed by Gavin Brodin, who also worked on Crown Bar and The Abbey. Executive chef Christopher Ennis, formerly of Fig & Olive, is planning an upscale menu." Check it out here: [VanityFair]

18. Check out this awesome ad campaign of the day: The New Zealand branch of DraftFCB promotes the upcoming season of Mad Men with outdoor decals affixed to skyscrapers. [DailyWhat]

19. In the March 2011 issue of the Atlantic: Exploring the limits of artificial intelligence, why skyscrapers will save the city, the secrets of the Secret Service, the wisdom of Justin Bieber, and much more. Visit the Table of Contents and let us know what you think. [The Atlantic]

20. Teen Vogue joins Tumblr. Kudos to Andrew Bevan! [TeenVogue]

21. "Check out the new "Missoni Art" app" [@mmmargherita]

22. VP Joe Biden will unveil a $53 billion plan today to upgrade and build intercity passenger-rail networks, according to the White House. [WSJ]

23. Max Page, the little kid who played Darth Vader in the Super Bowl Volkswagen commercial, got to meet the real (voice) of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones in NYC last night: [TMZ]

24. Did you know that the Plaza Hotel has iPads in every single room for guests? So rad. [VieSociety]

25. Wow. Check this thing out. It's the Nutella "Snack & Drink" cup. It's a drink, it's a snack, it looks so bad for you! [Today]

26. This is pretty good. The Malcolm Gladwell Book Generator. Generate a new best seller! [SoupSoup]

27. Everyone is trying new things! Check out Gothamist's new beta page. [Gothamist beta]

28. Tina Fey has a piece in the New Yorker on Motherhood. Check out her best quotations here: [Flavorwire]

29. Finally, the World According to the Winklevii. The twins are multiplying! Ha. I too got a big kick of this still shot from the Daily's video on Cameron and Tyler. [Tumblr] [Video Here] Team Winklevii!