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Madonna says M.I.A.’s middle finger did not rain on her Super Bowl

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

It turns out that Madonna was the last person to know about M.I.A.’s middle finger during her halftime show at the Super Bowl last Sunday.

I didn't know anything about it until I left," Madonna said to "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" on Friday, according to the New York Post. "I found out about it in the elevator on the way to go to the car to go to the airport.”

"I wasn’t ...

Christie pleased that Obama granted 'No Child Left Behind' waiver

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The No Child Left Behind law was drawn up about 10 years ago to help poor and minority children to become skilled at reading and mathematics by 2014. Unfortunately, the United States has not come close to reaching that goal.

Now New Jersey has become one of 10 states released from meeting the requirements of No Child Left Behind after applying for a waiver from the l...

Susan G. Komen’s political PR disaster does some good

BY KATHLEEN BIRD

COMMENTARY

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization aimed a lot higher.

However, the nationwide firestorm of protest over the foundation’s shameful slashing of grant funding to Planned Parenthood, and the injection of political ugliness into its basically pristine image, has served two good ends.

Komen accidentally created awareness about...

Should the Colts pass on Peyton Manning for Andrew Luck?

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Eli Manning was the winning quarterback in the Super Bowl at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis this past Sunday, but an Indy sportswriter says Peyton Manning stole the spotlight.

The Thursday before the Super Bowl, Peyton Manning’s people announced that the quarterback had been medically cleared to play. Meanwhile, Colts’ owner Robert Irsay’s position was that Peyton...

U.S. Marines pose with SS flag, Nazi symbol: Panetta wants investigation

BY JASON KIM

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

After a January PR set-back, the United States Marine Corp again was on the defense in minimizing damage. This time, it's a 2010 photo where marines posed in front of a flag marked with a logo associated with World War II Nazis.

"If you look at any book on the Nazi period, this is the dreaded symbol of the SS, and to have a Marine Corps unit adopt it and put it besi...

'Star Wars: Episode One' in 3D: Am I the only one who is excited?

BY JOHN SOLTES

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

MOVIE REVIEW

This column will either cause you to kill me with your fake lightsaber or scream to the heavens like a Tusken Raider. But here goes … I’ve bit my tongue for too long …

I am overly excited to experience ‘Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace’ in its new 3D format. I will be one of those stereotypical nerds lined up for a showing, waiting expectantly...

N.J. students to marry in N.Y., where gay marriage is legal

BY CARRIE STETLER

RUTGERS TODAY

Eric Hafner didn’t tell his parents he was gay until his relationship with Paul DeStefano, who is now his fiance, was serious.

It wasn’t your typical coming out story. Hafner’s parents had told him several times that they believed he was gay, and they were fine with it. But Hafner always ended the conversation by insisting, “No I’m not.’’

The closest he came to an ackno...

Ideas for a romantic Valentine's Day rendezvous

BY MARGARET MORGAN

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Wondering where to spend the most romantic day of the year with your significant other?

Some savory suggestions, not only for a romantic rendezvous, but for a tantalizing repast guaranteed to stimulate your palate and maybe your passion, here are some tempting ideas for that special date night.

At Brandl , Belmar, Chef Chris Brandl is offering a four-course dinne...

REVIEW: ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ rolls along again

Stephen Sondheim musical about the reversals of friendship returns via Encores!

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

OFF BROADWAY REVIEW

The short-lived Broadway production of “Merrily We Roll Along” in 1981 revealed a terrific Stephen Sondheim score, a troublesome script and a terribly messy staging.

The Encores! concert version of “Merrily We Roll Along,” which opened Wednesday at New York City C...

'Perfect Sense' movie review, trailer: A reluctant romance in an apocalyptic world

BY JOE TYRRELL

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

MOVIE REVIEW

It's 2012, and the end is still coming.

The fin-de-tout romance "Perfect Sense" takes its place in the lengthening queue of recent Apocalypse Noir movies, following such dire warnings as "Melancholia," "Contagion," "Take Shelter," "2012" and anything with Shia Laboeuf.

This time, though, the plague arrives deliriously in the not normally enchanting city...