By Mary Whitfill, editor-in-chief Thursday morning saw Academy Award nominee announcements that shocked Hollywood and movie lovers alike. Critically acclaimed "Selma" pulled only two nominations, while “Grand Budapest Hotel,” which was released to mixed reviews, tied “Birdman”...

By Mary Whitfill, editor-in-chief  For decades, universities and secondary schools have been in the business of trying to entice young girls to get into science. By idolizing iconic female scientists and marketing to a female audience, those in the field have been trying...

              By Mary Whitfill, editor-in-chief On Friday, thousands of Market Basket employees continued the strange developments in the chain’s legal disputes, rallying around Arthur T. Demoulas, the recently fired...

By Nick Marini Episodes VIII and IX from Disney’s continuation of George Lucas’ “Star Wars” franchise have a new writer/director at the helm: Rian Johnson. The news broke late Friday morning. He was the creative force behind the movie “Looper” (2012), starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt, which was one of the most critically-acclaimed, completely original sci-fi movies of the past 20 years, collecting over $66 million in US box offices and receiving numerous critics’ awards and nominations. He also wrote and directed the neo-noir “Brick” (2005), also starring Gordon-Levitt, which early-on solidified him in the industry as a young, refreshingly classicist, entertaining filmmaker that incorporates old-school skill to fast-paced plots and twisted stories. Arguably the best work in his filmography, however, included two of the most critically-acclaimed episodes of “Breaking Bad:” “The Fly” and “Ozymandias.”

Just a few years after the U.S. finally began its long-promised withdrawal of troops from Iraq, there is already a fresh conflict brewing and pressure to get involved in the country once again. Over the past few weeks, the terrorist organization ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has been gaining international notoriety as it stages violent attacks across the country, in an attempt to overthrow the government instated by the U.S.

Remember the walkout of students from their Principles of Economics class at Harvard a couple of years ago in solidarity with the “Occupy” movement? They thought that the economics they were being taught was doctrinaire, failed to provide a balanced perspective on the real existing economy and did not show sufficient empathy for the 45 million people living in poverty.

With the US victory over Ghana today, American eyes are turning towards Brazil as the US potential for a win increases. But unlike many countries around the world, football (soccer) does not have the cult following in the US that it does across the rest of the globe. While there are many football fanatics throughout the states, here’s some tips to keep in mind for the rest of us.

By Mary Whitfill, editor-in-chief Melissa McCarthy, Hollywood’s newest A-list funny girl, has become more and more vocal about the clothing line she launched with dress maker and collaborator Daniella Pearl. Voicing her disappointment in the fashion industry, she reveals...

When Gillian Robespierre, Anna Bean and Karen Maine first wrote the short film “The Obvious Child” in 2009, they didn’t intend to break cinematic ground or start a revolution. They just had a story they wanted to tell and a funny way of telling it. Fast-forward five years to the release of the feature-length film and that story has the potential to change the way mainstream media approaches unplanned pregnancies and the women who deal with them.

by Nick Marini, social media manager As much as I love a good new movie release, I still favor revisiting older classics. Movies that have stood the test of time, proved their worth after multiple viewings - ones worth owning. I figured it was time for a retro review - time to take a look back and talk about an impactful, relevant movie of the past. 20 years ago, the year 1994 happened. What a year it was for movies, something of a watershed for beckoning in the modern age of visual storytelling, fresh off the special-effects wonder “Jurassic Park.” We saw smash hits like “Forrest Gump,” got an emotional epic in “The Shawshank Redemption,” saw an indie achievement in “Bullets Over Broadway,” welcomed white knuckles and sweaty palms with “Speed,” forged childhood memories with “The Lion King,” got stupid with “Dumb and Dumber,” got magical for “Angels In the Outfield” and got plain silly with “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” (Big year for Jim Carey, huh?) However, most importantly, we got the Palm d’Or winner from Quentin Tarantino, “Pulp Fiction.”

By Mary Whitfill, editor-in-chief The Miss USA pageant wrapped up on Sunday in Baton Rouge after crowing Nia Sanchez, Miss Nevada, as the 63rd winner. She will go on to represent the United States at the Miss Universe pageant later this year. Runner-ups were Miss Louisiana...

by Nick Marini The Black Keys help keep rock in the mainstream - as the most popular North American rock band currently making music, they put blues rock, yes blues rock, on many radio stations, in a great number of television commercials and stuck in the heads of music listeners everywhere.