News

It's been a depressing few weeks for sex related news. CBS reporter Lara Logan was beaten and violently sexually assaulted while reporting on the crisis in Egypt and various bloggers and reporters made asses of themselves by focusing on her looks or the (supposed) religion of her attackers. Representative Scott Brown released a memoir in which he describes childhood sexual abuse that he had not previously told anyone, not even those closest to him, about. The House of Representatives voted last Friday to strip federal funding for Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit that provides contraceptives, cancer screening, Sti treatment and basic reproductive health care to disadvantaged people - mostly women. I don't generally shy away from reporting on the heavy stuff, but this column is supposed to be entertaining, not depressing. And anyway, I'm more comfortable in the role of masochist than sadist. So instead of rubbing your noses in one...

British Mad Men star beats Brad Pitt and Daniel Day-Lewis to the role of detective's criminal bete noire

Another day, another Brit cast in Guy Ritchie's forthcoming sequel to Sherlock Holmes – last year's big screen, big budget reimagining of the quintessentially English detective series.

Yesterday, we reported that Stephen Fry was set to play Mycroft, Holmes's even brainier elder brother. Today, it seems that the plum role of villain Professor James Moriarty is set to go to Jared Harris, best known for playing strait-laced Brit Lane Pryce on the sublime Us TV show Mad Men.

Brad Pitt, Daniel Day-Lewis, Colin Firth and Russell Crowe had all been mentioned in connection with the role but Latino Review reports that Harris, son of the late Richard Harris, is the final choice. The as-yet-untitled Sherlock Holmes 2 will drop in 2011, with Ritchie returning as director and Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law...