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Newsies

A stage version of the cult 1992 live-action Disney musical, which starred Christian Bale, will open this fall

Spider-Man

The troubled Broadway production of Spider-Man has hired a musical adviser to lend extra swing to its songs

FACEBOOK

Change of Status

It's no longer complicated for same-sex couples on Facebook, which now allows users to note civil unions and domestic partnerships in their relationship status. This is the latest gay-rights move by the site, which created a Network of Support in October to fight anti-gay bullying.

ART

Caravaggio: Kind of a Jerk

An exhibition at Rome's State Archives reveals that 16th century Italian painter Caravaggio was just as careless as today's tabloid stars. According to newly displayed documents, he was once sued for carving a giant hole in his rented apartment's ceiling and was arrested for carrying weapons without a permit. He also killed a man in a brawl. Suddenly, those reality-show train wrecks don't seem so bad.

VERBATIM

'[If] five guys in monkey masks come to the stage all saying, "I'm Banksy," who the hell do we give it to?'

BRUCE DAVIS, Academy executive director, on the confusion that would result if street artist Banksy--who refuses to reveal his true identity--wins the Best Documentary Oscar

MOVIES

Gatsby Goes 3-D

Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, which begins filming later this year in Sydney with Leonardo DiCaprio, will puzzlingly be shot in 3-D. Which scenes might best be experienced with that extra dimension? We suggest the following:

• Gatsby reaches for that green light ... and toward the audience.

• Those wonderfully lavish parties--flappers will do the Charleston right in your face.

• Gatsby tosses his colorful shirts right off the screen.

• Daisy, Myrtle and the speeding yellow roadster--the stuff that climactic crashes are made of.

INTERNET IDIOCY

Rahmen Emanuel

As Chicago's mayoral race wound down, the inevitable Web parodies of front runner Rahm Emanuel popped up. A favorite emerged in the form of a blog based entirely on a simple pun: Rahmen Emanuel features doctored images of the former White House chief of staff, almost all of which depict him with ramen noodles for hair. Is it ridiculous? Absolutely. Did it improve Emanuel's mayoral chances? Most definitely.

MARKETING

Hallmark Goes Stampless

You no longer have an excuse not to send Grandma that birthday card. Hallmark and the U.S. Postal Service have teamed up to produce greeting cards that come with bar-coded, postage-paid, no-stamp-required envelopes. At a maximum cost of $3.99, they'll cost you less than another family guilt trip.

VERBATIM

'This will be the best birthday celebration I've ever had.'

TREVOR BAYNE, surprise Daytona 500 winner; Bayne, who turned 20 a day before the race, became the youngest winner in its history

MUSIC

Glee Trumps the King (Sort Of)