Casino Jack, the Year in Sex and More Culture Picks
Each week, The Daily Beast sifts through the cultural landscape to choose three top picks. This week, Kevin Spacey’s new film, a recap of the sexiest scandals of the year, and the best of the best books of 2010.
Kevin Spacey, Criminal Mastermind
In Casino Jack, his new film out Friday, the Oscar winner immerses himself in pathos as disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In a new interview, he talks to Kevin Sessums about being cast via Facebook and his silence about his sexuality, saying, “I don't live a lie. You have to understand that people who choose not to discuss their personal lives are not living a lie.” The unusually candid actor also talks about his time in England and working with George Hickenlooper, the film’s director who unexpectedly died at the age of 47.
It was the best of times, it was the raunchiest of times. Charlie Sheen was all over the headlines in 2010 for his outrageous lifestyle—he and wife Brooke Mueller both checked into rehab, and remember when Jesse James was caught cheating on Oscar-winning wife Sandra Bullock? From Tiger and Elin’s divorce to Eric Massa's "tickle fights" to the Chilean miner's mistress, the year did not disappoint when it came to bad behavior. See a rundown of the whole sordid affair.
The Best of the Best Books 2010
In between the gingerbread binges and family time, what books should you read to catch up on the year? With so many top 10 lists floating around, we decided to cut through the noise and pick the cream of the crop. The Daily Beast went through the top 10 lists of the best books of the year and tallied up the results to come up with the ultimate ranking for the year’s best fiction and nonfiction. There’s Freedom of course, but Room snuck ahead and was most critics’ favorite. Read our entire list here.