Arts and Culture

Bush Aides Weighed Attack to Halt Russia-Georgia War, Putin Gloated: Books As Russian tanks rumbled into Georgia in 2008, a post-Cold War turning point was at hand.

Morgan Stanley Saleswoman Joins Tom Aikens for U.K. `Iron Chef': Food Buzz Judy Joo, a Columbia graduate who formerly worked for Morgan Stanley in New York and San Francisco, is being lined up for the U.K. version of “Iron Chef,” the TV cooking show that numbers Michelle Obama among its fans in the U.S., according to people familiar with the programmers’ plans.

Keira Knightley Enthralls, Vampire Weekend Warms Up: Great London Weekend Vampire Weekend could be a way to wind down after a chilly work week in London.

Rubin's In-Law Finds Happiness in Sleeping, Jumping, $3 Pens: Interview Sipping coffee at an Upper East Side restaurant, Gretchen Rubin beamed as she described the epiphany that led to her best-seller, “The Happiness Project.”

Detroit Skids From Dream Machines to Segregated Toilets, Bailouts: Books Halfway through “Crash Course,” Paul Ingrassia’s poised account of how Detroit’s automakers slid “from glory to disaster,” I started thinking about a Ford who never built Model Ts, Edsels or Mustangs.

Gastrodive Breslin Jolts With $36 Pig's Foot, Three-Hour Wait: Ryan Sutton I waited three hours for a table at the Breslin.

Red Hot Chilis, Arcade Fire Set to Rekindle Rock on 2010 CDs: Mark Beech The four New Yorkers in Vampire Weekend are ushering in the decade with Californian summer pop.

Swarovski Cat Litter, Mammoth Tusks, Ernst Stir Manhattan South: Hot Art More than 15 pounds of Swarovski crystals glitter in a red plastic box on the floor of Reena Spaulings Fine Art, a young gallery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

O'Brien Challenges NBC's Zucker to Settle Late-Night Dispute or Go to War Conan O’Brien’s refusal to host a later “Tonight Show” forces NBC Universal Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Zucker to negotiate a settlement with the entertainer or risk a legal fight.

Warren Beatty Would Sleep With Any Woman, Saying `You Never Know': Books Warren Beatty’s new biographer estimates that the notorious lothario has slept with almost 13,000 women, an impressive figure to everyone except perhaps Wilt Chamberlain and Hugh Hefner.