Culture Beast: The Real-Life Story Behind ‘The Sessions’

October 19 Having trouble viewing this? View it online.

1 FILM Lessons from a Sexpert In theaters today, The Sessions stars John Hawkes as Mark O’Brien, a polio-stricken writer who hires a sex surrogate, played by Helen Hunt, to help him lose his virginity. It’s earning raves, and Lizzie Crocker talks to the woman who inspired Hunt’s character and other surrogate partners about the history of the contentious practice. Read it at The Daily Beast

2 MUSIC Making Alabama Shakes A soul band with Southern roots and a burgeoning next-big-thing status, the Alabama Shakes are currently on a four-month, headlining tour through the U.S.—including a night opening for Neil Young. Lauren Streib on their rise to cult stardom. Read it at The Daily Beast 4 BOOKS Unlock Your Inner Psychopath Cool under pressure? Easy social charm? You might just be a psychopath. Kevin Dutton’s new book The Wisdom of Psychopaths says most of the world’s most successful people—presidents, doctors, CEOs—are just that. Robert Herritt on how we can all improve our lives by unlocking our inner Ted Bundy. Read it at The Daily Beast A new site called MormonsSecret.com is using the Romneys to sell ‘magical Mormon underwear’—and it’s already receiving backlash…” READ IT NOW › 5 TELEVISION RuPaul’s Drag Race Returns A new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race premieres Monday with an all-stars extravaganza featuring a dozen contestants competing to be the “Next Drag Superstar.” The queen of drag talks to Maria Elena Fernandez about his fashion philosophy, his favorite looks from seasons past, and the show’s new theme song, “Responsitrannity.”   Read it at The Daily Beast 3 ART Picasso’s Naked Truth Picasso Black and White, a new exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, doesn’t just sample random moments when Picasso went monochrome. Blake Gopnik on how this must-see show, which includes 118 works in fawns and tans as well as blacks and whites and grays, demonstrates the impact of the camera on Picasso’s art. Read it at The Daily Beast Celebrity Assistant Horror Stories Lost & Found Art Masterpieces Biggest Celebrity Memoir Flops Best & Worst Dressed of the Week In response to The Gawker-Reddit War: Online anonymity offers nothing but subterfuge to avoid the consequences of how a free-thinking audience might respond to ideas that are repulsive to us as a society. — SanDiegoLee In response to Yes to Condoms in Porn!: Mandatory condoms will push the industry underground, leading to a collapse of the existing system of testing and monitoring. New infections will be impossible to detect, treat and trace, making work genuinely unsafe for performers. — Ilevine2

ABOUT US | CONTACT US | PRIVACY POLICY Copyright 2012 The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC 555 W. 18th Street , New York NY 10011 SUBSCRIBE UNSUBSCRIBE LIKE US ON FACEBOOK FOLLOW US ON TWITTER FORWARD TO A FRIEND You are subscribed as: dwyld.kwu.11muchado2011@blogger.com.