Why was Michelle Obama at the Oscars?  —  It was the average too-long, unfunny, over-produced Academy Awards TV show and then, after suffering through the 10-hour (well, it seemed like it) show, there was the first lady.  In a ball gown.  With military service personnel in dress uniform behind her.

White House releases state-by-state breakdown of sequester's effects  —  The White House on Sunday detailed how deep spending cuts set to begin this week would affect programs in every state and the District, as President Obama launched a last-ditch effort to pressure congressional Republicans …

Democrats and Republicans Miscalculate on Automatic Cuts  —  WASHINGTON — With Congress unlikely to stop deep automatic spending cuts that will strike hard at the military, the fiscal stalemate is highlighting a significant shift in the Republican Party: lawmakers most keenly dedicated …

Nikki Finke's Oscar Live-Snark: Four Hours Of Unfunny Seth MacFarlane; Unnecessary Michelle Obama; ‘Argo’ Wins Best Picture  —  I'm live-snarking the 85th Oscars for the outstanding film achievements of 2012 starting at 5:30 PM PT tonight.  Comments will open when the show starts inside the Dolby Theatre.

The Onion  · 2,265,644 like this  —  On behalf of The Onion, I offer my personal apology to Quvenzhané Wallis and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the tweet that was circulated last night during the Oscars.  It was crude and offensive—not to mention inconsistent …

The New York Times Company Announces Plan to Rebrand the International Herald Tribune as the International New York Times  —  Company to Increase Investment in Editorial Resources for Multiplatform International Edition  —  The New York Times Company announced today that it plans to rebrand …

White House Report Claims Sequestration Will Affect Federal Department That No Longer Exists  —  If you want a thorough agency-by-agency rundown of the budget cuts sequestration would deliver, the Office of Management and Budget has you covered.  In compliance with The Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012 …

John Kerry invents country of Kyrzakhstan  —  John Kerry has suffered his first gaffe as the new US secretary of state, inventing the nation of ‘Kyrzakhstan’  —  In an embarrassing slip of the tongue, Mr Kerry last week praised US diplomats working to secure “democratic institutions” in the Central Asian country, which does not exist.

Dems 2016: Will Hillary Clinton clear the field?  —  The ranks of Democratic governors are filled with ambitious politicians boasting records that would probably play well with primary voters in 2016.  —  But even as they eye a move from the statehouse to the White House …

THE HOUSE OF PAIN … - DOUBLE TAKE - PHOTO BOOTH - DAILY SHOUTS - PAGE-TURNER - DAILY COMMENT - AMY DAVIDSON - JOHN CASSIDY - BOROWITZ - RICHARD BRODY

Judd Makes Steps Toward Senate Bid  —  The beautiful movie star tries to take on Washington by defeating a powerful Republican leader.  It's not a plot line, it's reality: The actress Ashley Judd is making moves to take on GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Sotomayor slams controversial remarks by prosecutor  —  Washington (CNN) - Two members of the Supreme Court took the unusual step of speaking out over racially insensitive remarks by a federal prosecutor in a drug case, when rejecting review of the defendant's appeal.

Barnes & Noble Weighs Its E-Reader Investment  —  Even for a company with a lot of bad news lately, the bulletin from Barnes & Noble this month had an ominous feel.  —  Barnes & Noble, the nation's largest book chain, warned that when it reports fiscal 2013 third-quarter results on Thursday …

Austerity, Italian Style  —  Two months ago, when Mario Monti stepped down as Italy's prime minister, The Economist opined that “The coming election campaign will be, above all, a test of the maturity and realism of Italian voters.”  The mature, realistic action, presumably …

Mich. GOP pushes on with electoral vote plan; Schostak re-elected  —  Lansing — Republicans handed Bobby Schostak another two-year term as state chairman Saturday and overwhelmingly endorsed a plan to change Michigan presidential electoral vote rules in a way opponents charge is intended …