Ralph Nader Pens Odd Utopian Novel

Michael Bloomberg, Barry Diller, Larry Ellison among them

(NEWSER) - Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have convinced 34 more billionaires to sign onto their “Giving Pledge” initiative , promising to give away at least half their money to charity. The list includes the likes of Michael Bloomberg, Ted Turner, Barry Diller, Larry Ellison, and T. Boone Pickens, Reuters reports. “I am enthusiastically taking the Giving Pledge,” Bloomberg said in a letter. “Nearly all of my net worth will be given away in the years ahead.” More»

'Twilight' vampire tops Forbes list; cartoon superheroes fare well

(NEWSER) - Upheaval in the financial sector has widespread implications—it even affects the annual Forbes rankings of the wealthiest fictional characters. Entering the list at No. 1 is Carlisle Cullen, the Twilight vampire patriarch, who has a serious advantage in that he's undead and has had 370 years to accumulate his $34.1 billion fortune. The full list is here ; the rest of the top five are: More»

What will we still be talking about next decade? Britney, for one

(NEWSER) - The ‘00s were full of important contributions to culture, but which ones will we still be talking about in another decade? Here are some of New York ’s picks:

• TV: The Sopranos for inventing quality cable, American Idol for changing the music industry, and of course all things Oprah Winfrey.
• Books: The Da Vinci Code for singlehandedly sustaining the book industry, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay for blazing the trail of combining geek lit with high lit.

Bond franchise hoping new author can leave book sales, fans stirred

(NEWSER) - This year is the centenary of author Ian Fleming's birth, but while Daniel Craig gave the James Bond movie franchise a much-needed recharge, sales of the 007 books haven't caught up. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports, the Fleming estate has commissioned respected writer Sebastian Faulks to pen a new Bond novel, Devil May Care, with an ambitious first US printing of 250,000. More»