Private Jet

Russell Crowe trusts his instincts, and right now he's almost certain they are dead-on. He just needs confirmation. So he darts his piercing eyes toward me. Five days earlier I was in the Washington Post newsroom, editing articles for the Metro section. Now I'm in Crowe's Beverly Hills hotel suite, along with director Kevin Macdonald and actresses Helen Mirren and Rachel McAdams. Three Academy Award winners. A magnetic young star. And a newspaper guy you've never heard of, still wondering how he got here.

IRVINE, Calif. — In more than 30 years as a believer, I've attended enough "Christian conferences" to expect at least a few of the speakers to be talking out of their ... um ... butts, if you will. But Hollywood director Tom Shadyac was the first to do so literally when he began an address to several thousand young evangelicals by mimicking the posterior elocution of the lead character from his "Ace Ventura" films. In fairness, Shadyac, the 54-year-old director of "Patch Adams," ‘'Liar Liar," ‘'Bruce Almighty," and "Evan...

Indiana Private jet crashes, hitting three homes A private jet apparently experiencing mechanical trouble crashed Sunday in a northern Indiana neighborhood, resulting in injuries and striking three homes, authorities and witnesses said. There was no immediate word of any deaths. The Beechcraft Premier I twin-jet had left Tulsa's Riverside Airport and crashed near South Bend Regional Airport, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig said. "There was an...

With so many families still trying to recover from the Great Recession, the wealthy aren't feeling much love from the American public. The average net worth of households in the upper 7 percent of the wealth distribution chain increased 28 percent during the first two years of the nation's economic recovery compared with a 4 percent drop for households in the lower 93 percent, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of data from the Census...

With all of the attention Sheryl Sandberg 's book " Lean In " is getting, it's probably one of those books you feel like you should read. Except, quite frankly, between all that "leaning in" you're doing at work and all those responsibilities you're dividing up at home, reading an actual book calls for something you no longer have: free time. That's why we've done it for you. Below, we list enough highlights from the Facebook COO's "sort of feminist manifesto" to get you through a water cooler conversation or some...

With so many families still trying to recover from the Great Recession, the wealthy aren't feeling much love from the American public. The average net worth of households in the upper 7 percent of the wealth distribution chain increased 28 percent during the first two years of the nation's economic recovery compared with a 4 percent drop for households in the lower 93 percent, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of data from the Census...

When Thomas Steyer — a San Francisco billionaire and major Democratic donor — discusses climate change , he feels as if one of two things is true: What he's saying is blindingly obvious, or insane. "I feel like the guy in the movie who goes into the diner and says, ‘There are zombies in the woods and they're eating our children,' " Steyer said during a recent breakfast at the Georgetown Four Seasons, his first appointment in a day that included meetings with a...

The intimate gathering stretched late into the night. Cigars and champagne toasts, a "picadera" of Dominican appetizers — only the finest at the well-appointed Caribbean retreat of the rich American doctor. Some of the moneyed attendees slipped into stylish guayaberas for the evening, but the guest of honor, Sen. Robert Menendez , stuck to a stodgy blue blazer with a pin on the lapel. The New Jersey Democrat posed stiffly beneath a huge cubist-style painting. He was the...

A former chef at the Virginia governor's mansion asked a judge Monday to dismiss embezzlement charges against him, arguing that state Attorney General Ken T. Cuccinelli II has a series of conflicts of interest that have tainted the proceedings. Attorneys for chef Todd Schneider say that he told state and federal authorities more than a year ago that a major campaign donor of Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) had paid $15,000...

Dear Amy: Recently I began to have sex with a guy I've known for three years. We were attracted to each other, so we agreed on a "sex-buddy" relationship. We don't speak to each other in public, and I don't mind that at all. I am perfectly content keeping our behavior 100 percent secret. But now the sex has changed. It's not a bad change, necessarily, because when we first started it was pretty automatic and even sort of anonymous. But now it has evolved to where he kisses me a lot and he is...

A former chef at the Virginia governor's mansion asked a judge Monday to dismiss embezzlement charges against him, arguing that state Attorney General Ken T. Cuccinelli II has a series of conflicts of interest that have tainted the proceedings. Attorneys for chef Todd Schneider say that he told state and federal authorities more than a year ago that a major campaign donor of Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) had paid $15,000 to cater the wedding of McDonnell's daughter ,...

SPAIN Thousands march against monarchy Thousands of people demonstrated against the Spanish monarchy Sunday, demanding the return of a democratically elected head of state, in another blow for embattled King Juan Carlos. The marchers thronged ­Puerta del Sol, a central square in the capital, Madrid, on the 82nd anniversary of the establishment of Spain's last democratically elected republic, which was ousted by an army uprising that led to a civil war and the nearly...

Indiana Private jet crashes, hitting three homes A private jet apparently experiencing mechanical trouble crashed Sunday in a northern Indiana neighborhood, resulting in injuries and striking three homes, authorities and witnesses said. There was no immediate word of any deaths. The Beechcraft Premier I twin-jet had left Tulsa's Riverside Airport and crashed near South Bend Regional Airport, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig said. "There was an...

Lindsey Wolko 's Center for Pet Safety in Reston just nailed a big "get" from Subaru of America. The automaker, a subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries in Japan, partnered with Wolko's nonprofit to test car safety restraints for pets. The partnership, which could include a road show and a highly visible media campaign, comes with a six-figure budget, courtesy of the automaker. "We could not be happier," said Wolko, 49. "They are a car manufacturer that completely understands the pet owner and the importance of...

The intimate gathering stretched late into the night. Cigars and champagne toasts, a "picadera" of Dominican appetizers — only the finest at the well-appointed Caribbean retreat of the rich American doctor. Some of the moneyed attendees slipped into stylish guayaberas for the evening, but the guest of honor, Sen. Robert Menendez , stuck to a stodgy blue blazer with a pin on the lapel. The New Jersey Democrat posed stiffly beneath a huge cubist-style painting. He was the...

With all of the attention Sheryl Sandberg 's book " Lean In " is getting, it's probably one of those books you feel like you should read. Except, quite frankly, between all that "leaning in" you're doing at work and all those responsibilities you're dividing up at home, reading an actual book calls for something you no longer have: free time. That's why we've done it for you. Below, we list enough highlights from the Facebook COO's "sort of feminist manifesto"...

The Senate Ethics Committee is reviewing allegations that Sen. Robert Menendez accepted inappropriate gifts from a Florida doctor who has flown the New Jersey Democrat to his estate in the Dominican Republic, a senior member of the panel confirmed Thursday. Sen. Johnny Isakson (Ga.), the ranking Republican on the committee, said the panel saw reports of the FBI raid Tuesday on the West Palm Beach offices of Salomon Melgen, a Menendez friend and political supporter who is also in an $11 million tax dispute with...

Lindsey Wolko 's Center for Pet Safety in Reston just nailed a big "get" from Subaru of America. The automaker, a subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries in Japan, partnered with Wolko's nonprofit to test car safety restraints for pets. The partnership, which could include a road show and a highly visible media campaign, comes with a six-figure budget, courtesy of the automaker. "We could not be happier," said Wolko, 49. "They are a car manufacturer that completely understands the pet owner and the...

When Thomas Steyer — a San Francisco billionaire and major Democratic donor — discusses climate change , he feels as if one of two things is true: What he's saying is blindingly obvious, or insane. "I feel like the guy in the movie who goes into the diner and says, ‘There are zombies in the woods and they're eating our children,' " Steyer said during a recent breakfast at the Georgetown Four Seasons, his first appointment in a day that included meetings with a senator, a White House...

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Sen. Robert Menendez is suddenly big news in Washington. The new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is at the center of a bipartisan group working to overhaul the nation's immigration laws and the focus of a brewing political scandal . But neither success nor scandal is new to Menendez (D), so back home in New Jersey the reaction to his ups and downs is decidedly more muted than inside the Beltway. "People have been making...