Jon Hamm portrays an ad executive and January Jones his wife on “Mad Men.”

Pretty Ugly The group exhibition, split between Gavin Brown's Enterprise and the Maccarone Gallery, features works from about 75 artists, including Bernard Buffet's "Les Folles."

Philippe Petit in "Man on Wire."

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in a scene from "The X Files: I Want to Believe."

Academics can't get enough of England in Richard Nelson's play "Some Americans Abroad," at the Second Stage.

The actor Hugh Jackman, left, talks to the legendary comic book creator Stan Lee at the 2008 Comic-Con convention.

A man beside his partly demolished home in one of Beijing’s classic hutong neighborhoods. The rapid encroachment of the modern city has preservationists alarmed.

From Another Shore: Recent Icelandic Art Photographs from Ólafur Elíasson's Green River series at Scandinavia House.

A drawing of the Archangel Gabriel by Lucas van Leyden, about 1520.

Damián Ortega's "Controller of the Universe," a 2007 sculpture in the Weapons section.

“The Truth About John the Baptist” (1983), by Nicolas Moufarrege, in “Side x Side” at La MaMa La Galleria in the East Village.

“Living Room,” 2008, drawn animation and wire, by Jeanne Verdoux.

Barbara Ehrenreich

Megan Krizmanich in a scene from "American Teen."

Stefannie Lucas, queen of the black Mardi Gras in Mobile, Ala.

Philippe Entremont gave a piano recital at Mannes College the New School for Music as part of the International Keyboard Institute and Festival.

Antiktex offers some 300,000 samples of antique and vintage fabrics.

Joseph Leportier, one of the villagers interviewed in Nicolas Philibert’s “Back to Normandy.”

Just one of the characters responsible for the title of “Baghead.”

Matthew Goode plays an artistic young man of no special pedigree in Julian Jarrold’s feature-length adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s “Brideshead Revisited.”

Will Ferrell, left, and John C. Reilly in a scene from "Step Brothers."

A scene from the Crosby Stills Nash and Young movie "CSNY: Déjà Vu."

The stage adaptation of “Dog Day Afternoon” is more a curiosity for fans of the movie than any elucidation on the Oscar-winning screenplay.

Escape to Paris, with showbiz dreams: Karla Mosley, left, and Lenelle Moïse in “Expatriate.”

Young-hoon Lee, left, and Han Lee in a scene from "No Regret."

Catch a Hawaiian wave: A scene from “Bustin’ Down the Door.”

Mitsuki Tanimura, left, and Hoshi Ishida in a scene from "Canary."

“This Way Up,” part of the collection “The Animation Show.”

In his first statement since accusations were made that he assaulted his mother and sister, Christian Bale, above, asked for privacy on Thursday, The Associated Press reported.

John Waters has begun writing a treatment for a sequel to the movie musical “Hairspray.”

Talk Radio Network, which syndicates Michael Savage’s program to more than 350 affiliates, said that it had decided to reject critics’ calls to fire or suspend him.

The opening night on Sunday at the Vail International Dance Festival in Colorado will be all Philip Glass.

Salman Rushdie and Tom Wolfe are slated to contribute to the 2008-9 season at Symphony Space on the Upper West Side, the organization announced.

The late-night hosts may be making jokes about the presidential election, but news coverage of it seems to be interesting viewers more right now.

A two-hour episode of “So You Think You Can Dance” averaged 8.4 million viewers on Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m., helping make Fox No. 1 in the ratings for the night.

Ralph Fiennes, Barry McGovern, Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and Cynthia Nixon will perform hourlong readings of Samuel Beckett’s poetry and prose.