As anyone who has ever experienced a panic attack well knows, one of the most difficult aspects of managing anxiety disorders is having to do it in secret for fear of being labeled a freak.
Sunday night’s Academy Awards had a very special guest on hand: Michelle Obama. The first lady, dressed in a silvery, shimmery evening gown by designer Naeem Khan, made a surprise live appearance from the Diplomatic Room of the White House at the end of the Oscars to help Jack Nicholson hand out the evening’s final and biggest award, best picture.
If an extraterrestrial landed on Earth, “Argo,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Django Unchained,” “Lincoln,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Zero Dark Thirty” each would be an excellent introduction to the American character. In the aggregate, they make up a composite portrait of the country.