From there to here, and now this. Even though I don't dare tread too close to iambic pentameter, I'm sure the broody, apocalyptic villanelles I used to scrawl in notebooks during second period organic chem would make me a far superior poet laureate than Sarah Palin. Sadly, that fact has no weight without the support of luminous literati like Prospect's Julian Gough. His endorsement of Palin as American poet laureate should make the Alaskan governor squeal with glee at a chance for extended relevance, apart from various follies in helping to thwart a Democratic stronghold in the Senate.

Finally, a man Liz Lemon can be proud to call her own. No more closet sexual predators, or jerks who just pick up and move to Cleveland. Later, in this fourth and predictably great season of 30 Rock, Liz will start dating a doctor who lives in her building, and he has the wonderful fortune of looking just like that guy Don Draper from Mad Men. Jon Hamm, who also luckily looks like Don, told USA Today, "I just finished a couple of episodes, and I'll go back in the new year and do another one of those, and then we'll see what happens." What will happen is Liz will dump you for a preposterous reason (she hates happiness), and you'll travel back about 50 years to your cushy job on Madison Avenue selling cigarettes to Americans and pretending to be someone you're not (spoiler alert).

Remember that time when we analyzed the effect Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton had on the portrayal of women on television, and we concluded that nothing in the world had changed vis-á-vis gender roles despite the rise of women to political prominence? Well, the same is true for the art world! Sort of! According to this report released by the National Endowment for the Arts, female artists typically earn about $0.75 for every dollar their male counterparts make. Worse yet is the disparity between young artists and older artists -- 18-to-24 year-olds earn about $0.95 on the dollar, while those pushing 50 would be lucky to get above $0.65.

While New York's idea of stashing away defunct subway cars at a Staten Island landfill may have been effective in the past, it probably won't survive an influx of newly retired W and Z trains. So NYC authorities may take a lesson from artist Auro Foxcroft's vision. Having purchased dead London transit cars for just under $1,200, Foxcroft stacked four of them atop an extant warehouse-turned-gallery as makeshift workspaces for broke artists. The going rate for renting the space is $30/month.

For the past decade, actor James Franco has built a career based on huge talent, killer looks and enigmatic charm. Now is clearly his time, as the buzz on Milk—the Harvey Milk biopic in which he stars opposite Sean Penn, under the direction of Gus Van Sant—follows his summer smash, Pineapple Express. But Franco wants more: this year, he’s enrolled in two graduate schools while continuing to conquer Hollywood. For a smarter approach to life and art, Franco’s got an academy or two he’d like to thank.

● Thierry Mugler will serve as "creative adviser" on Beyonce's forthcoming tour. He will oversee everything from set lighting to choreography and, of course, costumes. [British Vogue]
● The much-rumored Louis Vuitton and Madonna collaboration has debuted. The campaign was shot by Madge's longtime pal Steven Meisel, with a smoky French bistro setting. [WWD]
● Anna Wintour and Vogue will debut a documentary named The September Issue at Sundance; it will be competing for Best Documentary. [THR]

The New Leading Man: Would the cast of 'Ocean’s 47' please clear the room for Patrick Wilson? By George, Hollywood’s most underappreciated character actor has finally grown into a bona fide box office draw!

For a man whose long-term plan was to tread the New York theater circuit, Patrick Wilson has taken a seriously wrong turn. “It’s been awesome,” says the 35-year-old Tony Award nominee and star of Angels in America, Hard Candy and Little Children. “I really love making movies.” And with another four in the can, including the recently released thriller Lakeview Terrace and the upcoming superhero behemoth Watchmen, Wilson is meandering dangerously close to leading man territory. “I don’t even know what that means!” he says. “I’m glad my movies make money, but if it’s leading man or character man, it’s all good.”

Oh that Mark Ronson! Is there anything he can't do? After all, he handed Amy Winehouse one of the most enduring records in the pop world. But having had no shortage of success, the dreamy DJ recently slagged Winehouse after she botched their chances to record the theme for Quantum of Solace. This in turn subjected us to this dreck. Perhaps we should spurn Wino similarly? Ronson also wearies of Lily Allen -- as her personal problems interfere with the creative process. Never mind the fact that she's poised to avoid sophomore slump. So what's a picky producer to do?

Change it up. The dawn of a new year is prime time to take a leap into the unknown -- as a country, and as individuals. In honor of that, we’ve got an issue crammed with new stars who are making inroads into the culture by following their gut and letting their passion fire the way.

UPDATE: Our James Franco cover story is now online.

On the cover of our December-January 2009 issue, James Franco relaxes along with the rest of the New Regime army -- 28 up-and-coming monster talents detailed and described for your pleasure. The issue hits newsstands on December 9, but be sure to come back here for the full story online. And won't you please spend a moment tripping down memory lane in our online cover gallery.