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The Salt
2:39 am
Wed September 12, 2012

Five Ways To Spot A Fake Online Review, Restaurant Or Otherwise

Credit Bill Oxford / iStockphoto.com
One sign that a restaurant review is a fake is if it gives a very high or very low rating without many specifics.

Originally published on Tue September 18, 2012 1:47 pm

Thinking of going to a nice restaurant? Before you decide, you probably go online and read reviews of the place from other customers (or you listen to these actors read them to you). Online reviews of restaurants, travel deals, apps and just about anything you want to buy have become a powerful driver of consumer behavior. Unsurprisingly, they have also created a powerful incentive to cheat.

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Movies
4:01 pm
Tue September 11, 2012

Toronto Film Fest Offers Hints Of Oscar Contenders

Originally published on Tue September 11, 2012 8:57 pm

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

The eyes of Hollywood are focused north of the border right now on the Toronto International Film Festival. More than 300 movies from 60 countries are on offer. Many of those titles are headed to theaters and possible Oscar bids later this year. Our film critic, Bob Mondello, is in Toronto, trying to see as many of them as he can. And, Bob, apparently, I'm hearing this is your first festival in almost 20 years. Please tell me how a film critic has managed to avoid film festivals.

(LAUGHTER)

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Books
2:46 pm
Tue September 11, 2012

'Breed': A Pseudonym To Pen A Tale Of Horror

Credit Wendy Ewald
Scott Spencer, writing for the first time under the pen name Chase Novak, is the best-selling author of Endless Love and A Ship Made of Paper.

Originally published on Tue September 11, 2012 8:57 pm

If you're a horror fan, you're probably familiar with the trope of the demon child — you know, the sweet little kid who undergoes a horrible transformation and terrorizes everyone in his or her path (or is just born evil, like Rosemary's titular baby).

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Monkey See
1:09 pm
Tue September 11, 2012

TIFF '12: Billy Bob Thornton's Film That Is Not About 'Jayne Mansfield's Car'

Credit Van Redin / Toronto International Film Festival
Billy Bob Thornton and Kevin Bacon star in Jayne Mansfield's Car.

Originally published on Tue September 11, 2012 1:30 pm

[Monkey See will be at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) through the middle of this week. We'll be bringing you our takes on films both large and small, from people both well-known and not.]

Here's a declaration for you: I haven't seen even ten percent of the films playing at the Toronto International Film Festival, but I am convinced that Jayne Mansfield's Car has the worst title.

Let's go back to the beginning.

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Monkey See
12:17 pm
Tue September 11, 2012

TIFF '12: 'Mr. Pip' And Literary Escape

Credit Toronto International Film Festival
Hugh Laurie and Xzannjah in Mr. Pip.

[Monkey See will be at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) through the middle of this week. We'll be bringing you our takes on films both large and small, from people both well-known and not.]

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