1. Madonna — who admittedly has some of the best guns in the business — is opening a chain of gyms around the world that will be known as Hard Candy Fitness. [via AP] 2. Paul the Psychic Octopus, who correctly predicted the outcome of several world World Cup matches, passed away last night at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany. He will be missed… particularly by gamblers. [via The Daily What] 3. The Daily Beast has ranked America’s smartest (and dumbest) cities, with Boston topping their list and Las Vegas pulling up the rear. 4. Mark Wahlberg will star in Ted, the directorial debut of Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. The film is a buddy movie about a man and his teddy bear, who thanks to a childhood wish, has come to life. [via Deadline] 5. Ang Lee has cast newcomer Suraj Sharma to play the lead role of 16-year old Pi Patel in his upcoming adaptation of The Life of Pi. [via Deadline]
Bonus link: Longreads.com has launched!