Set your DVR's tonight to watch the new HBO documentary, Triangle: Remembering the Fire.

It's been 100 years since the March 25, 1911 infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Fire on the lower East Side of New York which killed 146 garment workers, most of them young, female Jewish and Italian immigrants. Many were burned alive on the upper floors of the ten story building, others jumped to their death. So many of these deaths were unnecessary -- caused by unsafe working conditions. The stairways were narrow, doors were blocked, the fire escapes were faulty and the sprinklers were inadequate. [More...]

The New York Times will require paid subscriptions to access more than 20 articles a month commencing March 28. Here's the letter from the publisher outlining the terms.

When the Times went this route a few years ago with respect to its editorial content, the plan backfired. Will it be different now? And what if other major dailies follow suit?

It may not be as bad as it sounds. First, even non-subscribers will get 20 free articles a month. And, if you get home delivery, even for just the Sunday Times, you get free, full digital access on your computer, smartphone and tablets.

For blog writers and readers, the silver lining is this:

Readers who come to Times articles through links from search, blogs and social media like Facebook and Twitter will be able to read those articles, even if they have reached their monthly reading limit.

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Owsley Stanley died at age 76 this past weekend, following an automobile accident in Australia, where he has lived with his wife for the past 30 years. Revered in the 1960's for the quality of his acid, his name may not be as familiar as Ken Kesey or Timothy Leary, but he was a legend.

Among a legion of youthful seekers, his name was synonymous with the ultimate high as a copious producer of what Rolling Stone once called "the best LSD in the world … the genuine Owsley." He reputedly made more than a million doses of the drug, much of which fueled Kesey's notorious Acid Tests — rollicking parties featuring all manner of psychedelic substances, strobe lights and music. Tom Wolfe immortalized Stanley as the "Acid King" in the counterculture classic "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" (1968).

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Charlie Sheen today filed a $100 million lawsuit against Warner Brothers and Two and a Half Men producer Chuck Lorre.

Sheen is also claiming damages on behalf of the show's cast and crew, even though his lawyers don't represent them. The show employs 200 people.

Sheen says Warner Brothers and Lorre raked in over a billion dollars from the show over its 9 seasons.

Lorre has a terrific attorney, Howard Weitzman on Los Angeles.

Los Angeles attorney Howard Weitzman, who represents Lorre, called the suit's claims "as recklessly false and unwarranted as Mr. Sheen's rantings to the media." He added the lawsuit was "about a fantasy 'lottery' payday" for Sheen.

Warner Brothers also sounds like it's ready for battle: [More...]

David Broder, longtime writer for the Washington Post and other media publications, has passed away.

Our sympathies to his family. May he rest in peace.

My pal Blair Sabol has a new column today on the fascination with celebrity meltdowns, particularly Charlie Sheen. As always, her unique take, her acerbic wit -- even her refusal to feel guilty about writing about such banality, instead of Haiti, Darfur and the Middle East -- make for fun reading.

In 48 hours [Charlie] made TMZ more important than 60 Minutes and exploited the media better than the media could exploit any other personality. Who was screwing whom?

Blair asks an intriguing question: Are some people just unrehabable -- meaning no amount of rehab will work for them? [More...]

Look who made the cover of Rolling Stone -- Snooki. The interview is filled with Snookisms. For example, on the cover picture of her sitting on a rocket:

"Vinny definitely compares to the rocket I sat on," Polizzi said of her co-star, with whom she's shared some, er, intimate moments on the show. "I would probably call that rocket Seabiscuit because that's the same size as Vinny's ding-dong."

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Until tonight, I managed to avoid the Charlie Sheen Unmagical Mystery Tour, where every network is giving him prominent air time. I caught about 15 minutes of 20/20, just enough to wonder what world he's living in. He's straight now he says, and there's no drugs in the house he's living in with his "two goddesses", a p*rn star and model.

He pooh-poohed all the negative reports on his behavior, and blamed his New York hotel brouhaha on, of all things, Ambien, which he called "the devil's aspirin." He's not into pills he said, and Ambien wasn't part of his "normal blend." He chain-smoked through the interview.

As to the speculation he's bi-polar: "And then what? What's the cure? Medicine? Make me like them? Not gonna happen."

He's obviously intelligent. And oddly entertaining to watch -- in very small doses. But despite what he believes, he's really not that interesting. Or sexy. Or charismatic. As this writer says, "Finally: Charlie Sheen is bats--t crazy. And Charlie Sheen is perfectly sane." [More...]

If you don't have time to watch presidential daily news briefings, new White House Press Secretary Jay Carney has an active twitter feed.

Here's Obama's fact sheet on the health care law and empowering states.

Carney writes: "Looking forward to using twitter often, to answer questions and let people know what the WH is doing." He also says the U.S. is focused on sanctions with Libya but not taking any options off the table.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

After the dismal snoozefest of theAcademy Awards, who comes along to provide the funniest skit of the night? Of all people, Jimmy Kimmel. His mock infomercial "Hottie Bodies Humpilates" is laugh out loud funny. If you missed it (and the bevy of sexy actresses who play along, including Scarlett Johansson, Emily Blunt, Sofia Vergara, Eva Longoria, Minka Kelly and Jessica Biel -- joined at the end by Lindsay Lohan), catch it on his website tomorrow or ABC. The teasers don't do it justice.

The Oscars are on. Can James Franco and Anne Hathaway pull it off? I don't know if the show is time-delayed, I'm assuming it isn't.

Here's a live thread for your reactions. My red carpet thread is here. Sporadic updates below:

Lots of hits, not many misses on the red carpet today for the Oscars.

Some of my favorites:

• Jennifer Lawrence
• Sandra Bullock
• Jennifer Hudson
• Gwynneth Paltrow
  

I'm not sure what I think of Nicole Kidman's dress. Helen Mirren always looks nice. Halle Berry looks ethereal. Here's a photo of Natalie's dress. [More...]