NEW YORK, June 23, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- This week's Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition will report on a broad range of informative business and lifestyle stories written by the Journal's award winning reporters. The week's Weekend Edition will be available via home delivery and newsstands on June 24-25.
The Journal's Pursuits section puts the focus on leisure-time decisions: what to see, what to buy, what to read, what to eat, what to watch, where to go and how to get there. Entertainment. Style. Food. Travel. Sports. And from the Journal's opinion staff, Books and Leisure & Arts. Concise and to the point, Pursuits is all about engaging readers with great ideas that relate to a wide variety of passions pertaining to their lifestyle. Loaded with lists, picks and reliable advice, Pursuits promises to place an intelligent, inspiring focus on the best of the best.
Highlights of this week's Pursuits include the following stories:
Cover Stories:
-- In a move that could have major ramifications for baseball, a
handful of teams are using new calculations to quantify the
importance of luck in the performances of their pitchers and
hitters. Traditionally, when a batter hits a hard line drive on
which an outfielder makes a diving catch that is scored simply
as an out, which is good for the pitcher and bad for the hitter.
But when luck is factored in, it's actually the hitter who would
get the points (for hitting the ball hard) and the pitcher who
would get them taken away. It's a huge breakthrough in a sport
where luck can play such a big role.
-- As the restaurant world places an ever-greater premium on
novelty, and the stakes get higher as chefs find more ways to
profit from their innovations, the food world is devising new
ways to protect original ideas.
Our Picks
-- Actor Forest Whitaker picks great movie dramas.
-- A look at a trend emerging on YouTube and other video-sharing
sites: posting videos of yourself playing piano or demonstrating
your golf swing, so that thousands of other viewers can critique
your technique and offer tips.
-- A look at the four ringtones just awarded multiplatinum status
by the RIAA, which began certifying gold and platinum ringtones
last week.
Entertainment & Culture
-- The Morgenstern on Movies column, by Joe Morgenstern, notes that
the movie business in Western Europe, beset by a double whammy
of aging populations as well as disaffected kids, has
rediscovered the existence of grown-ups and is currying their
favor with some success. That model holds promise for the U.S.
as well.
Style
-- The explosion of cork in fashion products reflects a behind the
scenes campaign by the Portuguese government and the World
Wildlife Federation to raise the profile of this renewable
resource.
-- Ray Smith shops for men's summer items with designer Joseph
Abboud.
Cooking & Dining
-- In our Eating Out column, our reporter Raymond Sokolov dines at
Le Cirque and Del Posto.
-- As part of the Chefs at Home series, Nancy Silverton of
Campanile and La Brea Bakery makes grilled cheese sandwiches.
Sports
-- John Paul Newport pulls up his knickers and tees off with
antiquarian re-enactors who play with hickory clubs and gutta-
percha golf balls. Can't tell your mashie from your niblick?
Travel
-- Singapore's Chinatown has transformed from sanitized streets
filled with souvenir stalls and traditional buildings devoid of
life into one of the city-state's hippest destinations, with new
boutique hotels, art galleries and stylish restaurants. But the
ultimate success of this revamp isn't due to government efforts-
the most common harbinger of change-it's thanks to
entrepreneurial moves by the private sector.
-- Oregon is known mainly for its Pinot Noir, but the state's south
is trying to change that. In the new federally authorized
"Southern Oregon" wine area, wineries are launching tasting
rooms, wine centers and Web sites to entice tourists to tour the
region and try Cabernet Sauvignons, Viogniers and Syrahs.
Editor's Note: WSJ reporters are available to discuss these topics.
About The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal, the flagship publication of Dow Jones & Company (NYSE:DJ) (www.dowjones.com), is the world's leading business publication. Founded in 1889, The Wall Street Journal has a print and online circulation of nearly 2.1 million, reaching the nation's top business and political leaders, as well as investors across the country. Holding 31 Pulitzer Prizes for outstanding journalism, the Journal seeks to help its readers succeed by providing essential and relevant information, presented accurately and fairly, from an authoritative and trusted source. The Wall Street Journal print franchise has more than 600 journalists world-wide, part of the Dow Jones network of nearly 1,900 business and financial news staff. Other publications that are part of The Wall Street Journal franchise, with total circulation of 2.7 million, include The Wall Street Journal Asia, The Wall Street Journal Europe and The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, the largest paid subscription news site on the Web. In 2006, the Journal was ranked No. 1 in BtoB's Media Power 50 for the seventh consecutive year.
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