Tom Daschle did not warn the Obama team of his back taxes issue until weeks after his cabinet nomination.

Daschle Knew of Tax Issues Over Car Use Last June

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and secular parties scored gains in provincial elections, early reports showed.

Secular Parties and Premier Lead in Iraq

Steve Martin, who has gone from manic, rabbit-eared stand-up comedian to introspective memoirist, has a bluegrass album.

Jokes and Films Are Fun, but He Loves His Banjo

Bryan Burrough relies on metronomic crosscutting to shape his new book about Texas oil money.

There Will Be Extravagance: Riding High on Gushers of Black Gold

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” is a new reality competition that explores what it takes to be a drag star today.

They Float Like the Clouds on Air Do, They Enjoy ...

Some of Hollywood’s most prominent players are privately grumbling that the rituals of Oscar night have outlived any real sense of excitement about the event.

Oscars Suspense: Will People Watch?

Even if many of the hardships were self-inflicted, Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger has faced his share of adversity.

Game on Line, Roethlisberger Delivers

Danny Boyle was honored by the Directors Guild of America for directing “Slumdog Millionaire.”

More Riches for ‘Millionaire’

The country singer Taylor Swift will headline her first tour, beginning April 23 in Evansville, Ind.

Taylor Swift Tour Dates

The rapper DMX was sentenced to 90 days in jail and at least 18 months of supervised probation after his conviction on charges of theft, drug possession and animal cruelty, The Associated Press reported.

Jail Time for DMX

Paul Blart’s reign at the top of the box office came to an end over the weekend, toppled by the vigilante-father film “Taken.”

‘Taken’ Overtakes ‘Cop’

Primary Stages announced members of the cast of “Chasing Manet,” a new play by Tina Howe.

In the Wings

Jessica Snow Wilson has joined the cast of “Glimpses of the Moon,” the jazz-age musical that plays Monday nights in the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel.

Footnote

A lawyer representing Adriana Pichini, an Italian office worker, has filed legal papers alleging that “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is similar to a story she wrote in 1994, Reuters reported.

The Curious Case Against ‘Case’

Treasury’s schedule of financing this week.

Treasury Auctions Set for This Week

A visit to the Rose Art Museum, scheduled to be shut down by Brandeis University, raises questions about art’s role in a moral society and who owns it.

In the Closing of Brandeis Museum, a Stark Statement of Priorities

Corrections

An article last Sunday about Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, misspelled the surname of the then-governor of Illinois who talked with Mr. Emanuel about the vacant Senate seat in his state. He is Rod R. Blagojevich, not Blogojevich.

Correction

An article in some editions last Sunday about the many ways that the name of New York’s newest United States enator, Kirsten E. Gillibrand, is mispronounced misspelled part of the name of the upstate city where she has an office. It is Saratoga Springs, not Sarasota.

This week’s new releases include “Feel That Fire” by Dierks Bentley, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Allegro” and others.

New CDs

The death toll rose to more than 100 people after an overturned gasoline tanker exploded on a Kenyan highway as looters tried to scoop up the spilled fuel.

In Wake of Infernos, Kenyans Describe a Muddled Response

Bernie Chazen, one of the most popular bridge teachers, died on Jan. 27 in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 67.

A Teacher’s Final Lesson

The reclusive life of an American eccentric is examined in scrupulous, sometimes strange detail in this exquisitely designed but conceptually thin puppet-theater work.

An Eccentric Existence: Ice Cream, Beer and Art

New York City Ballet bookends its newest program, “Early Music Masters,” with refinement and impetuousness.

Classicism to Begin, Stylistic Mix for Dessert

Karita Mattila gave a luminously sung performance as Tatiana in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of “Eugene Onegin.”

A Smitten Teenager’s Letter Is Returned to Sender All Over Again

The First cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir in Iceland, nicknamed “The welfare government” or “The sixth left government”, was formed 1 February 2009 after the Second cabinet of Geir Haarde resigned due to the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests.

The first cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was formed in Iceland, making her the country's first female prime minister and the world's first openly gay head of government.

February 1, 2009

Headlines from February 1, 2009

Daschle Knew of Tax Issues Over Car Use Last June

Secular Parties and Premier Lead in Iraq

Jokes and Films Are Fun, but He Loves His Banjo

There Will Be Extravagance: Riding High on Gushers of Black Gold

They Float Like the Clouds on Air Do, They Enjoy ...

Billboard 200

Fearless

I Am...Sasha Fierce

Dark Horse

Notorious

808s & Heartbreak

Historical Events

Historical Context for February 1, 2009