December 2, 2012

Quiet, religious and fiercely meticulous, President Obama’s chief of staff, Jacob J. Lew, may be the most unassuming power broker in Washington.

When the final seconds ticked off an instant classic Saturday, Alabama celebrated, rather wildly, its SEC championship win over Georgia that earned it a spot in the B.C.S. title game, opposite Notre Dame.

On his first drive after taking over for Mark Sanchez in the third quarter, Greg McElroy revitalized a stagnant offense by throwing a touchdown pass, one of the few highlights in a dismal game.

A mix-and-match lineup of musicians brought ample hometown pride to “Red Hot + Cuba,” while Cuban-American relations was never too far away.

The big studios hope to take top Oscars back from the independents, who have won major awards since 2008.

A 19-hour Chinese Kunqu epic, stripped of subplots and nonessential characters, becomes a 70-minute opera for a museum garden.

Shania Twain, opening a residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, revisited the over-the-top glitter of her arena tours of the late ’90s and early 2000s, though in a more controlled format.

John Huey, the editor in chief of Time Inc., will vacate his office at the year’s end and says there is little he will miss about the job.

Judging from tax changes in the past, some economists see a mostly mild effect on markets if tax rates on dividends and capital gains rise at the end of the year, as the White House has proposed.

Another victory for the Knicks, this time against Phoenix, was memorable because they moved to 7-0 at the Garden, but mostly because Rasheed Wallace was ejected after playing only 1 minute 25 seconds.

On Saturday, despite a valiant effort by Georgia, college football’s dream scenario materialized: the SEC champion in Alabama against undefeated Notre Dame.

The following tax-exempt fixed-income issues are scheduled for pricing this week.