Recently a GQ writer went on a 20,000-mile trek looking for the best pizza within 10 metropolises. He came to Detroit and three of them made it on the list. One of those was Farmington Hills' Weinstein's pizzeria.

Excerpt:

Weinstein grew up a short bike ride away from his shop, which back then was called Romano's. He went off to study at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, apprenticed himself to master pizza makers in New Haven, Conn., and came home to convert the masses to thin-crust works of art with crab, mozzarella, crushed garlic and lemon wedges.

At 10:30 one recent morning, he was adding undisclosed spices to a large vat of red sauce. Then he pulled out a tray of dough patties wading in olive oil, rolled them in flour and began hand-tossing them into crusts for the lunch rush.

"The wetter the dough, the harder it is to deal with," he says, "but the better the pizza."

Weinstein has the sort of build and wardrobe you want from your pizza maker: Khaki shorts, white T-shirt, a very large white apron.

He can rhapsodize about coal ("I call it buried sunshine"), perfectly cooked white crusts with brown spots ("The absolute epitome of what pizza is"), the true key to pizza ("It's about the toppings") and wait, the other true key ("It's about the edge").

Read the entire article here.

Teletubbies were lovable and cute or like nails on a chalk board, depending on how old you were. Yet, it's hard to deny their popularity blitz in marketing and retail. Well, the guy behind that is coming to Michigan because of the tax breaks with another show: the Oogieloves.

The title sounds lovable and cute or like nails on a chalk board.

Excerpt:

Viselman has come from Los Angeles to Farmington Hills to produce a children's film called "The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure." As he describes the mood inside the building that serves as the movie's home base, he oozes enthusiasm.

"Oh my God, it's like maybe we should bring the Oogieloves to the Middle East. Maybe they'll solve the Middle East problems! It's a very unexpected, joyous place here," he says.

Viselman, 48, has been called a marketing genius for his role in the selling of the Teletubbies and Thomas the Tank Engine in America. He didn't invent those characters, but he helped make them must-have toys.

In 1998, the New York Times described him as "the whiz behind the 'Teletubbies' blitz." An Inc. profile from 2003 said "when he picked up the phone, the CEOs of FAO Schwarz and Toys 'R' Us took the call."

Read the entire article here.

Innovation is a state of mind – and body. Area exercise classes are turning fitness groupies into drummers and Hindi movie dancers. Oh Slumdog Millionaire, what have you wrought?

Excerpt:

A class called "Bollyfit" in Ann Arbor merges culture and fitness by incorporating Bollywood dance into workouts. Farmington Tennis Club and Birmingham Racquet Clubs offer cardio tennis, a combination that puts less emphasis on technique and more on drills, rallies, and an aerobic workout. And Vixen Fitness in Detroit makes workouts of belly dancing, salsa, pole dances and even lap dances.

Read the full story here.

Now that Michigan will be the set for nearly 70 Hollywood movies in 2009, new film schools in several Detroit area communities are offering classes to train crew members.

Wanted: Gofers for George Clooney and Hilary Swank.

Excerpt:

Six weeks ago, Ferndale resident Julie Goode was making $54,000 a year working as a textiles designer and engineer for supplier Lear Corp. Then, three days before Christmas, she was laid off. Goode, 28, now is preparing to start a new career.

She is one of hundreds of Michigan residents who have enrolled in a film industry training program, at least four of which have sprung up across the state since last April...

“The first thing (film production companies) ask is, "Who do you have for a crew base?'” said Jeff Spilman, co-founder and managing partner of S3 Entertainment Group, which is offering classes in Ferndale in a partnership with Oakland Community College.

Read the stories here and here.

The holidays are a time of giving, not usually saving. However, for some cities across SE Michigan they are doing just that, and in a festive way. These cities are turning toward cost-saving, energy-efficient LED lights for their holiday displays.

Now, residents not only can enjoy the Christmas lights but they can do it with a clear conscience.

Excerpt:

In Southfield, city workers typically spend a week of "frustration" going through light strings determining which ones work and replacing bulbs, said Bob Murray, parks and operations supervisor. The five-man crew spent only a day decorating this year because of the new LED lights.

The new lights at the civic center are expected to last up to 100,000 hours, which should span at least a 20-year period, he said. Instead of abrupt burnouts, the lights dim gradually over time and use less energy.

"We are looking at a savings of about 98 percent than with normal lights, which will be huge for the city," Murray said. "And we don't have to worry about blowing fuses anymore and spending money every year to replace defective bulbs."

Read the entire article here.

Whether you like Dearborn's Miller's Bar or Royal Oak's Red Coat Tavern, you favorite burger joint is bound to show up somewhere on the Freep's list of best burgers in town. Not into red meat? Don't worry, check out No. 24. Ferndale's Flytrap has a salmon burger just waiting for consumption.

Excerpt:

When we asked readers this fall to point us toward Detroit's best hamburgers, hundreds of you sent recommendations. We read every one, picked the places that sounded best and then hit the streets in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties to taste them. Six weeks and innumerable antacids later, here are our favorites.

Read the entire article here.

Now would be a good time to find your dream home in your dream neighborhood. As prices drop, houses in some of the area's more desirable cities become more affordable - actually, a lot more affordable.

Excerpt:

Since the market's peak in 2005, home prices have fallen about 23.2% in metro Detroit, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index. Record foreclosures in the past two years have also created a drag on home values as foreclosed properties compete head-to-head with owner listings.

So, for the first time in years, buyers can find many choices in the under-$200,000 price range in communities such as Allen Park, Westland, Dearborn, Ypsilanti, Detroit, Howell, Harrison Township, Fraser, Clinton Township, Warren, Holly, Farmington Hills, Keego Harbor, Waterford, Monroe, Royal Oak and Ferndale, according to data compiled by Realcomp in Farmington Hills.

Read the entire article here.

More than 500 students from 10 Southeast Michigan schools will participate in this year's Rouge Education Project and will survey the Rouge River as part of their studies.