In a hydra-headed Oscar race, "American Hustle," ''12 Years a Slave" and "Gravity" all have legitimate claims to favorite status. And that's a good thing.Even if a front-runner emerges from the much-nominated...

The execution of a death-row inmate in Lucasville, Ohio is being called “a failed, agonizing experiment” after an untried method of lethal injection was used in the process. Officials said it took...