Thespians stopped by Boston this week to read for the miniseries that will be based on BU professor and left-wing darling Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. And here's what happens when an intellectual heavyweight's work gets mixed up with this thing we call pop culture:

--Somehow, it just doesn't seem right to call noted author Howard Zinn the "Zinn-Meister." It makes us think of the SNL skit with Rob Schneider at the Xerox or of The Dude introducing himself in The Big Lebowski. The Zinn-ster, Zinn-ski, El Zinn-er-ino, Zinn-er-oni. [Boston Herald]

--And Marisa Tomei and the "Zinn-Meister" are an odd pairing, indeed. [Gawker]

--Members of the crew ran into "Commie-bashers" in Cambridge. What we want to know is--who is Cambridge to talk? [Boston Daily]

Image from Zinn's official website.