As part of her “On the Scene” duties, LA based CBSNews.com contributor Shira Lazar blogs a weekly series of uplifting profiles under the moniker “Inspired Nation.” Today’s entry features a Q&A with Atlanta man of God Shaun King (pictured), also known as the “Facebook Pastor.”

Last year, in the wake of the Haiti earthquake, King launched TwitChange.com, a campaign that partners with celebrities to raise money for island reconstruction efforts. Social media plays a critical role in the organization’s campaigns, right down to the way TwitChange defines an autograph. Explains King:

Since we launched in September our campaigns have received over 45 million hits and several million tweets. In our auctions, fans do not bid on classic items like autographs, but they bid on what we think is kind of like a modern day autograph – a tweet from their favorite celebrity – and all of the proceeds go to charity.

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In journalism class, the topic of how to write a great “lede” is endlessly discussed, analyzed and rehearsed. Today, Memphis Commercial Appeal reporter John Beifuss shares a shining example of this art form in connection with rumblings of a new Hollywood project about the life of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Writes Beifuss:

Judging from Hollywood’s success rate, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of brotherhood and racial equality might be achieved before the first definitive King biopic gets to the screen.

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Documentary filmmaker Robert Greenwald and team continue to quietly build his Charlie Rose iteration, posting conversations that can be accessed on a sliding scale subscription basis. Last week, interview subjects included filmmaker Oliver Stone and Andy Bichlbaum, co-director of a documentary described as “Bruno meets Michael Moore.” He spoke with Greenwald colleague Christopher Sprinkle.

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San Diego Union Tribune reporter Logan Jenkins writes in his column:

Last week, I thought about bailing from the profession that saved me from another recession. I admit it. I was almost ready to write one of those depressing “Final Columns.”

Believe it or not, I was saved, at least for the time being, by Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama.

Now if they can just save the rest of us…we’ll be cool.

Read how the duo came to the rescue here. Yeah, it’s as weird and grandiose as it sounds.

We like the comments on the piece which turned into a discussion of why newspapers are dying (never heard that one before). One commenter said:

We want the paper to reinforce our biases and prejudices, not challenge them.

We don’t know if they were being unintentionally brilliant or intentionally summing up everything that is wrong with San Diego (and the rest of the deep South). But there it is.

Our thanks to Romenesko for catching this.

Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller ARE The Hardy Boys, er, Men. Cruise and Stiller will star in a comedy based on the mystery series. Stiller will produce, Shawn Levy will direct and get this:

Cruise and Stiller have been friends for years–an alliance that grew out of Cruise’s admiration for Stiller’s penchant for doing Cruise impersonations.

“I love it when you do me.” Does that sound as Brokeback to you as it does to us?

Red Envelope, the production arm of Netflix, will produce a doc. about ancient but game Tony Bennett, EP’ed by Clint Eastwood, who’ll also show up in the film. Netflix plans a theatrical release, a tv airing, and a live event for the film. Why?

“Tony Bennett has been at the enter of the culture for more than 60 years,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. “There are not that many people on the planet who can talk about Duke Ellington, Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy in the first person.”

In fact, no one can talk about them in the first person, because (a) one can only refer to oneself in the first person and (b) they’re dead.

CBS hired former NBC drama excec. Chris Castalloas to oversee reality programming. Sounds nonsensical, but he’d worked with Glen Maynard, exec. vp of alternative programing before, and Hollywood is all about who you know.

Second Life creator Philip Rosedale tells all. Five gigabytes of code!

Sony has acquired all media rights for Afterworld, a futuristic animated episodic drama. Right now it’s on Bud.TV, but soon it will be a game, a tv series, a web series, a cell phone series and a breakfast treat.

Goldwyn will distribute Goya’s Ghosts, Milos Forman’s
film about the Spanish artist. Natalie Portman stars as his muse.

ShoWest honors Bruce Joel Rubin as screenwriter of the year next month in Las Vegas. Rubin won an Oscar for Ghost.