Before he was cast in the Broadway revival of Follies, actor Danny Burstein had never seen Stephen Sondheim's famous musical, which first hit the Broadway stage in 1971. And he didn't know much about the show, except that everyone in the theater world seemingly had an opinion about it.

WBUR in Boston reports it has confirmed that Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) will not seek re-election in 2012.

CNN says that "Frank, a 16-term Democrat, will announce Monday he does not intend to seek re-election in 2012, according to a statement from [his] office."

"Police arrested several people early Monday at the Occupy L.A. demonstration outside City Hall, but then the commotion quickly died down," the Los Angeles Times reports.

Good morning.

Our early headlines:

-- Egypt's Historic Day Begins Peacefully, Turnout High For Elections.

-- 'Rage' In Pakistan, Deep Concern In U.S. After NATO Attack.

The news that the holiday shopping season got a strong start on its unofficial launch day — Black Friday — has helped push stock index futures up sharply this morning.

After all, if American consumers are indeed feeling good this holiday season, that would be very welcome news for an economy still struggling to produce jobs. Stronger demand, in theory, should eventually put pressure on businesses to add to their workforces.

Los Angeles's Foster the People seemingly appeared out of nowhere, taking the blogosphere and Top 40 radio by storm with the viral single "Pumped Up Kicks," a breezy summer jam with a subtly sinister edge.

The news from Syracuse University concerning child molestation allegations against assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine — which he denies — took several dramatic turns Sunday.

The foreign minister says there is "rage" in Pakistan about the NATO airstrike over the weekend that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers near the border with Afghanistan.

Texans don't have to leave the state to visit Paris or Port-au-Prince. Just the most exotic among the state's many colorful town names which were dug up by the San Antonio Express-News. There's Uncertain, Texas, and also Nameless. Its founders gave up on a name after the postmaster rejected several choices.