UPDATED: 5:15 p.m. 

Alex Goldmark, Senior Producer, here. 

All is still rolling along smoothly today. We're still planning on covering the elections in Iraq, and to bring you a slew of entertainment and movie coverage tomorrow ahead of this weekend's Oscars. 

With American manufacturing taking an especially big hit this recession, we want to check in on some one-company towns around the country. We'll hear from the Mayors of three small towns that are having different experiences with plant shutdowns, cutbacks and similar dangers to their fragile economies. 

Anna Sale here on the dayside.

First, a shout-out to all the individual teachers we heard about on the air this morning. From teaching us how to diagram a sentence to nudging us to apply for lots of colleges, we hope you heard how fondly you're remembered.

Monthly jobless numbers come out while we're on the air tomorrow morning, and we're planning a couple of conversations to unpack their meaning. The unemployment rate is expected to nudge up slightly, and our friend Lakshman Achuthan from the Economic Cycle Research Institute will explain how to read them and what more they tell us about how jobless this recovery will be. We'll also be joined by a roundtable of guests from small towns for a more intimate look at the numbers. In their communities, a lost job is not just a number, but a blow to schools, community institutions, and possibly the existence of the town itself.

We will also look to Sunday's Iraqi elections. Journalist Tom Ricks will tell us what the results might reveal about the effectiveness of the U.S. military surge there.

We are also looking at the fallout and meaning of this controversy out of a national stepping contest. Steppers competed last month in Atlanta, facing off with their rhythmic routines that combine elements of military drills, dance and cheer leading. Stepping has a long history in African American culture, and that's where the twist comes in this story: This year, a team of white steppers won, which prompted an outburst of boos at the event and the controversy stretched on for days. Then, the scores were re-tallied, and the second-place team  — an African American team — was deemed the co-winner. There's a lot to to talk about here, and we're reaching out to lots of thinkers on race and culture to see what they might bring to the conversation.

In our weekly look at movies, we have an interview with actors Don Cheadle and Antoine Fuqua about making their movie, "Brooklyn's Finest." We also look ahead to the Oscars, including an interview with the folks at Price Waterhouse Coopers who are in charge of carrying around the suitcase full of winners.

Finally, we end the week with singer Bobby McFerrin. He tells us about a very special appearance he'll make this weekend at the New York City Opera. He'll be paying tribute to his late father, Robert McFerrin, who was the first black man to perform at the Met — just days after Marian Anderson helped break that color barrier. And there's also a special Takeaway connection: Robert McFerrin also starred in the first major production of the opera "Troubled Island," which was written by African American composer William Grant Still, who is Celeste's grandfather. We'll discuss both of their legacies, hear some rarely heard recordings of Robert McFerrin, and we'll even give you a taste of Bobby McFerrin's newest album, which hits stores in April. Check back on the site later today for an exclusive preview.