 Hollywood and lines
 Sean M. Haffey / Union-Tribune
Fans were too frenzied at Comic-Con's "Preview Night" to pay attention to a poster of Brendan Fraser promoting his new movie, "Journey to the Center of the Earth."
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Ode to joystick
Summer Pops is having fun playing 'Video Games Live'
July 24 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
With a spectacular combination of music, lighting effects and video footage, “Video Games Live” attracted approximately 11,000 fans to its world premiere in the Hollywood Bowl three years ago.
“We figured we might as well start at the top,” says conductor-composer Jack Wall, the program's co-creator. “We put all our efforts into that one concert. We did it because so many people were asking, 'Where can I hear the music outside the game?' ”
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SAO PAULO, Brazil, 10:53 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Brazil boy bites pit bull to fend off attack: An 11-year old boy is in Brazil's media spotlight after sinking his teeth into the neck of a dog that attacked him.
LOS ANGELES, 8:12 a.m. July 24 (AP)Pamela Anderson starring in new reality show: Pamela Anderson is shacking up with Tommy Lee again – but not like that. The 41-year-old former “Baywatch” star is living with her ex-husband and their two sons – Dylan, 10; Brandon, 12 – in Lee's Calabasas enclave while her new Malibu mansion is under construction. FORT MYERS, Fla., 8:10 a.m. July 24 (AP)
'Art of the Olympians' shows athletes' other side: Al Oerter was an abstract artist, who also happened to be pretty good at the discus. So good, in fact, that he won gold medals in four straight Olympics to become one of track and field's biggest stars in the 1950s and 1960s. BARCELONA, Spain, 7:56 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Bale asks for privacy in assault allegations: Batman star Christian Bale asked for privacy Thursday in his first comments since allegations he assaulted his mother and sister at a London hotel, saying the incident was personal. NEW YORK, 6:49 a.m. July 24 (AP)
The (comic) Force is with Seth Green in new DVD: Turns out Seth Green has the job you always wanted. He has free rein to play with toys for a living. He makes silly voices. He mocks celebrities, world leaders, even Biblical figures while tapping his seemingly bottomless reservoir of pop-culture knowledge.
July 24 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Future talk:Twelve years before Sputnik, the late science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke wrote a 1945 story in Wireless World magazine describing a ring of geostationary satellites orbiting Earth, all part of a system that relayed communications anywhere on the planet. Clarke, who died in March at the age of 90, considered patenting the idea, but a lawyer dissuaded him, arguing that the notion was so far out there that it would not be taken seriously.
July 24 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
At the shore's edge :Seven years ago, Los Angeles artist Daniel Wheeler created a wonderful project for the Lux Art Institute, even before the Lux had a home. The main location for his “Bird Hub” was the San Elijo Lagoon in Encinitas.
July 24 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
The thrills are alive with the sound of music:
LONDON, 10:38 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Madame Tussauds unveils waxwork of troubled singer Amy Winehouse: Madame Tussauds unveiled a waxwork of Amy Winehouse on Wednesday complete with her signature beehive, black eyeliner and a bright yellow minidress.
BALTIMORE, 8:34 a.m. July 23 (AP)Come hear Uncle John's orchestra: When the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra warms up a week from Friday, the musicians will be clad in their usual summer attire: White dinner jackets and bow ties for the men, white tops and black skirts or slacks for the women.
NEW YORK, July 23 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
If he can make it there . . .: Talk about pressure. It was only the second week of Gavin Kaysen's new job last year at Manhattan's beloved Cafe Boulud, and who should come for dinner but one of America's most revered chefs and restaurateurs, Thomas Keller.
6:06 a.m. July 23 (AP)Music Review: Buddy Guy: Buddy Guy, “Skin Deep” (Silvertone/Zomba) Blues may be an ageless music, but most players ease into old age with relaxed grace. Not Buddy Guy, who sounds as distinctively piercing on “Skin Deep” as on his classic '60s Chess Records cuts or his early '90s comeback albums. LOS ANGELES, 5:01 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Widow of Aaron Spelling pays $47M for L.A. condo: The widow of producer Aaron Spelling paid a whopping $47 million for a two-story condo atop a Century City residential tower that's still under construction, her lawyer said. NASHVILLE, Tenn., 4:59 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Sugarland explores 'Love on the Inside': After Sugarland's first two albums, singer Jennifer Nettles kept hearing how their records were good and all but somehow ... not. LOS ANGELES, 4:55 a.m. July 23 (AP)
L.A. police arrest photographers near Spears' home: Two photographers suspected of loitering on city-owned property near Britney Spears' home were arrested Monday. NASHVILLE, Tenn., 4:48 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Foreigner's Mick Jones says new songs on the way: Foreigner's Mick Jones says the band's new career retrospective “No End in Sight: The Very Best of Foreigner” is a signal that new material is on the way. NEW YORK, 4:41 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Ted Danson relishes first post-'Cheers' Emmy nod: Ted Danson is relishing his first Emmy nomination since “Cheers.” In a remarkable run, Danson was nominated 11 years in a row for each season of the beloved Boston bar comedy, winning twice and mixing in another nomination for the 1984 TV film “Something About Amelia,” in which he played a father suspected of incest. LOS ANGELES, 4:30 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Firm sues Courtney Love over Nirvana catalog sale: A business management and accounting firm sued Courtney Love for nearly $1 million on Tuesday, claiming she failed to pay them a share of profits from the sale of Nirvana's publishing catalog. NEW YORK, 2:31 a.m. July 23 (AP)
R&B singer Ashanti turns into tourism ambassador: Grammy-winning singer and Long Island native Ashanti has a new gig: tourism ambassador. The R&B singer was introduced Tuesday at a news conference as one of nine ambassadors who will promote tourism in Nassau County on Long Island.
July 23 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
You can raise a glass to the wine, food and service:In real estate as in restaurants, the key to success is often simplistically summed up in those three words, “location, location, location.”
How to explain, then, the continued vaunted status of WineSellar & Brasserie, which is situated in a business park in Sorrento Mesa.
July 23 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
A tale of two cities, from the chef's perspective:
July 23 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
3 radio stations up for Marconi awards:
Three San Diego radio stations are finalists in the National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Awards. Noncommercial jazz station Jazz 88 (KSDS/88.3 FM) is a finalist for large-market station of the year, alternative station FM 94.9 (KBZT/94.9 FM) is a finalist in the rock-station category, and KSON-FM (97.3 and 92.1 FM) is a finalist for country station of the year. The winners will be announced Sept. 18.
LONDON, 11:16 a.m. July 22 (AP)
Bale arrested and released: Christian Bale has denied allegations of assault made by his mother and sister, hours after he was arrested, questioned by London police and released.
PITTSBURGH, 10:43 a.m. July 22 (AP)
National award created for H.S. musical actors: Dozens of the best high school musical actors and actresses from around the country will compete on Broadway next year for a new national award named after theater owner and producer James M. Nederlander.
LOS ANGELES, 11:28 a.m. July 22 (AP)
Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' dies at 84: Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's “The Golden Girls,” has died. She was 84.
NEW YORK, 10:19 a.m. July 22 (AP)
Robert Downey Jr. postpones memoir: The “Iron Man” will not be wielding a pen: Robert Downey Jr. has postponed plans to write a memoir and has returned his advance to publisher HarperCollins, a spokeswoman for the actor told The Associated Press.
ALBANY, N.Y., 10:14 a.m. July 22 (AP)
NY law adds restrictions on violent video games: New York Gov. David Paterson says a bill he signed will help limit video game violence. The law creates an advisory council to study the effects of violent games on the children who play them. It also requires parental controls on game consoles by 2010 and prominent displays of age ratings on game packages.
NEW YORK, 4:27 a.m. July 22 (AP)
The Jonas Brothers to perform at this year's VMAs: The Jonas Brothers will perform at this year's Video Music Awards. It will be the wholesome pop group's first-ever appearance at the event, known for its decadence and eye-popping water cooler moments (many involving Britney Spears).
NEW YORK, 4:24 a.m. July 22 (AP)
Radio host angers parents of autistic children: Radio talk show host Michael Savage, who described 99 percent of children with autism as brats, said Monday he was trying to “boldly awaken” parents to his view that many people are being wrongly diagnosed.
PHILADELPHIA, 4:23 a.m. July 22 (AP)
Court tosses FCC 'wardrobe malfunction' fine: Among the most notorious on-screen gaffes ever, Janet Jackson's breast-baring “wardrobe malfunction” on CBS during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show drew a $550,000 indecency fine from the Federal Communications Commission. Now a federal appeals court has thrown it out.
BEVERLY HILLS, 1:31 a.m. July 22 (AP)
Leno's last 'Tonight' is May 29: Conan O'Brien will take over the “Tonight” show next June – and what happens to deposed host Jay Leno after that is anybody's guess.
July 21 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Lee Grant's Outtakes:As usual, the Emmy nominations (announced last Thursday) ignored some of the year's best work. If Outtakes had a ballot...
July 21 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Photo: Fun with fog:
July 21 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Aging 'Phantom' still quite a spectacle:This plucky little show “The Phantom of the Opera” just might have a future; it's too bad the producers could only afford half a mask.
July 21 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
For the record:
NEW YORK, 8:54 a.m. July 21 (AP)Nicky Silver deals with family ties that bind: Is there anything more contentious than family? The question apparently is put to the test in “Three Changes,” Nicky Silver's dark new comedy about the ties that bind, sometimes a bit too tightly. The world premiere is the first offering of the season for Playwrights Horizons. It opens Sept. 16 on its main stage. Preview performances begin Aug. 22. LONDON, 8:44 a.m. July 21 (AP)
Amy Winehouse's husband gets 27 months in jail: Amy Winehouse's husband was sentenced Monday to 27 months in jail for assault and obstructing justice. LOS ANGELES, 8:34 a.m. July 21 (AP)
'Greek' star arrested for alleged drunken driving: The 23 year-old star of ABC Family's frat house series “Greek” may be living his character in real life. PHILADELPHIA, 8:22 a.m. July 21 (AP)
Court tosses FCC 'wardrobe malfunction' fine: A federal appeals court on Monday threw out a $550,000 indecency fine against CBS Corp. for the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show that ended with Janet Jackson's breast-baring “wardrobe malfunction.” DECATUR, Ga., 7:58 a.m. July 21 (AP)
Lil Scrappy free on bond after weekend arrest: Police say Atlanta rapper Lil Scrappy is out of jail after being arrested following a fight with his sister's boyfriend. CHICAGO, 7:55 a.m. July 21 (AP)
Richard Roeper leaving popular movie review show: Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper says he is leaving the nationally syndicated show “At the Movies With Ebert & Roeper” after eight seasons.
NEW YORK, 5:46 a.m. July 21 (AP)
Is media playing fair in campaign coverage?: Television news' royalty will fly in to meet Barack Obama during this week's overseas trip: CBS chief anchor Katie Couric in Jordan on Tuesday, ABC's Charles Gibson in Israel on Wednesday and NBC's Brian Williams in Germany on Thursday.
5:15 a.m. July 21 (AP)Nintendo, Microsoft stumble while Sony cruises: Real news from the virtual world: UNCONVENTIONAL: If you attended the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, along with about 60,000 other people, you were probably blown away by the massive audiovisual bombast. BEVERLY HILLS, 4:42 a.m. July 21 (AP)
Shannen Doherty back in '90210' 'hood this fall: Brenda Walsh is all grown-up and returning to Beverly Hills, 90210, this fall. But cast members of the new CW spin-off, “90210,” are speculating whether Shannen Doherty will be equally mature when she reprises her role as Walsh. X-citement builds for sequel:Nine seasons, 202 episodes, three lone gunmen and one motion picture later, the television series that made millions of fans believe “the truth is out there” is back. “The X-Files: I Want to Believe,” opening Friday, is a sequel to the series' first feature, 1998's “The X-Files,” and comes six years after the TV show's finale.
July 21 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
BEVERLY HILLS, 5:19 a.m. July 21 (AP)Fallon to start 'Late Night' online, not on air: Jimmy Fallon's debut as the new host of “Late Night” will come online, not on television.
July 20 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
The colossus of Con:When Hollywood makes “Comic-Con: The Movie,” about a meek little convention that morphs into a pop-culture behemoth, we know just the guy for the starring role. Frank Miller is Comic-Con. When the 39th annual Con opens this week – preview night is Wednesday, followed by four days of Spandex-and-celluloid madness – Miller will be inescapable. Look for the lanky guy with dark facial hair and a black fedora.
July 20 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Faithful followers of cult TV: On the mainstream-entertainment radar, the CW network's “Supernatural” is just a blip, a scrappy little TV show that is routinely clobbered in the Thursday-night ratings by “Grey's Anatomy” and “CSI.”
LAGUNA BEACH, July 20 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
High praise for the icons of lowbrow art: Highbrow, middlebrow and lowbrow – you would think these terms would have become obsolete by now, nearly a half century after the eruption of Pop Art. After all, didn't Warhol and Lichtenstein embrace popular imagery, from industrial package design to comics?
NEW YORK, July 20 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
[headline here] on story about '[title of show]': The cafe is bustling. The dishes are clattering. The diners are chattering. This paragraph is bombing. There are many perfectly good ways to open a story about a musical. This may not be one of them. But the thing is, the musical in question is not just a musical.
July 20 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Eleanor Antin exhibition opens at Museum of Art:Eleanor Antin, visual artist, performance artist, filmmaker and professor emeritus at the University of California San Diego, is having her first museum exhibition in California in nine years.
July 20 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Drumroll, please, for Marco Minnemann:It's not unusual for an especially dazzling drum solo to be punctuated by a growing swell of cheers and shouts of encouragement from enthusiastic fans.
July 20 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Story of '60 Olympics overplayed but still a winner:The best way to enjoy David Maraniss' “Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World” is to ignore its hyperbolic subtitle and plunge like a 10-meter platform diver into the games themselves.
July 20 (UNION-TRIBUNE)All she needs now are a few thousand lily pads: Carol Feldman, a retired instructional aide from Imperial Beach, doesn't eat frog legs. “It would seem a little sacrilegious of me,” she said.
PARIS, 5:41 a.m. July 19 (AP)
Jolie and twins slip out of hospital in Nice: Angelina Jolie has left the building. Oh, and so have the twins. Before dawn Saturday, the Hollywood superstar and her newborn twins left the French Riviera hospital where she gave birth a week ago, the hospital said in a statement.
CANTERBURY, England, 7:30 a.m. July 19 (AP)Anglican bishops to worship in Canterbury Cathedral before talks on preventing schism: The world's Anglican bishops turned Saturday to the enormous task at the heart of their once-a-decade summit: trying to keep the Anglican family from breaking apart over the Bible and homosexuality. SYDNEY, Australia, 1:06 a.m. July 19 (AP)
Woman attacked by kangaroo saved by pet dog: An elderly woman was attacked by a large kangaroo on a farm in Australia and was lucky to be alive after a pet dog leapt to her aid, her son said Saturday.
July 18 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Emmy nominations show cable's creative force: Just call them the cable guys. The members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences have voted, and they awarded many of yesterday's Primetime Emmy nominations to shows airing on cable channels.
Warner Bros. says 'The Dark Knight' sets record: The new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight,” set a box office record for a midnight debut, raking in $18.5 million from 3,040 theaters, distributor Warner Bros. said Friday.
NEW YORK, 11:12 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Fans line up for 'Dark Knight,' new Batman movie: Thousands of Batman fans finally got what they were waiting for Friday as sold-out midnight showings of “The Dark Knight” kicked off a weekend of screenings across the country.
July 17 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
A Pride weekend to remember: Marriage rights celebration, 'D-List' celeb among celebration's highlights
NEW YORK, 8:51 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Salma Hayek, Pinault call off their engagement: Salma Hayek has called off her engagement to businessman Francois-Henri Pinault, her representative said Friday.
9:51 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Time anthology reaffirms the printed word: “85 Years of Great Writing in Time” (Time Books, 560 pages, $26.95): Those of us who traffic in words for a living feel somewhat under siege these days, like a Donkey Kong machine sitting forlornly in the corner of a ramshackle pizza parlor while teenagers on the sidewalk outside play Grand Theft Auto on their handhelds.
LOS ANGELES, 9:19 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Ex-Guns N' Roses drummer arrested in Los Angeles: Former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler has been arrested in Hollywood for alleged drug possession.
HONG KONG, 6:50 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Exhibit marks Bruce Lee's death: Bruce Lee fans are marking the 35th anniversary of his death with an exhibit featuring movie posters, magazine covers and books about the action star.
LOS ANGELES, 6:03 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Laugh Factory owner: Jackson should pay for N-word: When Michael Richards stunned a nightclub audience two years ago by shouting the N-word at a black patron, Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada was quick to join the Rev. Jesse Jackson in calling for a ban on the word's use.
LOS ANGELES, 5:53 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Jury rules Bratz dolls conceived at Mattel: Barbie and Bratz dolls are sisters, a jury has decided in a major victory to Mattel Inc., the world's largest toymaker, in its copyright infringement lawsuit against rival MGA Entertainment Inc.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, 5:51 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Andy Warhol, Lichtenstein art stolen in Sweden: Officials say one or more thieves broke into a Swedish museum and stole work done by American pop icons Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
LOS ANGELES, 5:44 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Emmy nominations show younger isn't always better: Teens and 20-somethings may be the target demographic for many TV shows, but when it comes to top actresses, over 40 is where it's at.
NEW YORK, 5:42 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Analysis: 'The Wire' gets 1 final Emmy snub: The Emmys said goodbye to “The Wire” with the same lack of respect that it showed the HBO drama during its acclaimed five-season run.
NEW YORK, 5:40 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Reality sets in for Seacrest, Bergeron, others: Three minutes to showtime, and Cristian de la Fuente still hadn't decided whether he would continue after tearing a tendon in his biceps. The producers of ABC's “Dancing With the Stars,” the popular live dancing competition, had themselves in a tizzy.
LOS ANGELES, 5:38 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Jimi Hendrix coming to 'Guitar Hero': Jimi Hendrix is coming to “Guitar Hero.” The Seattle-based company Experience Hendrix, which controls the rock icon's musical legacy, is providing Hendrix's music and likeness for the latest “Guitar Hero” video game, Aaron Grant, a spokesman for publisher and developer Activision and Red Octane, told The Associated Press on Thursday.
NEW YORK, 5:37 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Got a brand new bag? James Brown items auctioned: James Brown mementoes ranging from his signature capes to a medical bracelet fetched thousands of dollars Thursday at an auction, which the soul icon's children protested.
BEVERLY HILLS, 4:39 a.m. July 18 (AP)
'Desperate Housewives' creator says end in sight: The women of Wisteria Lane may have only a few more years to resolve their assorted problems. “Desperate Housewives” creator and executive producer Marc Cherry told a meeting of the Television Critics Association on Thursday that he plans to end the ABC series after seven seasons.
LOS ANGELES, 10:48 p.m. July 17 (AP)
SAG stakes fight on made-for-Internet content: The Screen Actors Guild on Thursday gave its most detailed explanation yet for its rejection of a final contract offer by Hollywood studios, citing shortfalls in pay and union jurisdiction on made-for-Internet productions.
MONTREAL, 11:36 p.m. July 17 (AP)
McCartney appeals for peace over Quebec concert: Paul McCartney told Quebec nationalists on Thursday “to smoke the pipes of peace” over their opposition to his free concert celebrating the city's 400th anniversary.
BEVERLY HILLS, July 18 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
The face of evil : To get that smudged, scary look of the Joker, a makeup artist sprayed water over Heath Ledger's black-rimmed eyes and had him shake his head so gunk dripped down his painted chalk-white face with the scarred red mouth-to-cheek grin. Ledger's psycho clown visage in the “The Dark Knight” – his last completed film – is unsettling enough.
July 18 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Not-so-squarely in this Batman's camp:
When did Batman become such a bore? This guy, as depicted in “Batman Begins” again now in “The Dark Knight,” is as grim as an undertaker, as taut and twisted inside as a superhero with constipation.
July 18 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Primetime Emmy nominees:
July 18 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
For the record:
July 17 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Poor economy has concert promoters singing the blues: Pop-music concerts raked in $3.9 billion in North America last year, but the struggling U.S. economy is fanning fears among event promoters of a summer tumble and winter fallout. “The impact of the economy on concerts is the biggest I've seen in my 17 years here,” said John Wojas, vice president of AEG Live San Diego.
July 17 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Twitterers atwitter about updates: What are you doing? No. Really. Are you reading? Spreading cream cheese on your bagel? Watching paint dry? Whatever it is, someone wants to know. You probably don't share this minutiae with anyone because, really, who cares? But there are people exchanging personal tidbits all day long.
July 17 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Sky shows : Rising ticket prices and the slow extinction of the traditional video rental stores have certainly changed the American pastime of going to the movies. But several San Diego film venues are giving moviegoers a twist in their viewing pleasure – outdoor screenings.
July 17 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
For the record:
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., 12:45 p.m. July 16 (REUTERS)
Google's YouTube in Lions Gate film clips deal: Google Inc Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said Wednesday its YouTube unit reached a deal with Lions Gate Entertainment Inc to feature film clips from the studio on the video-sharing site.
LOS ANGELES, 12:36 p.m. July 16 (REUTERS)
ABC executive says he would welcome Jay Leno: ABC's chief programming executive said Wednesday that his network would welcome Jay Leno if rival U.S. broadcaster NBC fails to find a new job for the comedian when he retires next year as host of “The Tonight Show.”
July 16 (UNION-TRIBUNE)A fast, furious and fascinating 'Dark Knight': “The Dark Knight” is as dark as night. From the specter of rancid Gotham City's gloomy landscape to the blowtorch viciousness of the demented Joker (a magnificent Heath Ledger), director Christopher Nolan's Batman tale of good vs. evil seldom leaves the gutter of human emotions.
July 16 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
County's bounty: Sex, power, money: temptation comes in many forms. One summer night in 2007, Lauren Duffy succumbed to a pair of scrumptious-but-taboo elk steaks.
NEW YORK, 11:10 a.m. July 16 (AP)
Lang Lang's rare red Steinway on auction block: What's black and white and red all over? The red Steinway grand piano used by Lang Lang at Tuesday night's New York Philharmonic concert in Central Park.
LONDON, 9:45 a.m. July 16 (REUTERS)
Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood enters rehab: Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has entered rehab for a drinking problem, his spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
NEW YORK, 8:18 a.m. July 16 (AP)
Author Danielle Steel writes to 'give people hope': It's only 9:33 a.m., but already Danielle Steel is having a lousy morning. She's in a Rockefeller Plaza dressing room, having her hair tugged and her makeup tweaked. She's endured questioning from Matt Lauer on the “Today” show and soon faces a second round with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb.
ORLANDO, Fla., 8:15 a.m. July 16 (AP)
Boy band promoter to repay fraud victims $300M: Former boy band promoter Lou Pearlman will have to repay victims of his decades-long investment fraud at least $300 million in restitution.
MADRID, Spain, 7:54 a.m. July 16 (AP)
Saudi king opens interfaith conference in Spain with call for unity and reconciliation: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia exhorted followers of the world's leading faiths to turn away from extremism and embrace a spirit of reconciliation, saying at the start of an interfaith conference Wednesday that history's great conflicts were not caused by religion itself but by its misinterpretation.
LOS ANGELES, 4:48 a.m. July 16 (AP)
Writer revises 'Passion' lawsuit against Gibson: A screenwriter's lawsuit seeking higher payments from Mel Gibson and others for “The Passion of the Christ” has just completed its first edit.
BEVERLY HILLS, 4:45 a.m. July 16 (AP)
Attorney: Lohan on track with sentence compliance: Lindsay Lohan's attorney says the star is on track after pleading guilty last year to drunken driving.
PHILADELPHIA, 4:34 a.m. July 16 (AP)
Bon Jovi's Soul keep on rocking toward title: Jon Bon Jovi's next stop on the road has nothing to do with his band's tour. Fresh off a free concert in Central Park, Bon Jovi is taking a break.
BRUSSELS, Belgium, 3:59 a.m. July 16 (AP)
EU gives boost to online music stores: EU regulators ordered music copyright groups on Wednesday to end a system that makes it difficult for online music stores to buy EU-wide licenses – knocking down a major obstacle to iTunes' rollout across Europe.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.Y., 3:12 a.m. July 16 (AP)
Barenaked Ladies singer arrested on drug charges: The singer and guitarist for the band Barenaked Ladies has been arrested on drug charges in upstate New York.
NEW YORK, 1:51 a.m. July 16 (AP)
Natalie Cole says she has hepatitis C: Grammy-winning singer Natalie Cole has been diagnosed with hepatitis C, her publicist said in a statement Wednesday.
BEVERLY HILLS, 1:42 a.m. July 16 (AP)
Michael J. Fox set for role on FX's 'Rescue Me': Michael J. Fox will return to series TV with a four-episode guest role on FX's “Rescue Me.”
July 15 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Tijuana's top artists in spotlight: “A Room of One's Own” – the phrase may originate with the famed essay by British great Virginia Woolf, but it's now the title of an art show opening Saturday in an unusual setting: Terra Sur, a new resort located between Tijuana and Rosarito Beach.
LOS ANGELES, 10:26 a.m. July 15 (AP)The Who: Nostalgic but not slowing: Roger Daltrey is smacking his head. He's heard enough about how Pete Townshend was writing songs for a fresh album from the two surviving members of The Who. Or maybe Townshend is writing for another band. Or he isn't writing at all.
July 15 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
'Streetcar' Stanley not a heart's desire: There's an oppressive weight that hangs over Tennessee Williams' “A Streetcar Named Desire” – the heat of a New Orleans summer, the cramped tenement quarters, Stanley Kowalski's brutish nature, and the sexual tension between Stanley and his sister-in-law, Blanche DuBois.
NEW YORK, 10:27 a.m. July 15 (AP)
Solzhenitsyn work coming out: An uncut edition of Aleksander Solzhenitsyn's “The First Circle,” a highly praised and controversial novel published 40 years ago and heavily edited because of its story of a Soviet prison camp, is finally coming out in English.
GENEVA, 10:10 a.m. July 15 (AP)
U.N. body allows China to import African ivory: China was granted permission by a U.N. panel on Tuesday to import elephant ivory from African government stockpiles, despite opposition from some countries and environmental groups.
MIAMI, 9:51 a.m. July 15 (AP)
Report: problems with Radio/TV Marti contracts: Congress' investigative arm says the contracting practices of the U.S. government's Cuba broadcasts do not reflect sound business practices and is raising concerns about contracts awarded to local TV and radio stations, according to a report released Tuesday.
MAMMOTH LAKES, 8:34 a.m. July 15 (AP)
Horizon to offer daily flights from L.A. to Mammoth: Horizon Air says it will offer daily nonstop service between Los Angeles and Mammoth Lakes during the winter skiing season.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., 7:29 a.m. July 15 (AP)
Martins inducted into National Dance Hall of Fame: Peter Martins, ballet master in chief of the New York City Ballet, is the newest member of the National Museum of Dance Hall of Fame.
LOS ANGELES, 7:29 a.m. July 15 (AP)
Primate spotted by SoCal hiker likely not Moe: A hiker stranded over the weekend in the San Bernardino National Forest says she thinks she saw a monkey in the mountains, but it's not believed to have been Moe, the missing chimpanzee.
July 15 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Hip joints resurfaced instead of replaced: With more people in their 40s and early 50s being sidelined by severe osteoarthritis, a new technology - hip resurfacing as an alternative to hip replacement - is giving baby boomers a chance to stay active longer.
July 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
In the running: Mad about “Mad Men”? Wild about “The Wire”? Over the moon for “Flight of the Conchords”? Then hold your grousing tongues, Emmy watchers. When the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announces the nominees for the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards on Thursday, you might not have anything to complain about.
July 14 (AP)'Hellboy' battles 'Hancock' for the title: Superheroes battling inner demons often rule the box office. This time, the superhero was a demon as “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” pulled in $35.9 million to debut as the No. 1 weekend film. July 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Imaginative touches from art students give Old Town fresh look: A New Deal-era couple immortalized in a sepia tone, a ghost image of a plumeria tree layered over the San Vicente Reservoir, a cheerful Day of the Dead skeleton dancing in the foreground of the Whaley House.
July 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Romantic 'Phantom' keeps them coming back for more:Mortal enemy to chandeliers everywhere but one of the best friends Broadway ever had, “The Phantom of the Opera” is a phreak of longevity, a musical that has ripped the mask from all other pretenders to the title of “longest-running.”
July 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Lee Grant's Outtakes:“Starbucks is closing 600 outlets and that's going to impact an entire three-block area of Los Angeles,” Jay Leno monologue, NBC's “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
July 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Big cast and a big sound underscore 'Yank!':You have to be a little mad to stage a musical: all those moving parts, all those dancing feet, all those actors breaking into sudden song and trying to sell such antics as rational human behavior.
SHREVEPORT, La., 5:57 a.m. July 14 (AP)
Brolin, Wright, others in film crew arrested: Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright, along with members of a crew filming an Oliver Stone movie, were arrested during a bar fight Saturday morning, police said.
LOS ANGELES, 5:11 a.m. July 14 (AP)
The Who honored in Los Angeles: The Who was celebrated at a special concert by a few bands outside of their generation. The legendary band was honored at the Saturday taping of the third annual “VH1 Rock Honors,” which will air Thursday on the cable channel.
NEW YORK, July 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Everything's coming up roses ...: Bartlett Sher is huddled under the eaves of Manhattan's Lincoln Center on a mid-June afternoon, contemplating two phenomena he didn't see much of during his theater days in San Diego: Rain pouring from a thundery sky, and large crowds pouring from one of his plays.
NEW YORK, 3:05 p.m. July 13 (AP)
ABC, FX get high marks from gay, lesbian alliance: The marriage between the gay characters Kevin and Scotty in the season finale of ABC's “Brothers & Sisters” helped the network win the highest praise Sunday from an advocacy group that pushes for more visibility of such characters on television.
NICE, France, 3:00 p.m. July 13 (AP)
Knox and Vivienne make 8 for Jolie-Pitt family: Brad Pitt was emotional but calm, Angelina Jolie laughed and chatted. The world's most famous celebrity couple were joined in emotion during the birth of their twins – a boy and a girl – and all “are doing marvelously well,” the doctor who delivered the babies in a seaside hospital on the French Riviera said Sunday.
July 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Home burglary:When I sped home from work one day last winter to find my bedroom ransacked, my desktop computer gone and nearly all my jewelry missing, I could never have guessed that six months later I'd be sitting in a San Diego courtroom, craning my neck to get a clear view of the two perpetrators.
July 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Changing the musical landscape two ears at a time: John Reis:The most interesting man in the world isn't that bearded guy from the Dos Equis commercials. No, the title may very well go to local musician John Reis. Consider the facts: Reis has inspired people in Denmark and England and throughout the United States to tattoo rocket ships on their bodies.
July 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Yoav Talmi to receive Peleg prize:Former San Diego Symphony music director Yoav Talmi will be honored by his native Israel. Talmi, 65, is the winner of the Frank Peleg prize, named for the late Israeli pianist and harpsichordist.
July 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Time to hold Hollywood responsible for damage:As parents of teenagers concerned with the intense violence our children are exposed to on screen, we want to thank your husband/wife reporters for their thought-provoking reviews of “Wanted” (“Pistol Whipped: 'Wanted' hits the audience over the head with carnage,” June 27, Currents Weekend).
July 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Actor tests her mettle as Blanche DuBois:When Ion Theatre opens its reconceived version of Tennessee Williams' “A Streetcar Named Desire” tonight, it promises to be a boundary-stretching experience for both audiences and the performer playing the brittle Blanche DuBois.
July 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Old Globe awarded Irvine grant:The Old Globe Theatre has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the James Irvine Foundation to develop arts-related programs in southeastern San Diego, where the Balboa Park-based company opened its new Technical Center earlier this year.
July 13 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Red Dress Ball gives Childhelp a boost:
There were plenty of red dresses at the Red Dress Ball, but a whole lot of black dresses, too. Go figure. Anyway, the gala at the new Sheraton Resort & Spa in Carlsbad drew more than 250 guests – some dressed in red, some not – and netted $35,000 for Childhelp.
BEVERLY HILLS, 2:00 p.m. July 12 (AP)PBS to air Burns' national parks series next year: Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns' new series celebrating America's national parks and detailing their history will air in fall 2009, PBS said Saturday. BRATTLEBORO, Vt., 7:52 a.m. July 12 (AP)
Pete Seeger to do benefit for New England farmers: Folk singer Pete Seeger is coming to the aid of New England farmers. Seeger will headline a Sept. 13 New England Farm Relief Concert in Brattleboro to raise money for a new micro-loan program being developed by The Carrot Project and the organization that operates the town's annual Strolling of the Heifers. CHICAGO, 10:21 p.m. July 11 (AP)
Bernie Mac makes off-color joke at Obama event: Comedian Bernie Mac endured some heckling and a campaign rebuke during a surprise appearance Friday night at a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. MILWAUKEE, 9:04 p.m. July 11 (AP)
Harley-Davidson opens museum in Milwaukee: A banker held beloved motorcycle-maker Harley-Davidson's fate in 1984. He could agree to refinance the $90 million loan that executives took out a few years before to buy the company back from American Machine and Foundry Co., or make them declare bankruptcy. LOS ANGELES, 7:49 p.m. July 11 (AP)
Actress Evelyn Keyes dies at 91 in California: Evelyn Keyes, who played Scarlett O'Hara's younger sister Suellen in “Gone With the Wind” and counted director John Huston and bandleader Artie Shaw among her famous husbands, has died. She was 91.
July 11 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Familiar turf for 'Into the Woods': As the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Twenty-two years after its debut at the Old Globe Theatre and nine years after its first production at the Starlight Theatre in Balboa Park, the Tony award-winning musical “Into the Woods” returns to San Diego for a three-week-plus engagement at the Starlight.
July 11 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Lee Grant's Outtakes: In this season of multiplexes stuffed with blockbusters, a small film like the rewarding “Finding Amanda” slips quietly into one theater at Reading Cinemas' Gaslamp Stadium, downtown. It's a showcase for Matthew Broderick, 46, who's grayer and beefier than those youthful days as a student in “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” and a teacher in “Election.” He's also excellent.
July 11 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Hepburn, Tracy and newspapers – What's not to love in this one?: Can you imagine blog-infatuated Hollywood making a film with two of its biggest stars set at a newspaper?
That's right, a newspaper – what you're reading this very minute.
July 11 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
A determined heavy metal band on the run in Baghdad: Although it offers tantalizing glimpses of life in war-torn Iraq, the documentary “Heavy Metal in Baghdad” falls far short of providing musical shock and awe. In fact, for a music film (available on DVD), there's precious little music to be had.
July 11 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Pair of TV news reporters wanted: Have you always dreamed of being an on-air reporter? Si TV, which focuses on English-speaking Latinos, is looking for one male and one female reporter to cover trends in San Diego.
LOS ANGELES, 1:03 p.m. July 11 (AP)Hollywood urges kids to spurn tobacco: Hollywood to kids: Our movies glamorize smoking, but don't start yourself. Six major studios will include anti-smoking announcements on millions of DVDs of motion pictures that include scenes with tobacco use. LOS ANGELES, 1:01 p.m. July 11 (AP)
Laura to return to 'General Hospital': Genie Francis is checking back into “General Hospital.” The 46-year-old actress again will reprise her role as Laura on the ABC daytime soap opera beginning Aug. 26.
NEW YORK, 11:37 a.m. July 11 (REUTERS)
U.S. librarian questions origin of Serenity Prayer: A Yale law librarian raised doubts Friday about the origin of the Serenity Prayer – a source of strength and comfort for more than 60 years, most famously for members of Alcoholics Anonymous.
10:52 a.m. July 11 (AP)Review: 'Dark Knight' nearly lives up to the hype: It's difficult to separate the movie from its mystique. Even under ordinary circumstances, “The Dark Knight” would have been one of the most hotly awaited movies of the summer blockbuster season. LAS VEGAS, 9:35 a.m. July 11 (AP)
80-year-old Vegas stripper still does it 'classy': Tempest Storm is fuming. Her fingers tremble with frustration. They are aged, knotted by arthritis and speckled with purple spots under paper skin. PARIS, 8:22 a.m. July 11 (AP)
It's a big day for singing first lady of France: her new album is on sale: It's a big day for the first lady of France, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Her new album hit the music stores on Friday. BOISE, Idaho, 6:29 a.m. July 11 (AP)
Music lovers rediscover the timbre of turntable: Travis Dryden spent his childhood listening to his parent's records. And then he left them behind with the other detritus of his pre-college years to be sold for pennies at a yard sale. LOS ANGELES, 5:10 a.m. July 11 (AP)
Hollywood producers say SAG rejects contract offer: Unable for weeks to agree on terms for a new contract, Hollywood studios and the Screen Actors Guild have now found themselves unable to agree on whether negotiations will continue. CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y., 2:05 p.m. July 10 (AP)
Christie Brinkley settles N.Y. divorce case: Christie Brinkley's fiercely combative divorce trial ended Thursday following a week of salacious testimony about her fourth husband's affair with a teenager and his Internet porn proclivities.
