Met’s "Enchanted Island" a clever concoction (AP)
AP - Call it a pastiche. Or a Baroque fantasy in two acts. Or the best opera Handel and Vivaldi never wrote.
Icons of 2011: A ‘winning’ actor, a runaway bride (AP)
AP - Sure, we had wars, natural disasters, a growing populist movement and a presidential race heating up, not to mention the deaths of a technology icon, a silver-screen goddess and a couple of shadowy dictators.
Hugh Hefner, Playboy ready for their next chapters (AP)
AP - On the second floor of the Playboy Mansion, beyond the seemingly endless hallway lined with photos of the famous folks who have visited the legendary party playground, is a narrow staircase that leads to a small loft.
TV show on Muslims takes on Sept. 11 attacks (AP)
AP - A television show about members of a Muslim community in Michigan is focusing what may be its second-to-last episode almost entirely on the conflicted feelings that its featured participants have about marking anniversaries of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Winfrey: Dedicated to OWN despite rocky first year (AP)
AP - Oprah Winfrey earned the rare opportunity to convert her media charisma into a monogramed TV channel. Now she's the one tasked with rescuing OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, after a disappointing first year.
Did Cheetah from 1930s Tarzan flicks die? (AP)
AP - A Florida animal sanctuary says Cheetah, the chimpanzee sidekick in the Tarzan movies of the early 1930s, has died at 80. But other accounts call that claim into question.
‘Forrest Gump’ to be preserved in US film registry (AP)
AP - Forrest Gump's oft-imitated line, "My momma always said, `Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get' " will be immortalized among the nation's treasures in the world's largest archive of film, TV and sound recordings.
Oscar voters: Your ballots are in the mail (AP)
AP - Academy Awards season is officially on. Nominations ballots for the 84th Oscar show have just gone in the mail.
Abstract painter Helen Frankenthaler dies at 83 (AP)
AP - Helen Frankenthaler, an abstract painter known for her bold, lyrical use of color who led a postwar art movement that would later be termed Color Field painting, died Tuesday at her home in Connecticut, her nephew said. She was 83.
UK’s Prince Philip remains in hospital (AP)
AP - Britain's Prince Philip will spend a fourth night in hospital Monday, as he recovers from treatment for a blocked coronary artery.
Royal grandkids visit Prince Philip in hospital (AP)
AP - Queen Elizabeth II emphasized the importance of family in her Christmas message this year and her grandchildren brought some Christmas cheer to her husband, Prince Philip, as he recovered in a hospital after a heart procedure.
Prince Philip in hospital as royals mark Christmas (AP)
AP - Britain's royal family gathered Sunday to celebrate Christmas with one notable absence — Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip, who remains hospitalized following a heart procedure.
Unborn son’s struggle inspires Christian singer (AP)
AP - Told that his unborn son had only half a heart and little chance to survive, the lead singer of the Christian rock band Sanctus Real began pouring his fears and doubts into music.
LA’s ‘Wonderful Life’ Day honors Frank Capra film (AP)
AP - George Bailey can rest easy. He really did make a difference in the lives of people, including all 3.8 million in Los Angeles.
CNN’s Morgan testimony has little impact (AP)
AP - CNN's Piers Morgan was in the position few television interviewers like to be this week: on the other side of the microphone.
Mindy McCready’s mom wants grandson back in Fla. (AP)
AP - The mother of country singer Mindy McCready wants her grandson back.
Director Jolie goes to war with ‘Blood and Honey’ (AP)
AP - As she developed her story about lovers on opposite sides in the Bosnian War, Angelina Jolie drew on everything she had learned traveling to combat zones. But she started at home, imagining herself and partner Brad Pitt at such extremes.
Cowell backs Amaro to win ‘The X Factor’ (AP)
AP - "The X Factor" judges didn't want to stop listening to Melanie Amaro.
Michael Douglas’ son gets 4 1/2 more years in prison (AP)
AP - The imprisoned son of actor Michael Douglas has been sentenced to spend 4 1/2 years in prison beyond the five years he already is serving for drug offenses.
Welles’ Oscar for ‘Citizen Kane’ sells for $861K (AP)
AP - The Academy Award statuette that Orson Welles won for the original screenplay of "Citizen Kane" was auctioned for more than $861,000 Tuesday in Los Angeles.
CBS dominates weekly ratings (AP)
AP - CBS has been the dominant television network again this season, but not so much as last week.
AP writers pick the top 10 films of 2011 (AP)
AP - Associated Press reviewers Christy Lemire and David Germain saw the same films in 2011, but they clearly weren't seeing the same pictures.
NY man gets 1 year in prison for ‘X-Men’ piracy (AP)
AP - A New York man has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for illegally uploading and distributing a copy of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" before the movie's premiere.
Judge approves pay bump for Jackson estate execs (AP)
AP - A judge approved a pay bump Monday for the executors of Michael Jackson's estate who turned the debt-ridden singer's portfolio into a business that has earned hundreds of millions of dollars since his death.
Czechs find 4 stolen paintings by Emil Filla (AP)
AP - Czech police say they have found four valuable paintings by Czech cubist artist Emil Filla that were stolen last month from a northwestern gallery, and six suspects have been arrested in the case.
Havel, hero of anti-communist revolution, dies (AP)
AP - The end of Czechoslovakia's totalitarian regime was called the Velvet Revolution because of how smooth the transition seemed: Communism dead in a matter of weeks, without a shot fired. But for Vaclav Havel, it was a moment he helped pay for with decades of suffering and struggle.
CNN star Piers Morgan faces questions over past (AP)
AP - CNN star Piers Morgan may be known to Americans as an empathetic English interviewer, but it's his past at the heart of Britain's troubled tabloid newspaper world that is being trotted out before the cameras this week.
Michael Jackson house contents sell for nearly $1M (AP)
AP - The contents of the home where Michael Jackson lived with his three children just before his death have sold for nearly $1 million at auction.
Grammy-winning singer Cesaria Evora dies at age 70 (AP)
AP - Cesaria Evora, who started singing as a teenager in the bayside bars of Cape Verde in the 1950s and won a Grammy in 2003 after she took her African islands music to stages across the world, died Saturday. She was 70.
Beach Boys announce 50th anniversary reunion tour (AP)
AP - It's almost winter, but get ready for some surf and sun: The Beach Boys are reuniting.
Britney Spears engaged to marry Jason Trawick (AP)
AP - Britney Spears is ready to walk down the aisle for the third time. The 30-year-old pop star has agreed to marry her longtime boyfriend and former agent Jason Trawick.
World’s shortest woman wants to be Bollywood star (AP)
AP - A high school student in central India was recognized as the world's shortest woman by Guinness World Records on Friday as she turned 18, saying she hopes to earn a degree and make it in Bollywood.
Phil Spector to take appeal to US Supreme Court (AP)
AP - A lawyer for imprisoned music legend Phil Spector is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review his murder conviction, arguing his constitutional rights were violated by the trial judge.
Globes swoon over cable dramas, snub networks (AP)
AP - The Golden Globes admire broadcast network comedies but the respect is absent when it comes to drama.
Golden Globe noms rev up Hollywood’s Oscar race (AP)
AP - The Golden Globes are good at predicting likely best-picture nominees for the Academy Awards. Not so much at predicting the eventual big Oscar winner, though.
Founder of famous Paris bookstore dies at 98 (AP)
AP - George Whitman's life was packed with the type of adventures that filled every nook and cranny of his bookshop, Paris' iconic English-language Shakespeare and Company.
‘The Help’ leads Screen Actors honors with 4 noms (AP)
AP - The Deep South drama "The Help" leads the Screen Actors Guild Awards with four nominations, among them honors for Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer.
Orson Welles’ `Citizen Kane’ Oscar to be auctioned (AP)
AP - The Academy Award Orson Welles won for writing the classic film "Citizen Kane" will be sold to the highest bidder.
APNewsBreak: Man arrested in Kiss singer’s website (AP)
AP - A Connecticut man affiliated with the Anonymous hacking group has been arrested on federal charges for an attack on a website belonging to Kiss bassist Gene Simmons.
Record exec dies after Hollywood street rampage (AP)
AP - A music executive died Monday after being shot last week by a rampaging gunman in the heart of Hollywood, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Record exec dies after Hollywood shooting (AP)
AP - A music industry executive died Monday after being shot last week by a rampaging gunman in the heart of Hollywood, a hospital spokeswoman said.
‘Dragon Tattoo’ star Rapace bursts into Hollywood (AP)
AP - Maybe it was inevitable that whoever landed the lead in the original "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" would become Sweden's next big export.
Meryl Streep covers Vogue magazine for first time (AP)
AP - Meryl Streep may be considered one of the finest actresses around, yet she says she believed her career was over 20 years ago.
Calif. senator threatens boycott over Lowe’s ads (AP)
AP - A state senator from Southern California was considering calling for a boycott of Lowe's stores after the home improvement chain pulled its advertising from a reality show about Muslim-Americans.
Alec Baldwin apologizes to himself on ‘SNL’ (AP)
AP - Posing as the airline pilot of the flight he was kicked off of, Alec Baldwin apologized to himself on "Saturday Night Live."
Gaga gives a naughty and nice concert in NYC (AP)
AP - Lady Gaga was in the Christmas spirit at Z100's annual Jingle Ball concert, but her version of "White Christmas" would have made Bing Crosby blush.
Judge orders man to stay away from Kirsten Dunst (AP)
AP - A judge on Friday granted Kirsten Dunst a temporary restraining order against a French man who has repeatedly written to the actress and traveled to Los Angeles at least five times to try to meet her.
Brainnnssss! Zombies storm Havana cinema festival (AP)
AP - The hottest ticket in Havana is a gory, campy zombie flick with a wicked sense of humor about Cuba's obsessive relations with the United States, one that revels in islanders' knack for making the best of things even when everything around you — buildings, streets, human limbs — is falling to pieces.
Andie MacDowell’s daughter named Miss Golden Globe (AP)
AP - The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has named its newest Miss Golden Globe.
Jay-Z to raise money, perform at Carnegie Hall (AP)
AP - Jay-Z didn't graduate from high school, but he's encouraging others to value their education.
Barbara Walters gets ‘Fascinating’ on her special (AP)
AP - On her new TV special, Barbara Walters gets up close and personal with Donald Trump.
Harry Morgan made small roles big in TV, movies (AP)
AP - Harry Morgan wasn't a star and didn't need to be. In "M-A-S-H," "Dragnet" and so many other TV shows and movies, the veteran character actor proved as indispensable as any marquee name.
‘M-A-S-H’ star Harry Morgan dies at age 96 (AP)
AP - Harry Morgan never planned to be an actor, yet he spent 10 years on one of the top TV series of all time, made 50 films and appeared on Broadway. He became one of the best-known character actors in Hollywood.
‘War Horse’ star Emily Watson is scared of horses (AP)
AP - It's a good thing nobody told Steven Spielberg when Emily Watson auditioned for his new movie "War Horse" that she's afraid of horses.
Lady Gaga discusses anti-bullying at White House (AP)
AP - Lady Gaga visited the White House on Tuesday to discuss bullying prevention.
‘Frozen Planet’ to debut on Discovery on March 18 (AP)
AP - Discovery Channel says its documentary series "Frozen Planet" will premiere March 18 with seven episodes, including a program on climate change hosted by David Attenborough.
Jason Aldean parties hard with 6 wins at ACAs (AP)
AP - The American Country Awards were Jason Aldean's kinda party.
Dunst, Willis, Gere, Sarandon are Sundance-bound (AP)
AP - It'll be a busy shopping season at next month's Sundance Film Festival, whose star-studded premieres are up for grabs by potential theatrical distributors.
‘Laugh-In’ comic actor Alan Sues dies at 85 (AP)
AP - Alan Sues, who brought his flamboyant and over-the-top comic persona to the hit television show "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" in the 1960s and 1970s, has died, a close friend said Sunday night.
Obama gets laughs at Kennedy Center Honors (AP)
AP - President Barack Obama in lauding the actors, musicians and others receiving Kennedy Center Honors Sunday night, also was looking for advice.
Clinton flies home to fete Kennedy Center honorees (AP)
AP - Home for less than 36 hours between diplomatic missions, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is celebrating the nation's top artists receiving the Kennedy Center Honors.
McCready’s ex says she’s pushing luck over son (AP)
AP - Country singer Mindy McCready is pushing her luck with the legal system by not following a judge's order to return her 5-year-old son to the care of her mother in Florida, her ex-boyfriend and father of the boy said Friday.
Michael Jackson doctor files appeals notice in LA (AP)
AP - The doctor sentenced to four years behind bars for causing Michael Jackson's death has filed a notice that he intends to appeal the conviction.
Art-theft suspect pleads not guilty in NYC (AP)
AP - A wine steward suspected in a bicoastal art-theft spree lifted pricey art from New York hotels simply by walking out with the works in a canvas tote bag and then used them to line his own walls, prosecutors said Friday.
UK media inquiry a lesson in tabloid skullduggery (AP)
AP - Hacking into celebrity phones was just the sleazy tip of the iceberg.
Taylor auction tells story of life and loves (AP)
AP - From the colorful, couture frocks worn during her two weddings with actor Richard Burton, to the dazzling ruby and diamond Cartier jewelry set, a gift from her third husband, film producer Mike Todd, "The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor" on display at Christie's auction house in New York tells a passionate story, spanning seven husbands and nearly five decades.
‘Jersey Shore’ star Pauly D teams up with 50 Cent (AP)
AP - He's talked about it, but now Pauly D is officially a member of 50 Cent's music group.
Kanye gets 7 Grammy noms; Adele, Mars, Foos get 6 (AP)
AP - It was Adele's year, and when the Grammy Awards are revealed next February, it very well may be her night.