'Carmen': audience contests, critics admire
12:02
If the critics are right, La Scala's production of Bizet's "Carmen" could well give new force to the role of women in Italian opera. They cited Sicilian-born Emma Dante's "truthful" and "concentrated" staging coupled...
SC first lady: I wouldn't have stood with governor
11:48
Even if her straying husband had asked her to, South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford says she wouldn't have stood with Gov. Mark Sanford when he faced cameras to tell the world about his affair with an Argentine...
Topless photo of Polanski, Tate auctioned in NYC
11:22
A topless photo of filmmaker Roman Polanski and his wife, Sharon Tate, taken just months before her murder has sold at a New York City auction for just over $11,000. The black and white portrait by British photographer...
CBS cancels another daytime drama
11:04
CBS is canceling the soap opera "As the World Turns" after more than a half-century on the air. CBS says the final episode will air next September, in its 54th year. Daytime dramas have been in a long-term ratings...
Elton will support Ukrainian boy he can't adopt
9:58
Elton John's partner says the musician was devastated that he wasn't allowed to adopt an HIV-positive Ukrainian toddler, but plans to support the boy anyway. The 62-year-old pop star met 14-month-old Lev at a home for...
Ex-manager of The Fray fires back over lawsuit
8:48
A former manager of The Fray says the band owes his company more than $750,000 in commission and expenses. The band's hits include "How to Save a Life." A lawsuit is pending in federal court in Denver against Gregg...
'Family Ties' actor arrested after Colo. assault
8:19
Police say a former cast member of the 1980s television show "Family Ties" has been arrested for investigation of assault in Colorado. Police said Monday that 28-year-old Brian Bonsall got into a fight at an apartment...
`Boom Boom Pow,' Kings of Leon CD top 2009 iTunes
7:37
The Kings of Leon are the kings of the iTunes album charts for 2009. The Nashville, Tenn., rock group have the top-selling CD with "Only by the Night." They are followed by the "Twilight" soundtrack, Lady Gaga's "The...
With familiarity, Letterman jokes about Woods
1:24
David Letterman, after a week off, dived right into material about Tiger Woods on the "Late Show" on Monday, joking that he wishes the golfer would stop calling him to ask for advice. Even though the CBS late night...
CAPITAL CULTURE: Obama drops cautious arts policy
12:02
In his first year, President Barack Obama has marshaled the largest infusion of cultural funding in decades _ despite a few stumbles. Though still far less than arts advocates contend is needed, they have high hopes...
Wiig to host `SNL' Christmas special as Gilly
10:12
Kristin Wiig's recurring character Gilly might not seemed filled with holiday cheer, yet NBC is turning to her to host a "Saturday Night Live" Christmas special. "SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas" will air Dec. 17...
Review: Eastwood continues streak with `Invictus'
8:02
"Invictus" is a sports film that is more about what's happening in the stands than on the playing field. It's South Africa in 1990 and change _ as seen in the first scene of the film _ is literally coming down the...
Joel, recovering from pill scare, feeling better
6:19
A publicist for Alexa Ray Joel says the daughter of Billy Joel is feeling better two days after being hospitalized in New York for a possible overdose of pills. Claire Mercuri says that the daughter of Joel and...
Barenboim conducts 'Carmen' at La Scala
6:14
Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili, 25 and just out of La Scala's academy, was showered with flowers for her debut performance in the title role of Bizet's "Carmen" on La Scala's gala season opening night...
ABC says Sawyer's last `GMA' broadcast Friday
5:57
ABC's Diane Sawyer says goodbye to "Good Morning America" on this week after 2,881 shows _ not that she's counting. Sawyer announced on Monday's show that her last day will be Friday. It will give her one week off...
NBC sends Lauer, Roker to Afghanistan
5:56
NBC's "Today" show will broadcast from Afghanistan this week. Matt Lauer and Al Roker will anchor the show Tuesday and Wednesday from the country, a trip that comes in the wake of President Barack Obama's announcement...
Weezer cancels tour after bus crash in upstate NY
5:40
Weezer has canceled the rest of its December tour after the lead singer was injured in a bus crash in New York. Rivers Cuomo and band assistant Sarah Kim suffered minor injuries when the group's tour bus skidded on...
Richard Wright wins contentious Turner Prize
5:17
A Scotland-based painter known for destroying his large-scale wall murals after they have been exhibited won Britain's best-known art award, the Turner Prize, on Monday. Richard Wright said he was surprised he beat...
`Blind Side' goes on offense with $20M weekend
5:04
"The Blind Side" took over the top spot at the box office with a $20 million weekend, while "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" slipped to second place with $15.4 million. The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters...
Nobel author: Writing inspired by fear of death
4:45
The 2009 Nobel literature prize winner Herta Mueller said Monday she started writing when it was no longer possible to use spoken words to describe the despicable events in her native Romania under the dictatorship of...
Domestic violence charge dismissed against Winans
4:24
A Nashville judge has dismissed a misdemeanor domestic violence charge against gospel singer BeBe Winans after determining he had seen a counselor as required by prosecutors. The 47-year-old Winans, of Nashville, had...
EMI joins Universal-backed music video site Vevo
4:22
Music videos from Norah Jones, Coldplay, Katy Perry and other artists under EMI Group PLC are headed to an online music video venture, Vevo, set to launch Tuesday with a gala in New York. EMI's videos on Vevo will join...
Review: Solid Brown CD still can't escape cloud
3:29
Chris Brown, "Graffiti" (Jive) If you listen to Chris Brown's "Graffiti" in a vacuum, you will hear a solid, entertaining album, with a good balance of pillow talk, club grooves, heartfelt ballads and swagger anthems....
Review: The Clipse is back, for better and worse
3:24
The Clipse, "Til the Casket Drops" (Columbia) The rap duo that brought you the 2002 trunk-thump anthem "Grindin'" has been doing a bit of that themselves since then, toiling in record label delays until finally getting...
Shakira shakes up Oxford Union with address
2:51
Michael Jackson and Mother Teresa. Stephen Hawking and the Dalai Lama. And now Shakira. The Colombian pop singer _ famous for hits like "Hips Don't Lie" and "Whenever, Wherever" _ joined a diverse group of luminaries...
Preliminary charges vs 9 in Paris auction sweep
2:15
Preliminary charges have been filed against nine employees of Paris' respected Drouot auction house after police found stolen art, including a painting by 19th-century realist master Gustave Courbet, prosecutors said...
Billboard names Powter One-Hit Wonder of Decade
1:42
As far as one-hit wonders go, Daniel Powter (POW'-ter) is king of them all _ for this decade, at least. Powter, whose hit "Bad Day" reigned on top of the Billboard pop charts for five weeks in 2006, was named as the...
Dating couple wins CBS `Amazing Race' TV contest
12:55
Cool thinking at the craps table has won a San Diego couple $1 million on the CBS reality television show "The Amazing Race." Meghan Rickey and her boyfriend, Cheyne Whitney, prevailed in the 15th edition of the Emmy...
Quaid announces system to prevent medicine errors
12:54
Actor Dennis Quaid is helping launch a national program to help prevent medication errors like the one that hurt his newborn twins in 2007. Quaid on Monday was expected to announce the National Alert Network for...
Al Pacino set to play Shylock in NY's Central Park
12:48
Al Pacino meets William Shakespeare next summer in New York City's Central Park. The 69-year-old Pacino will portray Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice," one of two offerings by the Public Theater's 2010 Shakespeare in...
Obama salutes jazz great Brubeck at Kennedy Center
12:17
Nearly 40 years ago, a Kenyan father was visiting his son in Hawaii and took him to his first jazz concert. The boy was Barack Obama and the performer was jazz great Dave Brubeck. "I've been a jazz fan ever since," the...
Star tenor Villazon to make comeback next March
11:49
Star tenor Rolando Villazon says he will make his comeback at the Vienna State Opera next March after recovering from throat surgery. The singer announced in April that he needed surgery to remove a cyst on his larynx...
Romania: Briton sentenced in filmmaker's death
10:35
A Romanian court has rejected the appeal of a British citizen convicted on manslaughter charges for causing a 2006 car accident that killed award-winning Romanian film director Cristian Nemescu. The Bucharest appeals...
UK broadcaster says sorry for rat-eating episode
10:11
British broadcaster ITV has apologized after two contestants on a reality TV show skinned, cooked and ate a rat during filming. Chef Gino D'Acampo and actor Stuart Manning have been charged with animal cruelty after...
Diane Sawyer says this is her last week on 'GMA'
9:45
Diane Sawyer says this week is her last as co-anchor of ABC's "Good Morning America" as she prepares to replace Charles Gibson on the network's "World News." Gibson is retiring. His last broadcast as anchor on "World...
Ken Follett novel shot in Hungary
8:47
Ken Follett made his name writing spy thrillers like "Eye of the Needle." But the book that has won him the most critical, and eventually popular, acclaim is a nearly 1,000-page novel about the construction of an...
Dating couple wins CBS `Amazing Race' TV contest
10:08
Cool thinking at the craps table has won a San Diego couple $1 million on the CBS reality television show "The Amazing Race." Meghan Rickey and her boyfriend, Cheyne Whitney, prevailed in the 15th edition of the Emmy...
'SNL' can't resist Tiger Woods jokes
9:51
Tiger Woods and his marital problems proved a tempting target for "Saturday Night Live." In both a skit and multiple "Weekend Update" jokes this weekend, NBC's comedy institution took on the golfer, who has admitted to...
'Groovaloo' takes breaking back to birthplace, NYC
8:53
The off-Broadway show "Groovaloo" marks a roundabout sort of homecoming for break dancing, a style that was born on the city's gritty streets 30 years ago and exploded into an international sensation. Today, with...
Weezer singer hurt when bus skids off road in NY
7:00
The lead singer of the alternative rock band Weezer suffered minor injuries when the group's tour bus hit some ice, skidded across the New York State Thruway, struck a guide rail and slid into a ditch early Sunday...
Mexican governor: Gibson to make film in Veracruz
4:12
A Mexican governor says Mel Gibson will make a movie at a prison in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz next year. Veracruz Gov. Fidel Herrera says part of the Ignacio Allende prison will be emptied in January "because a...
'Blind Side' eclipses 'New Moon' with $20M weekend
1:25
The football-inspired drama "The Blind Side" has become the underdog hit of the season with a $20.4 million weekend and a box-office victory over "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." The Warner Bros. sports tale had been...
Rat cooking lands TV show in hot water
12:35
Two stars of the reality TV show "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here" have been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly killing and cooking a rat to eat during filming. Chef Gino D'Acampo who won the...
Bacons perform at Philly Mummers' fundraiser
10:42
Actor Kevin Bacon and his brother are helping out a century-old Philadelphia tradition. The Bacon Brothers performed at a fundraising concert Saturday night to raise money for the annual Mummers Parade. The parade of...
Obama meets with lawmakers, honors arts legends
3:10
President Barack Obama will pay a rare visit to Capitol Hill this afternoon to urge Senate Democrats to resolve their differences on health care reform. He'll attend a Democratic caucus meeting at the request of...
Italy police seize secret stash of masterpieces
12:48
Italian tax police said Saturday that they had seized works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Cezanne and other giants of art in a crackdown on assets hidden by the disgraced founder of the collapsed dairy company Parmalat. ...
AP source: Billy Joel's daughter took pills in NYC
8:29
Alexa Ray Joel, the daughter of pop star Billy Joel and supermodel Christie Brinkley, was hospitalized after taking eight pills at her Manhattan apartment, a law enforcement official said Saturday. A friend frantically...
Adam Lambert to appear, sing on ABC's 'The View'
7:20
ABC says glam-rocker Adam Lambert will appear and perform on its daytime talk show "The View" on Thursday. The announcement comes almost two weeks after Lambert's racy performance on ABC's broadcast of "The American...
Austrian news agency: Artist Hrdlicka dead
7:13
Austrian artist Alfred Hrdlicka, whose controversial works in metal, paint and pencil alienated as much as attracted the public died Saturday, Austrian media reported. He was 81. The Austria Press Agency cited gallery...
Young stars honored in Hollywood
6:51
One group of young Hollywood stars was in the spotlight Saturday _ and it wasn't for getting into a fight outside a night club or being arrested for drunken driving. Five under-25-year-old stars were lauded Saturday...