Atlantas National Black Arts Festival turns 20
Andy Warhol, Lichtenstein art stolen in Sweden
Spike in sales for next poet laureate
Now showing Batmania as The Dark Knight opens
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That Was the Week That Was
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Second Stage set to acquire a Broadway home
Billy Elliot announces its New York cast

By David Minthorn (AP)

Prefabricated houses don't have to be ticky-tacky.

Contemporary prefab homes now possess all the flair and durability of traditional housing. Computerized designs and innovative materials are behind this architectural revolution, replacing cookie-cutter forms and flimsy materials from prefab's heyday after World War II.

That's the message of "Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling," an engrossing survey of the prefab movement opening Sunday at the Museum of Modern Art. It lasts through Oct. 26.

Visitors can stroll through five model homes built outside the mus...

By Carol Rosegg (AP)

When we last saw Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen on stage, the two theater-obsessed lads were basking in the glow of a successful off-Broadway run in "title of show," their delightful tale of writing and putting on a musical.

Now several years later, the boys, not to mention fellow performers Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackwell and musical director Larry Pressgrove, have hit the big time: Broadway.

And this quintet seems right at home in the larger Lyceum Theatre, where "title of show" opened Thursday. The production remains as appealing as ever, a slyly funny yet surprisingly...

By Adrian Wyld (AP)

Mitch Albom has a new book out _ well, not really a book, but a commencement speech in book form. And not in traditional book form, but as an e-book, published exclusively through Amazon.com's Kindle reader.

"Commencement Speech To His Nephew's Graduating Class: May 30, 2008, Nice France" went on sale Thursday for 99 cents. It won't be a money maker for Albom _ proceeds are being donated to a Detroit-based charity for the homeless _ but it does offer a test for the digital device that has created a great debate about the future of books and great speculation over how much the Kin...

By Adrian Wyld (AP)

Mitch Albom has a new book out _ well, not really a book, but a commencement speech in book form. And not in traditional book form, but as an e-book, published exclusively through Amazon.com's Kindle reader.

"Commencement Speech To His Nephew's Graduating Class: May 30, 2008, Nice France" went on sale Thursday for 99 cents. It won't be a money maker for Albom _ proceeds are being donated to a Detroit-based charity for the homeless _ but it does offer a test for the digital device that has created a great debate about the future of books and great speculation over how much the Kin...

By Stuart Ramson (AP)

In Eric Idle's world, a leaf blower is part of the orchestra.

The Monty Python star and "Spamalot" writer is bringing his silliness back to the stage with "Not the Messiah," a musical comedy hodgepodge that features a full orchestra and the occasional leaf blower.

"Musically we've put it in," Idle said.

After putting on the production in Toronto and Sydney, Australia, (and a one-off performance in upstate New York), Idle and composer-conductor John Du Prez are bringing the show stateside for a limited run.

"Not the Messiah" gives a musical stage treatment t...

By Ric Francis (AP)

Consider it "Star Wars III and a Half" _ complete with a pivotal plot twist.

When LucasArts releases "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" on Sept. 16, the video game will serve as George Lucas' official median between 2005's "Star Wars: Episode III _ Revenge of the Sith" and 1977's "Star Wars: Episode IV _ A New Hope." In the game, players become Darth Vader's secret apprentice and use The Force to hunt the remaining Jedi.

"Force Unleashed" allows gamers use supercharged Force powers to bust through objects, wield a lightsaber, blast lighting bolts and fling around foe...

By Ric Francis (AP)

One word sums up the announcements made by the Big Three gaming companies at the E3 this week: more.

During their flashy press conferences, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony all announced plans for more games, more sequels, more exclusives, more connectivity and more ways for gamers to use their systems for stuff other than gaming.

Such an escalation in enhancements is undoubtedly good news for existing owners of the Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3 consoles, as well as their handheld counterparts. However, the upgrades may leave the systems feeling less distinct than ever before....

By Dan Steinberg (AP)

Lindsay Lohan's attorney says the star is on track after pleading guilty last year to drunken driving.

Lohan's attorney, Blair Berk, gave an update Tuesday on how the actress is complying with her sentence for misdemeanor drunken driving and cocaine charges.

Berk told the judge that Lohan is "completely on track with everything." The judge seemed satisfied but scheduled another progress report for January.

The hearing came less than a year after Lohan's plea. It required the "Mean Girls" star to complete various programs or else face stiffer penalties.

Lohan h...

By Rene Macura (AP)

A screenwriter's lawsuit seeking higher payments from Mel Gibson and others for "The Passion of the Christ" has just completed its first edit.

The suit was originally filed in February. A judge ordered attorneys for screenwriter Benedict Fitzgerald to rewrite the complaint last month, saying it lacked specificity and seemed to take a "chain letter" approach.

Fitzgerald's lawyers filed their rewrite Monday against Gibson, Icon Productions, Marquis Films and others over payments for the screenplay. The suit seeks at least $10 million, claiming that Gibson and others vastly u...

By Darron Cummings (AP)

The wife of Alex Rodriguez wants to know if the New York Yankees star hired private detectives or installed wiretaps installed to spy on her.

Cynthia Rodriguez's lawyers demanded evidence of any such surveillance as part of a routine request filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court last week in their divorce case.

The document asks for any tape recordings, photographs, reports from investigators or results from possible wiretaps "or other electronic surveillance conducted by you or others on your behalf."

Alex Rodriguez's attorney didn't immediately respond Tuesday to an e-m...

By MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV (AP)

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.

"`The First Circle' is one of the most important novels of the 20th century and we are thrilled to be making this masterpiece available in its full glory," Carrie Kania, senior vice president and publisher of Harper Perennial, said Tuesday in a statement.

Harper Perennial, a paperback imprint of HarperCollins, will release "The First Circle" in 2...

By (AP)

Josephine Baker looks straight at you with bright eyes and shining smile, fearless and demanding attention.

The time is 1935, and the St. Louis native who transfixed France and much of Europe with song and dance stares out from a poster advertising the film "Princess Tam-Tam." Baker starred as a simple African woman presented to Paris society as royalty.

Baker's movie is one of five recalled on a set of U.S. postage stamps being released Wednesday to honor vintage black cinema. Ceremonies marking the sale of the stamps will be held at the Newark Museum in New Jersey, which is...

By Alastair Muir (AP)

England's Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, will square off on Broadway next spring in the critically acclaimed London production of "Mary Stuart," starring Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter.

McTeer will portray Mary, Queen of Scots, and Walter will be Elizabeth in the Donmar Warehouse production, which later moved to London's West End. The New York opening date, other casting and theater will be announced.

The adaptation of Friedrich Schiller's classic play by Peter Oswald, will be directed by Phyllida Lloyd.

McTeer was last seen on Broadway in "A Doll's Ho...

By Jeff Christensen (AP)

Whoopi Goldberg is going back to Broadway.

Goldberg, a co-host on the ABC's "The View," announced on the air Monday that she will appear in the Tony-nominated roller-skating musical "Xanadu" as one of the show's evil sisters, Caliope.

Goldberg, 52, has previously been on Broadway with her own one-woman show as well as in revivals of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

She begins her six-week "Xanadu" run on July 29, taking over for actress Jackie Hoffman, who will return to the production on Sept. 9, said Karl Nilss...

By Chitose Suzuki (AP)

The 2008 Miss Universe contest has begun, with 80 of the world's most beautiful women competing to win one of the pageant world's most coveted crowns.

The field was reduced to 15 semi-finalists at the beginning of the show, including Venezuela, Kosovo, Mexico, Vietnam, South Africa, Australia, Japan, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Colombia, Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the United States and Spain.

The NBC show is being hosted by TV host Jerry Springer and Spice Girl Melanie Brown and broadcast live to hundreds of millions of viewers in 170 countries.

The 80...

By Mary Altaffer (AP)

Christie Brinkley's ex-husband Peter Cook says he's sorry he got involved with the 18-year-old who helped wreck their marriage.

The couple were married for a decade before the 49-year-old Cook met Diana Bianchi and began a sexual relationship with her.

Bianchi says Cook showed interest in her and she reciprocated until their relationship ended in late 2005.

Cook told the Fox News Channel on Sunday if he had the chance to do it again he'd say: "No, I'm a married man."

Brinkley and Cook's divorce trial ended Thursday following a week of testimony about Cook's a...

By Evan Agostini (AP)

They are the ultimate million-dollar babes.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's new twins, a girl and a boy born by Caesarian section on Saturday, are barely a few hours old but already their first photos are worth a fortune.

A million dollars, two, five, 10 even 20 million? Exactly how much the first "official" snaps will be sold for is not clear. But the figures being bandied about make the eyes pop.

Nice Matin, the hometown daily in the Riviera city in the south of France where Jolie gave birth, put the twins' worth at more than $11 million. It first broke news of the bi...

By Chitose Suzuki (AP)

Behind all the hugs and smiles, the 80 Miss Universe contestants are engaged in a fierce competition. But two contestants with perhaps the greatest reason for hostilities have become fast friends.

Miss Kosovo and Miss Serbia, representing one of the world's most ethnically torn regions, seem a little bit weary of people asking whether they get along.

"We are friends, we go everywhere together," said Bojana Boric, this year's Miss Serbia. "We are the girls who want to talk with each other."

The 2008 Miss Universe pageant, co-hosted by Jerry Springer and Melanie Brown,...

By Gus Ruelas (AP)

The Screen Actors Guild weighed bargaining strategies Friday after Hollywood producers warned a souring economy could cause them to reconsider their contract offer.

The guild's national negotiating committee met in a closed-door strategy session and remains "committed to continuing to bargain for a fair contract," SAG said in a statement Friday.

But producers didn't signal a willingness to revisit what they've called their final proposal _ unless, perhaps, to reduce it.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Friday released remarks made at a bargai...

By KEVORK DJANSEZIAN (AP)

Actress Evelyn Keyes, who played Scarlett O'Hara's younger sister Suellen in "Gone With the Wind," has died at age 91.

Friend and producer Allan Glaser said Friday that Keyes died of cancer at her Montecito, Calif., home on July 4. He says word of her death was withheld because attorneys were waiting for the death certificate to be filed.

Keyes' other notable roles were Robert Montgomery's lover in 1941's "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," the Ruby Keeler role as Al Jolson's wife in 1946's "The Jolson Story," and as Dick Powell's wife in 1949's "Mrs. Mike."

...

By (AP)

Stephanie Hughley's 12th floor office at the new headquarters of the National Black Arts Festival has a stunning view of Atlanta, including the city's cultural standard: the High Museum of Art.

The vantage point reminds Hughley that she has arrived, and that the festival can claim the title of artistic institution after two decades of focusing on the music, film, dance, theatre, literature and humanities of people of African descent.

"People have always thought that it was important," said Hughley, who came back to the festival as executive producer in 1999 after a seven-yea...

By (AP)

Officials say one or more thieves broke into a Swedish museum and stole work done by American pop icons Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

Police say the break-in happened at the Abergs Museum near Stockholm early Friday.

Museum officials say two Warhol and three Lichtenstein paintings were stolen as well as a Disney movie-poster.

The museum estimates the value of the stolen artwork at around $500,000.

Police had no immediate suspects in the case.

...

By (AP)

Kay Ryan is no longer an unknown poet.

Demand for her work jumped sharply Thursday upon the Library of Congress' announcement that she had been named the new U.S. poet laureate, a one-year term beginning in the fall. Her collections "The Niagara River," "Say Uncle" and "Elephant Rocks" hold the top three spaces on Amazon.com's list of best-selling poetry books, and are out of stock.

Meanwhile her publisher, Grove Press, said Thursday it was planning a new book, "New and Selected Poems."

Despite winning several awards, the 62-year-old Ryan was virtually unheard of...

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