MCCARTNEY, MILLS DIVORCE NEARLY FINAL
Sometimes love isn't all you need. A judge in London granted a preliminary divorce Monday to former Beatle Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. If no one objects, the divorce will be final in six weeks.
Tony Snow to be CNN commentator
Former White House press secretary Tony Snow has joined CNN as a conservative commentator. Snow's new duties return him to the world of punditry he occupied for 10 years at CNN rival Fox News Channel. Before joining Fox, Snow was a substitute co-host for CNN's Crossfire. Snow, 52, was named White House press secretary in April 2006. Snow was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 and underwent surgery and chemotherapy.
Pop!
The TV drama starring Lexington native Josh Hopkins living among sexually liberated couples in 1970s suburbia is finally scheduled to see the light of day.
Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler win for videos
By John Gerome ASSOCIATED PRESS
NASHVILLE -- Taylor Swift won video of the year and female video for her smash Our Song while newcomer Kellie Pickler took home three awards during Monday's Country Music Television awards.
Will Madonna give her hometown a second chance?
A city that more than two decades ago declined to honor Madonna with a key to the city wants the singer to give it a second chance.
RAPPER UNDER HOUSE ARREST CAN ATTEND CHURCH
T.I. didn't get to host a Thanksgiving gathering at the suburban Atlanta home where he is under house arrest, but he will be able to attend Easter services.
McCartney, Mills settle at $48.6 mill
Money may not buy her love, but Paul McCartney's ex sure has a lot more of it now. One of Britain's bitterest divorces reached a settlement Monday when Heather Mills was awarded $48.6 million -- just a fraction of what she sought and a sliver of the former Beatle's $800 million fortune. McCartney also was ordered to pay $70,000 a year for his 4-year-old daughter Beatrice, and to pay for the child's nanny and school fees.
2 Kentucky duos nominated for top country music award
HERALD-LEADER STAFF REPORT
Two out of five ain't bad, right? Nominations for Academy of Country Music Awards were announced Tuesday, and two of the five nominees for top vocal duo are from Kentucky.
NO DRIVER LICENSE, FAILURE TO YIELD -- BAD DOG!
Police in Azusa, Calif., said Charles McCowan stopped at a mini-mart Feb. 20, leaving his 80-pound boxer, Max, in the passenger seat of his pickup. When McCowan came out, the truck and Max were gone.
HALL OF FAME MEMBERS
Crystal Gayle, Florence Henderson, Les McCann, Norro Wilson and Dwight Yoakam were inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame on Thursday. They join dozens of others who contributed to music locally and nationally. Here's a list of earlier inductees. For more information, visit www.kentuckymusicmuseum.com.
Stars, inductees, fans brave icy weather for state Hall of Fame
By Jamie Gumbrecht JGUMBRECHT@HERALD-LEADER.COM
Sleet? Please. Freezing rain? No problem. On a disastrous weather day, when businesses and schools closed early, some Kentuckians responded by strapping on high heels and black ties for a late night at the state's Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
STEER'S HIDE MIGHT HAVE SAVED ITS HIDE
A steer in Michigan might be saved from the slaughterhouse because the brown spot on its side resembles the state's mitten shape. The pattern on its other side is shaped like a U.
PRESIDENTIAL HAIR STANDS UP TO SCRUTINY
For the first time, The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia is displaying a scrapbook that has locks of hair from the first 12 U.S. presidents, from George Washington to Zachary Taylor. It will be on view Saturday through Monday.
Dad says they just forgot to buckle up
Billy Ray Cyrus says he and his daughter, the Hannah Montana actress Miley Cyrus, simply forgot to buckle up for one of their scenes in their new hit movie.
Many hit TV series will return this spring
By Frazier Moore ASSOCIATED PRESS
No more writers on picket lines. No more network TV bosses scrambling for replacement shows. On Sunday, writers guild leaders recommended a tentative three-year contract to members and asked them to vote separately on a quick end to the walkout.
Obama beats two former presidents
Barack Obama topped a Clinton in another contest Sunday -- the Grammys. The presidential candidate beat both former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter to win best spoken-word album for his audio version of his book The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream. Clinton was nominated for his book Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World, and Carter for Sunday Mornings in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World.
Winehouse revels in 5 wins while out of rehab
Trapped half a world away by the place she promised to never "go, go, go," a vibrant, exuberant Amy Winehouse dominated the Grammys on Sunday night, winning five awards and delivering a defiant performance of her autobiographical hit Rehab via satellite from London.
POP! WRITERS' STRIKE COULD END TODAY
Hollywood writers got their first look Saturday at details of a tentative agreement with studios that could put the strike-crippled entertainment industry back to work, an offer the union's East Coast president said Saturday he would endorse.
CHER TO PLAY CAESARS
Cher announced Thursday she'll be one of the headline acts at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. "I started in Vegas at Caesars, so I've come full circle," she said. "I plan to give my fans the best experience yet. I think everybody knows I only do things in a big way."
MCCAIN CAMP YANKS LIBERAL ROCKER'S SONGS
It may be Our Country, but it's John Mellencamp's song. When the liberal rocker found out his songs were being played at events for Republican John McCain's presidential campaign, Mellencamp's publicist sent a letter that questioned the campaign's playlist.
CHOCOHOLICS LOVE WHAT THEY DID WITH THIS ROOM
An all-chocolate room was unveiled in Manhattan last week -- a pre-Valentine's Day creation complete with furniture and artwork made of the sweet stuff.
Albums
1. As I Am, Alicia Keys 2. Juno, soundtrack 3. The Bedlam in Goliath, The Mars Volta 4. Scream Aim Fire, Bullet for My Valentine 5. 2008 Grammy Nominees, various artists
Bob Parker, philanthropist
He's no longer the host of The Price Is Right, but Bob Barker is still giving away major money. The venerable game-show host and animal activist said Wednesday that he is donating $1 million to his alma mater, Drury University, in Springfield, Mo., to establish an undergraduate animal-ethics program.
Teri Hatcher lip suit going to arbitration
In a feud worthy of Wisteria Lane, Teri Hatcher has won a ruling in a case involving rival lip plumpers. A $2 million lawsuit against the Desperate Housewives star should be moved out of court and into arbitration, a judge ruled Monday.
Combs urges young people to go vote
Four years ago, Sean "Diddy" Combs took his hip-hop swagger across the nation in an effort to get young people to vote, with the bold slogan "Vote or Die." Now, for Super Tuesday's primary contests, the entertainer has just a simple message: Go vote.
Spears reportedly to remain at hospital
Britney Spears got her stay in a psychiatric ward at the UCLA Medical Center extended Sunday, as doctors decided to keep her hospitalized an additional 14 days, said a person, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. Spears was committed Thursday for a 72-hour hold for evaluation.
Breakthrough reported in writers' strike
A breakthrough in contract talks has been reached between Hollywood studios and striking writers and could lead to a tentative deal as early as this week, a person close to the ongoing negotiations said Saturday in Los Angeles.
GEORGE CLOONEY, MINISTER OF PEACE
In his new role as U.N. messenger of peace, George Clooney was playing himself. The 46-year-old actor arrived Thursday at the United Nations, joking and repeating "Hi guys!" as he stepped past hundreds of curious U.N. employees.
THE DOUBLE-DOG DARE WAS TOO COMPELLING
Two fourth-grade boys mimicking a scene from the movie A Christmas Story wound up with their tongues stuck to a frozen flagpole in Chesterton, Ind.
SPEARS ESCORTED TO HOSPITAL TO 'GET HELP'
Britney Spears was taken from her home by ambulance early Thursday and escorted to the hospital by more than a dozen police officers in cars, on motorcycles and in helicopters.
Miley honors dad with name change
From here on out, Miley Cyrus will be known by a new name -- and it's not Hannah Montana. The 15-year-old pop singer-actress has officially changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus.
Keillor drops retraining order
Garrison Keillor, host of public radio's A Prairie Home Companion, has dropped a restraining order he had obtained against a fan after she agreed not to contact him again.
TV's Craig Ferguson aces citizenship test
No need for any more honorary citizenships for talk show host Craig Ferguson. He's going to be the real deal. The Late Late Show host announced Monday that he got a perfect score on his citizenship test, taken Friday in Los Angeles. The Scottish-born Ferguson will officially be sworn in a few weeks from now.
'Sopranos' gets farewell sweep; 'No Country' cast honored
By David Germain ASSOCIATED PRESS
No Country for Old Men emerged as the Oscars favorite Sunday by taking top honors for overall cast along with Javier Bardem's supporting-actor prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the lone gathering of A-list stars in an awards season thus far hobbled by the writers strike.
Old friends at Summerfest
Kentucky Classical Theatre Conservatory's SummerFest will bring back some old friends for its 2008 edition. SummerFest was the successor to the Lexington Shakespeare Festival at the Arboretum. It launched last summer with a format much like the Shakespeare Festival and an eye toward getting a lot of student actors on stage. This year, SummerFest will mess with the format a bit and, in the process, bring back some directors from the Shakespeare Fest's past.
Miss America hails from Michigan
Miss Michigan Kirsten Haglund, a 19-year-old aspiring Broadway star, was crowned Miss America 2008 on Saturday in a live show billed as the unveiling of the 87-year-old pageant's new, hipper look.
SALES OF LEDGER'S MOVIES SPIKE
Heath Ledger's death has spiked sales and interest in the late actor's films. As often happens after the death of a famous actor or musician, many have sought to revisit or simply discover his work. Three of Ledger's movies charted among the 25 best-selling DVDs on Amazon.com as of Friday afternoon.
TOO BAD SHE CAN'T PAY HER HEAT BILL WITH IT
When Elizabeth Emerson, 87, confessed to a newspaper that her only real indulgence has been an occasional chocolate bar, she never anticipated the response.
WUKY-91.3 FM
Today Girls' Night Out With Anne Deck: Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Tori Amos, Lou Rhodes and Diane French. 8 p.m. Solo Shots With Anne Deck: Bob Marley, Howie Beck, Bill Mallonee. 9 p.m.
THERON, WALKEN GET HASTY PUDDING HONOR
Academy Award winners Charlize Theron and Christopher Walken will add another trophy to their collection -- a Hasty Pudding award.