Indiana stage builder cited in state fair collapse
By CHARLES WILSON Associated Press
The State Labor Department says the company that built the stage ahead of last summer's deadly Indiana State Fair collapse showed "plain indifference" to safety standards.
Lucian Freud exhibition opens with royal visit
By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press
There is a vast amount of flesh - clear and smooth or wrinkled and mottled - on display in the latest show at Britain's National Portrait Gallery, a retrospective of the work of Lucian Freud.
Chinese state TV starts American service this week
The Associated Press
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV is launching its American service this week as part of a major overseas expansion aimed at boosting China's international influence.
Taiwan's 'Love' features Taiwan-China romance
By JOHNSON LAI Associated Press
Taiwan and China may be drawing ever closer after decades of estrangement, but a pair of star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of the Taiwan Strait encounter huge difficulties in communicating with each other in a new Taiwanese film.
Forget the Happy Meal. 'Lorax' gets green tie-ins
By RYAN NAKASHIMA AP Business Writer
The Lorax, perhaps the most famous anti-industrial crusader from children's literature, is about to become a big-time corporate spokesman.
Disney to open new area inspired by 'Cars' in June
The Associated Press
Disney officials say a new area called Cars Land will open in June at Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim.
Mrs. Obama beats Fallon in WH fitness challenge
The Associated Press
Michelle Obama and "Late Night" host Jimmy Fallon turned the White House into a playground to promote the first lady's "Let's Move!" fitness campaign.
No charges against NYPD boss' son after rape claim
By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press
The police commissioner's TV host son has been cleared of the prospect of criminal charges of raping a woman he met for a drink, but it's not clear how quickly he might return to his spot as a jocular morning-show host.
Designers lend their glamour to Obama campaign
By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer
Can President Barack Obama's campaign recapture the glamour quotient of four years ago?
Testimony ends in trial over Globes broadcast deal
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY AP Entertainment Writer
Testimony concluded Tuesday in a trial that will decide whether the Golden Globe Awards remain on NBC through 2018 with a federal judge strongly urging both sides to settle before a ruling is necessary.
RI judge denies Richard Hatch $25 IRS payment bid
The Associated Press
A request by reality television star Richard Hatch to give the Internal Revenue Service a reduced payment of $25 for January in his tax evasion case has been denied by a Rhode Island judge.
2 more autism-friendly shows planned for Broadway
By MARK KENNEDY AP Drama Writer
Two more autism-friendly performances of Broadway musicals will be offered this spring and fall following the success last year of the first showing of a Broadway show specially altered for those diagnosed with the disorder.
Eastwood: A maverick who does politics his own way
By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer
The plot seemed familiar: A hotshot Hollywood filmmaker shills for a bailed-out car industry, yet another limousine liberal going to bat for big government.
'Love, Loss and What I Wore' to close in March
The Associated Press
The off-Broadway show "Love, Loss and What I Wore" will end its run March 25 after more than 1,000 performances.
3 art works from Liz Taylor collection snag $21.8M
The Associated Press
Three top works from the late Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor's art collection have sold at a London auction for nearly 14 million pounds ($22 million), the auctioneer Christie's said Tuesday.
NBC hopes Super Bowl influence spreads
By DAVID BAUDER AP Television Writer
NBC hoped the Super Bowl would prompt viewers to sample a couple of its promising new shows. At least initially, the network is getting its wish.
Publisher John Sargent Sr. dies in NYC at age 87
By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer
John Turner Sargent Sr., a publisher, editor and socialite who as CEO of Doubleday worked with authors from Dwight Eisenhower to Stephen King and helped recruit his friend Jacqueline Kennedy as an editor, died Sunday at age 87.
'Cupcake Wars' judge settles Conn. name lawsuit
The Associated Press
A judge on the Food Network reality television show "Cupcake Wars" has resolved her lawsuit with a Connecticut cupcake store over its name.
Adam Mars-Jones wins Hatchet Job of the Year award
The Associated Press
A critic who accused a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist of scattering literary allusions like "tin cans tied to a tricycle" has won a prize for the year's most lacerating book review.
Coroner rules Don Cornelius' death a suicide
The Associated Press
Coroner's officials on Tuesday ruled Don Cornelius' death a suicide, nearly a week after the "Soul Train" creator and host killed himself with a gunshot to the head.
Mel Gibson likely won't testify at deputy's trial
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY AP Entertainment Writer
A civil jury will likely not hear directly from Mel Gibson about the night of his drunken driving arrest because his testimony doesn't appear relevant to a deputy's claim that he was discriminated against because of the traffic stop, a judge said Tuesday.
E-books by crime writer Jim Thompson coming soon
The Associated Press
Novels by acclaimed crime writer Jim Thompson are coming out as e-books.
Grammys to feature first dance music segment
By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY AP Music Writer
Grammy show producer Ken Ehrlich had considered putting dancing/electronica music into the ceremony in the past, but could never quite figure out how to incorporate the high-energy club feel in front of a sometimes staid audience.
NYC's Times Square gets huge heart for Valentine's
The Associated Press
There's a giant red heart in the middle of New York City's Times Square that can measure love's pulse.
The top iPhone and iPad apps on App Store
The Associated Press
App Store Official Charts for the week ending Feb. 6, 2012:
The top 10 songs and albums on the iTunes Store
The Associated Press
iTunes' Official Music Charts for the week ending Feb. 6, 2012:
Man admits NY piece of bicoastal art-theft spree
By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press Writer
A wine steward who plucked artwork off hotel and gallery walls in a bicoastal spree admitted Tuesday to stealing a $350,000 drawing in New York, resolving charges here after serving jail time in California.
London premiere for 'Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'
The Associated Press
Dame Judi Dench and Dev Patel brought an Indian adventure to a chilly London with the world premiere of their new film, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel."
Zsa Zsa kept behind closed doors at birthday party
By DERRIK J. LANG AP Entertainment Writer
After what felt like an eternity but was actually just a few minutes, Frederic Prinz von Anhalt emerged from a white door into the foyer of the old-fashioned Bel-Air mansion that he shares with his wife of 25 years, former glamour queen Zsa Zsa Gabor.
European court ruling upholds media freedoms
By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press
Europe's human rights court has rejected an invasion-of-privacy complaint by Monaco's Princess Caroline - one of two potentially groundbreaking rulings Tuesday that uphold the media's right to report on celebrities.
Madonna's first tour since '09 to start in Israel
The Associated Press
Madonna's not finished with stadiums.
Taiwanese-Japanese star implicated in beating
The Associated Press
Prosecutors say Taiwanese-Japanese starlet Makiyo has been barred from leaving Taiwan pending an investigation into her alleged involvement in the beating of a taxi driver in Taipei.
Roseanne Barr on Calif. ballot for US president
The Associated Press
Roseanne Barr's name is on California's primary ballot as a Green Party candidate for president.
Sir Paul, Elton, other stars to perform for queen
By GREGORY KATZ Associated Press
Some of the world's biggest pop stars will perform in front of Buckingham Palace on June 4 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, palace officials said Tuesday.
Paul McCartney to headline monarch's concert
The Associated Press
Former Beatle Paul McCartney will star in a musical tribute to Britain's queen to mark her Diamond Jubilee.
Cash's 80th birthday, legacy to be celebrated
By CHRIS TALBOTT AP Entertainment Writer
Johnny Cash is still cool.
Britain marks Charles Dickens' 200th birthday
By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press
He wrote about life in the modern city, with its lawyers and criminals, bankers and urchins, dreamers and clerks. He created characters still known to millions - Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim, Pip and Miss Havisham, Fagin and Oliver Twist. And it made him a star, mobbed by fans on both sides of the Atlantic.
Spanish painter and sculptor Tapies dead at 88
By CIARAN GILES Associated Press
Antoni Tapies' works were sprawling, abstract oeuvres that sometimes featured discarded everyday materials and graffiti-like scrawls. He liked the letter X to be in them, and the number 4, for the four elements of nature.
Marvel hits refresh button on Fantastic Four
By MATT MOORE Associated Press
It's a familiar tale: Science genius, smart girlfriend, her hot-shot brother, and a football-player-turned-accomplished-pilot travel to space, get bombarded by cosmic rays and come back a foursome with fantastic powers.
Jay-Z enters new musical heights at Carnegie Hall
By MESFIN FEKADU Associated Press
As Jay-Z transitioned from hit song to hit song at a Carnegie Hall concert Monday night, so did the lighting, changing from red to white to blue.
