Tuesday 20 March 2012

Japan pop icon marries man almost 20 years younger

Miwa Yoshida is lead singer with Dreams Come True, a Japanese pop band which has sold about 50 million albums worldwideOne of Japan's best-known pop stars said on Wednesday that she has married a fellow musician nearly 20 years her junior, setting off a frenzy in the country's tabloid press.


Correction: Story on Mike Daisey and Apple

In an Oct. 13 profile of artist Mike Daisey, The Associated Press reported that Daisey's investigations in China found horrific labor conditions at factories that make Apple products. Daisey detailed the conditions in a one-man show.

Correction: Review of Mike Daisey's Apple show

In an Oct. 17 review of artist Mike Daisey's one-man show "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs," The Associated Press reported that Daisey's investigations in China found "horrific" labor conditions at factories that make Apple products.

Kevin Smith offers life advice in new book

"Tough Sh-t: Life Advice From a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good" (Gotham Books), by Kevin Smith: Film director and comic-book geek extraordinaire Kevin Smith dispenses wisdom in his new book, a touching reflection on his life and career.

Travel writer details saga of young outlaw

"The Barefoot Bandit: The True Tale of Colton Harris-Moore, New American Outlaw" (Hyperion), by Bob Friel: It's not often that a travel and adventure writer who hopscotches the globe for good stories stumbles upon a riveting tale on his own doorstep, especially when he lives on a sparsely populated island in the far reaches of Washington state's Puget Sound.

Dutch children's author wins Astrid Lindgren prize

Dutch children's author Guus KuijerDutch children's author Guus Kuijer on Tuesday won the 2012 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, named after the Swedish creator of Pippi Longstocking, said the fund that awards the prize.


Worried About Bus Safety? Now There’s an App for That

Ever want to monitor the bus you’re riding in up-to-the-minute fashion? There’s a new app for that, and it allows you to check the safety record of a bus company before booking that summer trip. The National Transportation Safety Board says discount bus lines are...

Muppets get their own Hollywood star

Sweetums poses while holding a plaque honouring the MuppetsThe Muppets were honored with their own star on the storied Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, right outside the theater where their recent movie was made and premiered.


Dutch museum discovers new Van Gogh

Portraits of dutch painter Vincent van Gogh are seen in AmsterdamA still life depicting a bouquet of flowers painted by Dutch master Vincent Van Gogh in 1886 has been authenticated in a study which used a new x-ray technique, a Dutch museum spokeswoman said Tuesday.


Why a Rising Women’s Basketball Star Left Hoops Heaven for the Home Team

When 6-foot-5 Elena Delle Donne, the number one recruit in the country, chose the University of Connecticut, it seemed like a perfect fit of star player and powerhouse team, but just 48 hours after she arrived on campus, Delle Donne left.  Nearly four years later,...

Celebrate Macaron Day With Free Macarons in New York City

As colorful and flavorful as a cupcake, the macaron has hit Manhattan by storm.  If you’re in the New York City area today and have a sweet tooth, stop by one of the 16 participating bakeries and mention “Macaron Day NYC” for a free treat. ...

Gwyneth Paltrow and Rachael Ray Hit Back at NY Times

Rachael Ray and Gwyneth Paltrow are fighting back after an article in the New York Times accused them of using cookbook ghostwriters. Paltrow tweeted on Saturday, “Love @nytimes dining section, but this weeks facts need checking. No ghostwriter on my cookbook. I wrote every word myself.”...

6 Easy Ways to Fill Your Gas Tank for Less

This early burst of warm weather across the country is a reminder that summer, and peak driving season, is looming. But with gas prices already ticking over the $5 a gallon mark for regular, families are feeling the pinch in their budgets more than ever....

Betty White wishes happy 90th to Carl Reiner

FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2008 file photo, Carl Reiner arrives at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 2008 Hall of Fame Ceremony in Los Angeles. Reiner, who plays Betty White's boyfriend Max in the TV Land series Betty White has a suggestion for longtime friend Carl Reiner as he marks his 90th birthday: "Milk it."


Michael Bay tells 'Ninja Turtles' fans to 'chill'

FILE - In this June 28, 2011 file photo, Executive producer and director Michael Bay attends the Michael Bay thinks "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" fans need to chill.


Can 'Hunger Games' do 'Twilight'-type $140M debut?

In this image released by Lionsgate, Jennifer Lawrence portrays Katniss Everdeen in a scene from Fans are so hungry for "The Hunger Games" that Hollywood's buzzing about an opening weekend to rival the $140 million debuts of some of the "Twilight" movies.


Tanning, Sleeping and More: Hotel Concierges Specialize

Hotel concierges: There to suggest restaurants, make reservations, score hard-to-get tickets and so much more. They’re often the best resource at your hotel for everything under the sun. But would you ask the concierge to help you tan? Get a good night’s sleep? Suggest a...

Tornado-hit Ind. school wins Lady Antebellum show

FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2011, file photo Lady Antebellum musical group members from left, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, accept the award for country band, duo or group at the 39th Annual American Music Awards on in Los Angeles. Students from the wrecked school awaited word Tuesday, March 20, 2012, about whether on online campaign supported by other schools in their state and beyond will land them a prom-night performance by Grammy-winning country trio Lady Antebellum. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)An Indiana high school wrecked by tornadoes won a free concert by country music trio Lady Antebellum on Tuesday following an online campaign that saw students in other states advocating on the school's behalf.


German composer Heiner Goebbels wins Ibsen prize

German composer and music director Heiner Goebbels poses for photographers at the embassy of Norway in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 20, 2012 after he was announced as the winner of the International Ibsen Award 2012. Goebbels will be presented the 2.5 million kroner (US dollar 450,000) prize in Oslo in September as part of the Ibsen Festival at the National Theater. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)German composer and music director Heiner Goebbels has won the International Ibsen Award for creating new insights in theater that have influenced producers and musicians.


NYC office: Ex-Miss Russia hoarding pills in rehab

FILE- In this Nov. 22, 2003 file photo, former Miss Russia, Anna Malova, arrives for a benefit in New York. Prosecutors say Malova has been hoarding pills to try to get high while in court-ordered drug treatment. A New York City judge said Tuesday, March 20, 2012 that she can stay in a residential rehabilitation program for now but may have to go to trial if she gets another bad behavior report at a May 1, 2012 court date. Trained as a doctor, Malova was Miss Russia and finished in the top 10 in the Miss Universe pageant in 1998. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano, File)Prosecutors say a former Miss Russia has been hoarding pills to try to get high while in court-ordered drug treatment.


Zsa Zsa Gabor's daughter files for conservatorship

FILE - In this Jan. 27, 1993 file photo, actress Zsa Zsa Gabor is shown in Midland, Texas. Constance Francesca Hilton , the daughter of Gabor, is asking a Los Angeles court to place her mother in a conservatorship that will independently control the ailing glamor queen's medical care and financial needs. (AP Photo/Curt Wilcott, File)The daughter of Zsa Zsa Gabor is asking a Los Angeles court to place her mother in a conservatorship that will independently control the ailing glamor queen's medical care and financial needs.


Tornado-hit Ind. school seeks Lady Antebellum prom

FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2011, file photo Lady Antebellum musical group members from left, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, accept the award for country band, duo or group at the 39th Annual American Music Awards on in Los Angeles. Students from the wrecked school awaited word Tuesday, March 20, 2012, about whether on online campaign supported by other schools in their state and beyond will land them a prom-night performance by Grammy-winning country trio Lady Antebellum. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)Students from an Indiana high school wrecked by tornadoes awaited word Tuesday about whether on online campaign supported by other schools in their state and beyond will land them a prom-night performance by Grammy-winning country trio Lady Antebellum.


German composer Heiner Goebbels wins ISBN prize

German composer and music director Heiner Goebbels poses for photographers at the embassy of Norway in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 20, 2012 after he was announced as the winner of the International Ibsen Award 2012. Goebbels will be presented the 2.5 million kroner (US dollar 450,000) prize in Oslo in September as part of the Ibsen Festival at the National Theater. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)German composer and music director Heiner Goebbels has won the International Ibsen Award for creating new insights in theater that have influenced producers and musicians.


Beatles' 'Yellow Submarine' movie restored for DVD

In this still undated image taken from the animated colorful Beatles movie, Yellow Submarine, a surreal tale that features cartoon versions of members of the Beatles band, and images from some of their psychedelic songs has been restored frame by frame, by hand, it is announced Tuesday March 20, 2012. The restored 1968 classic movie will be released on DVD in May 2012. (AP Photo/ Subafilms) PLEASE CREDIT SUBAFILMS - AP PROVIDES ACCESS TO THIS PUBLICLY DISTRIBUTED HANDOUT PHOTO PROVIDED BY SUBAFILMS FOR EDITORIAL PURPOSES ONLY.The animated Beatles movie "Yellow Submarine" has been carefully restored frame-by-frame for DVD release this year.


Linda Lavin to lead 'Prince of Broadway' cast

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2012 file photo, actress Linda Lavin arrives at the premiere of her film Linda Lavin knows what she'll be doing after she takes "The Lyons" to Broadway â€" another Broadway show.


'Real Housewife' Kim Zolciak expecting baby No. 2

FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2012 file image released by Bravo, Kroy Biermann, left, and Kim Zolciak pose backstage after Bravo's Bravo reality star Kim Zolciak and husband Kroy Biermann are expecting their second child.


Team Peeta or Team Gale? Hutcherson won't pick

Josh Hutcherson, who portrays Peeta Mellark, poses on the red carpet for the premier the film Move over Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, there's a new love triangle causing spirited debate and girls to swoon.


2 shot in disturbance after Tyga concert in Omaha

FILE - In this June 26, 2011, file photo Tyga arrives at the BET Awards in Los Angeles. Authorities are investigating shots that were fired from a car as band members boarded their tour bus following a rowdy concert in Omaha, Neb, Monday, March 129, 2012. Authorities say heated words were exchanged between members of Tyga's act and some audience members. Police two people on the bus suffered minor wounds. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)Two people have minor injuries after a shooting following a rowdy concert by rapper Tyga (TY'-guh) in Nebraska.


Chris Rock, Midler set as Rock Hall presenters

U.S Actor Chris Rock attends at the Premiere of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will likely be a little more irreverent this year: Chris Rock is set to be one of the A-list presenters for the April event.


Financier's art collection coming to NYC auction

In this image provided by Sotheby's, Tuesday, March 20, 2012, is a painting by Pablo Picasso to be auctioned May 2, 2012 in New York. The 1941 portrait of his muse Dora Maar, Works of art collected by the late Wall Street financier Theodore Forstmann are set to be sold at auction this spring and could fetch as much as $75 million, Sotheby's announced Tuesday.


Dutch museum: Still life IS by Vincent van Gogh

This photo provided by the Kroeller Mueller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 20, 2012, shows a painting entitled It was, it wasn't, it is: A still life once thought to be by Vincent van Gogh but later downgraded to being the work of an anonymous artist is indeed by the tormented Dutch impressionist himself, researchers announced Tuesday.


'3rd Rock From the Sun' actress spills her 'Guts'

In this book cover image released by Gallery Books, "Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster" (Gallery Books), by Kristen Johnston: Kristen Johnston is best known as the brash, tough-talking alien in "3rd Rock From the Sun," which aired on NBC from 1996 to 2001. But that character's toughness has nothing on Johnston, who discusses her lonely childhood, rise as an actress and battles with addiction in a candid new memoir.


New Israeli law bans underweight models in ads

An Israeli walks past an advertising displayed on a main street in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Monday, March 19, 2012. A new Israeli law, passed late Monday, is trying to fight the spread of eating disorders by banning underweight models from local advertising. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)A new Israeli law is trying to fight the spread of eating disorders by banning underweight models from local advertising and requiring publications to disclose when they use altered images to make women and men appear thinner.


Call it a comeback: Boy bands back on music scene

FILE - In this March 8, 2012 file photo, members of the band One Direction, from left, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles attend the premiere of the Nickelodeon TV movie It seems like we can never say goodbye, bye, bye to boy bands.


Lyricist Tim Rice looks back and forward this year

FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2010 file photo, Tim Rice pose at the BMI London Music Awards at the Dorchester Hotel in London. This spring, Tim Rice will have written the lyrics to three shows on Broadway. At 67, Rice is enjoying something of a mini-revival. His This spring, Tim Rice will have written the lyrics to three shows on Broadway.


First lady talks to Letterman about Target visit

First lady Michelle Obama says she thought for sure her cover was blown during an undercover visit to Target last year when a woman approached her in the detergent aisle.

'Talent' winner builds Miss. home for grandparents

A Mississippi couple is moving into a new home thanks to their grandson, singer Michael Grimm, who promised to build them a house when he won "America's Got Talent" in 2010.

Stage rigging builder seeks Sugarland depositions

The company that built stage rigging involved in August's Indiana State Fair stage collapse wants a judge to order members of country band Sugarland to provide depositions in lawsuits filed over the deadly accident.

FAA Taking ‘Fresh Look’ at Gadget Policy? Sort Of.

  It’s the dreaded moment on many a traveler’s journey: The flight attendant announces that everyone on  board must turn off their electronic devices. “Power down anything with an on or off switch,” is one of the least-liked statements among frequent fliers. Mostly, it’s so...

Museum confirms still life it holds is by Van Gogh

This photo provided by the Kroeller Mueller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 20, 2012, shows a painting entitled A still life once thought to be by Vincent van Gogh but later downgraded to the work of an anonymous artist because of doubts about its authenticity is indeed by the tormented Dutch impressionist, researchers said Tuesday.


China's rise driving Hollywood interest in Asia

The screenwriter of the China's economic rise and growing international profile are spurring Hollywood's interest in movies using Asian themes and production money, U.S. movie industry veterans said Tuesday.


Dame Edna Everage bids 57-year stage career adieu

FILE -In this Aug. 25, 2004 file photo Australian actor Barry Humphries, dressed as Dame Edna Everage, appears at a press conference in San Francisco, USA. Dame Edna Everage, the Tony Award-winning drag act known for her purple hair and oversized rhinestone eyeglasses, will soon open her final stage show tour in Australia. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)Dame Edna Everage, the Tony Award-winning drag act known for her purple hair and oversized rhinestone eyeglasses, will soon open her final stage show tour in Australia. It comes 57 years after her debut.


South Dakota's top court hears Costner art appeal

A lawyer for actor Kevin Costner has asked the South Dakota Supreme Court to affirm a ruling that he did not breach a contract with an artist whom he commissioned to produce a bronze sculpture of bison and American Indians.

'21 Jump Street' cops seize box office gold

Co-director Phil Lord (L) and actor Rob Riggle arrive at the premiere of Columbia Pictures' The youthful policemen of 1980s remake "21 Jump Street" seized the head of the North American box office this weekend, according to data released Monday.


"Mass Effect 3" game fans campaign for new ending

The studio behind hit videogame The studio behind hit videogame "Mass Effect 3" on Monday responded to an online campaign by fans for a happier ending to the gripping science fiction action trilogy.


'Mass Effect 3' game fans campaign for new ending

The studio behind hit videogame The studio behind hit videogame "Mass Effect 3" on Monday said fans who wanted a happier ending may get a slice of what they wish for, following an online campaign calling for changes.


Review: Spalding blends pop with jazz on new CD

In this CD cover image released by Heads Up, the latest release by Esperanza Spalding, Esperanza Spalding, "Radio Music Society" (Heads Up)


Iran's 'A Separation' shines at Asian film awards

Iranian actress Leila Hatami reacts after the film, Iranian film "A Separation" was the stand out picture at the Asian Film Awards on Monday, winning top prizes including best film and best director, while China took home six gongs.