Grandson of Walt Disney facing gun charges

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – A 42-year-old grandson of Walt Disney has been formally charged with illegal possession of guns and drugs following his arrest in California earlier this month, authorities said.

Patrick Disney Miller, who already has a 2005 conviction for drug possession, was detained on December 9 after police conducted a search of his home in the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, local prosecutors said.

He was originally charged with a single felony count, but prosecutors Wednesday filed 19 additional felony charges against him. Miller is to be arraigned on Thursday.

Police allegedly recovered an arms cache comprising 13 handguns, a rifle and an illegal assault rifle during the search. Various drugs were also found.

As a result of his 2005 conviction, Miller is barred from owning guns or ammunition, according to prosecutors.

LAPD officers obtained the search warrant after running a background check on Miller when they discovered he had allegedly purchased ammunition.

If convicted of all charges, Miller faces more than eight years in state prison. Miller is the youngest child of Diane Disney Miller, who is Walt Disney's only biological daughter.

Gibson film plan provokes protest outside Mexico prison

XALAPA, Mexico (AFP) – Hundreds of relatives of prisoners in a Mexican jail have protested the expected transfer of inmates to make way for a film shoot with US-Australian actor and director Mel Gibson next year.

The Veracruz state governor, Fidel Herrera Beltran, said earlier this month that the Hollywood star would clear out the Allende prison for scenes for his second movie in Mexico, following the 2006 film Apocalypto.

Prisoners' relatives told AFP they had stopped a 24-hour protest outside the jail in eastern Mexico on Tuesday after the prison's director assured them he had received no orders to transfer the prisoners.

They began protesting after they said they saw soldiers taking photos and videos of the prison.

Moving the inmates to other facilities "would create serious financial problems for a lot of the families" in their visits to relatives, said David Estevez, a relation of one of the detainees.

The families said the prison director told them they would be informed if some or all of the more than 1,000 detainees were to be moved.

The Veracruz governor said on December 6 that the prisoners would be transferred to other facilities to make way for filming from January.

Gibson has already visited the Allende prison, and he donated one million dollars toward hurricane relief in the Gulf of Mexico region in 2005.

Tyra Banks says she's ending her talk show

NEW YORK – Tyra Banks is pulling the plug on her talk show.

The former model says the syndicated "The Tyra Show" will end after its fifth season. Banks says she's sticking with the reality show "America's Next Top Model" and is forming a new production studio with plans to make movies. She also promised new digital projects, but wouldn't give details.

In a statement on her Web site, Banks also paid tribute to talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey, who's ending her talk show in 2011.

About her own show, Banks told fans: "I've been loving having fun, coming into your living rooms, bedrooms, hair salons for the past five years."

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On the Net:

http://www.tyra.com

http://www.cwtv.com

Sheen accused of using weapon in Aspen, Colo. case

ASPEN, Colo. – Authorities say actor Charlie Sheen is accused of using a weapon in an alleged case of domestic violence in Aspen.

Sheen spent part of Christmas Day in jail after being arrested at a home in the Colorado ski resort town.

Police spokeswoman Stephanie Dasaro did not provide details on what kind of weapon Sheen is accused of using.

Sheen also was arrested on investigation of second-degree assault, a felony, and criminal mischief, a misdemeanor.

Sheen's lawyer didn't return a telephone call Sunday seeking comment.

Sheen hasn't been charged and was released Friday after posting an $8,500 bond. Prosecutors will determine whether to file charges.

Yves Rocher, French cosmetics tycoon, dead at 79

PARIS (AFP) – Yves Rocher, founder of a global cosmetics empire that carried his name and pioneered the use of natural ingredients, died in Paris on Saturday, a spokesman for his company said. He was 79.

The cause of death was not disclosed.

Rocher, who started out selling haemorrhoid ointment through classified ads in a popular French magazine, founded his eponymous company in 1959, basing its growth on the idea of "beauty from plants" and selling by mail order.

The Yves Rocher Group now operates in around 30 countries, with a turnover of two billion euros (2.8 billion dollars) a year, around 15,000 employees and nearly 2,000 retail outlets.

On its website it bills itself "the world leader in botanical beauty care".

In a statement, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Rocher "a great French industrialist, inventor of plant-based cosmetics and pioneer of mail order retail."

Rocher -- a native of La Gacilly in Brittany where he long served as mayor -- "built a company dedicated to female beauty, invested in the growth of sustainable jobs and worked to protect the environment," he said.

Rocher turned over control of the business to his son Didier in 1992, but took it back three years later when the son died in an accident.

The group now boasts more than 40 million customers and markets brands that include Yves Rocher, Daniel Jouvance, Dr Pierre Ricaud, Isabel Derroisne, Kiotis and Galerie Noemie, plus Petit Bateau children's wear.

'The Sound of Music' stars prepare to say 'So Long, Farewell' in new year

TORONTO - They climbed ev'ry mountain to headline "The Sound of Music," and now Elicia MacKenzie and Janna Polzin are preparing to take on the next summit of their careers.

It's been a year and a half since the pair rose from the ranks of relative obscurity to national stardom on the CBC-TV reality competition "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" and subsequently as the leads in the Toronto musical "The Sound of Music" (MacKenzie full-time, Polzin part-time).

Now that the stage show is drawing to a close on Jan. 10, both say they'll likely break down when they say "So Long, Farewell."

"Things don't hit me until they actually happen, so I think I'm going to be bawling at the time, but right now I'm not thinking of it yet in that way," MacKenzie, 24, of Surrey, B.C., said in a recent interview.

"It just doesn't seem real that I'm not going to be able to be getting up on stage and singing all these songs every night anymore."

MacKenzie has been the primary Maria in the show since it opened to critical acclaim in October 2008, performing in six shows a week and winning a Dora Award. She landed the role of the spirited nun-turned-governess by beating out thousands on the CBC-TV series in July 2008.

Polzin was the runner-up on the TV show, and was later announced as MacKenzie's alternate, performing in two shows a week.

"I just hope I'll be able to control my emotions," said Polzin, 26, who hails from Woodstock, Ont.

"I hope I'll be able to think as the character onstage instead of thinking as Janna: 'Oh God, this is the last time I'm doing this, or the last time I'm going to see this."'

MacKenzie, a wide-eyed brunette who has a diploma in performing arts from Capilano College, recalls being "really nervous" and feeling "a lot of pressure" when she first stepped into Maria's pinafore.

These days, she feels like she's come into her own. "There is still that pressure but I'm a lot more comfortable," she said.

For Polzin, a sprightly blond musical-theatre graduate, the experience has given her a sense of belonging in Toronto's theatre industry. "You hear the cliche, 'You have to wait for your big break,' and I definitely think this was mine."

Both said they were surprised and saddened when they heard that the show would be ending in the new year.

"We were hoping and expecting that it would go a little longer, so it was a little bit of a shock to us all," said MacKenzie.

"I could tell, obviously we weren't filling our seats as well as we did when we first opened but that kind of comes with the territory," said Polzin. "I am a little upset because it's such a great show that everyone seemed to respond really well to. But the fact of the matter is that people just don't feel comfortable spending the money on theatre right now."

MacKenzie already has an enviable gig lined up for when the show ends: The lead role in the Toronto production of "Rock of Ages," a five-time Tony Award-winning show that opens April 20, 2010.

Polzin doesn't have a full-time gig awaiting, but she does have a couple of smaller theatre projects. She also wants to mount an art show featuring her own paintings.

"I think that's one of the frustrating parts about coming out of the reality show is that people expect that because you're a face they know and because you've gotten one lead that means that offers are going to be pouring in," she said.

"Well that's not the reality of our business, you still have to work just as hard."

Christmas Eve funeral for Brittany Murphy

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – American actress Brittany Murphy, who died suddenly at age 32, was buried on Christmas Eve with a private ceremony at a cemetery in the Hollywood hills, local media reported.

The star of hit films such as "Clueless," "Just Married" and "8 Mile" died Sunday of apparent cardiac arrest, but an official cause of death will not be released for several weeks as coroners await the results of toxicology tests.

Murphy was laid to rest in a "strictly private" service Thursday at Forest Lawn Memorial Park with only a handful of family and friends, RadarOnline.com reported.

Murphy's husband, screenwriter Simon Monjack, has shot down suggestions that drugs were responsible for his wife's demise, in an interview Tuesday with People magazine. He said instead that she had been ill for several days before her death.

TMZ.com, the entertainment website that broke the news earlier this year of the death of Michael Jackson -- who is also buried at Forest Lawn -- reported that multiple prescription drugs were found at Murphy's home on Sunday.

The website cited notes made by an investigator from the Los Angeles County Coroner's office as the source of the information.

According to the notes, a check of nightstands at Murphy's home "revealed large amounts of prescription medication in the decedent's name," as well as in the names of her husband, her mother and others.

The medications included painkillers, anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs, the report said.

The cemetery where Murphy was interred is the final resting place of several Hollywood legends, including actors Bette Davis, Lucille Ball, Gene Autry and Buster Keaton.

Vatican paper says 'The Simpsons' are okely dokely

VATICAN CITY – To put it as the devout Ned Flanders would, the Vatican's newspaper thinks "The Simpsons" are an okely dokely bunch.

L'Osservatore Romano on Tuesday congratulated the show on its 20th anniversary, praising its philosophical leanings as well as its stinging and often irreverent take on religion.

Without Homer Simpson and the other yellow-skinned characters "many today wouldn't know how to laugh," said the article titled "Aristotle's Virtues and Homer's Doughnut."

The paper credited "The Simpsons" — the longest-running American animated program — with opening up cartoons to an adult audience.

The show is based on "realistic and intelligent writing," it said, though it added there was some reason to criticize its "excessively crude language, the violence of certain episodes or some extreme choices by the scriptwriters."

Religion, from the snore-evoking sermons of the Rev. Lovejoy to Homer's face-to-face talks with God, appears so frequently on the show that it could be possible to come up with a "Simpsonian theology," it said.

Homer's religious confusion and ignorance are "a mirror of the indifference and the need that modern man feels toward faith," the paper said.

It commented on several religion-themed episodes, including one in which Homer calls for divine intervention by crying: "I'm not normally a religious man, but if you're up there, save me, Superman!"

"Homer finds in God his last refuge, even though he sometimes gets His name sensationally wrong," L'Osservatore said. "But these are just minor mistakes, after all, the two know each other well."

Cher auctions Hawaii home; estimate at $8M to $12M

HONOLULU – Cher's six-bedroom Hawaii home overlooking the Pacific Ocean is set to be auctioned Jan. 18.

Concierge Auctions estimated the three-quarter-acre property with views of the Hualalai Golf Course was worth about $8 million to $12 million.

A Web site set up for the sale says the property has a main residence and five freestanding bungalows totaling 8,821 square feet. Four have bedroom suites, and the fifth is a media bungalow with a bar.

It says the residence was designed by Cher and "balances modern sophistication with traditional Balinese style."

In all, it has six bedrooms, six bathrooms and two half baths.

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On the Net:

Concierge Auctions, http://www.cherhawaiiauction.com

Nigeria an unlikely stop on film-festival circuit

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (Hollywood Reporter) – They call it "last-minute dot com."

That's how Chioma Ude describes the unique -- which is a nice way of saying maddening -- way in which Nigerians go about, well, pretty much everything.

As managing director of Jata Logistics, Ude should know since she assisted the organizers of the recent ION International Film Festival with getting the traveling event up and running in Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers State situated on the coast of Guinea Bay in Western Africa.

The decision to bring the event to Port Harcourt was the brainchild of Caterina Bortolussi and Soledad Grognett, two enterprising young women from Italy and Argentina -- "oyeebo," or "white girls," as the locals call them -- who fell in love with the country two years ago while visiting on business. As the creative director of the communications outfit Omcomm, Bortolussi is passionate about changing misperceptions about Nigeria, and she found a willing accomplice in Port Harcourt's progressive governor, Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi.

"The governor is a very enlightened man," Bortolussi says. "We wanted to show people that Nigeria is not what they've been reading about, it's not just a place of conflict. So when we were discussing this with Gov. Ameachi, he said, 'Why don't we use the film festival to celebrate peace through art?' At that point, the ION film festival was looking for a new location, so it all just came together."

The timing couldn't be better given the explosion in local production in recent years.

According to the results of a survey conducted by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, Nigeria is the second-most prolific film culture in the world after India, producing more than 850 films in 2006. While many of these productions are low-budget efforts that would never find international distribution, the ION Fest put a spotlight on polished, well-acted local fare like Jeta Amata's ambitious period drama "Mary Slessor" and Izu Ojukwu's "Nnenda," which was awarded a "special recognition" honor at the closing-night awards gala for its portrait of a young doctor attempting to provide care to poor and abandoned children.

In addition to screening more than 80 films from around the world, 30 of which were Nigerian, the fest featured music events and workshops, including an acting session with American actor-director Giancarlo Esposito, who was here to promote his festival entry "Gospel Hill."

Given the fest's success at providing such a different perspective on this troubled region, ION festival founder Hossein Farmani believes the time is right to establish other film events in Port Harcourt to provide local filmmakers with ongoing support and training.

"The people here are so thirsty for knowledge," he says. "I made an offer to the governor: I told him if he could give us a building with a long, free lease, we will supply all the equipment and training and it would be free to anyone who wants to attend. He was very open to the idea."

For Westerners visiting Port Harcourt, a city of 1.6 million, the fact that the fest ran as smoothly as it did amid the myriad challenges the troubled region offers was nothing short of astonishing. Spend even a short time in Nigeria and the country's glaring lack of infrastructure and organization become abundantly, some might say agonizingly, clear. From securing a visa to booking a flight at the local airport, Westerners are best advised to expect delays since Nigerians are what you might call the anti-Germans when it comes to speed and efficiency.

That said, there is no denying an undiminished spirit of optimism among the residents of Port Harcourt, who will often end even the slightest interaction with a smiling plea to "be blessed" or "enjoy your Sunday." It's a spirit that Bortolussi and company are gamely trying to support and foster.

Such efforts have made Gov. Ameachi something of a local celebrity. Indeed, during the fest's surprisingly well-executed closing-night gala, the governor, wearing a tailored purple suit and black fedora, swept in dramatically and was immediately mobbed by photographers and well-wishers as though he were a movie star. It was a vaguely surreal sight until one remembers that the governor of California, itself a troubled region wrestling with its own formidable infrastructure problems, is an actual movie star.

"At least our guy is getting things done," quipped one proud local.

Kool & the Gang gives rare US concert in Havana

HAVANA – American R&B pioneers Kool & the Gang helped Cuba get its funk on, bringing their eclectic mix of sounds Sunday to an open-air stage a stone's throw from the sparkling waters of the Caribbean.

Robert "Kool" Bell," his brother Khalis Bayyan, saxophonist Dennis Thomas and drummer George "Funky" Brown became one of the few U.S. musical acts to perform in Cuba in recent memory, amid Washington's travel restrictions and the ambivalence of the island's communist government about rock 'n' roll, hip hop and other kinds of American music.

"We are all about the music. We travel the world and our message is love, understanding and unity," Bell, a singer and bass player, said before taking the stage for a performance authorized by the U.S. government. "We don't come as politicians, we come as musicians."

With thousands of spectators stretching down Havana's storied Malcon coastal boulevard, the band played at the open-air Anti-imperialist Plaza, which sits in front of the U.S. Interests Section. Fans, many of them middle-aged with children in tow, danced and jumped up and down to the music while tenants in nearby apartment buildings watched from balconies.

The band heads next to Miami — where many in the Cuban-American community still hold deep resentment toward Cuba's government.

Offering a hybrid of funk, disco, R&B, dance and soul, Kool & the Gang came into its own in the 1970s and '80s. Its "Celebration" has been a mainstay at sports stadiums across the United States for a generation, and another hit, "Jungle Boogie" enjoyed a renaissance when it was featured in Quentin Tarantino's cult smash "Pulp Fiction."

The most recent show by a U.S. group was the heavy-metal band Audioslave's thundering concert before thousands at the same amphitheater in 2005.

But most American rockers, rap artists and other musical acts have kept away. Cuban officials often cite pop-rocker Billy Joel's indoor performance as a rock 'n' roll landmark in Havana, and that was in 1979.

Still, Sunday's show was more evidence that while the Obama administration and the government of Raul Castro talk tentatively about improving chilly relations, the entertainment world is already well into a thaw.

Omara Portuondo, Cuba's sultry-voiced diva of the Buena Vista Social Club, was granted U.S. Treasury Department permission to play U.S. concerts and recently accepted a Latin Grammy in person, while singer-songwriter Carlos Varela performed in Washington this month.

Salsa specialists Charanga Habanera have scheduled a year-end concert in Miami, and longtime island favorite Los Van Van have announced plans to put on 60 U.S. concerts in 2010.

Vancouver Symphony says no to Olympic opening

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has turned its back on the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics after Games organizers requested the orchestra prerecord the music.

The symphony's conductor, Bramwell Tovey, told the Globe and Mail that officials with the Vancouver Olympics organizing committee, known as VANOC, said the prerecorded music would be mimed by others during the opening gala Feb. 12.

"I felt it was dishonest. I thought it was fraudulent," Tovey told the newspaper.

"It's promoted with public money, and I didn't want anything to do with this kind of dishonest practice."

Tovey went on to compare the action to Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson's situation at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Johnson was stripped of his gold medal in the 100 metres when he tested positive for a banned steroid.

VANOC's plan would be "on par with Ben Johnson's fraud," Tovey said.

The VSO will still have performances used throughout the Games, as it recorded all 98 national anthems that could be played during medal ceremonies.

In a response to the Globe report, David Atkins, artistic director of the Games ceremonies, said that it's standard practice to have prerecorded music on internationally televised events and that it was necessary in case of technical difficulties.

This isn't the first time VANOC has had to deal with a music controversy. Earlier this week, professional singer-songwriter Nicole Scoffield protested against the committee's treatment of her original compositions.

Scoffield wrote a piece called Sea to Skyway and sent it to VANOC. She was shocked to receive in return an agreement from the organizing committee that required Scoffield to sign away the rights to the song if she wanted it used during the Games. Scoffield said she was obliged to sign it before the committee would even look at her composition.

Officials: Pot found on 2 Lil Wayne tour buses

FALFURRIAS, Texas – Rapper Lil Wayne and 11 people traveling with him were briefly detained Friday night after U.S. Border Patrol officers found marijuana on two of his tour buses, authorities said.

Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, and the others were questioned and released, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the case was referred to the Brooks County Sheriff's Office.

A sheriff's spokeswoman told The Associated Press that she could not comment.

The tour buses were stopped in Falfurrias, about 80 miles southwest of Corpus Christi, where the rapper is scheduled to perform Sunday night.

Lil Wayne played in Hidalgo on Thursday. A few minutes before the doors were to open for his show in Laredo on Friday, it was announced that the show was postponed. A marketing manager for the venue told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times that it would be rescheduled.

A drug dog initially detected the odor of narcotics on one of the buses, the CBP said in a news release. Marijuana was found during secondary inspections, the agency said.

Lil Wayne's music manager Cortez Bryant and talent agent Cara Lewis did not immediately return phone messages left at their offices.

The rapper pleaded guilty in October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in a New York case, a charge that stemmed from a 2007 traffic stop of his tour bus. His plea deal calls for a year in jail in that case. He is set to appear for sentencing in February.

Loretta Lynn feels 'great' as she recovers from flu

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country music legend Loretta Lynn is "feeling great" and planning a trip to her home in the Bahamas over the holidays, according to her daughter Patsy Lynn Russell.

Reports have circulated on the Web about Lynn's declining health after she canceled her four remaining shows this year because of the flu.

Russell says Lynn will return to the U.S. in late January to resume touring.

She will head to Los Angeles at the end of January to receive her Lifetime Achievement Grammy from the Recording Academy. Other honorees at the Jan. 30 ceremony include Michael Jackson, Leonard Cohen, Bobby Darin, Andre Previn, and Clark Terry. They will also be recognized during the Grammys on Jan. 31, airing live on CBS.

On the Net:

http://www.lorettalynn.com

http://www.grammy.com/

Grammy winner detained on suspected cartel ties

MEXICO CITY – A Latin Grammy winner rounded up during a raid on a Mexican drug cartel's Christmas party last week is being held on suspicion of organized crime ties, his attorney said Wednesday.

Ramon Ayala, a Texas-based norteno singer, could face charges of organized crime and money laundering, lawyer Adolfo Vega Elizondo said. Mexican authorities had said earlier this week that Ayala was released for lack of evidence.

Vega denied the singer or his band, Los Bravos del Norte, had any ties to drug gangs. He said they were hired to play at the party in a wealthy community south of Mexico City and didn't know their clients were suspected members of the Beltran Leyva cartel.

"They have never in any moment belonged to organized crime. They were offering their services as singers, as artists," Vega told The Associated Press.

Ayala, a Mexican accordionist and singer who lives in Hidalgo, Texas, has been detained in federal police headquarters in Mexico City since the raid Friday, Vega said.

Officials with the Attorney General's Office, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the case, confirmed Ayala and his band members had been in custody since Friday. On Tuesday, agency officials had said Ayala was let go because there was no evidence tying him to the drug cartel.

Mexican norteno bands often sing about drug trafficking and violence and many have been rumored to perform at drug traffickers' weddings and other parties, but few have been caught.

Ayala and his band were performing in a gated community of mansions outside the mountain town of Tepoztlan when sailors raided the house and a shootout broke out. Three gunmen were killed and 11 others suspected of working for the Beltran Leyva cartel were arrested.

Ayala, who sports a mustache and long sideburns and favors black cowboy hats, has a large following along the Mexico-U.S. border and has won two Latin Grammys for his romantic ballads of heartbreak and rural life in Mexico.

He had been scheduled to host a Christmas festival Wednesday in Hidalgo, a free event he puts on every year that includes music, food and the opportunity for impoverished children to line up at his home to receive a ticket for a gift.

The 10th annual "posada" went on Wednesday despite the singer's absence, drawing about 5,000 people.

Cold weather forced the party into an arena instead of its usual venue across from Ayala's home, city officials said. Instead of lining up at his home, hundreds of children filed toward a corner of the arena to get gifts of soccer balls, skateboards, beauty kits and other toys.

Jose Luis Avila, a resident of Reynosa, Mexico, called the event "magnificent" and was disappointed Ayala and his band didn't perform.

"I thought he was going to be here. I thought they (Mexican authorities) already let him go," the 50-year-old Avila said.

Over the years, several norteno musicians have been slain, including performers of the popular northern "Narcocorrido" songs that glorify drug trafficking.

Among the best known performers killed was Sergio Gomez, a singer with K-Paz de la Sierra, who went missing after a 2007 concert in the Michoacan state capital of Morelia. His tortured body was found the next day along a highway.

A year earlier, banda singer Valentin Elizalde was shot to death along with his manager and driver shortly after performing in Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas. Police said his slaying was possibly linked to a grisly video posted online set to one of Elizalde's songs, "A Mis Enemigos" ("To My Enemies").

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Associated Press writers E. Eduardo Castillo in Mexico City and Christopher Sherman in Hidalgo, Texas, contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

Ramon Ayala: http://www.ramonayala.org

Hidalgo Festival of Lights: http://www.hidalgotexas.com/festivaloflights/posada.html

Metallica, Slayer to tour together

DETROIT (Billboard) – Heavy metal's Big Four -- Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax -- will ride together in 2010. In Europe, at least.

After weeks of rumors, the four bands have announced they'll take part in the traveling Sonisphere festival, starting June 16 in Warsaw and continuing June 19 in Prague. More Big Four Sonisphere performances are expected to be announced in the coming weeks; the festival's Web site (sonisphere.com) currently lists 15 dates, including two-night stands in Sofia, Bucharest, Istanbul, and Knebworth, U.K.

There's no word on U.S. dates for the Big Four. Slayer, who co-headlined the 2009 Mayhem Tour, and Megadeth are teaming up for a 26-date American Carnage tour of North America that kicks off January 18 in Seattle. Metallica toured extensively in 2009.

"Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal's big 4 would not only still be around and more popular than ever, but will now play together for the first time," Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said in a statement.

2010 New Orleans Jazz Fest lineup announced

NEW ORLEANS – Van the Man and The Queen of Soul are headlining next year's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Joining Van Morrison and Aretha Franklin will be Pearl Jam, making its inaugural appearance at the fest, as well as Lionel Richie and actor Steve Martin, who plays banjo in his bluegrass outfit the Steep Canyon Rangers. Darius Rucker, former Hootie and the Blowfish front man-turned-country award-winning singer, is also slated to appear.

"It's just a way cool thing that Jazz Fest is so broad that it can embrace all these different things, all these different artists," the festival's producer, Quint Davis, said Monday.

Marking its 41st year, the festival is scheduled for the weekends of April 23-25 and April 29-May 2 and features hundreds of acts in genres ranging from pop, rock and gospel to R&B, jazz and zydeco.

Though dotted with major national acts, the festival is made up of more than 80 percent Louisiana artists such as The Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Pete Fountain, Dr. John, rapper Juvenile, Trombone Shorty and Buckwheat Zydeco.

Other first-time artists include My Morning Jacket, Anita Baker, Gipsy Kings, The Dead Weather, The Levon Helm Band, Drake and Johnny Lang.

Returning acts include the Allman Brothers Band, Widespread Panic, The Black Crowes and B.B. King.

"We have jazz in the name, but it's not just jazz music," Davis said.

Next year's festival will include a tribute to one of the genre's founders, jazz singer, songwriter and trumpeter Louis Prima, who was born in 1910 and "brought jazz and New Orleans flavor to the world," Davis said.

Prima reigns along with Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino and Mahalia Jackson, Davis said.

"He's so New Orleans," Davis said. "He was one of the first major voices in getting jazz and New Orleans to be dominant world powers in music. We have some very special things in the works to honor him."

There will be tributes to Prima every day with jazz singers Keely Smith and Louis Prima Jr. performing in his honor.

Davis said the festival was grateful to land Franklin — who was supposed to perform last year but dropped out when asked to participate in an event for President Barack Obama.

Rucker this year became only the second black performer to win a major individual country music award — he was named best new artist for 2009 — joining Charley Pride, who took entertainer of the year in 1971 and male vocalist in 1971-72.

"If there's nothing here that you like, then you just don't like nothing," Davis said.

Tickets for the festival, which is held at the Fair Grounds Race Course, go on sale Tuesday.

Besides music, the festival offers a host of food and craft booths, some that include the history and making of New Orleans pottery, jewelry, clothes and Mardi Gras.

Shell Oil Co. is this year's presenting sponsor. Other sponsors include Acura, Miller Lite, Pepsi and Sheraton New Orleans Hotel.

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On the Net:

Jazz Fest, http://www.nojazzfest.com

"New Moon" still shining overseas

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" logged a fourth round atop the box office overseas, but is poised to lose its crown next weekend when James Cameron's "Avatar" rolls out worldwide.

The vampire romance earned $22.3 million from 66 markets, raising its offshore total to $358.7 million. When its domestic haul is included, the teen favorite has racked up a worldwide tally of $626.1 million.

Meanwhile, Cameron's much-anticipated 3D epic will begin its international campaign on Wednesday, two days before its North American bow.

This weekend's North American champ, Disney's "The Princess and the Frog," garnered $7 million from 10 foreign markets, good enough for No. 5 overall. The cartoon ruled in Mexico and Venezuela, and opened at No. 2 in Germany.

Ranking No. 2 on the weekend was "2012," which grabbed $20 million from 77 markets. The overseas total so far stands at $556 million, making director Roland Emmerich's disaster epic the 13th-biggest international release of all time.

Third was "A Christmas Carol," which generated $14.8 million from 50 markets, taking its overseas total to $146.8 million.

Fourth was the No. 1 title in France, the English-language family cartoon "Arthur et la vengeance de Maltazard," which grossed about $7.1 million in its second round. The film's total stands at $19 million in France only.

'Uncharted 2' nabs top prize at VGAs

LOS ANGELES – The cinematic action adventure "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" nabbed three prizes including game of the year at the Spike TV Video Game Awards.

The PlayStation 3 exclusive was named top game for that console and honored for its graphics at the awards show, which featured appearances from Stevie Wonder, Green Day and Jack Black. Snoop Dogg and The Bravery performed.

Wonder presented the best music game award, won by "The Beatles: Rock Band," and called for more titles accessible to the disabled. Jake Gyllenhaal promoted his movie based on the "Prince of Persia" games, due out next summer.

The show also featured new previews of upcoming titles, including "Medal of Honor," "Batman: Arkham Asylum 2," "The Force Unleashed 2" and "Halo Reach."

Reality show mom Duggar gives birth to 19th child

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – An Arkansas couple featured on the reality TV show "18 Kids and Counting" now has 19.

Cable network TLC says 43-year-old Michelle Duggar gave birth to a 1-pound, 6-ounce daughter Thursday night during an emergency cesarean section. She'd been due March 18.

TLC says the child is in stable condition at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.

The network airs the show starring Duggar, her 44-year-old husband and their brood. It says the Duggars named their 19th child and ninth daughter Josie Brooklyn. The Duggars' first grandchild was born Oct. 8.

The family lives in a 7,000-square-foot house, where they manage commercial real estate property. The couple has said they'll continue welcoming children as long as Michelle is able to have them.

How the Sultan Sought to Find Occasion to Proceed against a Jew

Il Novellino

The Sultan, being in need of money, was advised to proceed against a rich Jew, who lived in his country, and to try to take away his substance from him.

The Sultan sent for this Jew and asked him what was the best religion, thinking he will say surely, "the Jewish faith," when I will tell him that he sins against mine. And if he says, "the Saracen [Islamic]," I will ask him why he is a Jew.

The Jew, hearing the question, replied:

Sire, there was a father who had three sons, and he had a ring with a precious stone, one of the finest in the world. Each of the sons begged this father that he should leave him this ring at his death. The father, seeing that each of them desired it, sent for a good jeweler and said to him, "Master, make me two rings just like this one, and set in each of them a stone resembling this one."

The jeweler made the rings so that no one knew the real gem apart, save the father. He sent for his sons one by one, and to each he gave a ring in secret, and each believed he had the true ring, and no one knew the truth save the father.

And so I tell you of the faiths, which are three. God above knows best of all, and his sons who are ourselves, each of us thinks he has the true one.

Then the Sultan, hearing the man get out of the difficulty in this manner, did not know how to entrap him, and let him go.

---

• Source: Il Novellino: The Hundred Old Tales, translated from the Italian by Edward Storer, Broadway Translations (London: George Routledge and Sons; New York: E. P. Dutton and Company, ca. 1925), no. 73, pp. 168-169.

• I have slightly shortened the title, which reads in the original title, which reads, "How the Sultan, Being in Need of Money, Sought to Find Occasion to Proceed against a Jew."

• The Hundred Old Tales (Italian title: Cento novelle antiche, or Novellino) were compiled by an anonymous writer (probably a court minstrel) toward the end of the thirteenth century. The collection was first published in 1525 as Le ciento novelle antike.

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Jackson brothers stay out of blame game

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Jackie, Marlon and Tito are staying out of the blame game.

The Jacksons say they don't want to point fingers about their brother Michael's death more than five months ago. Jackie Jackson cites the ongoing homicide investigation by Los Angeles police, saying he wants to wait until it's finished to pass judgment.

And Tito Jackson says it is "premature to point fingers and say who did what."

The brothers are promoting their new reality series on A&E Television, "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty."

Authorities have not charged anyone in Jackson's June 25 death, and the 50-year-old pop star's personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray has returned to work in Houston.

The Magic Tray

Vietnam

Long ago, there was a poor man who often went to the forest to collect wood to sell to get money to buy rice. All of the easy to gather wood had long since been taken, so each time he had to go deeper and deeper into the forest to find a suitable supply.

One day, he came across a tree that looked perfect for his purpose. He swung his axe and hit it a mighty blow.

No sooner had the blade touched the bark than a woman appeared. She was a spirit who for years had used the tree as her home, and she begged him not to cut it down.

Getting ready to swing his axe again, the poor man replied, "I must cut down this tree. If I do not have wood to sell I will have no money to buy rice."

He began chopping again, and once more the spirit woman begged him to stop. "If you spare the tree I will give you something precious. Something that will ensure you will always have enough food without working hard."

The poor man had dreamed of such a thing all of his life, so he put down his axe. The spirit woman produced a bronze tray and tapped it three times. Immediately it was filled with the most tempting food.

Satisfied, the woodcutter took the tray and started for home. At noon, he did not bother to eat his usual meal of rice and salted tomatoes, but stopped at a shady wayside stall and asked for a seat.

He tapped the tray three times and there appeared some newly cooked rice, a bowl of crab soup, several dishes of chicken and pork, and a bottle of rice wine. The stall-keeper watched all this happen with envious eyes, but said nothing.

After his satisfying meal the woodcutter lay down and had a long sleep until late in the afternoon. While he was sleeping the stall-keeper took the magic tray and substituted one very similar in appearance. When the woodcutter awoke he took his axe and the bronze tray and continued his journey home.

That evening he did not bother to cook but simply put the tray on the table and tapped it three times, licking his lips in anticipation. Nothing happened. Again and again he tapped, but the tray remained empty. He was sure the spirit woman had tricked him, and he vowed that the next day he would return and chop down the tree.

Just before the sun rose, he took his axe and started off along the familiar road. When he reached the tree he swung one mighty blow and, as before, the spirit woman appeared and begged him to spare her home.

"Why should I?" said the woodcutter angrily. "You cheated me last time and now I shall have my revenge."

The spirit woman tried to explain about the stall-keeper, but the woodcutter would have none of it and kept chopping.

"Stop, please stop, and I will give you something more precious than the tray."

Suddenly a horse stood before them. "Watch!" she cried, and hit the horse twice with a stick. It dropped two pieces of gold on the ground behind it.

The woodcutter was amazed. This was surely a miraculous horse. He mounted the beast and rode off towards his home, well satisfied with his new possession.

He stopped at the same roadside stall and called for a big meal, which the stall-keeper seemed to produce very quickly. After the meal the woodcutter hit the horse twice. To the stall-keeper's amazement, instead of a pile of manure some gold gleamed on the ground. Without even bothering about the cost the woodcutter handed over the precious metal and lay down to sleep. -

Of course, while he was sleeping the stall-keeper took the magic horse and substituted one very similar in appearance. When the unsuspecting woodcutter awoke he mounted it and rode on to his village.

There was a great deal of excitement when he arrived, and soon a crowd had gathered. "What a beautiful horse!" they exclaimed. "Perhaps it is even better than that of the village headman ."

"Not only is this a more beautiful horse," boasted the woodcutter, "but it is also much more useful. When I hit it, it drops gold. Soon I shall be the richest man in the province."

News of his boasting very quickly reached the ears of the notables, who came and ordered, "Make your horse drop gold. If you are wasting our time, and making fools of us all, you shall be punished most severely."

Confidently, the man struck his horse twice, but instead of gold a pile of manure appeared behind it. The notables ordered him to be seized and he was given thirty strokes of the cane.

When the poor man had recovered from the beating he seized his axe and stormed off towards the forest. This time he was determined to cut down the tree and have complete and final revenge on the spirit woman.

As before, she appeared at the first stroke of the axe. "Stop!" she cried, and her voice was so powerful and commanding that he could not help but obey.

"You were a foolish, greedy man and acted quite stupidly. I hope you have learned your lesson. I will give you one final gift, because now I know you will use it wisely."

She handed him a bronze tube. "Tap this tube on the ground. All those nearby who earn their living by robbery, swindling, and corruption will be in your power until you tap it again."

Thus saying, she stepped into the tree, and the woodcutter once again set off back to his village. He stopped at the same wayside stall and tapped the bronze tube on the ground. To his amazement the stall-keeper and his wife immediately fell flat on their backs, unable to move.

"I want my bronze tray and my horse," said the woodcutter. "Tell me where they are or you will stay like that until you die."

Soon he was on his way to his village, mounted on the "gold mine" and carrying the tray under his arm.

The same crowd quickly gathered around and the notables came strutting towards him. "Ah, it's you again," they cried. "Have you come to make fools of us with another magic horse? Perhaps you need another beating to remind you of your manners."

The woodcutter sprang from his horse and tapped the bronze tube on the ground. Immediately all of the authorities, and some of the rich people of the village, were lying flat on their backs, helpless. "You're very fond of watching the cane being used," said the woodcutter, "I think I will fetch it and you can watch each other being beaten by me. I've got a strong right arm and I'm sure you'll enjoy each other's screams."

The fear in their eyes betrayed their true weaknesses to all the honest men of the village. Never again would they have false power over good men. Before he set them free, the woodcutter made the cowardly rogues promise to be upright for the remainder of their lives.

Having got the promise, he tapped the bronze tube on the ground, put the bronze tray in a bag, mounted his precious horse, and rode off to do good and spread happiness throughout the country for the rest of his life.

---

• Source: Song Ngu, Truyên Dân Gian Viêt Nam: Vietnamese Folktales, retold by Vo Van Thang and Jim Lawson (Danang: The Danang Publishing House, 1993), pp. 119-125. Vietnamese and English on facing pages. No copyright notice.

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The Three Goslings

Italy

Once upon a time there were three goslings who were greatly afraid of the wolf, for if he found them he would eat them. One day the largest said to the other two, "Do you know what I think? I think we had better build a little house, so that the wolf shall not eat us, and meanwhile let us go and look for something to build the house with."

Then the other two said, "Yes, yes, yes! Good! Let us go!"

So they went and found a man who had a load of straw and said to him, "Good man, do us the favor to give us a little of that straw to make a house of, so that the wolf shall not eat us."

The man said, "Take it, take it!" And he gave them as much as they wanted.

The goslings thanked the man and took the straw and went away to a meadow, and there they built a lovely little house, with a door, and balconies, and kitchen, with everything, in short.

When it was finished, the largest gosling said, "Now I want to see whether one is comfortable in this house." So she went in and said, "Oh! How comfortable it is in the house! Just wait!" She went and locked the door with a padlock, and went out on the balcony and said to the other two goslings, "I am very comfortable alone here. Go away, for I want nothing to do with you."

The two poor little goslings began to cry and beg their sister to open the door and let them in. If she did not, the wolf would eat them. But she would not listen to them. Then the two goslings went away and found a man who had a load of hay. They said to him, "Good man, do us the kindness to give us a little of that hay to build a house with, so that the wolf shall not eat us!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Take some, take some!" And he gave them as much as they wanted.

The goslings, well pleased, thanked the man and carried the hay to a meadow and built a very pretty little house, prettier than the other. The middle-sized gosling said the smallest, "Listen. I am going now to see whether one is comfortable in this house. But I will not act like our sister, you know!"

She entered the house and said to herself, "Oh! How comfortable it is here! I don't want my sister! I am very comfortable here alone." So she went and fastened the door with a padlock, and went out on the balcony and said to her sister, "Oh! How comfortable it is in this house! I don't want you here! Go away, go away!"

The gosling began to weep and beg her sister to open to her, for she was alone, and did not know where to go, and if the wolf found her he would eat her. But it did no good. She shut the balcony and stayed in the house.

Then the gosling, full of fear, went away and found a man who had a load of iron and stones and said to him, "Good man, do me the favor to give me a few of those stones and a little of that iron to build me a house with, so that the wolf shall not eat me!"

The man pitied the gosling so much that he said, "Yes, yes, good gosling, or rather I will build your house for you."

Then they went away to a meadow, and the man built a very pretty house, with a garden and everything necessary, and very strong, for it was lined with iron, and the balcony and door of iron also. The gosling, well pleased, thanked the man and went into the house and remained there.

Now let us go to the wolf.

The wolf looked everywhere for these goslings, but could not find them. After a time he learned that they had built three houses. "Good, good! he said. "Wait until I find you!" Then he started out and journeyed and journeyed until he came to the meadow where the first house was. He knocked at the door, and the gosling said, "Who is knocking at the door?"

"Come, come," said the wolf. "Open up, for it is I."

"The gosling said, "I will not open for you, because you will eat me."

"Open, open! I will not eat you. Be not afraid. Very well, " said the wolf, "if you will not open the door, I will blow down your house." And indeed, he did blow down the house and ate up the gosling.

"Now that I have eaten one," he said, "I will eat the others too." Then he went away and came at last to the house of the second gosling, and everything happened as to the first. The wolf blew down the house and ate the gosling.

Then he went in search of the third, and when he found her he knocked at the door, but she would not let him in. Then he tried to blow the house down, but could not. Then he climbed on the roof and tried to trample the house down, but in vain. "Very well," he said to himself. "In one way or another I will eat you." Then he came down from the roof and said to the gosling, "Listen, gosling. Do you wish us to make peace? I don't want to quarrel with you who are so good, and I have thought that tomorrow we will cook some macaroni, and I will bring the butter and cheese, and you will furnish the flour."

"Very good," said the gosling. "Bring them then."

The wolf, well satisfied, saluted the gosling and went away. The next day the gosling got up early and went and bought the meal and then returned home and shut the house. A little later the wolf came and knocked at the door and said, "Come, gosling, open the door, for I have brought you the butter and cheese!"

"Very well, give it to me here by the balcony."

"No indeed, open the door!"

"I will open when all is ready."

Then the wolf gave her the things by the balcony and went away. While he was gone the gosling prepared the macaroni, and put it on the fire to cook in a kettle full of water. When it was two o'clock the wolf came and said, "Come, gosling, open the door."

"No, I will not open, for when I am busy I don't want anyone in the way. When it is cooked, I will open, and you may come in and eat it."

A little while after, the gosling said to the wolf, "Would you like to try a bit of macaroni to see whether it is well cooked?"

"Open the door! That is the better way."

"No, no. Don't think you are coming in. Put your mouth to the hole in the shelf, and I will pour the macaroni down."

The wolf, all greedy as he was, put his mouth to the hole, and then the gosling took the kettle of boiling water and poured the boiling water instead of the macaroni through the hole into the wolf's mouth. And the wolf was scalded and killed.

Then the gosling took a knife and cut open the wolf's stomach, and out jumped the other goslings, who were still alive, for the wolf was so greedy that he had swallowed them whole. Then there goslings begged their sister's pardon for the mean way in which they had treated her, and she, because she was kindhearted, forgave them and took them into her house, and there they ate their macaroni and lived together happy and contented.

---

• Source: Thomas Frederick Crane, Italian Popular Tales (London: Macmillan and Company, 1885), no. 86, pp. 267-270.

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The Fox and the Pixies

England

Another singular story is told on Dartmoor:

There was once a fox, who, prowling by night in search of prey, came unexpectedly on a colony of pixies. Each pixy had a separate house. The first he came to was a wooden house.

"Let me in, let me in," said the fox.

"I won't," was the pixy's answer; "and the door is fastened."

Upon this the fox climbed to the top of the house; and having pawed it down, made a meal of the unfortunate pixy.

The next was a "stonen" house.

"Let me in," said the fox.

"The door is fastened," answered the pixy.

Again was the house pulled down, and its inmate eaten.

The third was an iron house. The fox again craved admittance, and was again refused.

"But I bring you good news," said the fox.

"No, no," replied the pixy; "I know what you want; you shall not come in here tonight."

That house the fox in vain attempted to destroy. It was too strong for him, and he went away in despair. But he returned the next night, and exerted all his fox-like qualities in the hope of deceiving the pixy. For some time he tried in vain ; until at last he mentioned a tempting field of turnips in the neighborhood, to which he offered to conduct his intended victim. They agreed to meet the next morning at four o'clock.

But the pixy outwitted the fox; for he found his way to the field, and returned laden with his turnips long before the fox was astir. The fox was greatly vexed, and was long unable to devise another scheme, until he bethought himself of a great fair about to be held a short way off, and proposed to the pixy that they should set off for it at three in the morning.

The pixy agreed. But the fox was again outwitted; for he was only up in time to meet the pixy returning home with his fairings: a clock, a crock, and a frying pan. The pixy, who saw the fox coming, got into the crock and rolled himself down the hill ; and the fox, unable to find him, abandoned the scent and went his way. The fox returned the next morning; and finding the door open went in, when he caught the pixy in bed, put him into a box, and locked him in.

"Let me out," said the pixy, " and I will tell you a wonderful secret."

The fox was after a time persuaded to lift the cover; and the pixy, coming out, threw such a charm upon him that he was compelled to enter the box in his turn; and there at last he died.

---

• Source: English Forests and Forest Trees: Historical, Legendary, and Descriptive (London: Ingram, Cooke, and Company, 1853), pp. 189-90.

• The anonymous author of this account does not give it a title.

• Katherine M. Briggs includes a version of this story in her A Dictionary of British Folk-Tales in the English Language, part A, vol. 2 (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1970), pp. 528-30.

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Mexican governor: Gibson to make film in Veracruz

VERACRUZ, Mexico – 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 grand production will be filmed there with our friend, the actor and producer Mel Gibson."

Gibson visited the prison in April 2008.

Herrera gave no details Sunday on the film. Gibson's publicist, Alan Nierob, could not be reached for comment.

Gibson filmed his 2006 Mayan-language movie "Apocalypto" in Veracruz. The actor-director donated $1 million to replace storm-damaged homes in Veracruz and in neighboring Chiapas state earlier this year.

Adam Lambert to appear, sing on ABC's 'The View'

NEW YORK – 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 Music Awards." That led to Lambert getting axed from an appearance on the network's "Good Morning America."

Since then, Lambert, who is openly gay, complained of being dropped from two other upcoming ABC shows.

In the meantime, he has been scheduled for NBC's "The Jay Leno Show" on Dec. 21.

And his taped appearance on "The View" will air a day after he is honored by "View" co-panelist Barbara Walters on her "10 Most Fascinating People of 2009" special. That also airs on ABC.

Nicolas Cage wins UN award for humanitarian work

UNITED NATIONS – Nicolas Cage has won a U.N. award night for his humanitarian work and has been appointed a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented the actor and filmmaker with the U.N. Correspondents Association's Global Citizen of the Year award for humanitarian endeavors.

Cage said his role will be "to shine a spotlight on the need for global justice."

The Amnesty International advocate has donated $2 million to establish a fund to help former child soldiers and led a campaign around his film, "Lord of War," to raise awareness about international arms control.

The secretary-general also presented a Global Citizen of the Year award to William Roedy, chairman of MTV Networks International, for his work to combat HIV and AIDS.

Usain Bolt gathers stars for charity

KINGSTON (AFP) – International singer The Dream and Ludacris will be the headline performers at Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt's 9.58 SuperParty to benefit charity this weekend.

The event, a party and concert featuring a range of international performers as well as top Jamaican artists will be held at Richmond Estate in St Ann.

Appearing apart from The Dream, will be the internationally renowned Queen of Reggae, Marcia Grifiths, along with local stars Etana, Cherine Anderson, Vybz Kartel and the Empire, Voicemail, Konshens, D-Major, Chris Martin, KipRich and Aidonia.

The highlights of the night will include an exchange of gifts between Usain and the Bob Marley family as well as presentations of autographed gifts from Bolt to invited celebrity guests. Usain himself will act as the host and also do DJ duty at the turntable.

American sprinter Wallace Spearmon and Trinidad and Tobago athletes are among those who have said they will attend.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to various foundations through the United Way Charity.

The United Way Charity comes under the leadership of United Way Worldwide, a support organisation for a network of nearly 1,800 community-based United Way branches in 45 countries and territories.

Beyonce leads Grammys, Taylor Swift close behind

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B singer Beyonce led the field of Grammy contenders with 10 nominations on Wednesday, closely followed by teen country sensation Taylor Swift with eight, and both will compete for coveted album of the year.

Hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas, R&B singer Maxwell -- making a return to the music business after an eight-year absence -- and rapper Kanye West each earned six nods.

In a list that reflected youth and a drop-off of veteran super groups like U2, glam singer Lady Gaga and rapper Jay-Z each earned five Grammy nods apiece.

Swift, 19, whose "Fearless" album is the biggest seller in the United States in 2009, will compete with Beyonce for album of the year along with the Black Eyed Peas, Dave Matthews Band and Lady Gaga, who has gone from obscurity to worldwide fame this year with her debut album "The Fame".

Both Swift, a big winner at the Country Music Association and American Music Awards last month, and Beyonce were also nominated for two other key Grammys -- record of the year and song of the year.

"Taylor is a phenomenon in entertainment," Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy told reporters. "She has really struck a chord with people. I am not surprised" at the number of nominations.

Swift has never won a Grammy, while Beyonce is a 10-time winner in her solo career and her earlier turn in the trio Destiny's Child. Her latest solo album "I Am...Sasha Fierce" produced the hit singles "Halo" and "Single Ladies".

The six nominations for multi-ethnic Los Angeles band Black Eyed Peas followed their chart-topping album "THE E.N.D", whose singles "Boom Boom Pow" and then "I Gotta Feeling" enjoyed a record-breaking 26-week run in the U.S. charts.

DYLAN STILL DOES IT

Veteran Bob Dylan, 68, was nominated for best Americana album for "Together Through Life" and best solo rock performance for his "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" album which debuted at No.1 in the U.S. album charts in May.

U2, whose latest album "No Line on the Horizon" was given a huge promotional push earlier this year, won Grammy nominations for best rock album and best rock song but were shut out of the most prized categories.

The best new artist category was an eclectic mix of British rock duo The Ting Tings, country artists the Zac Brown Band, American alternative rockers Silversun Pickups, rock duo MGMT (formerly known as The Management) and singer Keri Hilson.

Winners in all categories of the 52nd annual event will be announced at a televised awards ceremony on January 31.

The Grammys are determined by about 16,000 voting members of the Recording Academy, whose choices are guided by artistic merit rather than commercial appeal.

For the second year, key nominations were read out during a one-hour concert broadcast on CBS. Teen idol Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers made his solo debut and Maxwell paid tribute to Michael Jackson with a performance of the late singer's 1980s hit "The Lady in My Life".

In the past, contenders were named at an early morning news conference. The new strategy is part of a bid to boost awareness of the Grammys as the record business endures a decade-long tailspin. Album sales so far this year are down about 13 percent from the same period of 2008.

Top Asian cameraman expresses distaste of digital

HONG KONG – A top Asian cinematographer has expressed his distaste for digital cameras in a recently released book, complaining about having to use them to shoot an adaptation of Haruki Murakami's hit novel "Norwegian Wood."

Cannes-winning Taiwanese cameraman Mark Lee Ping-bing says in an interview published in "A Poet of Light and Shadow" — a collection of his still photographs — that shooting in digital format takes away the artistry of camera work and lighting because you can immediately see your work on a display monitor and fix it — as opposed to waiting to develop the film.

Lee, best known as a frequent collaborator with his countryman, director Hou Hsiao-hsien, also complained that digital technology allows filmmakers to fix flaws by computer afterward instead of doing things right on the set.

"Film is unknown, uncertain. It's a chemical reaction. To be frank, it's a little bit like painting. So if you're technical skills and experience aren't up to part, you'll think that HD (high-definition digital video) is very easy to use," Lee said in the book.

"But HD is different. There is a monitor. It shows what you have shot. You'll know if it's a little dark in one part and you need to add a bit of light. Everything is on the monitor. Everything is OK if you have the monitor. All the expectation and the texture is gone," he said.

Lee also denounced the practice of covering up visual flaws on computers.

"Maybe there is a kid who knows about how to play computer games, or is sensitive to color — they can get the job done. But if everything can be changed by computer, then this is not a form of art," he said.

Lee said he didn't enjoy shooting digital for Tran Anh Hung's recent adaptation of "Norwegian Wood," but the French-Vietnamese director insisted on it because he liked the outcome of his previous movie, "I Come with the Rain." He said the Japanese production company, Asmik Ace Entertainment Inc., also wanted to use film to portray the popular love story set in 1960s Tokyo.

Lee said he avoided looking at the display monitor when shooting "Norwegian Wood."

"I didn't want to be affected, to be controlled by it," he said.

Besides the ease of transfer and computer manipulation, the digital format is also popular with filmmakers because it is significantly cheaper than film and allows them to experiment without worrying about cost.

Besides Hou and Tran, Lee has also worked with Hong Kong's Wong Kar-wai and Ann Hui. China's Tian Zhuangzhuang and Jiang Wen, as well as Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda. He won the technical grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000 for shooting Wong's romance, "In the Mood for Love."

Kayo Yoshida, an executive at Asmik Ace Entertainment, declined to comment on Lee's remarks.

"A Poet of Light and Shadow" was published in November.

Yahoo crowns Michael Jackson as 2009's king of the Internet amid intrigue following his death

SAN FRANCISCO - Michael Jackson's stunning death made him Yahoo's biggest star this year.

The quest to find out what happened to Jackson in his final hours on June 25 and celebrate his legacy elevated the late entertainer to the top of the Internet company's annual breakdown of the most frequent online search requests.

The self-proclaimed King of Pop ended singer Britney Spears' four-year reign atop Yahoo's search rankings.

The list released Tuesday is meant to provide a reading on our cultural pulse. It may not be the best barometer, given that Yahoo Inc. ranks a distant second to Google Inc. in Internet search. Google plans to release its own list of popular searches later this month.

Jackson will probably rank high on Google, too. So many inquiries poured in about Jackson within the first few hours of his death that part of Google's Web site interpreted the fusillade as an automated attack.

As usual, people using Yahoo's search engine in 2009 seemed to be most interested in celebrities and other diversions, even against the sobering backdrop of the worst recession in 70 years.

Besides Jackson, the other new entrants on Yahoo's Top 10 list this year were: No. 2, "Twilight," the vampire story that has spawned two movies, including the recently released "New Moon," that are drawing hordes of teenage girls and their mothers; No. 4, Megan Fox, an actress who starred in the movie "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen;" No. 8, Kim Kardashian, part of a family with their own reality TV series; and No. 9, NASCAR, an automobile racing league.

The other half of the list consisted of 2008 holdovers. They were: No. 3, WWE, or World Wrestling Entertainment; No. 5, Spears; No. 6, Naruto, a character created for the Japanese art form known as anime; No. 7, top-rated television series "American Idol;" and No. 10, RuneScape, an online video game.

Barack Obama made Yahoo's top searches list in 2008 as a presidential candidate and the President-elect, but fell off after he took office in 2009. The others falling out of the Top 10 were all actresses: Miley Cyrus, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan and Angelina Jolie.

Although the economy wasn't as hot a topic as entertainment in 2009, the hard times clearly weighed on people's minds. "Coupons" and "unemployment" were the most requested search tied to finances, according to Yahoo.