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The Los Angeles County coroner's office has issued subpoenas for medical and pharmacy records from Whitney Houston's doctors and medical providers, which is standard procedure in such investigations, an official said. Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said the request is made in virtually all death investigations because it can shed additional light on how people died and whether they had any serious medical conditions. "We've already contacted a number of doctors with requests for records,"...

All the trappings of the big fashion show were there: models, music, and lots and lots of people. But to one of the world's most famous designers, all that fuss was invisible. When it was time for the models to hit the runway to present his next collection at New York Fashion Week, the only thing Oscar de la Renta saw was the clothes. Watching the legendary 79-year-old backstage Tuesday night as he prepped the models moments before sending them down the runway, it was clear that de la Renta...

Angelina Jolie said Wednesday working as a director has rekindled her love for the film industry, even if it was something of a personal artistic rebellion. Jolie told The Associated Press in Sarajevo that she was starting to feel "disheartened" and uninspired by her acting roles. She knew she wanted to use film as a medium to deal with weighty matters, such as human rights abuses. "We must remember to use this medium in a responsible way when we can," she said. Jolie had several roles in action...

Director Quentin Tarantino has wrapped up filming for his new movie in Wyoming, including a scene at the National Elk Refuge. The Jackson Hole News & Guide ( http://bit.ly/AjJTgX ) reported that the "Django Unchained" cast and crew were in the Jackson area last week and decided to add a scene at the refuge. The crew saw the elk from the highway and asked for permission to have the actors walking and riding horses among the animals, refuge director Steve Kallin said. He said that was denied...

Mixed martial arts star Gina Carano says she may be back for more acting after taking the lead in Steven Soderbergh's "Haywire" as a hard-kicking special operations agent. The 29-year-old Carano's Agent Mallory Kane squares off against a cast including Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor and Michael Fassbender in the movie, which showed out of competition at the Berlin International Film Festival on Wednesday. "This was an incredible experience, and I think I can do a lot more, and now I understand...

Actress Patricia Clarkson arrived in New Orleans Wednesday, setting the stage for the all-women Krewe of Muses parade to roll Thursday night. Muses kicks off a string of celebrity-studded parades by individual krewes leading up to Mardi Gras on Tuesday. The parades are held by individual krewes, social clubs that spend all year putting together the elaborate floats and costumes. The pop-rock band Maroon 5 rides with the krewe Endymion on Saturday night, comedian and actor Will Ferrell rides as...

Entertainment content from The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard is being made available this month to digital customers of The Associated Press. The distribution deal announced Wednesday lets AP customers purchase breaking news and feature stories through the two industry-focused publications. THR covers the entertainment industry in general and its website draws 10.4 million unique visitors a month. Editorial Director Janice Min said Wednesday the distribution deal "will open THR to huge new...

To create the Oscar-nominated costumes for "The Artist," designer Mark Bridges had to think in both color and black and white. "Things that you wouldn't notice in color suddenly showed up when it became black and white," he said. "A simple beaded flapper dress suddenly became maternity wear." The costumes from "The Artist", a black-and-white silent film, can be seen in all their brilliant colors at the FIDM Museum & Galleries 20th annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibit, which...

A Mexican judge on Wednesday ordered a U.S. reality television producer to stand trial in the killing of his wife at a Cancun resort in 2010, and a defense lawyer said his client fainted when he heard the ruling. Quintana Roo state prosecutor Ludwin Vivas Arjona said the judge ruled there is enough evidence to try former "Survivor" producer Bruce Beresford-Redman. An attorney representing Beresford-Redman, Jaime Cancino, described his client as "distraught" and said he passed out when the judge...

An Italian-American group is responding to Hoboken's rejection of MTV's "Jersey Shore" reality show _ by giving the city's mayor an award. The Italian American One Voice Coalition is presenting Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer with its "Una Voce" award Wednesday for denying film permits to a show the group feels promotes negative stereotypes of Italian Americans. Zimmer says the decision to deny permits was made based on safety and quality-of-life concerns for residents of Hoboken. The show has been...

Angelina Jolie on Tuesday premiered her film "In the Land of Blood and Honey" in Bosnia, where the fictional tale of a romance between a Bosnian Serb man and a Bosnian Muslim woman has shone a spotlight on the ethnic anger still left over from the country's brutal conflict. Jolie, who arrived in Sarajevo with partner Brad Pitt to attend the screening, greeted the crowd of 5,000 in Bosnian, before acknowledging in English that it would bring back painful memories of the bloody 1992-95 war. As the...

Irish character actor David Kelly, who played Grandpa Joe in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and motorcycled naked in "Waking Ned Devine," has died. He was 82. His family and friends said Kelly died Sunday in Dublin after an acting career on stage, film, TV and radio that spanned a half-century. His cause of death was not announced. Kelly was best known in Ireland for his 1980 depiction of doomed tenement dweller Rashers Tierney in the historical miniseries "Strumpet City" and for his large...

In Whitney Houston's hometown, her family plans a private church service, with no public memorial set. In Los Angeles, where she died, there's not even a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for fans to pile flowers. So for the legion of music lovers mourning a global superstar, where do broken hearts go? Fans who have gathered outside the church where Houston will be eulogized Saturday at an invitation-only service _ and outside the funeral home where her body now rests _ say they understand why...

Whitney Houston's career is getting a post-mortem boost, but it isn't likely to be as big as the one that enriched the King of Pop's estate after his death. Like the late Michael Jackson, Houston was in the midst of an attempted career revival. She was found dead at age 48 on Saturday in her Los Angeles hotel room on the eve of the Grammys, a stage she once ruled. It could be weeks before the coroner's office completes toxicology tests that could establish the cause of death. In an outpouring...

Jewels were everywhere on Oscar de la Renta's runway at New York Fashion Week. The fashion legend used blown up versions of actual jewelry as inspiration for his prints. He put jeweled headbands in his models' hair and he embellished cardigans and coats with the sparklers for his fall collection that debuted Tuesday. As for colors, there was black, expected for the season, but also ice blue and light pink. "I used a lot of colors you would not associate with winter colors but today's woman doesn't...

It's a blustery day _ February tends to be that way in New York _ and Marian Kihogo, a fashion stylist and blogger from London, is dashing from one runway show to another, from the tents at Lincoln Center to studios and galleries scattered around Manhattan. As she strides by on her "architectural heels" by Nicholas Kirkwood for Peter Pilotto, the heels hollowed out for artistic effect, this reporter dares to suggest she might be more comfortable in running shoes. She laughs. "Running shoes! That...

In a Feb. 13 story about President Barack Obama's upcoming fundraisers, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Chris Cornell was the former frontman of the band Soundgarden. Cornell is currently with the band as its lead singer.

Famed astrologer Walter Mercado, who emerged weeks ago from a near-death experience, announced Tuesday that he will create a charitable foundation in Puerto Rico to help children and teenagers. The flamboyant psychic said he will auction hundreds of ornate capes he wore during his lengthy TV career that attracted a cult-like following across Latin America to raise money for the Shanti Ananda Foundation. "The Walter of capes is over," he said. "The public wants me like this, of flesh and bone."...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he will order flags flown at half-staff at state government buildings Saturday in memory of Whitney Houston. The governor says Houston was a "cultural icon" who belongs in the same category in New Jersey music history as Frank Sinatra, Count Basie and Bruce Springsteen. He says her accomplishments were "a great source of pride for the people of the state." Her funeral will be held the same day in her birthplace of Newark.

Movie stars were among those who joined Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens' birth. The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening for a group of guests that included the writer's great-great-grandson, Mark Dickens. The monarch greeted actors including "Johnny English" star Rowan Atkinson and "X-Files" actress Gillian Anderson. Anderson recently played Miss Havisham in a BBC adaptation of "Great...

Angelina Jolie on Tuesday premiered her film "In the Land of Blood and Honey" in Bosnia, where the fictional tale of a romance between a Bosnian Serb man and a Bosnian Muslim woman has shone a spotlight on the ethnic anger still left over from the country's brutal conflict. Jolie, who arrived in Sarajevo with partner Brad Pitt to attend the screening, greeted the crowd of 5,000 in Bosnian, before acknowledging in English that it would bring back painful memories of the bloody 1992-95 war. As the...

Success in prime-time television increasingly requires the ability to carry a tune. Led by the extraordinary ratings for Sunday's Grammy Awards, the Nielsen company said most-watched television programs on four of the seven days last week were music-oriented. NBC's "The Voice," buoyed by its post-Super Bowl success, had the biggest audience on Monday, a night CBS usually dominates. Fox's "American Idol" was the top show on both Wednesday and Thursday. Fox's "Glee" did well on Tuesday night, although...

Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Feb. 6-12. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership. 1. "Grammy Awards," CBS, 39.91 million. 2. "NCIS," CBS, 20.98 million. 3. "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 19.33 million. 4. "American Idol" (Thursday), Fox, 18.13 million. 5. "The Voice," NBC, 17.84 million. 6. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 16.27 million. 7. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 16.21 million. 8. "Person of Interest," CBS, 15.14 million. 9. "The Mentalist," CBS, 14.68...

Marc Jacobs, always the showman, turned his New York Fashion Week show into a mystical forest Monday night, presenting his fall collection amid an old-school fairy tale, complete with characters wearing oversized fur hats and embellished big-buckle shoes. There were hints of Victoriana, with bustles tacked on to some of the dresses, and a sequined faux-fur coat that appeared to be covered in snowflakes. Nearly hidden amid the onstage drama unfolding at the Lexington Avenue Armory were beautiful...

Dory Previn Shannon, who helped pen the score for the film "Valley of the Dolls" and the theme for "Last Tango in Paris," has died. She was 86. According to her husband, Joby Baker, Previn Shannon died Tuesday of natural causes at her farm in Southfield, Mass. She earned Oscar nominations in the 1960s for writing lyrics alongside Andre Previn's music for the films "Pepe" and "Two for the Seesaw." She and Previn were married from 1959 to 1970. She won an Emmy Award in 1984 for co-writing the...

Regis Philbin might no longer be a staple on morning television, but he'll soon appear in primetime on "Hot in Cleveland." Philbin along with Joan Rivers, Rhea Perlman, Andy Richter and Kevin Nealon are all slated for guest appearances on the TV Land comedy. The show, now in its third season, stars Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick as friends who take an unexpected detour to Cleveland, Ohio, while on a trip to Paris and end up moving to the Midwest city permanently. Betty White...

In one room, a ghastly photo wall of bloody, uncensored images showcases the mob's greatest hits. In another, visitors are taught to load a revolver. And for when a gun just won't do, an oddball collection of household items _ a shovel, a hammer, a baseball bat and an icepick _ show the creative side of some of America's most notorious killers. On the 83rd anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Sin City is honoring one of its earliest relationships with the grand opening of a museum...

Meryl Streep said she has always enjoyed playing difficult women as she presented her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher on Tuesday in Berlin, where she was being honored for her achievements over more than three decades. Streep, 62, is a double Oscar winner and a strong contender to pick up a third for her role as Thatcher in "The Iron Lady." It already has won her best-actress honors at the Golden Globes and at Britain's BAFTAs. "I do like difficult women, or at least the ones that are difficult...

App Store Official Charts for the week ending Feb. 13, 2012: Top Paid iPhone Apps: 1. Where's My Water? (Disney) 2. Tank Hero (Clapfoot Inc.) 3. Ragdoll Blaster 3 (Backflip Studios) 4. Scramble With Friends (Zynga) 5. Fruit Ninja (Halfbrick Studios) 6. Angry Birds (Clickgamer.com) 7. Ice Rage (Mountain Sheep) 8. Sleep Cycle alarm clock (Maciek Drejak Labs) 9. Cut the Rope (Chillingo Ltd) 10. WhatsApp Messenger (WhatsApp Inc.) ___ Top Free iPhone Apps: 1. Ski On Neon (Esoteric Development)...

A Branson, Mo., singer says he's laughing off a photographer's alleged attempt to extort the TLC reality show "19 Kids and Counting" by threatening to release photos of him with a cast member. James Garrett told the Quad-City Times ( http://bit.ly/zXQPWB ) 24-year-old Amy Duggar occasionally performs in his shows, but they've never been alone together and aren't having an affair. He says photos that photographer Teresa Hunt claimed were intimate were "totally benign" and weren't taken by Hunt....

Thirty years ago, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat secretly signed one of his paintings in invisible ink, says Sotheby's auction house, which discovered the hidden autograph as it was preparing the painting for sale. Sotheby's experts uncovered the secret this month as they were examining "Orange Sports Figure," which goes on sale Wednesday. The vibrant image of an abstract crowned figure is estimated to be worth between 3 million pounds and 4 million pounds ($4.7 million and $6.3 million). Basquiat,...

The former Kate Middleton is spending her first Valentine's Day as a married woman nearly 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) away from her husband. The Duchess of Cambridge is carrying out a solo visit to the English port city of Liverpool to visit a charity devoted to helping recovering addicts. Her husband Prince William is currently deployed as a helicopter search-and-rescue pilot in the remote Falkland Islands. But just because Kate was short a prince doesn't mean she was short a valentine....

"I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett ..." So begins the first love letter to 19th-century poet Elizabeth Barrett from her future husband, fellow poet Robert Browning. Their 573 love letters, which capture their courtship, their blossoming love and their forbidden marriage, have long fascinated scholars and poetry fans. Though transcriptions of their correspondence have been published in the past, the handwritten letters could be seen only at Wellesley College, where the collection...

What becomes of a garden gnome hurled in fury at a car during a stormy breakup? Or a teddy bear that was once a Valentine's Day present? A wedding dress from a marriage gone awry? An ax that smashed through household furniture? All are on display at the Museum of Broken Relationships in the Croatian capital, each with written testimonies telling tales of passion, romance and heartbreak. On Valentine's Day, the museum sees its visits almost double. "The objects that are here represent all the...

A hearse under heavy police escort arrived late Monday at a funeral home officials said was handling the arrangements for late pop star Whitney Houston. The hearse traveled from Teterboro Airport, where officials had told The Associated Press Houston's body would arrive Monday night on a flight from the Los Angeles area. Several officials familiar with funeral planning said arrangements were being made by Newark's Whigham Funeral Home, which handled the 2003 funeral of Houston's father. They...

Renowned former ballet dancer, actress and teacher Zina Bethune was hit by two vehicles and killed after getting out of her car in an apparent attempt to help a wounded animal, authorities said Monday. Bethune, 66, whose married name is Zina Feeley, left her Lincoln Towncar running on Forest Lawn Drive early Sunday and got out to help what turned out to be a dead opossum, police Sgt. Jeffrey Siggers told the Los Angeles Times. She was hit by an eastbound vehicle, then thrown into the opposite...

Renowned former ballet dancer, actress and teacher Zina Bethune was hit by two vehicles and killed after getting out of her car in an apparent attempt to help a wounded animal, authorities said Monday. Bethune, 66, whose married name is Zina Feeley, left her Lincoln Towncar running on Forest Lawn Drive early Sunday and got out to help what turned out to be a dead opossum, police Sgt. Jeffrey Siggers told the Los Angeles Times. She was hit by an eastbound vehicle, then thrown into the opposite...

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina _ Angelina Jolie's new movie _ a love story set against the genocide of Bosnia's war _ will be shown in Sarajevo for the first time on Tuesday, but it already has touched off anger left over from the conflict. Muslim Bosniaks have said they expect "In the Land of Blood and Honey" to focus on their plight during the brutal 1992-1995 war. But the distributor in the Serb part of Bosnia said he won't show it there because it portrays Serbs as the villains and they wouldn't...

Luxury fashion still caters to movie stars, high-powered businesswomen and ladies who lunch, but designers are starting to show interest in that generation's daughters. Halfway through New York Fashion Week, familiar runway themes like military tailoring, old-school rock `n' roll, and Hollywood Golden Age glam are showing tweaks designed to appeal to younger eyes: the double-breasted coat in shiny patent leather, tweed suits infused with metallics and leather substituted in silhouettes that used...

A "Jersey Shore" cast member is taking his act south. DJ Paul "Pauly D" DelVecchio will become a resident DJ at The Pool at Harrah's, the swimming pool/nightclub at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City. His debut performance is scheduled for March 31, with another on April 28. A Harrah's spokeswoman says the casino hopes to have him perform at least nine times during the year. DelVecchio was voted the eighth-best DJ in America in 2010 by Vibe magazine. The pool has become one of Atlantic City's hottest...

China's television broadcasters will be limited in the number of imported series they can show, the government has announced, as China continues to try to rein in foreign influence. Under the new rules, no foreign TV series may be shown during the prime-time hours of 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and overseas-produced shows "could take up no more than 25 percent of total programming time each day," the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said late Monday. It also said domestic channels would...

Marc Jacobs, always the showman, turned his New York Fashion Week show into a mystical forest Monday night, presenting his fall collection amid an old-school fairy tale, complete with characters wearing oversized fur hats and embellished big-buckle shoes. There were hints of Victoriana, with bustles tacked on to some of the dresses, and a sequined faux-fur coat that appeared to be covered in snowflakes. Nearly hidden amid the onstage drama unfolding at the Lexington Avenue Armory were beautiful...

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen seem like they are committed to make their fashion collection The Row a player in the industry. To do that, they have taken a step back. The design duo staged a handful of intimate, abbreviated runway shows at The Carlyle Hotel on Madison Avenue on Monday as part of New York Fashion Week. The clothes _ full of quiet elegance and impressive craftsmanship _ did all the talking. The only sound in the room came from a baby grand piano. Photographers weren't even allowed...

She's a Florida girl who's comfortable in a bikini, and now 19-year-old model Kate Upton is on the cover of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. She wears a tiny red-and-brown, sparkle-covered string bikini with a view of the waters of Australia behind her as she poses for the magazine cover, which is scheduled to be unveiled on TV Monday night on "Late Show with David Letterman" on CBS. "That was one of the first photos from the first shoot," she said in a telephone interview before the...

Betsey Johnson is taking her fun and funky persona back to the 1960s. Johnson revealed her fall collection Monday at New York Fashion Week as tunes played from the Beatles, Dusty Springfield and The Supremes. Her nearly four dozen looks had names like "Eleanor Rigby," "Quadrophenia" and Laugh-In." But as with all Betsey Johnson runway shows, the designer is the star. The 69-year-old wore a silver sparkly long-sleeve shirt as she turned her signature cartwheel and added the splits. Then in true...

A U.S. reality television producer has repeated his claims of innocence during a court hearing on the death of his wife at a Mexican resort in 2010. Former "Survivor" producer Bruce Beresford-Redman says noises reported by witnesses coming from his room were him playing loud games with his children. Beresford-Redman made the statement at a hearing Monday, two days before a judge is scheduled to decide whether the evidence warrants holding him over for trial. The body of Monica Beresford-Redman...

Donna Karan makes every outfit she designs for a strong, confident woman, and for fall, that woman is comfortable enough in her own skin to wear heavily tailored menswear looks. Her runway show, held Monday on Day 5 of New York Fashion Week, featured tailcoats and top hats, done on a skewed scale by milliner Stephen Jones. The opening look for her signature label was a gray-and-black pinstripe jacket with a crisp white taffeta bodysuit _ Karan's signature piece _ that was fashioned to look like...

The Grammy Awards' warm embrace of Chris Brown three years after his assault of Rihanna has drawn the ire of viewers who claim the controversial R&B star shouldn't have been rewarded with such attention. Brown was front-and-center three times during Sunday's Grammys. He won best R&B album for "F.A.M.E.," he performed a single from his upcoming album, "Turn Up the Music," and he opened a dance tribute to "Soul Train" creator Don Cornelius. The imagery of Brown's Grammy glory was striking...

Angelina Jolie said Monday she hopes her directorial debut "In the Land of Blood and Honey" will provoke a wider discussion about rape _ something that the International Criminal Court's prosecutor said could be extremely valuable in helping bring perpetrators to justice. Jolie, who received a Cinema for Peace award for her film and the group's "honorary award for opposing war and genocide" for the movie focusing on the war in Bosnia late Monday, said she wants viewers to be "uncomfortable" when...

President Barack Obama on Monday honored several artists, writers and organizations for their contributions to the nation, and pledged to make the arts and humanities a priority for as long as he is in the White House. Obama bestowed eight National Medal of Arts and nine National Humanities Medals during a ceremony in the White House East Room. Among this year's recipients were actor Al Pacino, poet Rita Dove and the United Service Organization, which holds performances for American service members...

The best clothes enhance the wearer _ her smile, her eyes, her outlook. Carolina Herrera's fall collection offered Monday at New York Fashion Week highlighted what's likely to be a trend for next season, and a welcome one at that: Modern styles that put the focus on a woman's face thanks to high, interesting necklines. No decollete and not a lot of leg, either. Attention was drawn upward as one model wore a hand-painted organza scarf with her navy wool suit with black grosgrain detail, and another...

Sunday's Grammy Awards telecast made sweet music in the ratings, delivering for CBS its largest audience since 1984 and beating last year's viewership by 50 percent. More than 39.9 million viewers flocked to the broadcast, making it the second most-watched Grammys in history, according to preliminary Nielsen Co. figures released Monday. That exceeds last year's Oscars broadcast, which was seen by 37.6 million viewers. Helping stoke interest in this year's Grammys broadcast was recording sensation...

Residents are blasting a plan to erect a statue with a face resembling that of France's Italian-born first lady in an effort to honor this small town's immigrants from Italy. Opponents say that Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the elegant former top model from Turin, Italy's moneyed class, has no link to this blue-collar town east of Paris. Mayor Jacques Martin, a big supporter of President Nicolas Sarkozy, denies claims by Socialist rivals that the likeness of the first lady is a political move _ and said...

Queen Elizabeth II has a new sidekick for royal events: The Duchess of Cambridge. The upcoming appearances with the queen mark another foray into the public eye for the former Kate Middleton, who is stepping up her royal duties while her husband Prince William is deployed as a helicopter search-and-rescue pilot in the remote Falkland Islands. Buckingham Palace officials said Monday the duchess will join the queen and Prince Charles' wife Camilla on March 1 on a visit to a new restaurant at the...

Billy Bob Thornton says his frustration at the state of films in America prompted him to direct his first feature in more than a decade, the 1960s family drama "Jayne Mansfield's Car." Thornton, 56, previously directed "All the Pretty Horses" and "Sling Blade," which won him an Oscar for best screenplay. On Monday, he brought the new movie to the Berlin International Film Festival for its premiere _ it's one of 18 films competing for the festival's Golden Bear award. The cast includes Thornton...

Mark Salzman's latest book is based on a live performance. The award-winning author has completed a memoir, "The Man in the Empty Boat," which comes out Tuesday as an e-book original. Digital publisher Open Road Integrated Media says Salzman's book was inspired by his confessional, multimedia monologue, "An Atheist in Freefall." The memoir tells of Salzman's "acute anxiety and panic attacks," intensified by the death of his sister, and how he overcame his troubles. The 52-year-old Salzman is...

Diane von Furstenberg let the crowd attending New York Fashion Week in on a little secret Sunday: Fashion is a puzzle. Von Furstenberg, who as president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America is the de facto leader of the American fashion community, used jigsaw puzzle pieces as a prominent theme of her fall collection, presented to a packed house that included her personal friends Oscar de la Renta, Anderson Cooper, Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters. There was a puzzle print on a pink sleeveless...

You can convey a refined-yet-sporty elegance with double-breasted coats, suede field jackets and scarf-print silk dresses. Or you could create an elaborate set for a fashion show with a brick-path runway, park benches and ivy-covered walls. Tommy Hilfiger did both. Not leaving anything to chance Sunday night, Hilfiger brought the hunt club to Park Avenue, creating a set that complemented every look worn by the models. There was a lot of oohing and aahing as the often-jaded crowd of stylists, retailers,...

Angelina Jolie says she's not yet sure whether she will follow her directorial debut on the Bosnian war with another film on such serious material _ but she has already written a script focusing on the conflict in Afghanistan. Jolie, who presented her movie "In the Land of Blood and Honey" at the Berlin International Film Festival, told reporters Monday that even her husband Brad Pitt is unfamiliar with her Afghanistan idea. She says: "I did write something on Afghanistan. Nobody's seen it yet....

Mimi Alford was terrified in 1998 when the Monica Lewinsky scandal turned the word "intern" into a dirty joke, exposing an affair with a president. Her decades-old secret about her trysts with John F. Kennedy was still safe then. Outed in a 2003 biography and a New York newspaper account, Alford has learned to tell her story and not be ashamed of it _ from the moment she said Kennedy seduced her on her fourth day working at the White House until the affair ended shortly before his death. In "Once...

The family of Waylon Jennings will soon release songs the country music icon recorded shortly before his death 10 years ago. At least eight of the 12 songs on the tentatively titled "Goin' Down Rockin': The Final Recordings" were written by Jennings and eight have not been released in any version before. The simple vocal and guitar tracks were cut at steel guitarist Robby Turner's studio before Jennings' death in 2002 and musicians who worked with Jennings have gathered to finish the tracks....

Grammy celebrants stepped out of the Staples Center and into tropical South America at the official awards-show after party. The Sunday night soiree at the Los Angeles Convention Center transported guests to another continent. Women in bikinis and elaborate headdresses shook their feathered skirts on stages throughout the room while shirtless men practiced the Brazilian martial art capoeira, performing kicks, flips and handstands. Just a block away from where Whitney Houston was mourned as late...

Adele's songs about breakups and heartache have made her a multi-Grammy award winner but she insists she's done with all that. In an interview featured in the March issue of Vogue magazine, the 23-year-old says people think she's "miserable" because of her songs like "Someone like you" and "Rolling in the Deep." She also finds people are "surprised" when they meet her because she's not melancholy like her music. In fact, the singer vows to "never" write a breakup record again and adds she's "done...

Investigators worked Sunday to piece together what killed Whitney Houston as the music industry's biggest names gathered for a Grammy Awards show that at times felt as much like a memorial as a celebration. Coroner's officials say they will not release any information on an autopsy performed Sunday at the request of police detectives investigating the singer's death. The singer was found in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, but Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter declined to say...

It's time for the well-heeled women who shop from New York Fashion Week runways to pull themselves up by their bootstraps _ preferably Christian Louboutins _ and carry off clothes rooted in strength, confidence and even toughness. Even glamorous Victoria Beckham, rarely seen without stilettos on, sent some of her models down the runway Sunday in motorcycle boots. (They were indeed Louboutins.) The fiercer, fitted looks are a contrast to the flowing, airy silhouettes that dominated the spring...

Diane von Furstenberg let the crowd attending New York Fashion Week in on a little secret Sunday: Fashion is a puzzle. Von Furstenberg, who, as president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America is the de facto leader of the American fashion community, used jigsaw puzzle pieces as a prominent theme of her fall collection, presented to a packed house that included her personal friends Oscar de la Renta, Anderson Cooper, Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters. There was a puzzle print on a pink...

Fashionistas shivered visibly on Sunday in a makeshift event space along the blustery Hudson River, where the Edun fashion label, founded by U2's Bono and wife Ali Hewson, was displaying its Fall 2012 collection. But the models wore bright, African prints that made one feel, at least momentarily, in a much warmer clime. Among the most striking fashions: A graphic zebra print in a shoulder dress, draped prettily over one shoulder, or a silk safari print shirt dress, or a springbok (gazelle) silk...

Silent movie "The Artist" had a night to shout about Sunday, winning seven prizes including best picture at the British Academy Film Awards. Britain's equivalent of the Oscars rewarded the French homage to old Hollywood over a homegrown favorite, espionage thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy." "The Artist," a black-and-white picture that has charmed audiences around the world since its Cannes debut in May, was named best film, and its rubber-limbed star Jean Dujardin took the male acting prize....

She may be chic and petite, but don't mess with Victoria Beckham. She offered a no-nonsense, tough-girl fall collection at New York Fashion Week on Sunday that she said she hoped would forge an "emotional attachment between the garment and the wearer." She explained in the notes for attendants of her small runway show at the New York Public Library that she used this season to explore her interest in details and technique. The crowd did include husband David, in his Sunday-best suit. "The idea...

Winners of the 2012 British Academy Film Awards, presented Sunday: Film _ "The Artist" British Film _ "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Director _ Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist" Actor _ Jean Dujardin, "The Artist" Actress _ Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady" Supporting Actor _ Christopher Plummer, "Beginners" Supporting Actress _ Octavia Spencer, "The Help" Rising Star _ Adam Deacon British Debut _ Paddy Considine and Diarmid Scrimshaw, "Tyrannosaur" Original Screenplay _ Michel Hazanavicius,...

Tracy Reese is feeling optimistic, if not downright festive, for fall. Bold juniper green, lame in gold and violet and a tomato orange lit up her runway Sunday at New York Fashion Week in a mix for just about every occasion in pants, dresses, skirts, sweaters and coats long and short. Reese heavily embellished sleeveless and short-sleeve cocktail dresses with metallic beading front and back. She put feminine fringe on loose, cozy sweaters and combination bowler-baseball caps on the heads of her...

Whitney Houston's last days were spent surrounded by family, catching up with old friends and doing a bit of what she was best known for: singing. Her death Saturday afternoon in a Beverly Hills hotel room came hours before she was scheduled to appear at an annual pre-Grammy party that introduced her to the industry decades ago and was expected to honor the six-time Grammy winner. The 48-year-old singer had been making the rounds in the days before the event, appearing at rehearsals and...

Once the clothing collections are nearly complete and the models who'll wear them have been chosen, it's time for designers to plan and test one other important part of the looks they present at New York Fashion Week: hair and makeup. Across New York this week makeup artists and hair stylists are meeting with designers, deciding how their clothes translate into eye shadow shades and lock looks. For designer Jill Stuart, who debuted her fall collection Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, that...

Diana Ross thinks she should receive a lifetime achievement Grammy for being a mother _ not a music legend. The 67-year-old diva, who served as the leader of the Motown group The Supremes before striking gold on her own as a singer and actress, giggled at the notion of such an accolade while on hand to accept her trophy at Saturday's Grammy Special Merit Awards ceremony. "It's been such an incredible ride," said Ross, who was joined by her five children and one grandchild on stage at the Wilshire...

Voters in the German city of Duisburg ousted their mayor in a ballot Sunday prompted by persistent anger at his refusal to quit following the deadly mass panic at the Love Parade techno music festival in 2010. City authorities said 129,833 people voted to remove Adolf Sauerland from office in a recall ballot and only 21,557 wanted to keep him. His term was due to end in 2015. Sauerland has long faced calls to take political responsibility for poor safety planning at the festival, where 21 people...

Singer and designer Gwen Stefani, one of the few celebrities who has stuck with her fashion brand for the long haul, offered a "That Girl" vibe at the New York Fashion Week show for her LAMB line. Black-and-white photos of New York in the 1960s provided the backdrop for tweed miniskirt suits, chunky knit sweaters worn with shorts and tights, and a double-zip, high-neck jumpsuit. Grays and blacks were punctuated by occasional flashes of bright yellow. Unfortunately, the logistics of her presentation...

Israel's Black Hebrew community is mourning the loss of Whitney Houston, who famously visited them in 2003. Ben Ammi Ben-Israel, the leader of the 2,500-strong group of vegan polygamists, told Channel 2 TV Sunday that he considered Houston his "spiritual daughter." In 2003, she visited the Black Hebrews in the desert town of Dimona. The group moved to the Holy Land from the U.S. decades ago. They believe they're descendants of a lost tribe of Israelites. Houston was found dead Saturday in a...

A documentary premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival aims to offer new insight into the life of reggae legend Bob Marley, against a backdrop of dozens of his songs. Director Kevin Macdonald ("The Last King of Scotland," "One Day in September") said Sunday he hopes "to bring to people around the world a sense of who this man was as a human being." The film, "Marley," contains interviews with relatives and fellow musicians. Macdonald says he took 13 months to make it _ though work...

It was a surreal scene: Whitney Houston had died at the Beverly Hilton, and hours later and a few floors below, her life was being celebrated at the event where her career was launched. On Saturday night, Clive Davis _ Houston's mentor, producer, champion and longtime friend _ memorialized her at his pre-Grammy gala, held downstairs in the same hotel where her body was being examined by coroner's officials. Ray Davies and Elvis Costello took to the stage to perform as Los Angeles county coroner's...

Whitney Houston's downfall was so long and sad that, in an impatient public's mind, it overshadowed her many accomplishments. Those achievements can be checked off easily in numbers _ Grammy Awards, records sold, the string of seven consecutive No. 1 singles. Yet if there's any solace to her passing, it is that people will revisit recordings, videos and films to rediscover the majesty of her work. Look up the video for one of those hits, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)." The arrangement...

It was an emotional night for soul singer Bobby Brown as he performed Saturday night before thousands just hours after learning that his ex-wife Whitney Houston had died in Beverly Hills. "First of all, I want to tell you that I love you all," he told fans gathered at a nearly sold-out 7,500-seat venue in northern Mississippi. "Second, I would like to say, `I love you, Whitney.' The hardest thing for me to do is to come on this stage." Brown took the stage as part of the New Edition reunion tour...

Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice was ravaged by drug use and her regal image was ruined by erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died Saturday. She was 48. Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen told reporters outside the Beverly Hilton that Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. in her room on the fourth floor of the hotel. Her body remained there and Beverly Hills detectives were investigating. "There were no obvious signs...

Celebrities are remembering Whitney Houston at Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy gala _ an event she had been expected to attend. The singer was found dead Saturday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the same place where stars like Alicia Keys had been prepping for the festive gala. Despite the death, the event went on as planned. Stars including Dr. Dre, Adam Lambert, Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian were in attendance. India.Arie says Houston "set the standard for what it is to be a great female...

Whitney Houston's downfall was so long and sad that, in an impatient public's mind, it overshadowed her many accomplishments. Those achievements can be checked off easily in numbers _ Grammy Awards, records sold, the string of seven consecutive No. 1 singles. Yet if there's any solace to her passing, it is that people will revisit recordings, videos and films to rediscover the majesty of her work. Look up the video for one of those hits, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)." The arrangement...

Rachel Zoe has that old-school, rock-star girlfriend thing down _ and, as she showed Saturday at New York Fashion Week, she does it well. Zoe, best known as a celebrity stylist, seems to realize she doesn't need to reinvent the wheel to gain traction as a fashion designer: Why not flaunt the signature look that has made you famous? The runway at the Empire Hotel was a parade of faux fur coats, skinny-style tuxedos, maxi dresses and thigh-high boots that you imagine young jet-setters wearing as...

A collection of reactions to Whitney Houston's death Saturday in Beverly Hills at age 48. _ "First of all, I want to tell you that I love you all. Second, I would like to say, I love you Whitney. The hardest thing for me to do is to come on this stage." _ Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown, performing a show in Southaven, Miss., hours after her death. _ "I am devastated by the loss of Whitney. We have lost a true angel. My prayers, my heart goes out to her family. We have lost an extraordinary...

1963: Whitney Elizabeth Houston is born in East Orange, N.J. to gospel singer Cissy Houston on Aug. 9. 1974: Starts performing as soloist in junior gospel choir at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J. 1978: Sings backup on mother's album "Think It Over," beginning run of backup performances for artists including Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and Lou Rawls. 1983: Arista records executive sees her performing on stage with her mother, label head Clive Davis sees her soon after and signs her to...

Fashion's top brass seems to like the military look for next fall. Three days into the seasonal previews at New York Fashion Week Saturday, sharp-shouldered styles for the urban brigade have emerged as a trend. Prabal Gurung, one of Michelle Obama's favorite designers, opened his show with a sharp black cape _ with a black patent-leather tank peeking out _ and black neoprene molded trousers. The outfit oozed strength but it wasn't overly tough, either. Alexander Wang had top model Gisele Bundchen...

There they were: Gisele Bundchen, Shalom Harlow and Karolina Kurkova, along with Alexander Wang's slick, glossy fall collection, all on the catwalk Saturday evening at New York Fashion Week. Wang assembled a most impressive group of top models for a test spin of his newest looks boasting leather, shine and chiffon in black, oxblood red and an optic white he called "peroxide." Wang's runway always has a good turnout of big names, but most of these top models don't work the seasonal previews anymore....

With winged dresses and swirls of piping to evoke veins, Christian Siriano paid homage at New York Fashion Week to Fay Wray and vampire bats in a stark, cavernous runway space worthy of the creatures of the night. The fourth-season winner of the cable TV fashion designer competition "Project Runway" said he was inspired by old horror films, particularly "The Vampire Bat," a black-and-white from 1933 starring Wray. He used a near blood red, silvery gray, midnight black and shimmery gold brocade...

Prabal Gurung offered a dramatic runway show Saturday at New York Fashion Week starting with sharp, edgy black outfits with strong silhouettes, slashed sleeves and high-gloss patent leather, and ending with red carpet-worthy white gowns with feathers and gold lame. Somewhere in between, he fit in blouses and dresses in a print of a steer's skull that sounds scary but was truly lovely in the spirit of a Ming dynasty porcelain pattern. The skull was a recurring theme, showing up on a beaded sweatshirt...

Barbie threw open the sparkly, pink doors of her dream closet to rock a party she hosted for her fellow fashionistas. She (well, actually the Mattel marketing machine that has kept Barbie dolls a bestselling toy for more than a half-century) hired a DJ to keep the beat and made sure the drinks flowed Friday night as models _ the real-life kind _ worked the balconies of a Lincoln Center atrium dressed in some of Barbie's watershed looks. Guests mingled alongside a wall of pink-heeled pumps or...

Fashion's top brass seems to like the military look for next fall. Three days into the seasonal previews at New York Fashion Week Saturday, styles for the urban battlefield have emerged as a trend. Prabal Gurung, one of Michelle Obama's favorite designers, opened his show with a sharp black cape _ with a black patent-leather tank peeking out _ and black neoprene molded trousers. The outfit oozed strength but it wasn't overly tough, either. It was a similar story at the Rag & Bone and Jason...

Nicole Miller played on parallel times past and present, combining bright digital prints with rocker black, brown suede and velvet in a fall collection inspired by Jimi Hendrix. Known for red carpet gowns worn by Angelina Jolie, Miller put together a New York Fashion Week runway evoking the `70s in color and cut. She put long fringe on the bottom of skirts, ruffles on silk blouses and alpaca trim on a vest and a black leather coat with a metallic brocade. "I'm inspired by the freedom and power...

Rag & Bone designers David Neville and Marcus Wainwright put their cool, modern twist on clothes that are classic in the truest sense of the word for their fall collection that debuted Friday at New York Fashion Week. The British-born designers started with English mainstays, including tweeds, tails and jackets fit for military officers. But a recent trip to India also got them thinking about former British colonies and the traditional dress in those mostly Asian places, they explained backstage...

Luke Skywalker would be proud. A rebel alliance has formed in the hills north of San Francisco to fight a perceived Evil Empire. The alliance is a group of Marin County homeowners. Their phantom menace is George Lucas, the world-renowned filmmaker whose Star Wars Trilogy sky-rocketed him to acclaim and fortune. The plot is simple: Lucas wants to expand his filmmaking empire in the quiet valley that has been home to his Skywalker Ranch for three decades, building a 270,000-square-foot digital...

Angelina Jolie says she's nervous and excited about the upcoming premiere in Sarajevo of her Bosnian war movie "In the Land of Blood and Honey." The film, which is showing at the Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday, is set to make its full debut in the Bosnian capital on Feb. 14, though it already has been shown to some groups there. Already released in the U.S., Jolie's directorial debut is a drama about a Serb soldier who finds his ex-lover, a Muslim Bosnian woman, among sex slaves...

Bollywood's biggest star Amitabh Bachchan underwent abdominal surgery on Saturday and was recovering well in a Mumbai hospital, his son said. The 69-year-old actor has a history of stomach ailments following an intestinal injury he suffered while filming a movie in 1982. His son, Abhishek Bachchan, said the surgery went well and his father was resting. He tweeted thanks to Bachchan's fans for their prayers and get well wishes. Affectionately known as "Big B," Amitabh Bachchan has acted in around...

She's been a sensation since she's been born, and now Blue Ivy has made her public debut. Five photos of the 1-month-old were posted by her parents _ Beyonce and Jay-Z _ on a page at the blogging service Tumblr. The pictures at http://helloblueivycarter.tumblr.com include a close-up of the baby and two of each parent holding her. Blue Ivy is their first child. A statement next to the photos reads, "We welcome you to share our joy." The couple also thanked the public for respecting their privacy....