Chief gets nearly 3 years in Parker-Broderick case

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio – A former Ohio police chief was sentenced to prison Wednesday in connection with a break-in at the home of the surrogate who bore twins for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.

Barry Carpenter was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison. He was convicted last month on charges of receiving stolen property, theft in office and evidence tampering but acquitted of other counts, including burglary.

His attorney, Dennis McNamara, vowed to appeal.

Belmont County Common Pleas Judge John Solovan called prison time a "must" in the case, and Carpenter was immediately taken into custody after the hearing. A special prosecutor had said Carpenter could have received up to six years in prison.

The judge noted that he had received letters in support of Carpenter from members of the former chief's family, friends and police officers.

Carpenter resigned two weeks ago as chief in Martins Ferry, where the celebrity couple's surrogate lived. Prosecutors said he broke into Michelle Ross' home in May, took items related to her pregnancy and the surrogacy and conspired with police Chief Chad Dojack of neighboring Bridgeport to sell the items to celebrity photographers.

Dojack is scheduled to go on trial in January on two counts of complicity to burglary and one count of complicity to receiving stolen property.

Carpenter testified that he saw a door to the home open and went in to check it out. He said he photographed a surrogacy file that contained two ultrasound pictures and a plaster cast of a pregnant stomach, but did not remove anything from the house.

Ross said during the trial that she was staying in a West Virginia hotel at the time and later returned home to find that ultrasound photos, surrogacy files and tax information were gone. She also testified that someone had apparently rummaged through some photos and that the plaster cast, made when she was pregnant with her own son, was misplaced.

Ross gave birth to the twin girls June 22 at an Ohio hospital.

Messages seeking comment on the sentence weren't immediately returned by Carpenter's attorney, Special Prosecutor T. Shawn Hervey, and Parker-Broderick spokesman Simon Halls. There was no answer at the number for a lawyer for Dojack.

Protest at Mexican jail where Mel Gibson to film

VERACRUZ, Mexico – About 300 relatives of inmates at a Mexican prison where Mel Gibson is reportedly scheduled to make a movie protested outside the facility Tuesday, fearing their loved ones will be moved to make way for the production.

The group of protesters said it would be harder to visit inmates or bring them food if they are transferred out of the Gulf coast city of Veracruz.

One protester held a sign that read "No transfers to make a movie."

Gerardo Duran, the director of the Ignacio Allende prison, says the reports of transfers were unfounded rumors. But he acknowledged that part of the facility will be cleared to allow the filmmakers to work.

Earlier this month, Veracruz Gov. Fidel Herrera said part of the prison would be emptied in January "because a grand production will be filmed there with our friend, the actor and producer Mel Gibson."

A publicist for Gibson could not be reached.

Gibson filmed his 2006 Mayan-language movie "Apocalypto" in Veracruz.

Revival of 'Ragtime' set to close on Broadway

NEW YORK – The sweet, syncopated sounds of "Ragtime" will fall silent Sunday on Broadway.

The $8 million musical will close after a disappointing run of less than two months at the Neil Simon Theatre. It will have played 57 performances.

"While we're saddened and disappointed to announce that 'Ragtime' must close, bringing this beautiful and powerful production to Broadway has been a joyous experience," lead producer Kevin McCollum said Monday. "We couldn't have asked for a more talented and dedicated company and creative team or a more passionate team of producers."

The ambitious revival opened Nov. 15 to generally positive notices but never took off at the box office.

"Ragtime" was adapted from E.L. Doctorow's sprawling novel of early 20th century America, mixing fact and fiction as it told the stories of three distinct families — one white Anglo-Saxon Protestant, one black and one Jewish immigrant — while adding such real-life historical figures as Harry Houdini, Emma Goldman, Booker T. Washington and Evelyn Nesbit.

The musical has a book by Terrence McNally and a score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. It was first seen on Broadway in 1998 and ran for more than 800 performances.

The current production, directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge, originated last spring at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

Hugh Grant says he dreams of literary career

BERLIN (AFP) – Actor Hugh Grant said he dreams of running away from Hollywood and publishing a book, in an interview with a German newspaper Sunday.

"I have always promised myself: 'When you have made some nice films and earned some money, you are going to finally write your novel'," the 49-year-old star told the Bild am Sonntag.

He said he had already completed half a book but had written next to nothing in the last year.

"I don't know if it is laziness or some kind of fear of failure," he said, but revealed no details about his work in progress.

Grant said that as soon as a funny and appealing script lands on his desk, an inner struggle begins: "Shouldn't I rather make a film, earn money and work with beautiful women?"

Director Zhang Yimou gets achievement award

The Asian Film Awards will hand Chinese director Zhang Yimou a lifetime achievement prize at its annual gala in March.

"Zhang is one of the most distinguished figures in the Chinese filming industry — a true and unique talent, and we are proud to further acknowledge his contribution," said Soo-wei Shaw, executive director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, the organizer of the Asian Film Awards.

Zhang, who choreographed the 2008 Beijing Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, hit the spotlight in 1987 with Red Sorghum.

His dramas, often starring his long-time collaborator Gong Li, include To Live, Not One Less and Raise the Red Lantern.

Zhang's 1992 film The Story of Qiu Ju captured the Golden Lion at the Venice film festival

The 59-year-old filmmaker's status as a global auteur hit its peak when he directed 2002's Hero, starring martial arts mainstay Jet Li. At the time, it was the most expensive and highest-grossing Chinese film ever made.

He continued in the tradition with 2004's House of Flying Daggers, starring Zhang Ziyi, and 2006's The Curse of the Golden Flower.

Recently, he did a Chinese remake of U.S. filmmaking brothers Joel and Ethan Coen's Blood Simple. Called The Simple Noodle Story, it's now a hit in China.

The Asian Film Awards event will be held in Hong Kong on March 22.

British royals celebrate Christmas

LONDON (AFP) – Britain's royal family took their traditional public Christmas Day stroll to and from church on Friday, with one well-wisher receiving a hug and a kiss from Prince William.

The royals traditionally spend their winter break at Sandringham, Queen Elizabeth II's private estate in Norfolk, eastern England.

Around 1,000 onlookers watched them attend the Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene church on the estate.

William, third in line to the throne, stopped to greet carer Debbie Barlett, 51, who lives near Sandringham.

"He gave me a hug and a kiss and asked me where my snowman was," she said.

"I've been coming here for the past 20 years. It's one chance you get to see the royals altogether. It's lovely."

Army officers William and his brother Prince Harry are both on leave from their military training to become helicopter pilots. As per royal etiquette, their girlfriends were not present.

Afterwards outside the church, well-wishers handed several bouquets of flowers to the 83-year-old Queen Elizabeth, who wore a red outfit.

Equestrian world champion Zara Phillips, 28, the queen's eldest grand-daughter, sported the most daring footwear on the icy quarter-mile (400-metre) path from Sandringham House -- six-inch (15-centimetre) stiletto heels.

While most people in Britain open their presents on Christmas Day, the royals follow the German tradition and open theirs on Christmas Eve. The queen apparently prefers practical gifts that are not overly extravagant.

After dinner, the ladies adjourn and Queen Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip serves port or brandy to the men.

Following their Christmas morning visit to the church, lunch is served at 1:00 pm, usually a giant turkey reared on the estate.

While the royal family gathers round the television to watch Queen Elizabeth's Christmas Day broadcast at 3:00 pm, the sovereign sometimes watches it alone in another room.

This year, the queen's lawyers have warned newspapers not to publish paparazzi pictures of the royals on their winter break. Freelance photographers normally spend hours monitoring the area to get pictures of the family on the estate.

Boys Choir of Harlem disbanded

The Boys Choir of Harlem, which sang at the White House for nearly every president since Lyndon Johnson, has officially disbanded.

A former member announced at Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church in New York this month that the choir was shut down earlier this year, according to a report from the New York Times.

Although it had been two years since the choir's last public performance, many had held out hope that it would return.

The group, formed in 1968 by Walter J. Turnbull, drew its mainly African American or Hispanic members from among children living in Harlem.

Launched at the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church, it established a professional school incorporating a regular academic curriculum, the Choir Academy of Harlem. Performers of all ages could receive professional voice training at the school.

The choir toured internationally and performed for Nelson Mandela. It had recorded songs for films such as Malcolm X and won a Grammy for the soundtrack of the film Glory.

A series of scandals led to the choir losing control of the school in 2006. First, the choir racked up a huge deficit, then a staff member was convicted of sexually abusing a student. Turnbull died in 2007 but he was accused of covering up the abuse.

Former member Terrance Wright said former members of the choir often get together to sing.

Documentary on Jackson doctor planned

LOS ANGELES – When Michael Jackson's embattled personal physician returned to work last month, cameras were rolling.

Miranda Sevcik (SEHV'sik), a spokeswoman for Dr. Conrad Murray, confirms that a British documentary crew chronicled his first day back at a Houston clinic for the poor. Murray returned to the clinic Nov. 23 and was greeted by several patients and his pastor.

Murray remains under investigation for his role in Jackson's June 25 death. No charges have been filed, but investigators are looking into whether Murray improperly administered the pop superstar the powerful anesthetic propofol.

Sevcik says Murray agreed to be filmed, but only if the footage didn't air until after all legal proceedings are complete.

Details of the project were first reported by celebrity Web site TMZ.

Rapper Kid Cudi held at gunpoint by LAPD

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Rapper Kid Cudi was held at gunpoint by police in Los Angeles Tuesday, in a case of mistaken identity during a search for suspected robbers.

Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, was in the middle of a photo shoot for Britain's NME magazine when he and his entourage were pulled over on Fairfax Avenue by police.

NME reporter Emily Mackay later blogged about the incident, describing a dramatic scene that included "an angry, shaven-headed American policeman screaming, 'KEEP YOUR TWO HANDS VISIBLE!' while pointing a gun at the back of your head through the rear window."

According to reports, Cudi and his entourage were ordered to exit three vehicles and kneel on the ground, where they were handcuffed. Police soon released the group, however, upon realizing that they had detained the wrong party.

"Such is life, apparently, when you roll with Kid Cudi and his crew," added Mackay.

The incident occurred a week after the rapper left his opening slot on Lady Gaga's Monster Ball tour -- ostensibly to "balance his schedule" -- in the wake of criticism for punching a fan at a tour stop in Vancouver.

Diane Sawyer begins at ABC's `World News'

NEW YORK – Diane Sawyer was all business on a busy first day as anchor of ABC News' flagship evening newscast on Monday, save for a brief salute at the end to Charles Gibson, whose retirement opened the job for her.

"For you, Charlie Gibson, I hope you had a good day and a great night," Sawyer said, a reference to Gibson's usual signoff.

The centerpiece of the opening broadcast was Sawyer's interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, conducted over the weekend. Sawyer confronted Ahmadinejad on a supposed "smoking gun" document that tied Iran to development of nuclear weapons. The president, who referred to Sawyer as "respectable lady," said the document was a fabrication.

Women now hold two of the three top jobs on what have always been considered the most prestigious newscasts on broadcast TV. Three years ago, CBS' Katie Couric became the first woman to hold the job by herself.

ABC has deliberately downplayed the transition on "World News." Some of the minor changes promised by ABC executives, including the show's first update of on-air graphics in five years, were evident.

ABC also plans to make use of Sawyer's conversational style, which was on display during on-air Q-and-A's with Jonathan Karl and George Stephanopoulos on health care reform, Lisa Stark on holiday travel and David Muir on holiday gift-giving. Sawyer used a question to Stark at the end of her report to briefly insert news about new rules about how long airlines can keep passengers on idling flights.

The show also featured some plainspoken consumer pieces, including Dan Harris answering reader questions about what the health care reform might mean to them, and Muir discussing what the weekend's major snowstorm in the Northeast might mean for gifts ordered online.

No mention was made that it was Sawyer's first night on the job. Her greeting: "Good evening and it is so good to be here with you tonight."

The show's only real glitch came shortly before a commercial break. Sawyer was previewing a story on actress Brittany Murphy's death and a picture of Ahmadinejad appeared on the screen.

A veteran TV newscaster with a stint on CBS' "60 Minutes" in her background, Sawyer has co-anchored ABC's "Good Morning America" for the past decade. Her 64th birthday is Tuesday.

"World News" is a solid No. 2 in the evening news ratings. NBC's top-rated "Nightly News" with Brian Williams has been consolidating its strength, winning 60 of the past 61 weeks. NBC had its biggest advantage during the November ratings "sweeps" since 2005, according to the Nielsen Co.

Evening news viewership habits tend to be steady, except in times of transition. Viewers unfamiliar with ABC may tune in to check how Sawyer is doing — just as they did with Couric in 2006 — yet Gibson fans may be more inclined to surf around, too.

This period of churn is more important to third-placed CBS, and the "CBS Evening News" is preparing to take a strong run at ABC. But if Couric doesn't get more people to see whether CBS is fulfilling its promise of offering a more serious, hard-hitting broadcast, viewers may see those claims as just talk, said Andrew Tyndall, a news consultant who studies the content of network newscasts.

ABC has been through several anchor transitions, starting with Peter Jennings' departure and death from lung cancer. The wounding of Bob Woodruff in a bomb blast derailed his pairing with Elizabeth Vargas, and Gibson had been on duty since 2006.

"Any transition is difficult on an audience," said Jon Banner, executive producer of "World News." "We have had more than our fair share. Thankfully, this one we have been able to do some planning around."

ABC News President David Westin said the transition to Sawyer has been kept deliberately low-key. She hasn't been giving interviews, her new role hasn't been promoted outside of the network and she's starting on a holiday week where many viewers are preoccupied.

"In the end, this is not about the first day, and it is not about us," Westin wrote in a memo to his staff late last week. "Our focus must be and remain on the audience and what matters to the people we serve every day. If we show a steadfast devotion to serving that audience, all our programs will be successful over the long-term."

Rockers Def Leppard developing cartoon series

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – British metal veterans Def Leppard are getting animated about their career.

The group has entered a wide-ranging deal with music publishing company Primary Wave, which is developing various marketing and branding opportunities.

Among them is a cartoon TV show, said Primary Wave CEO Larry Mestel. The project is still in the early stages, and has not been pitched to the networks, but it will depict the five members of the group in a fictional, adventurous setting, he said.

Primary Wave is also developing what Mestel called "unusual" videogame and cell phone applications.

Additionally, the company will administer Def Leppard's music publishing, a task previously performed by Sony/ATV. The copyrights will continue to be owned by the songs' various composers.

Def Leppard toured North America this past summer with Poison and Cheap Trick. There are no recording or touring plans in the works, a band spokesman said.

The group is now a free agent after fulfilling its contract with Universal Music. Its last album, "Songs from the Sparkle Lounge," debuted at No. 5 on the U.S. pop chart in May 2008 -- its best start since "Adrenalize" opened at No. 1 in 1992. In the U.K., it debuted at No. 10, its best showing for a studio album since "Slang" reached No. 6 in 1996.

Report: Kevin Jonas, ex-hairdresser marry in NY

NEW YORK – A report says the oldest sibling of pop group the Jonas Brothers and a former hairdresser have married at a French-style chateau in suburban New York.

People magazine reported a heavy snowstorm bore down on Saturday's wedding between 22-year-old Kevin Jonas and 23-year-old Danielle Delesea at Oheka Castle, a 109,000-square-foot estate in Cold Spring Harbor.

The couple told People that the wedding went on as planned. About 400 relatives and friends attended.

Celebrity event planner Michael Russo created a fairy-tale forest theme that included heated white tents with 14-foot trees and crystals made to look like icicles.

Jonas' brothers Joe and Nick served as his best men.

A message left Saturday night for a representative of Jonas was not immediately returned.

LeAnn Rimes' husband files for divorce

LOS ANGELES – Court records show LeAnn Rimes' husband Deane Sheremet has officially filed for divorce.

The couple announced a divorce was in the works in September, but no paperwork had been filed. Court records show Sheremet filed in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The couple were married in February 2002 and have no children together. The filing cites "irreconcilable differences" for the breakup, and Rimes has been linked with TV-movie co-star Eddie Cibrian for months.

Cibrian filed for divorce from his wife of eight years in August.

Sheremet is seeking spousal support and to have his attorney's fees paid by Rimes, who is a country singer and actress.

The couple have apparently already worked out how to divide their property.

Paparazzo crashes bike into Anne Hathaway's car

LOS ANGELES – Authorities say a paparazzo has crashed his bicycle into actress Anne Hathaway's car in West Hollywood. No one was seriously injured.

Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said Thursday the unidentified cyclist ran into Hathaway's car on Wednesday as the car made a right turn.

The Oscar-nominated star was a passenger in her black Audi being driven by her boyfriend Adam Shulman.

Whitmore says investigators determined the rider was a paparazzo because he was carrying a camera with a long lens.

Witnesses told deputies he was traveling fast but there was enough time for him to avoid the crash.

Whitmore says the paparazzo was at fault but no arrests were made.

"Idol" creator launches new multimedia show

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Entertainment mogul Simon Fuller, the creator of TV contest "American Idol", on Wednesday announced a new, multimedia reality show distributed on the Internet, radio and social networking sites.

Fuller, the man behind the money-spinning "Idol" pop singing contest, called his "If I Can Dream" venture "a new generation of post-reality entertainment."

Launching in early 2010, it will document the story of five young people who dream of success in Hollywood and will allow fans to interact with them in real time.

Fuller's 19 Entertainment, a subsidiary of CKX Inc, has partnered with online television viewing site Hulu.com, Clear Channel Radio, Newscorp's MySpace, Pepsi and the Ford Motor Co..

Episodes of the show will stream exclusively on Hulu.com, which is jointly owned by News Corp, NBC Universal and Walt Disney Co, while Clear Channel Radio will promote the show on its radio stations and its online and mobile devices.

MySpace will allow fans to interact with the Hollywood hopefuls and audition via video uploads for a part in the show.

PepsiCo and Ford are creating marketing campaigns around the venture, 19 Entertainment said in a statement.

Fuller said the show was tailor made for a younger generation that conducts much of its life via social networking sites, mobile phones, tweets and text messages.

Like "American Idol" -- the most-watched TV show in the United States -- and the 100 spin-off versions around the world, viewers will play a role in creating potential stars of tomorrow.

"'If I Can Dream' experiments with technology to provide for the first time a complete open door opportunity that allows the viewer to experience reality in a way never before attempted," Fuller said in a statement.

Fuller's career also includes managing British pop group "The Spice Girls", acting as advisor to soccer player David Beckham, and co-creating the U.S. TV show "So You Think You Can Dance."

Lil Wayne's delayed album released by accident

NEW YORK (Billboard) – While most of Lil Wayne's fans will have to wait until at least February for the rapper's often-promised and often-delayed album, about 500 Amazon customers who pre-ordered "Rebirth" are enjoying the record already, thanks to a shipping mishap.

According to sources and an e-mail to Billboard from an Amazon customer, the online merchant sent copies of the album to some customers who pre-ordered "Rebirth." The album began arriving in mailboxes on Monday, December 14, despite a change in the street date from December 21 to February 1.

The release-date change -- the sixth time "Rebirth" was pushed around the schedule -- was announced December 10. But, roughly one million units had already been manufactured and about one-third shipped to accounts by then, sources said.

Although Amazon received the word to return the Lil Wayne album, supposedly about 500 copies were sent to customers. An Amazon spokesman didn't respond to an e-mail request for a comment.

The album was initially supposed to be released April 7, pushed back to May 19 and then August 18. And when that date came and went, the release date was pushed to December 15 and finally December 21. The latest delay stems from a decision by Lil Wayne's Cash Money/Universal labels to allow new single "On Fire" more time to build.

Some sources indicated the album may be worked on some more, possibly with new tracks being added. If that's the case, then the Amazon customers who already received the album may have a collector's item on their hands.

Despite the latest postponement, retail anticipation for the album still runs high. Lil Wayne's last album "Tha Carter III," which came out in June 2008, was the last record to hit 1 million units in a debut week, at a time when most in the industry thought that feat was no longer possible due to the closure of record stores and the decline of the CD.

With more stores closures since "Tha Carter III" and the CD being a less resilient product than a year ago, it is unlikely that "Rebirth" will debut at a million, according to retailers. It is even less likely to do so now that the album has been delayed into the new year. For the last two years, the CD has lost 20% of its base in the new year in the U.S. market, and come January that is expected to happen again.

Possibly complicating matters more: Lil Wayne pleaded guilty in October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon and will be sentenced on February 9. A Lil Wayne representative didn't respond immediately to a request for comment.

Robert Downey Jr. adds punch to "stuffy" Holmes films

LONDON (Reuters) – Robert Downey Jr. adds punch to the role of Sherlock Holmes in an action-packed movie that breaks with what its makers called "stuffy" screen interpretations of the fictional English detective..

The Warner Bros. production, which opens on Christmas Day in the United States, is widely expected to become a major new franchise for the studio just as the lucrative Harry Potter series comes to a close in 2011.

"I think it potentially has franchise capabilities which I think is very good," producer Joel Silver told a news conference ahead of the picture's world premiere in London on Monday.

"I think we have a chance of really having a lot of fun with this ... story. I think that you want to have a place to go with a movie ... and I think we tried very hard to allow the audience to embrace that there may be more of a story."

Downey Jr.'s Holmes is a physical, fist fighting, streetwise version of the super sleuth in an attempt by director Guy Ritchie to ditch common associations of pipe smoking, deerstalker hats and the famous phrase "elementary my dear Watson."

Ritchie, famous for his 1998 heist movie "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and an eight-year marriage to pop star Madonna, also sought to place Holmes and Dr. Watson, played by Jude Law, on more equal footing than previous adaptations.

"The deerstalker and 'elementary my dear Watson' never happened, actually, and the deerstalker is never referred to in the books," Ritchie said.

"Although we all are aware of the obvious symbols of Sherlock Holmes, (we) made a decision early on that if we were going to do this we'd have to dust off Sherlock Holmes and create what we thought to be an authentic Conan Doyle version."

"STUFFY" CHARACTERS

Silver described earlier adaptations of the Arthur Conan Doyle novels and short stories, featuring actors like Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett, as "stuffy."

But in reinventing the character and his relationship with Watson, Law said Ritchie had been true to the original stories.

"I knew from them (Downey Jr. and Ritchie) that it was going to be a different take on the older films of Sherlock Holmes and it fascinated me.

"Obviously they were coming to me not to put on two stone and fall around and put my foot into waste paper baskets," he added, referring to Watson's big-screen image as a bumbling foil to the brilliant Holmes.

"They were going to come and ask me to play Watson with a bit more edge. What was intriguing ... was to go back to the books and realize how much of this new rediscovery, if you like, was also in the source material."

The storyline of the latest Holmes film centers around a new character Lord Blackwood, an unrepentant killer sentenced to death but who apparently returns from the grave to haunt 1890s London and hatch a plot that could destroy the country.

"Although everything else is cherry-picked from the short stories and the novels, Blackwood isn't, and I think what that allowed the film to do was create whatever we wanted," said British actor Mark Strong, who plays the villain.

Professor Moriarty, Holmes's nemesis in the original Conan Doyle tales, is expected to appear in subsequent installments should the franchise materialize.

Obama's brother turns down film role

GUANGZHOU, China – President Barack Obama's half brother in China says he has not accepted requests to be in the movie "Let the Bullets Fly" because he wants to focus on his writing and charity work.

Mark Ndesandjo told The Associated Press on Monday the $18 million Chinese frontier film is a "high quality and popular production" directed by Jiang Wen. The movie features Hong Kong mega star Chow Yun-fat.

The Guangzhou Daily News reported Monday that Ndesandjo was offered a role to star as a pastor in the film.

But Ndesandjo says he neither evaluated nor accepted a request to be in the film. He says he's busy focusing on his writing and charity projects.

Ndesandjo, who recently published a novel, works as a consultant in the southern city of Shenzhen.

Haneke's "White Ribbon" sweeps European Film Awards

BOCHUM, Germany (Reuters) – Austrian director Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon," a chilling exploration of the roots of Nazi terror, dominated the European Film Awards on Saturday, winning three prizes including best film.

In the black-and-white film, a sinister series of crimes rocks a village in northern Germany on the eve of World War One, and appears linked to a group of children brutalized and scarred by their parents.

"The White Ribbon" also won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival earlier this year.

The 2,000-member European Film Academy awarded Haneke the best film, best director and best screenwriter prizes at the 22nd anniversary ceremony in Bochum, in the industrial Ruhr area of western Germany.

British actress Kate Winslet scooped up another award for her portrayal of a German woman with a secret Nazi past in the romantic drama "The Reader," winning best actress.

"Titanic" star Winslet has also won an Oscar, a British BAFTA and German Bambi for her depiction of Hanna Schmitz, a former Nazi prison guard who embarks on an affair with a teenage boy.

Newcomer Tahar Rahim won best actor for portraying a homeless and illiterate 19-year-old at the mercy of a Corsican gang that controls the jail where he is imprisoned, in Jacques Audiard's French film "A Prophet."

The Oscar-garlanded "Slumdog Millionaire," an against-all-odds love story set in the teeming slums of Mumbai, scooped up the "People's Choice" award, decided by cinema-goers throughout Europe who vote online or at cinemas.

The European Film Academy was founded in 1989 to promote European film, with Swedish director Ingmar Bergman as its first president. The European Film Awards have yet to gain the prestige of high-profile European film festivals in Cannes, Venice and Berlin but are widely respected in the film industry.

The awards are traditionally held in Berlin every other year, but exceptionally took place in Bochum this year, in the Century Hall -- a former gas power station of the steel mills.

Last year's awards were held in Copenhagen, where the Italian mafia drama "Gomorra" won five prizes including best film, best director and best actor.

Palin makes surprise appearance on 'Tonight Show'

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Sarah Palin made a surprise appearance on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" on Friday — and turned the tables on actor William Shatner.

In recent appearances on the late-night television show, Shatner has adopted a serious pose and recited some of Palin's less serious observations.

He was brought out again Friday to read passages from Palin's blockbuster "Going Rogue." The carefully selected passages included ones about rapper Kid Rock and stalking sheep.

Afterward, it was Palin's turn to read from Shatner's autobiography, "Up Till Now." The former Alaska governor's selections included one in which Shatner talks about visiting an African elephant "in my underwear."

After the readings, there appeared to be no hard feelings. The two left the stage arm-in-arm.

Thunderbolts and Toadstones

A. Haas

Belemnites, remnants from pre-flood cuttle-fish, are very common on the island of Rügen, especially in the stone rubble on chalk beaches. In common language they are called "thunderbolts," "thunder-arrows," or sometimes "devil-fingers."

It is believed that during thunderstorms they are hurled to the earth with lightning. A person killed by lightning is struck by a thunderbolt carried by the lightning.

Another belief is that a thunderbolt is created when lightning strikes the earth. Thus thunderbolts are only found in places where lightning has struck the earth.

Thunderbolts are collected with enthusiasm and then kept at home, for it is believed that a thunder-arrow protects a house from lightning. People especially like to keep them in their milk rooms.

Stomach-aches can be cured by scraping off and swallowing a little of the thunderbolt.

The toadstone, a fossilized sea-urchin, is also considered to be a proven protective agent against lightning, and is therefore kept at home, especially in milk rooms.

The farmers of Rügen often place in their swine troughs the ball-shaped stone kernels of the sea-urchin (ananchytes ovatus) that are often found in chalk. These presumably aid in the fattening of the swine and also protect the animals from red murrain.

Toadstones are also called "cross-stones" or "star-stones," the latter name coming from the belief that they fall from heaven or from the stars.

Cross-stones are placed in the milk room to protect the milk from "getting something." However, if the milk has already been bewitched, then the stones are placed in a milk sieve.

---

• Belemnites, according to modern science, are the fossilized internal shells of any of numerous extinct cephalopods.

• Thunderbolts are also known as thunderstones, elf-bolts, and fairy-arrows. There is ample evidence that they were valued as magic talismans in ancient times, often in association with Thor worship.

• Source: A. Haas, Rügensche Sagen und Märchen (Stettin: Johs. Burmeister's Buchhandlung, 1903), no. 185, pp. 166-167.

Billy Joel: Daughter had 'devastating heartbreak'

NEW YORK – Pop star Billy Joel and supermodel Christie Brinkley say their daughter is trying to recover from her "dangerous actions" of last weekend, when New York City police received an emergency call about Alexa Ray Joel.

In a statement released Wednesday, Joel and Brinkley say their daughter's actions came "while suffering a devastating heartbreak." The statement didn't specify what her actions were.

Joel and Brinkley also say a report published Tuesday in the New York Post was "false." The Post reported the 23-year-old attempted suicide after a fight with her mother during a family vacation.

A spokeswoman for the Post didn't immediately comment.

A publicist for Alexa Ray Joel said this week she was feeling better and was with family.

The Parable of the Three Rings

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

An uneasy peace ruled in Jerusalem. Saladin's victory against the Crusaders had cost the Muslims dearly, both in the loss of troops and in the depletion of the royal treasury. Saladin was resolved to rule with civilized humanity as far as possible. But it was an uneasy peace, with Jews, Christians, and the newly victorious Muslims all suspicious of one another.

Thus when Saladin requested an audience with Nathan, a leading Jewish merchant, the latter was very apprehensive about the Sultan's motivation. Nathan was known far and wide not only for his successes in commerce, but also for his skills in diplomacy and negotiation. Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike called him Nathan the Wise.

Nathan's suspicions were well founded, for Saladin was indeed looking to replenish his exhausted coffers with a loan or a gift from his wealthy Jewish subject. Too civil to openly demand such a tribute from the peace-loving Nathan, the Sultan instead masked his request in the form of a theological question.

"Your reputation for wisdom is great," said the Sultan. "You must have studied the great religions. Tell me, which is the best, Judaism, Islam, or Christianity?"

"Sultan, I am a Jew," replied Nathan.

"And I a Muslim," interrupted Saladin, "and between us stands the Christian. But the three faiths contradict one another. They cannot all be true. Tell me the results of your own wise deliberations. Which religion is best?"

Nathan recognized the trap at once. Any answer except "Islam" would offend Saladin the Muslim, whereas any answer except "Judaism" would place his own integrity under question. Thus, instead of giving a direct answer, Nathan responded by relating a parable to Saladin:

In the Orient in ancient times there lived a man who possessed a ring of inestimable worth. Its stone was an opal that emitted a hundred colors, but its real value lay in its ability to make its wearer beloved of God and man. The ring passed from father to most favored son for many generations, until finally its owner was a father with three sons, all equally deserving. Unable to decide which of the three sons was most worthy, the father commissioned a master artisan to make two exact copies of the ring, then gave each son a ring, and each son believed that he alone had inherited the original and true ring.

But instead of harmony, the father's plan brought only discord to his heirs. Shortly after the father died, each of the sons claimed to be the sole ruler of the father's house, each basing his claim to authority on the ring given to him by the father. The discord grew even stronger and more hateful when a close examination of the rings failed to disclose any differences.

"But wait," interrupted Saladin, "surely you do not mean to tell me that there are no differences between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity!"

"You are right, Sultan," replied Nathan. "Their teachings and practices differ in ways that can be seen by all. However, in each case, the teachings and practices are based on beliefs and faith, beliefs and faith that at their roots are the same. Which of us can prove that our beliefs and our faith are more reliable than those of others?"

"I understand," said Saladin. "Now continue with your tale."

"The story is nearly at its end," replied Nathan.

The dispute among the brothers grew until their case was finally brought before a judge. After hearing the history of the original ring and its miraculous powers, the judge pronounced his conclusion: "The authentic ring," he said, "had the power to make its owner beloved of God and man, but each of your rings has brought only hatred and strife. None of you is loved by others; each loves only himself. Therefore I must conclude that none of you has the original ring. Your father must have lost it, then attempted to hide his loss by having three counterfeit rings made, and these are the rings that cause you so much grief."

The judge continued: "Or it may be that your father, weary of the tyranny of a single ring, made duplicates, which he gave to you. Let each of you demonstrate his belief in the power of his ring by conducting his life in such a manner that he fully merits -- as anciently promised -- the love of God and man.

"Marvelous! Marvelous!" exclaimed Saladin. "Your tale has set my mind at rest. You may go."

"Sultan, was there nothing else you wished from me?" asked Nathan.

"No. Nothing."

"Then may I take the liberty to make a request of you. My trade of late has brought me unexpected wealth, and in these uncertain times I need a secure repository. Would you be willing to accept my recent earnings as loan or deposit?"

The Sultan gladly acceded to Nathan's wish.

And thus Saladin gained from his wise Jewish subject both material and spiritual benefit, and Nathan the Wise found a safe haven for his wealth and earned the respect of the Islamic Sultan.

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• Source: Abstracted from Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Nathan der Weise, a drama in five acts (1779). Events leading up to Nathan's telling of the parable are depicted in act 3, scenes 4-7. The parable itself is contained in act 3, scene 7.

• © 1999 by D. L. Ashliman.

• Link to the text of the entire play (in German): Nathan der Weise.

• Note that in Lessing's version of the three-ring parable, unlike its precedents, all three rings are deemed to be false.

• Saladin (born 1137 or 1138, died 1193), Sultan of Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and Palestine, was the greatest Muslim hero of the middle ages.

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Of the Triple State of the World

Gesta Romanorum

A certain knight had three sons, and on his deathbed he bequeathed the inheritance to his firstborn; to the second, his treasury; and to the third, a very valuable ring, of more worth indeed than all he had left to the others.

But the two former had also rings, and they were all apparently the same.

After their father's death the first son said, "I possess that precious ring of my father."

The second said, "You have it not -- I have."

To this the third son answered, "That is not true. The elder of us has the estate, the second the treasure, and therefore it is but meet that I should have the most valuable ring."

The first son answered, "Let us prove, then, whose claims to it have the preeminence."

They agreed, and several sick men were made to resort to them for the purpose. The two first rings had no effect, but the last cured all their infirmities.

Application:

My beloved, the knight is Christ. The three sons are the Jews, Saracens [Muslims], and Christians. The most valuable ring is faith, which is the property of the younger, that is, of the Christians

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• Source: Gesta Romanorum.

• I have used the following edition: Gesta Romanorum; or, Entertaining Moral Stories, translated from the Latin by Charles Swan (London: George Bell and Sons, 1877), tale 89, pp. 161-162. Translation slightly revised.

• The Gesta Romanorum or Deeds of the Romans was compiled in Latin in the early fourteenth century by an English cleric. It was first published about 1473. Its title notwithstanding, only a few of the work's some 283 stories deal with the Romans. Instead, the work presents a mixture of anecdotes, legends, and fables, gleaned from many sources and presented in a context appropriate for incorporation into Christian sermons.

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The Awful Fate of Mr. Wolf

African-American

Brer Rabbit could never get any peace. He couldn't leave home without Brer Wolf making a raid and toting off some of the family. Brer Rabbit built himself a straw house, and it was torn down. Then a made a house out of pine tops, and that went the same way. Then he made himself a bark house, and it was raided. And every time he lost a house, he lost one of his children.

At last Brer Rabbit got mad, he did, and cussed, and then he went off, he did, and got some carpenters, and they built him a plank house with a rock foundation. After that he could have some peace and quiet. He could go out and pass the time of day with his neighbors, and come back and sit by the fire and smoke his pipe and read the newspapers the same as any man who has a family.

He made a hole, he did, in the cellar where the little rabbits could hide out when there was much of a racket in the neighborhood, and the latch of the front door caught on the inside.

Brer Wolf, he saw the lay of the land, he did, and he laid low. The little rabbits were mighty skittish, but it got so that cold chills didn't run up Brer Rabbit's back any more when he heard Brer Wolf go galloping by.

By and by, one day when Brer Rabbit was fixing to call on Miss Coon, he heard a monstrous fuss and clatter up the big road, and almost before he could fix his ears to listen, Brer Wolf ran in the door. The little rabbits, they went into the hole in the cellar, they did, like blowing out a candle. Brer Wolf was fairly covered with mud, and mighty well nigh out of wind.

"Oh, do pray save me, Brer Rabbit!" said Brer Wolf. "Do please, Brer Rabbit! The dogs are after me, and they'll tear me up. Don't you hear them coming? O, do please save me, Brer Rabbit! Hide me somewhere the dogs won't get me."

No quicker said than done.

"Jump in that chest there, Brer Wolf," said Brer Rabbit. "Jump in there and make yourself at home."

In jumped Brer Wolf, down came the lid, and into the hasp went the hook, and there Mr. Wolf was. Then Brer Rabbit went to the looking-glass, he did, and winked at himself. And then he pulled the rocking chair in front of the fire, he did, and took a big chew of tobacco. Then Brer Rabbit sat there a long time, he did, turning his mind over and working his thinking machine. By and by he got up and sort of stirred around.

Then Brer Wolf opened up, "Are the dogs all gone, Brer Rabbit?"

"It seems like I hear one of them smelling around the chimney corner just now."

Then Brer Rabbit got the kettle and filled it full of water and put it on the fire.

"What are you doing now, Brer Rabbit?"

"I'm fixing to make you a nice cup of tea, Brer Wolf."

Then Brer Rabbit went to the cupboard and got the gimlet, and commenced to bore little holes in the chest lid.

"What are you doing now, Brer Rabbit?"

"I'm boring little holes so you can breathe, Brer Wolf."

Then Brer Rabbit went out and got some more wood, and flung it on the fire.

"What are you doing now, Brer Rabbit?"

"I'm chunking up the fire so you won't get cold, Brer Wolf."

Then Brer Rabbit went down into the cellar and fetched out all his children.

"What are you doing now, Brer Rabbit?"

"I'm telling my children what a nice man you are, Brer Wolf."

And the children, they had to put their hands on their mouth to keep from laughing. Then Brer Rabbit, he got the kettle and commenced to pour the hot water onto the chest lid.

"What's that I hear, Brer Rabbit?"

"You hear the wind a-blowing, Brer Wolf."

Then the water began to sift through.

"What's that I feel, Brer Rabbit?"

"You feel the fleas a-biting, Brer Wolf."

"They are biting might hard, Brer Rabbit."

"Turn over on the other side, Brer Wolf."

"What's that I feel now, Brer Rabbit?"

"You still feel the fleas, Brer Wolf."

"They are eating me up, Brer Rabbit."

And those were the last words of Brer Wolf, because the scalding water did the business.

Then Brer Rabbit called in his neighbors, he did, and they held a regular jubilee. And if you go to Brer Rabbit's house right now, I don't know but what you'll find Brer Wolf's hide hanging in the back porch, and all because he was so busy with other folks's doings.

---

• Source: Joel Chandler Harris, Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings (New York: McKinlay, Stone, and Mackenzie, 1908) no. 13, pp. 62-68.

• Dialect normalized by D. L. Ashliman. © 2000.

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Jerry O'Connell signs on for NBC pilot

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Jerry O'Connell is set to co-star in NBC's comedic drama pilot "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer," replacing Sendhil Ramamurthy days after the "Heroes" regular was cast in the role.

Lindsay Kraft and Cleo King also have been cast in the pilot.

"Rex" stars David Tennant as Rex Alexander, a top Chicago litigator who begins suffering panic attacks and starts to coach clients to represent themselves in court. O'Connell will play an ambitious but good-natured lawyer who was in Rex's shadow until Rex's career switch and whose friendship with Rex becomes complicated when he falls in love with his pal's fiancee (Abigail Spencer).

Kraft ("Epic Movie") plays a singer-songwriter working as Rex's assistant. King ("he Hangover") plays a no-nonsense private-school bus driver coached by Rex in her wrongful-termination case. "Rex" also co-stars comedy veterans Jane Curtin and Jeffrey Tambor.

Ramamurthy ("Heroes") withdrew from the pilot because of scheduling issues, an NBC representative said.

O'Connell recently wrapped Dimension Films' "Piranha 3-D."

AP source: Billy Joel's daughter took pills in NYC

NEW YORK – Alexa Ray Joel, the daughter of pop star Billy Joel and supermodel Christie Brinkley, was hospitalized after taking eight pills at her Manhattan apartment, a law enforcement official said Saturday.

A friend frantically called 911 shortly after noon Saturday from the singer's Greenwich Village apartment saying Joel, 23, had taken several pills, the official told The Associated Press. Joel took eight pills, though officials didn't know what kind she had ingested, an official said; it wasn't clear whether she had accidentally overdosed or attempted suicide, the official said.

The official wasn't authorized to publicly disclose the matter and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Joel is hospitalized in stable condition and receiving treatment, Joel publicist Claire Mercuri said Saturday. She wouldn't elaborate.

"We are currently assessing her needs," she said.

Her father said she will recover.

"She is going to be fine," Billy Joel told New York's Newsday newspaper on Saturday night.

Fire Department records indicate that paramedics responded to the West Village building where Joel lives at 12:21 p.m. Saturday and transported one woman to St. Vincent's Hospital. The fire department declined to identify the patient.

Joel, who was raised in Sag Harbor, a village on Long Island, attended New York University for a short time before dropping out to focus on her music career, according to her MySpace page. Her parents were divorced in 1994 after nine years of marriage.

The singer, songwriter and pianist self-released a short album in 2006 and debuted a new song, "Invisible," this year about a failed relationship with the opening lyrics, "They say it doesn't matter/This love is in my mind/We never got it right, anyway."

In a MySpace blog post this summer, Joel described herself as "forgotten" and said she was finding it hard to meet a nice guy.

"Just Men. UGH!!! MEN!!!!" she wrote in August. "I'm so terrible at dating — I don't know if I'll ever get used to it! And I HATE the game-playing! Can't stand it."

Joel had upcoming performances scheduled in the city, including at the New York Stock Exchange tree lighting ceremony Thursday.

"Dam Busters" star Richard Todd dies aged 90

LONDON (Reuters) – British actor and World War Two hero Richard Todd, best known for his leading role in the 1955 film "The Dam Busters", has died at the age of 90, British media reported on Friday.

Todd was one of the first British officers to land in Normandy in advance of the main D-Day landings and then went on to become Britain's highest-earning post-war matinee idol.

His most memorable screen role was that of Wing Commander Guy Gibson in the 1955 film "The Dam Busters."

But the Dublin-born Todd was also a real-life hero, one of the first British soldiers to parachute into France on D-Day 11 years earlier.

A spokesman for his family said Todd died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday at his home in Lincolnshire, eastern England.

The handsome, blue-eyed Todd enjoyed the unusual distinction of appearing in films about D-Day in which the role of his wartime self was played by other actors.

As an officer in the Parachute Battalion, he was one of the first to land in Normandy and to meet the glider force under the command of Major John Howard defending Pegasus Bridge, a scene memorably recreated in two epic films in which Todd later starred "D-Day, the Sixth of June" and "The Longest Day."

In "The Longest Day," Todd took the role of Howard, performing one scene opposite the actor playing himself. At $8 million, "The Longest Day" was the most expensive black and white film made until "Schindler's List" in 1993.

"(He) had been suffering from cancer, an illness that he bore with his habitual courage and dignity," a spokesman told the BBC. "His family were with him throughout."

British director Michael Winner, who worked with Todd on the 1978 thriller "The Big Sleep" described him to the BBC as a splendid person and a very good actor.

"Richard Todd was the most wonderful type of British stiff upper lip acting."

'Monk' star Shalhoub calls finale very satisfying

LOS ANGELES – The final episode of "Monk" has some heavy lifting to do: Resolve Monk's poisoning and whether he survives, uncover his wife's killer or, just maybe, reveal whether Trudy really is alive after all.

Tony Shalhoub, who inhabited the title character so perfectly for eight seasons that he collected three Emmy Awards, refuses to drop any spoilers and offers only a broad outline of Adrian Monk's fate Friday (9 p.m. EST, USA Network).

"The ending, just from my point of view, is very satisfying," Shalhoub said. "Granted, the last two episodes are much darker than episodes we've done in the past, more drama than the usual dramedy tone, but I really thought the writers hit it out of the park."

Will viewers be just as contented with the conclusion of a two-part finale that began last week? Shalhoub, weighing his words even more carefully, veers toward psychological analysis.

"I think what they will feel is kind of a magnification of what I believe they've been feeling all along, which is kind of mixed about Monk: Feel good for him, bad for him, frustrated for him," he said. "Hoping for his success and for his healing, his recovery."

The last episode brings, presumably, the culmination of Monk's effort to solve his wife's decade-old Christmastime murder. Her car was blown up, with her apparently in it, after she expressed concern about the case of a missing midwife.

At the time, Monk was a San Francisco police detective with a mild obsessive-compulsive disorder. After Trudy's death, his increased phobias forced him into a psychiatric leave from the department but his skills made him a valuable consultant and freelance crime-solver.

In part one of "Mr. Monk and the End," Monk was poisoned while investigating the murder of a doctor who had been interviewed in the midwife's disappearance. As doctors try to identify the toxin and a cure, an increasingly ill Monk finally opens the Christmas gift that Trudy (Melora Hardin, "The Office") left for him so long ago.

It's a videotape from her with a chilling message: "If you're watching this, it means I'm dead. ... There's something I never told you. Something happened ... something terrible. It was years ago, before we met," she says — and cut to part two.

"Monk" fans, naturally, are intrigued and game for speculation. Among the theories floated online: Monk solves Trudy's murder, dies, and is reunited with her in the afterlife; Monk solves her murder, lives, and finds new love and mental health; Trudy isn't dead but in hiding and finally, with her safety ensured, is reunited with Monk for the happiest of endings.

There is also the anticipated viewer depression that accompanies the conclusion of any series, particularly one with a loyal following. Is it possible that Monk could make a comeback someday, in a TV film or otherwise?

Shalhoub, whose next job is onstage in New York, appearing with his wife, Brooke Adams, in a Stanley Tucci-directed revival of "Lend Me A Tenor" in April, hedges his bets.

"We've been talking for years about the possibility of a Monk movie. I just don't know. I never say never," he said. But if it happens too many years from now, Shalhoub added, he'll end up playing Monk's dad.

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On the Web:

http://www.usanetwork.com

"Up," "Dark Knight" top DVD sales chart

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Rampant Black Friday discounting, promotions and ubiquitous Disney merchandisers in large chains like Best Buy had a marked impact on the national home video sales chart for the week ended November 29.

Disney's "Up" regained its top spot on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart, while the newly released "Santa Buddies," the latest in what must be the most successful dog franchise in movie history, debuted at an impressive No. 4 despite its direct-to-disc release.

Warner Bros.' "The Dark Knight," out a year, returned to the chart at a lofty No. 2, while Paramount's "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," initially released in February, was back on the chart at No. 7.

By Home Media Magazine market research estimates, the home entertainment industry moved about 25 million discs during the week, as consumers snapped up DVDs and Blu-ray Discs like candy. Catalog DVDs were selling for as little as $2 at Walmart and other big retailers, while catalog Blu-ray Disc titles were widely available for less than $10.

Two of the week's three new releases with theatrical pedigrees -- Sony Pictures' "Angels & Demons" and Warner's "Four Christmases" -- nevertheless found their audiences, with the "Da Vinci Code" sequel bowing at No. 3 on the sales chart and "Four Christmases" debuting at No. 6.

On Home Media Magazine's rental chart, "Angels & Demons" finished first, "Four Christmases" grabbed the second spot, and the week's third new release, the Universal Studios comedy "Funny People," debuted at No. 3.

"Funny People," starring Adam Sandler and directed by Judd Apatow, finished at No. 45 on the sales chart, behind a flock of deep-discounted catalog titles ranging from "Gremlins" (No. 27) to "Superbad" (No. 25).

'Big Brother 9' winner ordered to drug center

BOSTON – The winner of the CBS reality television show "Big Brother 9" was ordered on Tuesday to undergo substance abuse counseling at a Massachusetts treatment center before being released on bail on drug charges.

Adam Jasinski, of Delray Beach, Fla., has pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempting to sell 2,000 pills of oxycodone, the main active ingredient in OxyContin and other painkillers.

A federal agent testified that the 31-year-old Jasinski told him he'd been selling thousands of the pills every month in Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

A judge ruled Tuesday that Jasinski can be released on bail to his parents' custody, but only after he successfully completes a program at an unnamed residential treatment center in Massachusetts.

Prosecutors had asked that Jasinski be held without bail as he awaits trial.

The order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Leo Sorokin requires Jasinski to post three properties he owns and requires his parents to post their home to secure his appearance in court. The order does not specify how long Jasinski must stay in the substance abuse treatment program, but said he must return to court for a hearing before he is released to his parents' custody.

Jasinski's lawyer, Valerie Carter, said Jasinski and his parents are pleased with the order "because the judge has essentially found that Adam is not either a danger to the community or a risk of flight."

Jackson's `This Is It' out on DVD in January

NEW YORK – "Michael Jackson's This Is It," a film about the King of Pop's final rehearsals before his death, will be released on DVD on Jan. 26, 2010.

The DVD release was announced Monday by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

"This Is It" captures Jackson's final performances as he rehearsed for his concerts in London. He died June 25, just weeks before his marathon of 50 concerts was to begin.

The DVD includes two documentaries, "Staging the Return: Beyond the Show" and "Staging the Return: The Adventure Begins," which highlight Jackson as he prepared for the concerts.

The film has grossed more than $70 million in the United States.

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Sony Pictures is a unit of Sony Corp.

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On the Net:

http://www.thisisit-movie.com/

http://www.sonypictures.com/