Diane Keaton stars in the caper comedy "Mad Money" as a suburban housewife who decides to rip off the super-secure Federal Reserve Bank. She has a low-level job at the facility and hatches a plan to steal millions with the help of two other staffers, played by Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes.   DIANE KEATON - Diane Keaton stars in 'Mad Money,' a comedy about three women who work for the Federal Reserve and plot to ... [full story]

Jake at last seems on the brink of cracking the best-seller list - and with any luck, breaking it wide open. Actually, writer Brian Alexander, 48, hasn't been Jake, Glamour magazine's (formerly anonymous) dating-advice columnist, since 1996. But with "America Unzipped: In Search of Sex and Satisfaction," he has taken his reluctantly won reputation as a go-to guy for naughty stuff - he's currently the twice-monthly "Sexploration" columnist for msnbc.com - and fashioned it into ... [full story]

SISTERS, Ore. – The Sisters Folk Festival presents the next two concerts in the 2008 Winter Concert Series.  David Lindley will perform on February 10 and Tracy Grammer on March 2 at the beautiful Five Pine Lodge and Conference Center in Sisters. On February 10, multi-instrumentalist David Lindley will perform music that redefines the word "eclectic." Lindley, well known for his many years as the featured accompanist with Jackson Browne, and leader of his own ... [full story]

In 2004, Richard Serra, renowned throughout the world for massive sculptures in steel, made an image that circulated widely on the Internet. The thick black crayon is the same as in his sculpture-related drawings with their imposing geometric forms. But this image was of the hooded prisoner from Abu Ghraib who, via photography, had become an icon of the abuse and torture that Iraqi inmates suffered there. It also contained two words: "Stop Bush."   REFLECTIONS ... [full story]

In music, as in politics, timing is everything. In early 2003, just six weeks after performing the national anthem to kick off Super Bowl XXXVII, the Dixie Chicks became national pariahs after its lead singer, Natalie Maines, told a London concert audience the Texas trio was "ashamed" to be from the same state as President Bush.   DIXIE CHICKS - Natalie Maines (center) and the Dixie Chicks were vilified in 2003, a week before Iraq was ... [full story]

Alex Chilton could have permanently retired in 1974 and he would still be a near-mythic figure in rock, power pop and what was once quaintly known as blue-eyed soul.   AUTHORITY FIGURE - His work with The Box Tops and Big Star have made Alex Chilton, right, a legend. He is seen here with fellow Top member Gary Talley. CNS Photo. As the charismatic lead singer in such fabled bands as the Box Tops (from 1966 to ... [full story]

The Rev. Bob - an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church - befriended Bryan Cranston when both spent a summer of leisure on Catalina Island (26 miles off L.A.'s coast) in the mid-'70s. Cranston was having a good time during his summer break from studying police science in college; the Rev. Bob was cruising in neutral between performing wedding ceremonies.   BRYAN CRANSTON - In 'Breaking Bad,' Bryan Cranston plays Walt White, a mild mannered ... [full story]

"I met the man I would marry, Peter Paul, at one of my girlfriends' weddings when I was a bridesmaid - our eyes met across a crowded boat cruising on the Thames," said Lena Headey, 34, the British actress who took over Linda Hamilton's job on the American television series "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles."   LENA HEADEY - Lena Headey plays Sarah Connor in the sci-fi drama 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.' CNS Photo courtesy ... [full story]

"Tenacious" doesn't quite describe Lucy Liu's entire persona, but it's a start. An example of her entire makeup - including guts, determination and patience - is her singular focus on executive producing and playing the female lead in yet another remake of the "Charlie Chan" movie series.   LUCY LIU - Lucy Liu stars in the new comedy/drama series 'Cashmere Mafia.' CNS Photo courtesy of ABC. The "Charlie Chan" project - which could be very big, very ... [full story]

In contrast to the sad vanity of the anti-aging crowd in Hollywood, Jack Nicholson is conspicuously more comfortable with his changing physicality. Though his body may be growing more imperfect as he approaches his 71st birthday, Nicholson is enjoying life as much as always. The same could be said of his character in "The Bucket List," a dramatic comedy pairing Nicholson with another old pro, Morgan Freeman, as a couple of spunky but terminally ill ... [full story]

Nominations for the 80th Annual Academy Awards were announced Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The nominations were announced by academy President Sid Ganis and Oscar winner Kathy Bates in a Beverly Hills, Calif., news conference. Academy members selected the nominees in their respective branches, with the exception of the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, in which nominations were selected by vote of multi-branch screening committees, according to ... [full story]

In the wake of a tumultuous writer's strike that has crippled the film and TV industry, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its Oscar nominations Tuesday with some of Hollywood's biggest stars in the mix. George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones received acting nominations but the question remains whether they'll cross a picket line at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Feb. 24 when the Oscars are presented ... [full story]

Katherine Heigl just had a great year, becoming a newlywed, a bigger television star and, finally, a movie star. She married singer Josh Kelley two days before Christmas, continued to play Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens on the hit TV show "Grey's Anatomy," and co-starred in the smash comedy "Knocked Up."   KATHERINE HEIGL - Katherine Heigl is radiant in a bridesmaid dress in the romantic comedy '27 Dresses.' CNS Photo courtesy of Barry Wetcher. Now Heigl gets ... [full story]