Their only son's skeletal remains were housed in a cardboard box and tagged as prosecution evidence for more than three years. Finally this spring, in a cemetery in California's high desert, Vietnam vet Lanny Davis and his retired Army medic wife, Remy, laid to rest the bone fragments etched with stab marks from a knife.   PAUL HAGGIS - Paul Haggis wrote and directed 'In the Valley of Elah,' based in part on the story of ... [full story]

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Draped sideways across an armchair, his legs protruding and pretzeled at strange angles, Emile Hirsch looks like a yogi who has just been blown over backward, perhaps by an especially potent blast of wisdom.   SURVIVOR - Emile Hirsch takes on the physically demanding role of Christopher McCandless in 'Into the Wild.' CNS Photo courtesy of Chuck Zlotnick. Though he appears serene (or maybe just sleepy), Hirsch's puzzle-piece pose seems appropriate for an ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES - Tom Colicchio was roasting meat in the kitchen of his new restaurant here recently when a friend text-messaged his cell phone to say that viewers of the "Top Chef" TV series had just voted him the sexiest judge on the show.   CRAFT MASTER - Head judge Tom Colicchio looks on as contestants Sara M. (left) and Casey prepped onions during an episode of 'Top Chef.' 'I'm shocked at how many people watch ... [full story]

Jennifer Garner worked as a double agent for the CIA while going to college, reconnecting with her spymaster dad and chasing down bad guys as agent Sydney Bristow on TV's "Alias."   JENNIFER GARNER - Jennifer Garner portrays forensic examiner Janet Mayes in the thriller 'The Kingdom.' CNS Photo courtesy of Frank Connor. Now Garner is a mom, but the lovely actress can still dish it out to the bad guys. In her new film "The Kingdom," ... [full story]

Peter Fonda, a grizzled veteran of several Westerns, climbs back into the saddle for "3:10 to Yuma," a mythic morality tale of the Old West that reinvigorates the classic American film genre.   PETER FONDA - Peter Fonda plays Pinkerton guard Byron McElroy in the Western drama '3:10 to Yuma.' CNS Photo courtesy of Richard Foreman. Co-starring opposite Russell Crowe, who plays cold-hearted killer Ben Wade, Fonda portrays a character who does not appear in the original ... [full story]

Time to rise for fall, filmgoers. The narrowest and least celebrated of movie-launch seasons still promises a lot. And after a stunned, often staggering summer (grosses outrun gratitude), we cry out for quality. Or, at least, diverting simulations of quality.   REEL IMPROVEMENT - Major stars align to brighten normally lackluster fall film season. Among the notables are Cate Blanchette in 'Elizabeth, the Golden Age'; Jamie Foxx in 'The Kingdom'; and Halle Berry in 'Things We ... [full story]

Martha Lauzen won't divulge her age, her marital or familial status, even her history on the faculty at San Diego State University. They are inquiries, she says, on which women for too long have been judged.   WOMEN IN FILM - Professor Martha Lauzen focuses on the representation of women in the TV and motion picture industries. Her research reports have been published in academic journals and are often referred to in Hollywood trade papers. CNS ... [full story]

Debra Ginsberg describes herself as "a very omnivorous reader." And while it's true that she ricochets from fiction to nonfiction, from serious literature to flat-out fluff, her reading is at the same time constrained by her work.   NEW AUTHOR - Author Debra Ginsberg likes to read in the genre she's writing in. She's just finished her second novel, 'The Grift,' a psychological thriller. CNS Photo by Sean DuFrene. Which is, for the most part, writing: Ginsberg ... [full story]

It's been 2 1/2 years since Kings of Leon opened the first concert of U2's 2005 "Vertigo" world tour at the San Diego Sports Arena, but the members of this critically acclaimed Tennessee band remember that night as clearly as yesterday.   KINGS OF LEON - The Kings of Leon are Nathan Followill, Matthew Followill, Caleb Followill and Jared Followill. CNS Photo courtesy of James Minchin III. It was the first time this young quartet of rootsy ... [full story]

From a very young age, while going to drama school in England and training in theater, it was always about the work for actor Clive Owen. While he continues to fly just below the celebrity radar, Owen, 42, makes a point of keeping his roles as varied as possible so his work stays challenging and he avoids getting typecast.   CLIVE OWEN - Clive Owen plays dangerous mystery man Mr. Smith in the thriller 'Shoot 'Em ... [full story]

I cast the blame on Jack Klugman. Ever since Klugman's portrayal of Oscar Madison in the 1970's sitcom "The Odd Couple," sportswriters have been routinely depicted on TV and the big screen as cigar-chomping, beer-guzzling, pear-shaped hacks in search of the next buffet.   STEREOTYPE - Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison on 'The Odd Couple' is many people's vision of a sportswriter. CNS Photo courtesy of ABC. Bad dressers, too. The brush is far too broad to ... [full story]

The world is very different today than it was 25 years ago. But if a couple of pop music fans had been placed in suspended animation in 1982 and suddenly awakened now, they might think time had stood still, at least when it comes to concerts and the most popular live performers.   ROCK OF AGES - Break out the Ben-Gay, concert venues are being invaded by stars of the past and they are ready to ... [full story]

Here is a good bar bet. Can you name the actor who appeared in the most films in the 1990s? With roles in 43 movies, the busiest actor of that decade was Samuel L. Jackson. And he is not very far off that pace in the new millennium.   SAMUEL L. JACKSON - Samuel L. Jackson plays a broken-down, homeless boxer, a champ long thought to be dead in 'Resurrecting the Champ. CNS Photo courtesy of ... [full story]