According to Washington. D.C., legend, President Jimmy Carter ordered a wild turkey to be set free on the White House lawn on April 24, 1980, the night Austin Nichols was born.   AUSTIN NICHOLS - Austin Nichols plays John Monad, a surfing mystic with supernatural powers in the TV drama 'John From Cincinnati.' CNS Photo courtesy of HBO. Family lore holds that the healthy baby boy, screaming at the top of his lungs, was named - under ... [full story]

Julie Delpy, 37, has worked steadily in film since she was a teenager in Paris, beginning with her first role in "Detective" for French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard. American audiences know Delpy best for her work opposite Ethan Hawke in "Before Sunrise" and the Oscar-nominated follow-up, "Before Sunset."   JULIE DELPY - Julie Delpy, seen here with Adam Goldberg, stars and directs the romantic comedy '2 Days In Paris.' CNS Photo courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn ... [full story]

"Spook Country" by William Gibson; Putnam; 371 pages; $26. The opening lines of William Gibson's "Neuromancer" (1984), the hyperspaced novel-rocket that launched cyberpunk, mention, not quite casually, a paper-thin fragment of rusted-out metal. For Gibson, physical objects are at best transitory - placeholders, maybe, will-o'-the-wisp suggestions that an idea once coalesced at a certain time (subjective) and place (ditto).   TIME HAS COME - William Gibson bends time and much more in 'Spook Country.' CNS Photo. The ... [full story]

As good as the Avett Brothers' brand of genre-leaping American roots music is, it almost pales compared to some of the eyebrow-raising attempts to describe how it sounds.   THE AVETT BROTHERS - The Avett Brothers recently earned three American Music Association Award nominations, including an Album of the Year nod. Pictured, from left, are Scott Avett, Bob Crawford and Seth Avett. CNS Photo courtesy of Crackerfarm. "Post-Civil War modern rock," gushed one historically challenged music critic. ... [full story]

"Hot Rod" is a cinematic shot of silliness, a simplistic speck at barely more than 80 minutes. You could do worse - "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" or "License to Wed," for instance - than spend a spell with winsome Andy Samberg.   THREE AMIGOS - Jorma Taccone (left), Akiva Schaffer and Andy Samberg have been pals since junior high and work together on 'Saturday Night Live.' They fashioned the show's imaginative digital shorts, ... [full story]

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Wide-smiling "Becoming Jane" star Anne Hathaway will soon describe how she once threw a jar of Chanel anti-cellulite cream against her bathroom wall to relieve work-related stress.   'BECOMING JANE' - Anne Hathaway spent a month in England immersing herself in the country in preparation for her role in 'Becoming Jane.' CNS Photo courtesy of Colm Hogan/Miramax Films.But right now, the ivory-skinned 24-year-old chatterbox is reliving the emotional drain of playing beloved ... [full story]

Game: "Transformers: The Game" Publisher: Activision System: Microsoft Xbox 360 Cost: $60 ESRB rating: T Review rating: 2 stars   SHAPE SHIFTERS - In 'Transformers: The Game,' each mode is unique, sporting a wide variety of weapons and abilities. CNS Photo courtesy of Activision.    WORK IT UP - In 'Hot Brain,' players must complete challenges in easy mode before they move on. CNS Photo courtesy of Midway. While Transformers fans might not all be thrilled with Michael Bay's ... [full story]

The first among equally unknown actors who make up the ensemble cast of "American Body Shop," Pete Hulne is deliriously happy not only to be working, but getting paid for something he truly loves - improvisation.   PETE HULNE - Pete Hulne plays Sam Kelly, the owner of an auto body shop staffed by loonies, in the TV comedy 'American Body Shop.' CNS Photo courtesy of Comedy Central. "American Body Shop" - created by Sam Greene, directed ... [full story]

"The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman; Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press; 324 pages; $25.   'THE WORLD WITHOUT US' - Science writer and journalism professor Alan Weisman contemplates the fate of the world if humans weren't around in 'The World Without Us.' CNS Photo. Maturity having overtaken me, I no longer squint at the hood ornament and pretend to machine gun oncoming cars. For one thing, I don't ride in the back seat with my brother ... [full story]

How busy is Eldar Djangirov, the 20-year-old jazz piano sensation with the boyish looks and monster instrumental chops? Let us count the ways. On Aug. 7, he performed on the Los Angeles-based "Jimmy Kimmel Live," making him one of the few jazz artists of any age to play on that late-night TV show.   ELDAR - Eldar Djangirov is a 20-year-old jazz piano sensation with the boyish looks and monster instrumental chops. CNS Photo. The next day ... [full story]

"I could have chosen somebody else, but it was too good to pass up," says Steve Buscemi of acting reporter Pierre in "Interview." Later, he admits, "Of course, if I had chosen someone else that might have helped us get the financing faster!"   'INTERVIEW' - At the helm of 'Interview,' Steve Buscemi tried for a 'character study of two damaged souls working off each other.' Here he is in a scene with Sienna Miller. CNS ... [full story]

Jennifer Lopez caught her big break in 1997 when she was tapped to play a pop music starlet in the biopic "Selena." A decade later, the Bronx-born star is returning to the genre of musician biographies as a producer and co-star of "El Cantante," a film about the late salsa singer, Hector Lavoe. Lopez's real-life husband, Marc Anthony, portrays the Puerto Rico-born Lavoe, who was one of the founding fathers of New York's 70's salsa ... [full story]

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. - Since the Summer of Love is having its 40th anniversary, the phrase itself is back in circulation. But the revolution in graphic design that came along with that summer, actually began in late 1966 and was in full swing by the spring of 1967.   MEMORIES OF THE SUMMER OF LOVE - Rick Griffin designed this poster, featuring both his iconic eyeball and skull, in 1968. CNS Photo courtesy of Robert Greenwald.    TRANSCENDENCE ... [full story]