Tired of banging her head against Hollywood's thick brick walls due to subtle forms of ("non-existent") discrimination facing all film and television actresses over 40, Judith Chapman packed up her makeup and most of her belongings and moved 125 miles east to the spectacular desert setting of Palm Springs, Calif., in 1991.   JUDITH CHAPMAN - Judith Chapman stars as Gloria Bardwell in the daytime drama 'The Young and the Restless.' CNS Photo courtesy of Robert ... [full story]

"Blue Star: The True Story of One Man's Spiritual Awakening and Vision Quest" by Robert Harding; Cronos Press; 188 pages; $13. This supernova of a book chronicles the true experiences of a man intent on believing and trusting his intuition as he lives out his spiritual journey.   'BLUE STAR' - 'Blue Star' by Robert Harding chronicles the true experiences of a man intent on believing and trusting his intuition as he lives out his spiritual ... [full story]

Drew Andrews is becoming a seasoned international traveler - and he has his love of music to thank for his constantly growing number of frequent-flyer miles.   DREW ANDREWS - Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Drew Andrew recently launched a 15-city European tour with From the Shade, a new three-piece group that teams him with fellow Album Leaf members. CNS Photo by K.C. Alfred.  The lowdown on Andrews MUSICIAN: Drew Andrews AGE: 29 LATEST RELEASES: "I Could Write ... [full story]

First impressions can be misleading, as Tristan Prettyman found out after she and her then-boyfriend, fellow singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, toured North America as the opening acts for James Blunt in 2005.   TRISTAN PRETTYMAN - Tristan Prettyman kicked off on a new tour recently. 'I'm so proud of this record that I want to share it with everyone,' she said. CNS Photo courtesy of Sasha Eisenman.  DiFranco one of Prettyman's favorites Tristan Prettyman's reputation as a sensitive ... [full story]

If you look hard enough, you can probably still find "No Country for Old Men," recently crowned best picture of the year by the Oscar gods, on the big screen. That's still the best way to appreciate the Coen brothers' lyrical but brutal film, especially if you haven't yet seen it: larger than life, with its sweeping West Texas desolation and iconic characters overcoming you in the darkness.   TIME TO LEAVE - Josh Brolin takes ... [full story]

There was a three-month period in Tyler Perry's life, several years ago, when he was penniless and homeless. Now at 38, he is a top African-American playwright and the driving force behind a surprise box-office bonanza.   TYLER PERRY - At 38, Tyler Perry is a top playwright and the driving force behind several box-office bonanzas. He's seen here as Madea in the movie 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman.' CNS Photo courtesy of Alfeo Dixon.  "Meet ... [full story]

Jodie Foster serves as the model for all child stars who want to keep their Hollywood careers thriving. Foster once admitted that she had her share of shaky off-screen moments as a teenage actress, but thankfully the paparazzi were not so interested then in documenting the starlet's missteps.   JODIE FOSTER - In 'Nim's Island,' Jodie Foster plays a reclusive writer of wild adventure tales who reluctantly joins her friend on a hunt for the girl's ... [full story]

Joseph Beuys, one of the most influential German artists to emerge after World War II, declared "Art that cannot shape society and therefore also cannot penetrate the heart ... is no art."   SOCIAL ENGINEERING - The face on the screen poses as a guide to the bookless library of the future, in a multimedia installation by Adrienne Jenik, 'SPECLIC: Welcum 2 the Infosphere' on display in San Diego. CNS Photo by Nelvin C. Cepeda.  But as ... [full story]

The risk to children who see "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!" is not that they won't enjoy the new film. It's that the book, a classic first published in 1954, may never again be quite as entertaining.   HORTON HEARS IT - Does the magic of the master of kids' books lose anything when the creations leave the printed page? CNS Photo courtesy of Blue Sky Studios.   That possibility is what fuels often-heated debates over whether ... [full story]

BEND, Ore.  -- The Second Sunday reading event, hosted by Bend Public Library, will feature two of the winners of the 2007 Rising Star Creative Writing Competition sponsored by The Nature of Words. One of the featured writers will be Theresa Peoples, who won both the poetry and the literary nonfiction in the 15-18 year-old category in 2007. She currently attends the International School of the Cascades in Redmond, Ore. Also reading will be Michele ... [full story]

Looking out for No. 1, Julianna Margulies made it known through a network of agents that she was ready and willing to work, but any involvement with a dramatic television series would be limited to a cable-TV project only calling for a dozen or so episodes per season.   JULIANNA MARGULIES - In the TV drama 'Canterbury's Law,' Julianne Marguiles plays Elizabeth Canterbury, a brilliant attorney dedicated to taking on impossible cases. CNS Photo courtesy of ... [full story]

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Abby Mann, an Oscar- and Emmy-winning filmmaker who specialized in hard-hitting, issue oriented projects, has died at 80 in Beverly Hills, Calif.Mann -- who won the screenwriting Oscar for the 1961 drama "Judgment at Nuremberg" -- died Tuesday of heart failure, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. As writer, director and producer of such Emmy-winning TV movies as "The Marcus-Nelson Murders," "Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story" and "Indictment: The McMartin ... [full story]

BEND, Ore. -- Good seats are still available for the Arlo Guthrie Benefit Concert Thursday, April 3, at 8 p.m. in the Bend High School Auditorium. All tickets are assigned seating and can be purchased online, by calling 541-322-0863 or visiting the KPOV Studio, 501 NW Bond Street, Bend, Monday-Friday 1-5 p.m. Proceeds from the concert will benefit KPOV, Bend Community Radio. Premiere seating is $40 in advance, $45 at the door, $35 for KPOV ... [full story]