SAN DIEGO - With less than a week before Christmas, retailers are pulling out the stops with extended hours, discounts and expedited shipping for online orders. Stores such as JCPenney, Macy's and Toys "R" Us are staying open until midnight at their stores and even operating around the clock in New York and some other cities. Best Buy and others are guaranteeing online purchases will be delivered in time for Christmas. Retailers such as JCPenney ... [full story]

When Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings made their San Diego debut two years ago, this vintage R&B-celebrating band from Brooklyn was so low-profile it barely qualified as a sub-underground sensation.   SHARON JONES - 'Don't let anybody tell you that you can't succeed in music because of how you look or what you're wearing,' says vocal sensation Sharon Jones, 51. CNS Photo courtesy of Dulce Pinzon. Now, thanks to such famous fans-cum-collaborators as Amy Winehouse, Denzel Washington, ... [full story]

A 22-year old Bend man –- allegedly driving with a suspended license and in possession of drugs -- was captured by a police dog and it’s handler after the man led officers on a short car chase, then attempted to flee on foot after he failed to stop his vehicle when police tried to pull him over for a traffic stop early this morning, authorities reported.   Brandon Berrett (left) and Jenny Lee Johnson (right) - ... [full story]

From the moment he stepped on screen in "Eastern Promises" (Universal, 4 stars) I was prepared to despise the Russian hood Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen). His predatory look, his sneer, his cold personality, his Russianness - they should have been painfully out of place on a London street and yet, Nikolai swaggers like he owns the block.   'EASTERN PROMISES' - Naomi Watts and Viggo Mortensen star in the gripping mob thriller 'Eastern Promises.' CNS Photo courtesy ... [full story]

It's months away, but already the first major exhibition of modernist American architect John Lautner's work is stirring a buzz among architects and those with a passion about the discipline.   A VISIONARY DESIGNER - 'Too much of what goes on today are 'facilities' ... they are seldom architecture,' wrote the late John Lautner, a legendary architect. CNS Photo courtesy of Lautner Foundation. The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, part of UCLA, announced in November that it ... [full story]

Anyone who has ever put up Christmas lights knows the problem: Holiday strands so carefully packed away last year are now more knotty than nice. In fact, they have become an inextricable, inexplicable, seemingly inevitable mess. It happens every year, like some sort of universal law of physics.   XMASKNOT - University of California San Diego researchers Doug Smith, 38, right,who is a professor of Physics at UCSD, and Dorian Raymer, 24, left, who is a ... [full story]

Home sales will finally start climbing again in 2008. That's the most recent forecast from economists at the National Association of Realtors. The projection applies to existing (previously owned) homes. Recovery for newly constructed home sales is unlikely before 2009, it was noted in the association's report. "The unusual mortgage disruptions that peaked in August were clearly seen in lower home sales that were finalized in September and October, so the market was underperforming," said ... [full story]

An ominous trend is emerging in the home selling market. An increasing number of buyers are purchasing homes sight-unseen, which is a terrible idea. One reason for the trend is the easy access of information about available properties via the Internet, including photographic "virtual tours" of outside and inside views, and even neighborhood tours. This convinces some buyers that they know enough about the home to make an offer without personally inspecting the property. In ... [full story]

Bras, panties, frocks, blouses, sweaters, coats, handbags and shoes whirled around in the master bedroom at Cat Deeley's Beverly Hills home as she was packing a handful of large suitcases only three weeks before Christmas.   CAT DEELEY - Cat Deeley will host a 'New Year's Eve Live' show in front of the Planet Hollywood restaurant in Times Square this year. CNS Photo courtesy of Jeff Neira. She was in the eye of the relatively calm (make ... [full story]

Despite her status as one of Hollywood's highest-paid and most-sought-after actresses, Nicole Kidman never had the lead role in a movie that made more than $100 million at the U.S. box office. She is certainly comfortable with that.   NICOLE KIDMAN - Nicole Kidman plays icy-hearted villainess Mrs. Coulter in the fantasy movie 'The Golden Compass.' CNS Photo courtesy of Lauri Sparham. But all the same, Kidman sure could stand to star in a hit, and "The ... [full story]