No eighth Harry Potter book
British author J.K. Rowling will not write an eighth episode of the popular Harry Potter series, her agent said Monday. Rowling, whose boy wizard tales have made her a worldwide publishing phenomenon, dismissed British media speculation she may be planning an extra book.
( Reuters, 10/21/2002 12:33 PM PDT)

'Hairspray' Star Gets TV Deal
"Hairspray" star Marissa Jaret Winokur has styled a deal for herself to go from the Broadway stage to the television screen.
( 10/21/2002 12:28 PM PDT)

Oasis cancels Manila gig
The British rock band Oasis has canceled a concert in the Philippine capital Manila over security fears following this month's "terrorist" attacks, the group's representatives said Monday.
( Reuters, 10/21/2002 09:34 AM PDT)

New Yorker picks fiction editor
The New Yorker magazine has tapped Deborah Treisman as its new fiction editor, a spokeswoman said Monday.
( 10/21/2002 08:17 AM PDT)

Radiohead wins big at Q Awards
Radiohead won Q Magazine's "Best Act in the World Today" award Monday for the second year running. The five-member band from Oxford warded off stiff competition from U2, Stereophonics and Coldplay to win the magazine's most prestigious award for their critically acclaimed album "Amnesiac."
( Reuters, 10/21/2002 07:15 AM PDT)

Fan fatally stabbed during Nelly show
A fan stabbed at a concert featuring rap artist Nelly has died, while another remained hospitalized - the second musical event where violence has erupted in recent months, police said.
( 10/21/2002 04:58 AM PDT)

'The Ring' rules box office
One thriller replaced another at the top of the North American weekend box office, while two other new releases bombed.
( BY DEAN GOODMAN, Reuters, 10/20/2002 04:51 PM PDT)

Accountant to review Pooh case
A Los Angeles judge has called in an accountant to review a court battle over a honey pot of royalties from the whimsical children's story, Winnie the Pooh.
( BY PETER HENDERSON, Reuters, 10/20/2002 04:49 PM PDT)

Ten greatest Britons selected by poll
Winston Churchill, Princess Diana and John Lennon made it -- but Tony Blair, Queen Elizabeth II, and Paul McCartney failed to register in the list of top 10 Britons of all time, the BBC said Saturday.
( Reuters, 10/19/2002 08:51 AM PDT)

Pa. Gov. protests VH1 prison rock
Gov. Mark Schweiker joined a group of protesters incensed at the VH1 premiere of a show featuring prison bands, including a musician convicted of murdering two Lehigh University students.
( 10/19/2002 08:47 AM PDT)

USA to copy 'Idol' with 'Nashville Star'
The USA Network wants to do for country music what Fox television's "American Idol" did for pop.
( Reuters, 10/18/2002 04:54 PM PDT)

Sean Penn lashes Bush over Iraq
Actor Sean Penn on Friday weighed in on the international debate over a possible war with Iraq, paying for a $56,000 advertisement in the Washington Post accusing President Bush of stifling debate and threatening civil liberties.
( Reuters, 10/18/2002 01:56 PM PDT)

"Bashful Brother Oswald" dead at 90
Beecher Ray Kirby, the Grand Ole Opry fixture known as "Bashful Brother Oswald," has died at age 90, his family said on Friday. The gregarious performer, a standout on Dobro, guitar and banjo in the late Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys band, had been in ill health for some time after a bout with cancer. He died on Thursday at his home in Nashville.
( Reuters, 10/18/2002 12:13 PM PDT)

'Gangs of New York' Gets New Date
Miramax Films has avoided having Leonardo DiCaprio compete with himself by moving the release date of "Gangs of New York" to Dec. 20.
( 10/18/2002 09:04 AM PDT)

McCoury Band wins Bluegrass Awards
The Del McCoury Band took home three International Bluegrass Music Awards on Thursday, including best entertainer in bluegrass music and a first-time win for song of the year.
( LORI BURLING, Associated Press Writer, 10/18/2002 08:30 AM PDT)

ABC commits to 'George Lopez'
Latino-flavored sitcom "George Lopez," showing greater ratings promise since its wobbly start last spring, received a full-season commitment on Thursday from the ABC network,
( Reuters, 10/18/2002 04:15 AM PDT)

Booker Prize 'winner' named by mistake
Organizers of Britain's prestigious Booker Prize for literature were red-faced Thursday after they accidentally named one of the short-listed candidates as the winner.
( Reuters, 10/17/2002 03:15 PM PDT)

Universal ups royalties for downloads
Universal Music Group, the world's biggest music company, has increased the royalties it pays artists on downloaded music, sources close to the company said on Thursday.
( BY SUE ZEIDLER, Reuters, 10/17/2002 02:11 PM PDT)

Bjork's mom goes on hunger strike
The mother of Icelandic pop queen Bjork is in the midst of a hunger strike in a bid to persuade the world's largest aluminum producer to pull out of a project in the Icelandic highlands.
( 10/17/2002 02:08 PM PDT)

Gandolfini admits past drug abuse
"The Sopranos" star James Gandolfini, immersed in a divorce from his wife, has admitted he once struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, a spokesman said.
( 10/17/2002 02:04 PM PDT)

'Rosie' magazine shuttered
A month after talk show host Rosie O'Donnell severed ties with the magazine bearing her name, itsof "Rosie" and fired most of its employees.
( Reuters, 10/17/2002 10:48 AM PDT)

National book award finalists announced
"Master of the Senate," the third volume of Robert Caro's epic chronicle of the life and times of Lyndon Johnson, is among the finalists for the 53rd annual National Book Awards.
( HILLEL ITALIE, Associated Press Writer, 10/17/2002 09:13 AM PDT)

Film producer Sidney Pink dies
Sidney Pink, the film producer who is considered the father of the feature-length 3-D movie, has died. He was 86.
( 10/17/2002 06:23 AM PDT)

Recording, tribute for Rosemary Clooney
A newly discovered recording of Rosemary Clooney's last public performance, taped without her knowledge seven months before her death, will be released next month, the Concord Records label said on Wednesday.
( BY STEVE GORMAN, Reuters, 10/17/2002 04:40 AM PDT)

NBC hits in ratings slump
If "The West Wing" were the real White House, glum-faced presidential operatives would be obsessing over worrisome poll numbers.
( DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer, 10/17/2002 04:34 AM PDT)