By MARCELA ISAZA, Associated Press Writer 2 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - Hannah Montana mania has already conquered TV, the music industry and the touring world. Now it’s set to take over the film industry — for one week.

ADVERTISEMENT

On Friday, theaters nationwide will show “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert,” a 3-D film version of the sellout tour — and already, tickets for the film are in short supply. Clearly the “Hannah Montana” brand — which started as a Disney TV series but has branched out into multiplatinum albums and stage shows — hasn’t reached saturation point.

Which is all good for the 15-year-old star behind the phenomenon, Miley Cyrus. In the past year, she’s become a sensation that sells tabloids besides albums and tickets. Her fame would be hard for most adults to handle, but in a recent interview with The Associated Press, Miley seemed to have a good grasp on how to handle the spotlight.

AP: Why do a film version of the tour in 3-D?

Miley: It was mostly because of the tickets and there were so many people that didn’t get to come to the show. This is like better than front row. You could reach out and feel like you can touch my hand you could see me right then. Right there, right in front of you, which is so fun. Also just to be able to see behind the scenes which I think is the most clever part of anything. Just getting to see what all goes into this. They can walk around knowing what real hard work it is. I mean I think I have the easiest job.

AP: The movie also features your tour partners, the Jonas Brothers What was it like to perform with them?

Miley: With the Jonases our music is similar but it’s definitely not exact. There is a different vibe with the Hannah vibe and the Miley vibe. It’s just so many different tastes of music that to have it all in one show it’s just cool to introduce the kids to.

AP: Why do you think the Hannah Montana craze exploded last year?

Miley: The kids can relate — like once again with the 3-D movie, it will be even better. They don’t even know what they have coming when they get to see it. Just that Hannah Montana and the show are so relatable that not only the celebrity part of it but just getting to see the normal girl underneath it all is really incredible.

AP: Do you think you’ve been able to create your own identity outside of your famous character?

Miley: This tour was a really good way of doing that. Just kind of breaking out and having my music and get to have not only doing press stuff all the time and being like, ‘Miley Miley Miley.’ You get to go out in front of 20,000 people every night and show who you really are. I think that’s one of the best parts.

AP: Your tour was one of the highest-grossing tours, right up there with the Police and Justin Timberlake. What do you think about that?

Miley: Sometimes, ‘It’s like wow, I really have to be good. Especially when you hear what people are doing for tickets. It’s like this is their one chance to see the show and it’s the one night I’m going to be here so it has to be perfect.’

AP: One little girl’s mother even had her write a false story claiming her dad was killed in the Iraq war to win tickets to the concert. What was your reaction to that?

Miley: There is so much that has been going on just with everyone. There has been some really bad things happen, there’s been some really amazing things happen. Like I remember I was watching CNN today and there was this little girl that couldn’t afford to have her surgery. She took her tickets and put a bid for them and now can have her surgery. There has been amazing stories that have been going on with everyone so it’s really incredible.

AP: There was a recent controversy involving the brief use of a body double for you onstage. Can you explain why one was used at all?

Miley: It wasn’t because I didn’t want to sing or because I didn’t want to dance … it was because of time. I usually have an hour and a half to go from Hannah to Miley and I was doing this in one minute 50 seconds. So I needed at least three minutes to go and at least get a little drink of water and like chill for a second. So when I leave the stage the vocals are done. Like I’m done singing. So it wasn’t like my vocals were still playing, it was the Jonases who were still singing. So it was really no need for me to be on the stage anyways.

AP: Do the problems of other young stars, like Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy, put more pressure on you to set a better example for kids?

Miley: It does but I mean those persons don’t have anything to do with me either. So it’s like you just have your own heart and you have your own soul to kind of help you through life.

AP: Do you ever wish that you could just be a regular 15-year-old instead of a teen phenom?

Miley: I do sometimes but then again it definitely is fun and it’s been really nice because having my uncle as like my bodyguard and my mom with me and my dad, working with him. My family wants the best for me so they try to find a way so that I can still go out and hang with my friends and also have a normal life of my own.

___

On the Net:

http://tv.disney.go.com/disneychannel/hannahmontana/index.html

David Jenison Wed Jan 30, 4:57 AM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Pregnant teens rock!

ADVERTISEMENT

After collecting four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and passing $100 million at the box office, Juno topped off a banner week by delivering its soundtrack to the top of the album chart.

Not bad, considering the seven-week-old compilation is driven by an underground artist, anti-folkster Kimya Dawson of the decidedly lo-fi Antsy Pants and Moldy Peaches, and was a digital-only release at the start of the month.

For the week ended Sunday, the Juno soundtrack sold another 65,000 copies, according to the latest SoundScan numbers. It's the first soundtrack from a Best Picture nominee to top the charts since Titanic a decade ago. 

And this marks the first number one album for Rhino Records, a 30-year-old label, now owned by Warner Bros. Music, known for its retrospectives and hits collections.

"It's fitting that the Juno soundtrack should become Rhino's first-ever number one album," Scott Pascucci, Rhino's president, said in a statement. "Like Rhino, the soundtrack is a combination of quirky and cool that people seem to love. And the music works so perfectly with this brilliant film."

The film and soundtrack benefited from four Oscar nominations announced last week. Aside  from Best Picture, Jason Reitman was nominated for Best Director, star Ellen Page is up for Best Actress and the script by Diablo Cody is in the running for Best Original Screenplay.

Juno is also Fox Searchlight's highest grossing film to date.

In addition to the Dawson tracks, the Juno soundtrack features artists like the Kinks, Buddy Holly, Belle and Sebastian, Sonic Youth, Mott the Hoople, the Velvet Underground and Cat Power. A cover of the Moldy Peaches' "Anyone Else But You" by stars Page and Michael Cera recently became available as a ringtone and had its video debut on MTV.

After two weeks on top, Alicia Keys' As I Am slipped to number two on 60,000 copies.

Natasha Bedingfield scored the week's biggest bow with Pocketful of Sunshine—featuring the radio single "Love Like This" with Sean Kingston—selling 50,000 copies at three. The British singer-songwriter, who started her career in Christian music, first broke big with her 2004 debut Unwritten and its title track hit single. "Unwritten" went on to become the theme song to MTV's mind-numbing hit The Hills.

Cat Power's new covers album, Jukebox, scored the week's next best bow, selling 29,000 at 12. The indie favorite, whose real name is Chan Marshall, purrs her way through classics like Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain," James Brown's "Lost Someone," Bob Dylan's "I Believe in You" and even her own decade-old "Metal Heart."

Radio Disney Jams, Vol. 10 followed at 18 selling 21,000. The series' first installment, which featured all holiday songs, debuted in 2000.

Powered by the country hit "Stealing Cinderella," Chuck Wicks' rookie release Starting Now debuted at 24 selling 20,000. The Delaware-born singer appeared in both episodes of Fox TV's short-lived reality-soap Nashville.

Other notable debuts included Drive-By Truckers' Brighter Than Creations Dark at 36, Matt Costa's Unfamiliar Faces at 59, the Don't Look Away rerelease Ultra (featuring One Tree Hill star Kate Voegele) at 63, Dance 09 at 77 and Black Mountain's In the Future at 101.

Overall, album sales were up nearly 5 percent from last week but down over 10 percent compared to the same week last year.

Here's a rundown of the Top 10:

1. Juno soundtrack, various

2. As I Am, Alicia Keys

3. Pocketful of Sunshine, Natasha Bedingfield

4. Growing Pains, Mary J. Blige

5. In Rainbows, Radiohead

6. Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift

7. Exclusive, Chris Brown

8. Just Like You, Keyshia Cole

9. The Ultimate Hits, Garth Brooks

10. Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, Miley Cyrus

 

By MIKE SILVERMAN, Associated Press Writer 46 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Pity poor Manon Lescaut.

ADVERTISEMENT

Not only does Puccini’s operatic heroine die of exhaustion and thirst in a mythical desert outside New Orleans, she’s proving remarkably difficult to cast these days.

Before Karita Mattila appeared in the title role Tuesday night at the Metropolitan Opera, the company hadn’t presented “Manon Lescaut” in nearly 18 years, when Mirella Freni memorably last sang the part there.

Mattila, a Finnish soprano, is a familiar presence at the Met, notable for her thrilling upper register and her emotionally intense portrayals of characters as diverse as Leonore in Beethoven’s “Fidelio” and the title roles in Janacek’s “Jenufa” and Richard Strauss’ “Salome.”

Manon Lescaut is an interesting addition to her gallery of strong female personalities, but although she’s had success in the part in Chicago and San Francisco, it may not ideally suit her either vocally or dramatically.

Puccini’s tale of young lovers in 18th century France requires its heroine to undergo a rapid-fire change through the opera’s four short acts — from innocent young girl, to mistress of a wealthy old man, to a prisoner about to be deported, and, finally, to a despairing lost soul.

Mattila brought a measure of charm and pathos to the character, but too often these qualities were undercut by displays of nervous gestures and movements, particularly in Act 2 but also in her death scene. She also seemed to lack much chemistry with tenor Marcello Giordani as Des Grieux, the lover whom she temporarily abandons for a life of luxury.

Vocally, Mattila’s high notes were as luminous as ever, allowing her to make a particularly strong impression at the climax of her great final aria, “Sola, perduto, abbandonata!” (”Alone, lost, abandoned!”) But much of the role lies in the lower register where she is less in command and often has to force her voice.

Giordani has an ability rare among tenors these days to ride Puccini’s melodic line up to a ringing high C. He may not be the last word in vocal elegance, but he delivers with unstinting commitment. In supporting roles, baritone Dwayne Croft was dashing and sympathetic as Manon’s brother, Lescaut; bass-baritone Dale Travis was appropriately buffoonish as her elderly lover, Geronte, and tenor Sean Panikkar made a successful debut with a fresh, lyric sound as the student Edmondo.

The 1980 production, originally directed by Gian Carlo Menotti with lavish period sets by Desmond Heeley, is showing its age — something that cannot be said of Puccini’s brilliant score.

“Manon Lescaut,” which premiered in 1893, was the composer’s first big hit, and though he would go on to even greater success with works like “La Boheme” and “Madama Butterfly,” he never again matched the outpouring of melodic exuberance that makes the opera a constant delight — especially when given as spirited a performance as it received from the Met orchestra under the baton of James Levine.

___

On the Net:

http://www.metopera.org

By Steve James 36 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) - For years singer Shelby Lynne had heard the comparisons with Dusty Springfield.

ADVERTISEMENT

Although flattered to be mentioned in the same breath as the late British singer, Lynne never thought of covering any of her songs, especially those from the iconic "Dusty in Memphis" album, which was released in 1969, when she was just one year old.

But her friend singer Barry Manilow suggested it might be a good move in a career that has sputtered since she won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2001.

"He's a smart guy, and probably he had read all these … comparisons, which I don't believe in, nor do I like," Lynne said in an interview.

"He thought maybe I could do them (the songs) justice, and I never really thought about ever doing a cover record, period," she added, sipping red wine in a Manhattan hotel bar.

But Lynne was ready to do another album and thought people needed to be reminded about how great a singer Springfield was.

The result is Lynne's new album, "Just A Little Lovin"' (Lost Highway Records), which includes interpretations of nine Springfield songs, including three from "Dusty in Memphis."

Other songs on the album are the Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil-penned title track and a couple of Burt Bacharach/Hal David classics, "The Look of Love" and "Anyone Who Had a Heart," plus Dusty hits "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" and "I Only Want To Be With You."

GIVING RESPECT

Produced by Phil Ramone, Lynne's versions bear little resemblance to the originals. They're stripped-down, minimalist arrangements. The vocals waft over the spare piano and guitar sounds like hickory smoke from a barbecue in her native Alabama.

"I chose songs I could make mine, while still giving respect where it's due to Dusty and the song. I would never, ever, ever attempt to cut 'Son of a Preacher Man.' She owns that," Lynne said of one of Springfield's biggest hits.

She believes some songs belong to certain singers and would never record a song by her idol, Elvis Presley.

Springfield died of breast cancer at the age of 59 in 1999 on the day she should have collected her OBE (Order of the British Empire) award from Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace.

Born Mary O'Brien in London, Springfield became one of the top female singers of the 1960s after first appearing with her brother Tom as the folk-oriented Springfields.

She sang pop, R&B and soul, traditional folk and country. She was also credited by Motown records founder Berry Gordy with helping to popularize the Motown sound in Britain.

Like Springfield, Lynne is a little bit country and a little bit not.

Despite winning a Grammy seven years ago for the album "I Am Shelby Lynne," the 39-year-old singer is still looking for wider popular appeal.

Heading to Nashville after the tragedy of her parents' murder-suicide when she was 18, she had a few country hits early in her career and was named Top New Female Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music in 1991.

But like Springfield, Lynne is difficult to define, and for her the song is the most important thing.

"Dusty didn't care where a song came from or who had done it, just as long as she could take a huge chunk out of it as a singer," she said.

"You know, when you just get down to singin' that's how I chose my favorite songs. Which one can I take a chunk out of and make mine?"

Reuters/Nielsen

11 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Madonna is the richest woman in music.

ADVERTISEMENT

The 49-year-old entertainer leads Forbes.com’s list of the top 20 “Cash Queens of Music,” earning $72 million between June 2006 and June 2007.

The pop star’s “Confessions” world tour pulled in $260 million, Forbes said. She also made money from album sales, her fashion line with H&M and a deal with NBC to broadcast her concert performance at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Forbes.com said it compiled the list by examining concert grosses, merchandising revenue, album sales and other revenue from clothing lines, fragrance deals and endorsements.

Barbra Streisand is No. 2 with $60 million, thanks to her comeback tour of North America and Europe.

Celine Dion ranks third with $45 million, largely from her successful “A New Day” show in Las Vegas, which she wrapped up in December after a five-year engagement at Caesars Palace.

Shakira is fourth with $38 million, followed by Beyonce ($27 million), Gwen Stefani ($26 million), Christina Aguilera ($20 million), Faith Hill ($19 million), the Dixie Chicks ($18 million) and Mariah Carey ($13 million).

Hilary Duff, Avril Lavigne and Martina McBride each banked $12 million.

Britney Spears ranked 14th on the list, earning $8 million from music royalties and sales of her fragrances with Elizabeth Arden.

Spears is followed by Carrie Underwood and Nelly Furtado ($7 million each); Fergie, Jennifer Lopez and Sheryl Crow ($6 million each); and Norah Jones ($5.5 million).

___

On the Net:

Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com

21 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Television’s “Dr. Phil” McGraw says he regrets talking about Britney Spears’ mental health after visiting her in the hospital, but didn’t violate the family’s trust.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I regret making the statement. It didn’t help. It didn’t work,” the syndicated TV psychologist said Wednesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Spears, 26, was hospitalized in Los Angeles after a child custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline resulted in an hours-long standoff with police Jan. 3. Federline has sole physical and legal custody of their two sons, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1.

McGraw said he visited the pop singer as a family friend, and rejected critics who accused him of practicing psychology without a license.

“I did not go there to diagnose her. I did not go there to treat her,” said McGraw, who showed up at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Jan. 5 as Spears was about to be discharged.

McGraw said he retired his Texas license after 25 years of private practice because of the demands of his “Dr. Phil” daytime talk show.

The Spears family has accused McGraw of betraying their trust by making an “inappropriate” public statement about the singer’s hospitalization.

In an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday, McGraw said his public comments after visiting Spears were intended to prevent rumors and misinformation.

“I wanted to stop speculation about what may have gone on in there,” he said.

___

ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co. NBC is owned by the General Electric Co.

___

ABC:

On the Net:

http://abcnews.go.com/gma

NBC:

http://www.msnbc.com/

“Dr. Phil”:

http://www.drphil.com/

By RONALD BLUM, Associated Press Writer 12 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Jessye Norman is on a Spiritual mission.

ADVERTISEMENT

The soprano will curate a 20-day festival celebrating black cultural legacy next season at Carnegie Hall, which also will honor the 100th birthday year of composer Elliott Carter and present a complete cycle of Mahler symphonies in a 12-day period conducted by Daniel Barenboim and Pierre Boulez.

“Honor!,” created by Norman and the Carnegie Hall artistic staff, will include events at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and The Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

“I want them to come away from the festival understanding that the Spiritual can only be called a Spiritual — with a capital `S’ — if it was created by slaves,” Norman said at a news conference Tuesday. “I want them to stop using ‘gospel’ and ‘Spiritual’ interchangeably because they’re not the same thing.”

The festival runs from March 4-23, 2009. Norman will perform selections from Duke Ellington’s Three Sacred Concerts at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine on March 7, 2009, and schoolchildren will collaborate with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in a performance of Tippett’s “A Child of Our Time” on March 20, 2009. The Apollo will host programs on March 21-22, 2009.

There will be an all-day program of panel discussions and performances on black music at Zankel Hall and a concert by Dee Dee Bridgewater.

Carter, the season’s other primary focus, was appointed to Carnegie Hall’s composer’s chair for next season. The native New Yorker is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner.

“I don’t think I’ve changed,” he said. “It just comes out differently. A lot of my compositions are shorter than my earlier works.”

On Dec. 11, the day of Carter’s 100th birthday, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, music director James Levine and pianist Daniel Barenboim will play the New York premiere of Carter’s “Interventions for Piano and Orchestra,” a co-commission of Carnegie Hall, the BSO and the Staatskapelle Berlin. The following day, an all-Carter program of chamber music will be presented in Zankel Hall, below the main auditorium.

Pierre Boulez will conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the New York premiere of Carter’s “Reflexions” on March 10, 2009.

The season opens Sept. 24 with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, soprano Dawn Upshaw, baritone Thomas Hampson, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony in an all-Bernstein program, part of Carnegie’s “Bernstein: The Best of All Possible Worlds” programs.

The Staatskapelle Berlin will play the 10 Mahler symphonies from May 6-17, with Boulez conducting Nos. 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8, and Barenboim the rest. In addition, Barenboim is to play a solo piano recital on Dec. 14 at the Metropolitan Opera, where he also is to conduct Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” starting Nov. 28.

Composer Gyorgy Kurtag will hold an eight-day residency in January-February 2009 celebrating Hungarian music, and mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli will give a recital on March 3, 2009.

___

On the Net:

http://www.carnegiehall.org

47 minutes ago

LONDON - More than 40 years after it barred the iconic British band from playing there, Israel said it wants the surviving members of the Beatles to participate in a concert celebrating the country’s 60th birthday.

ADVERTISEMENT

But the Israeli embassy in London denied a report that the Jewish state had apologized for its original refusal to let the Beatles perform in the country. The band had been booked to appear in 1965, but the government refused to grant the necessary permits on the ground that its music might corrupt the country’s morals.

“Israel missed a chance to learn from the most influential musicians of the decade, and the Beatles missed an opportunity to reach out to one of the most passionate audiences in the world,” Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor said in a letter addressed to Sir Paul McCartney. “On our 60th anniversary, we would like to take the opportunity to offer you a second chance to play in Israel.”

The embassy said a letter was presented by Prosor to Jerry Goldman, CEO of the Beatles Story in the north England city of Liverpool. It was also sent to Sir Paul McCartney and Richard Starkey, better known as Ringo Starr.

43 minutes ago

TUESDAY, JAN. 29, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT

Questions to Josh Dickey at (212) 621-7882 or jdickey@ap.org. For photos, call Graham Morrison or Shoun Hill, both at (212) 621-1921. For graphics, call Scott Johnson at (212) 621-6900. For reruns of stories, call the Service Desk at (800) 838-4616.

___

NEW & DEVELOPING:

HOLLYWOOD LABOR-GRAMMYS: Writers union gives OK for members to work on 50th anniversary Grammy Awards show. By Lynn Elber.

TV-NBC-WOLF: NBC Universal takes producer of ‘Law & Order’ series to court in dispute over pay.

TV-CRASH SERIES: Oscar-winning film ‘Crash’ coming to TV as a drama series on cable’s Starz network.

BOOKS-HIJUELOS: Oscar Hijuelos planning companion novel to `The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love’. AP Photo NY448.

EU-FILE SHARING: EU court: Record labels can’t demand telecoms firms share downloader details. By Aoife White.

OBIT-TRUMAN’S DAUGHTER: Margaret Truman Daniel, only child of President Harry Truman, dies at 83. By Margaret Stafford. AP Photos NY111, NY113.

___

CELEBS:

PEOPLE-GARRISON KEILLOR: Garrison Keillor drops restraining order against zealous fan he accused of stalking him. AP Photo NY108.

PEOPLE-BRITNEY SPEARS-PAPARAZZI: Police head to Britney Spears’ neighborhood after report that paparazzi are trespassing.

PEOPLE-FOXY BROWN: New York judge denies Foxy Brown’s plea to get out of jail early for medical exam in Calif. AP Photo NYET188.

PEOPLE-FERGUSON: ‘Late Late Show’ host Craig Ferguson passes test to leave his ‘honorary citizen’ labels behind. AP Photo NY127.

BRITAIN-DIANA: Bodyguard tells inquest Princess Diana needed more protection.

PEOPLE-DIXIE CHICKS: Martie Maguire announces pregnancy, says latest Dixie Chick baby is a girl, due in late summer.

CHRISTIAN BRANDO-AUTOPSY: Family requests autopsy, including toxicology analysis, for Christian Brando. By Daisy Nguyen.

PEOPLE-MIKE WALLACE: Mike Wallace recovering from triple heart bypass surgery that doctors call a success. AP Photo NYET247.

___

TOP STORIES:

EXPATRIATE ENTERTAINERS

LOS ANGELES — Like hundreds of other entertainers before him, Heath Ledger had left his native Australia years before to carve out a career in the United States. With immigration a hot-button issue this election year, Ledger raises questions about why it’s easier for an actor to move to the United States than someone who washes dishes for a living. 900 words. By John Rogers.

AP Photos.

FILM-OSCARS-WHERE’S THE BUZZ?

LOS ANGELES — Fewer people have seen this year’s best-picture Oscar nominees than in many recent years, which is translating into a lack of buzz among the moviegoing public about the year’s best movies. By Movie Writer Christy Lemire. 900 words. Moving Tuesday.

AP Photos.

THE BRITNEY ECONOMY

UNDATED — When the Britney Spears saga hit a new level earlier this month on a police-escorted gurney, the inevitably mixed public reaction was only the half of it. From tabloid sales to TV ratings to overtime at the LAPD, every time Britney sinks to new lows, more money flows. By Business Writer Jeremy Herron. Moved Monday.

AP Photos NYET235-237.

CELEB-SUPER BOWL PARTIES

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — There’s a scuffle brewing in Arizona that has little to do with the Giants or the Patriots. In the days leading up to The Big Game, magazines such as Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Penthouse and Maxim will battle video game publisher Electronic Arts, trading card company Upper Deck and several others for the biggest, bestest, loudest and most celebrity-filled Super Bowl party. By Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang. 1,000 words. Moving Thursday.

AP Photos.

___

FILM:

FILM-RATATOUILLE

NEW YORK — Among the tales of depravity and violence that dominate this year’s Oscar race sits the bright and shining “Ratatouille.” The Pixar film landed five Oscar nominations and was ranked by many critics as one of the year’s best — yet was never a serious contender for best picture. Is one of the year’s best movies being ghettoized by the best animated film category? By Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle. 900 words. Moving Thursday.

AP Photos.

FILM-Q&A-ROGER DEAKINS

LOS ANGELES — Roger Deakins, the veteran cinematographer who has shot every Coen brothers film since 1991’s “Barton Fink,” is competing against himself at the Oscars this year. These are his sixth and seventh nominations — he’s never won. By Movie Writer Christy Lemire. 1,000 words. Moving Wednesday.

AP Photos.

FILM-ZOMBIE KING

George A. Romero invented the modern zombie movie. And he doesn’t like the way it’s been reinvented in flicks like “28 Days Later.” Gripe No. 1: “Dead people don’t move fast!” Romero exclaims in an interview. The filmmaker goes back to basics with his latest, “Diary of the Dead,” a tale of media saturation that uses the same subjective camera approach as the box office smash “Cloverfield.” By Entertainment Writer Ryan Pearson. 900 words. Moving Thursday.

AP Photos.

FILM REVIEW-OVER HER DEAD BODY. Moving Tuesday. AP Photo NYET681.

FILM REVIEW-HANNAH MONTANA. Moving Wednesday. AP Photo NYET680.

FILM CAPSULES. Moving Wednesday.

NEW ON DVD. Moved Thursday, Jan. 24.

___

TELEVISION:

AP ON TV-ALL AUSTEN

IVER HEATH, England — It teemed with rain during much of the filming of the latest TV production of “Sense and Sensibility.” But that was a good thing, because soggy weather is an important plot element in Jane Austen novels. “Sense and Sensibility” is the final offering in PBS’s current Masterpiece Classic series “The Complete Jane Austen.” By Bridget Byrne. Moved Monday.

AP Photos NYET326-327.

TV-LOST-EMERSON Q&A

NEW YORK — After an eight-month hiatus, “Lost” returns Thursday with an episode titled, appropriately, “The Beginning of the End.” Michael Emerson, as the unforgettable villain and ‘Others’ leader Ben Linus, tells the AP that the show’s good-vs.-evil dichotomy is about to get a third element. By Lauri Neff. Moved Monday.

AP Photos. AP Video

BC-AP ON TV-LOST AND FOUND

NEW YORK — For eight months, we had no contact with the island. But if any of us paused to wonder how they’re doing, we were right to be concerned. Sure, for a moment they think things are great. At the start of the new season of “Lost,” the castaways believe they’re about to be saved. Not so fast. 800 words. By Television Writer Frazier Moore. Moving Tuesday.

AP Photo NYET424

AP ON TV-VERSATILE BOB BALABAN

NEW YORK — He played an NBC exec who romanced Elaine on “Seinfeld.” He produced the Robert Altman film “Gosford Park.” His early film performances include “Midnight Cowboy,” “Catch-22″ and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” In recent years he was in “Capote” and continues to appear in Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries. Now the multi-hyphenate Balaban has directed “Bernard and Doris,” a tender, evocative HBO film starring Ralph Fiennes and Susan Sarandon as an Irish butler and the billionaire heiress he served. By Television Writer Frazier Moore. 800 words. Moving Thursday.

AP Photos NYMA105-109.

BC-TV-NIELSENS

NEW YORK — Fox dominated the weekly ratings again behind “American Idol” and the debut of the lie detector series “The Moment of Truth.” Moving Tuesday.

With BC-TV-NIELSENS-LIST

TV-LOOKOUT

UNDATED — Highlights (and lowlights) for the week ahead, Feb. 3-9. By Television Writer Frazier Moore. Moving Wednesday.

AP Photo planned.

___

MUSIC:

MUSIC-JONAS BROTHERS:

LOS ANGELES — If you’re not a tween/teenage girl or don’t live in proximity to one, you may not yet be in on the phenomenon created by the Jonas Brothers: 20-year-old Kevin, 18-year-old Joe and 15-year-old Nick. They opened for Miley Cyrus on her fall “Hannah Montana” tour to the delight of shrieking girls everywhere. Their song, “S.O.S.,” catapulted to No. 1 on iTunes. Their second album has sold more than 900,000 copies. And that’s just the beginning. By Melinda Newman. 1,000 words. Moving Tuesday.

AP Photos.

BC-MUSIC-HANNAH MONTANA

LOS ANGELES — Hannah Montana mania has already conquered TV, the music industry and the touring world. Now it’s set to take over movies, too. The girl behind the release of Friday’s concert movie — in 3D, no less — spoke with The Associated Press about the film, the Hannah craze and being Miley. Moving Wednesday.

AP Photos. AP Video.

GRAMMYS-CHRIS BOTTI

NEW YORK — Trumpet balladeer Chris Botti can’t quite figure out what his melodically romantic CD “Italia” is doing going up against the Beastie Boys’ funk-rock “The Mix-Up’” for best pop instrumental album, but Grammy nominations can be unpredicable for an artist who’s essentially created a musical genre all his own that defies categorization. By Charles J. Gans. 1,000 words. Moving Thursday.

AP Photos.

THE WRIGHTS

NASHVILLE — No matter how talented Adam Wright and his wife, Shannon, are, some will wonder if the duo got an easy ride because of Adam’s famous uncle, Alan Jackson. By Entertainment Writer John Gerome. 600 words. Moving Thursday.

AP Photos.

BC-MUSIC-CARNEGIE SEASON

NEW YORK — Jessye Norman is on a spiritual mission. The soprano will curate a 20-day festival celebrating the African-American cultural legacy next season at Carnegie Hall. Entitled “Honor!” it will include events at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and The Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

AP Photos.

MUSIC REVIEW-WILLIE NELSON. Moved.

MUSIC REVIEW-SHELBY LYNNE. Moved.

MUSIC REVIEW-THE MARS VOLTA. Moved.

MUSIC REVIEW-BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA. Moving Tuesday.

MUSIC REVIEW-RANDY THOMPSON. Moving Tuesday.

MUSIC REVIEW-JOE JACKSON. Moving Tuesday.

MUSIC REVIEW-DAILEY & VINCENT. Moving Tuesday.

___

ON STAGE:

THEATER-CHRISTOPHER FITZGERALD

NEW YORK — When Christopher Fitzgerald learned he’d be Igor in “Young Frankenstein,” the most most anticipated musical of the fall Broadway season, he was already deep in another role — quite literally. Fitzgerald was trying to act from inside an enormous, marshmallowy Cabbage Patch costume, filming one of those offbeat Geico insurance commercials. By Mark Kennedy. 1,200 words. Moved Monday.

AP Photos.

BROADWAY TIX

NEW YORK — Wanna hear what the next generation of musical-theater composers and lyricists is up to? Check out a new podcast series put together by the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. You can hear what its members, both current and past, have in their trunks, courtesy of a 20-episode podcast now being heard at http://www.bmi.com/fridayatfour. By Drama Writer Michael Kuchwara.

AP Photo NYET690.

OFF-BROADWAY TIX

NEW YORK — What do you do for an encore after winning a 2007 Tony Award for best actress? If you are Julie White, the a deserving Tony winner for last season’s “The Little Dog Laughed,” you go off-Broadway to star in the Manhattan Theatre Club’s world premiere of “From Up Here,” a dark family comedy by Liz Flahive about high school, second marriages and more. By Drama Writer Michael Kuchwara.

AP Photo NYET691.

THEATER REVIEWS:

• “Jerry Springer the Opera in Concert.” Harvey Keitel stars in a concert version of the London success for two performances at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Moving Wednesday.

• “Deathbed.” Mark Schultz’s meditation on loss, suffering and compassion. Off-Broadway’s McGinn/Cazale Theatre. Moving Thursday.

• “Hunting and Gathering.” Four New Yorkers try to find their place in the world. A play by Brooke Berman. Off-Broadway’s Primary Stages. Moving Sunday, Feb. 3.

___

INTERNET:

ON THE NET

UNDATED — The Sundance Film Festival has concluded, but the marketplace for independent movies isn’t just located in the snowy mountains of Utah: it’s online. By Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle. 700 words. Moving Wednesday.

AP Graphic ON THE NET LOGO.

___

VIDEO GAMES:

GAMES-GTA IV PREVIEW

NEW YORK — Niko Bellic, the lead character in “Grand Theft Auto IV,” will be able to do just about anything gamers want to him to do. That includes shooting pedestrians, meeting women online, blowing stuff up, visiting strip clubs and, of course, hijacking cars. Such choices will face players of Rockstar Games’ highly anticipated fourth entry in their controverisal but lucrative “Grand Theft Auto” gaming franchise. By Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang. 1,000 words. Moving Wednesday.

AP Photos.

GAMES-XBOX ARCADE: “Boogie Bunnies,” “Omega Five,” “Switchball.” By Lou Kesten. 700 words. Moving Wednesday. AP Photos NY386-388.

GAMES-NEWS BYTES: Week in video-game news: Electronic Arts’ free Battlefield; a video-game PAC. By Lou Kesten. 700 words. Moving Wednesday. AP Photo NY389.

___

CELEBRITIES:

CELEB-NOW HEAR THIS-WRAPUP — Quotes from AP Entertainment. Moving Thursday.

CELEB-BIRTHDAYS. Moved Monday.

CELEB-FLASHBACKS. Moved Monday.

CELEB-HIGHFIVE LISTS. Moved Monday. Will be updated.

The AP.