 The joy of comfort
 K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune
Whether it's a blankie and a Jane Austen miniseries or a humbling encounter with the stars at the Palomar Observatory, comfort and escape are as close as your couch and as simple as a day at the beach. And never underestimate the restorative powers of the perfect baked potato.
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Symphony opener a tour de force
Program resonates with a mighty Lang
Oct. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Murmurs from the furred and feathered crowd shuffling into the Balboa Theater on Saturday night for the San Diego Symphony's opening gala, “Opus 2008,” suggested the show was a hit even before the music started.
“I can't believe we made it,” one woman draped in a heavy necklace whispered to her companion. “I need Rachmaninoff.”
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NEW YORK, 9:42 a.m. Oct. 6 (AP)Lohan's estranged father to jump into boxing ring: Michael Lohan isn't the type to back down from a fight. The estranged father of Lindsay Lohan has publicly feuded with the actress, her girlfriend Samantha Ronson and her mother Dina Lohan. ANAHEIM, 3:27 a.m. Oct. 6 (AP)
Miley Cyrus celebrates Sweet 16 at Disneyland: Miley Cyrus' 16th birthday party was more boisterous than sweet. Cyrus celebrated the hallmark birthday at an over-the-top Disneyland celebration Sunday – even though she doesn't actually turn 16 until Nov. 23. NEW YORK, 1:32 a.m. Oct. 6 (AP)
Jimmy Kimmel returns as American Music Awards host: Jimmy Kimmel is coming back to provide more laughs for the American Music Awards. The comedian and talk show host is slated to host the annual event on Nov. 23 live from Los Angeles on ABC. Pink and the Jonas Brothers are among those scheduled to perform.
Oct. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Lee Grant's Outtakes:Showtime's “Dexter” (9 p.m. Sundays) is back, and, once again, it's an opportunity to observe the superb Michael C. Hall, eerie blood spatter expert for the Miami P.D., who splatters the screen with the gruesome task of meting out deadly justice to those who deserve it.
Oct. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Fashion Week catches a heel:For a while, it looked like Fashion Week San Diego was never going to happen. The ambitious, first-time show, inspired by New York and Los Angeles fashion weeks, was supposed to be the biggest style event this jeans and t-shirt city ever saw.
Oct. 6 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
'Fool' is a taut, well-muscled lovers' quarrel:In Sam Shepard's “Fool for Love,” two formidable foes face off in a motel at the edge of the Mojave Desert. On-again, off-again lovers May and Eddie may not draw blood, but they always shoot for the heart.
INDIANOLA, Miss., 9:02 p.m. Oct. 5 (AP)Museum is a tribute to a King: Translucent images of long ago, of black men and women, backs bent, picking cotton under an unforgiving sun, are artistically displayed on standing glass panels in a museum carved out of an old brick gin mill in the Mississippi Delta. NEW YORK, 9:02 p.m. Oct. 5 (AP)
Odd couple: Rachel Maddow and Pat Buchanan: At 19, Rachel Maddow shared a house with friends in Philadelphia and wasn't paying much attention to the 1992 Republican National Convention on television until Pat Buchanan took to the podium. COLUMBUS, Ohio, 4:56 p.m. Oct. 5 (AP)
Bruce Springsteen rocks for Obama at Ohio State: For the second day in a row, rock star Bruce Springsteen sang a few songs and urged thousands of potential voters in a battleground state to register and support Democrat Barack Obama. PARIS, 3:40 p.m. Oct. 5 (AP)
Designers play it safe as economy sours: Paris Fashion Week ended on Sunday, capping a season which saw designers play it safe to coax customers into stores despite the global financial crisis.
LOS ANGELES, 2:03 p.m. Oct. 5 (AP)
Paramount, DreamWorks formalize separation deal: Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks say they are formally separating following DreamWorks' deal to partner with Reliance Entertainment of India.
LOS ANGELES, 11:13 a.m. Oct. 5 (AP)
Audiences adopt 'Chihuahua' with $29M weekend: “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” was barking up the right tree with movie-goers, who put the Disney comedy at No. 1 for the weekend with a $29 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Oct. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Three votes for enlightenment: Three brief documentaries by San Diego filmmakers – Michael Chen's “Absent Voices,” Cheryl Kanekar's “Banana Republic,” Ron Tuatagaloa's “The Greater Good: The Political Journey of Tom Hom” – consider this provocative dilemma: Why Asian-Americans don't vote.
Oct. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)Physicians' footsteps: Josh Reicher was in preschool when the teacher asked class members what they wanted to be when they grew up. No fireman or policeman or football player for Josh.
Oct. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
MCASD doffs hat to Davies in exhibit:They are some of Henri Matisse's most famous words. “What I dream of, is an art of balance, of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter,” the iconic 20th-century painter wrote in 1908. He then compares a successful work of art to a good armchair.
Oct. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
See Kim's closet before Asian fest:Today, we pop in for a visit with Lee Ann Kim. The former Channel 10 news anchor is the executive director of the Asian American Film Foundation, which hosts its ninth annual film festival Thursday through Oct. 16 in San Diego (SDAFF.org).
Oct. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Old Globe adds hip-hop play to roster and to outreach program:It's been a breakthrough year for hip-hop in theater. In June, the propulsive “In the Heights” won the Tony Award for best musical; locally, La Jolla Playhouse staged “The Seven,” a bold fusion of rap and Greek tragedy.
Oct. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
He uses art as a voyage of discovery:In an out-of-the-way corner of the bustling, vital campus that is City Height's Hoover High School, an 18-year-old senior named Angel Marquez perches before four easels bearing his extraordinary art.
Oct. 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Apocalypse soon: The pages of failed end-of-the-world prophecies could make up a whole new testament. Now there's the Rev. David Jeremiah, an East County mega-pastor and TV evangelist who says the end is coming, in the words of a familiar church song, “soon and very soon.”
Oct. 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
For elite team of women, a high-level (private) chat: With the nation in the throes of an economic crisis and a high-stakes presidential election a month away, the salad bar at Carlsbad's Four Seasons Resort Aviara was one of the best places to get the inside scoop this week.
Oct. 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Rated 'G': Did you know that a potato beetle larva covers itself in excrement poop to make it look less appealing to predators? Did you know that frogs give birth by belching out their babies? These are just a couple of cool facts you learn at the "Animal Grossology" exhibition at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.
Oct. 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Have you seen this pup? Dog's tale a stretch, but still funny, endearing: OK, I admit it. I had very low expectations for “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” – a story about a pampered pup named Chloe (Drew Barrymore) and her neurotic owner, Aunt Viv (Jamie Lee Curtis), a cosmetics company magnate, and what happens after Aunt Viv goes on a business trip, leaving Chloe in the care of her equally indulged niece Rachel (Piper Perabo).
Oct. 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
'Beverly Hills Chihuahua' is a – cue drumroll! – dog:To put it simply, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” has about as much substance as the socialite who made the breed famous. With the predictable plot of dog gets lost/dog meets protector/dog gets found, the film is hardly unique.
Oct. 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)Anti-religion fervor in 'Religulous' is over the top: She laughed. I had invited Cheryl Hall to the screening of “Religulous” to get a faith-based reaction to comedian Bill Maher's diatribe on the divine. Hall's credentials: longtime member of the United Methodist Women and faithful San Diego churchgoer whose husband teaches a weekly Bible study class. Oct. 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Lee Grant's Outtakes: 'INFINITE' WISDOM “Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist” (½) is infinitely taken with itself, its cuteness (Michael Cera, OMG, you want to slap the boy), its music (ironically, the one tune that jumps off the screen is Hot Chocolate's three-decades-old “You Sexy Thing”) and how cool New York City is at night (except for street denizen Andy Samberg with the aggressive hots for Cera).
Oct. 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Prey for Bill Maher: In his faith-flogging documentary “Religulous,” political cutup Bill Maher snags an interview with Jesus, who was about to be beaten bloody by his captors and crucified at the Holy Land theme park in Orlando.
Oct. 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Newman's passing sparks a lifetime of memories: His were the most famous blue eyes in Hollywood history. But Paul Newman, who passed away last weekend at the age of 83, was so much more.
Oct. 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Muslims mine delicate vein of humor: The best part of “Allah Made Me Funny” is seeing Muslims in the audience doubled over in laughter as familiar comedians poked good-natured fun at their faith, their customs, their families and their challenges in the not-so-humorous post-9/11 world.
LONDON, 10:02 a.m. Oct. 3 (AP)
3 men in court charged with publisher attack plot: Three men charged with plotting to attack the publisher of a novel about the Prophet Muhammad's child bride made a brief court appearance Friday after being charged with plotting to damage the offices of Gibson Square publishers.
MIAMI, 8:04 a.m. Oct. 3 (AP)
Race driver Castroneves heads to court in tax case: Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and “Dancing With the Stars” champion Helio Castronoves was set to appear in court Friday to face allegations he used offshore accounts to hide millions of dollars in income from the Internal Revenue Service.
NEW YORK, 5:21 a.m. Oct. 3 (AP)
Yo-Yo Ma's new album takes spiritual journey: After musical trips to Appalachia, Brazil, Argentina, the Silk Road and baroque and modern Italy, Yo-Yo Ma has embarked on a spiritual journey.
LISBON, Portugal, 4:54 a.m. Oct. 3 (AP)
Author rejects criticism of film 'Blindness': A Nobel literature laureate said Friday that protests about a film version of his book “Blindness” are unfounded and misguided.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, 4:09 a.m. Oct. 3 (AP)
Nobel literature prize to be announced on Oct. 9: The 2008 winner of the Nobel Prize in literature will be presented on Oct. 9, the Swedish Academy said Friday, completing the schedule of this year's Nobel announcements.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., 9:45 p.m. Oct. 2 (AP)
Dailey & Vincent big winners at bluegrass awards: New duo Dailey & Vincent dominated the International Bluegrass Music Association awards Thursday, winning entertainer of the year, album of the year, vocal group, emerging artist and gospel recorded performance.
Oct. 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Have yurt, will travel: It took Mekenbek Osmonaliyev and his family about five years to design and construct their decorative yurt, which won a national competition celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of Kyrgyzstan.
LOS ANGELES, 7:15 p.m. Oct. 2 (AP)
'An American Carol' lampoons the left: It's a movie genre you don't hear much about in Hollywood: the right-wing comedy. For that matter, it's not much of a genre at all.
LOS ANGELES, 7:12 p.m. Oct. 2 (AP)
Sneak peek at the upcoming 'Watchmen' film: Who watched some of “Watchmen”? Select members of the press. That's who.
LOS ANGELES, 6:34 p.m. Oct. 2 (AP)
James Earl Jones to get SAG life achievement award: James Earl Jones, who has voiced some of entertainment's most memorable characters, will receive the 2008 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
LOS ANGELES, 2:52 p.m. Oct. 2 (AP)
Copyright board leaves royalty rate unchanged: The federal Copyright Royalty Board on Thursday left the royalty that songwriters receive on sales of CDs and digital downloads at 9.1 cents per song for the next five years.
DENVER, 9:48 a.m. Oct. 2 (AP)
Christo, Jeanne-Claude: Patient and passionate: Christo and Jeanne-Claude conceived the idea of suspending huge swathes of fabric over a river back in 1992. The artists scouted dozens of Western locations before settling on a mountainous stretch of the Arkansas River, a Southern Colorado playground for whitewater rafters in view of old U.S. Highway 50.
Oct. 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Clear the runway: Look! Up in the sky! It's six blue and gold F/A-18 Hornet attack/fighter jets, flying near supersonic speed with just inches separating the planes.
Oct. 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)Who Made You God?: There's a good reason Margaret Noble's students think she's pretty cool. By day, this Texas-born, San Diego-raised, UCSD philosophy grad teaches film and art at High Tech High School in Point Loma.
Oct. 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Songs sung true: Neil Diamond is cool. Again. A pop superstar in the late 1960s and '70s, Diamond performed recently at England's trés-cool Glastonbury Festival and found eager rock stars like Arctic Monkeys leader Alex Turner, 22, rushing backstage to get a photo taken with him.
Oct. 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
For the record: A “KPBS Celebrates” event on Oct. 6 featuring chef Martin Yan that was listed in yesterday's Food section has been canceled.
SEOUL, South Korea, 8:11 a.m. Oct. 2 (AP)
South Korean actress found dead in apparent suicide: One of South Korea's most popular actresses was found dead Thursday in an apparent suicide after suffering from post-divorce depression and harassment by online rumors about her allegedly irregular financial dealings, police said.
GENEVA, 8:04 a.m. Oct. 2 (AP)
Salma Hayek helping fight tetanus in moms, babies: Hollywood mom Salma Hayek is lending her star power to a UNICEF campaign to eradicate tetanus in mothers and babies around the world within four years.
4:48 a.m. Oct. 2 (AP)
New DVD releases: 'You Don't Mess With the Zohan': Selected home-video releases: “You Don't Mess With the Zohan”
LOS ANGELES, 4:46 a.m. Oct. 2 (AP)
DreamWorks announces 'Kung Fu Panda' sequel: DreamWorks Animation SKG has announced plans for a sequel to “Kung Fu Panda” to be released in 2011.
NEW YORK, 4:27 a.m. Oct. 2 (AP)
Colbert runs for White House – with Spider-Man: Stephen Colbert is hoping to swing into the White House – alongside Spider-Man. The host of Comedy Central's “The Colbert Report” appears with the web-slinger in an issue of Marvel Comics' “The Amazing Spider-Man,” out on Oct. 15.
NEW YORK, 4:24 a.m. Oct. 2 (AP)
DiCaprio, Berry among celebs getting out the vote: How do you get kids to vote? Just say no. Leonardo DiCaprio, Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston, Tobey Maguire, Eva Longoria Parker and other stars are using reverse psychology to get young people into voting booths on election day.
MONTPELIER, Vt., 7:01 a.m. Oct. 1 (AP)
4 years after disbanding, Phish to reunite: Phish is getting back together. The Vermont-bred jam band, which disbanded in 2004, is planning three dates next March in Hampton, Virginia. A notice posted on the band's Web site says Phish will play March 6, March 7 and March 8, 2009, at the Hampton Coliseum. The Web site says more 2009 dates will be announced later.
PARIS, 6:32 a.m. Oct. 1 (AP)
Celebrity photographer lights up Paris museum: He's photographed Princess Diana in diamonds, Madonna in lingerie and top model Gisele Bundchen in the buff.
Oct. 1 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Farm team: If high food costs and lingering safety concerns make you feel like starting a garden, you're not alone.
LOS ANGELES, 4:31 a.m. Oct. 1 (AP)
3rd celebrity gone from 'Dancing With the Stars': Kim Kardashian won't be back on “Dancing With the Stars.” The reality TV star and her professional partner, Mark Ballas, were eliminated Tuesday from ABC's popular dancing competition. The pair received a score of 17 out of 30 from the show's judges following a lackluster rumba routine.
NEW YORK, 4:14 a.m. Oct. 1 (AP)
Jennifer Hudson's old dream, music, is a new dream: Two years ago, the biggest question surrounding Jennifer Hudson's career was whether she could act.
NEW YORK, 3:34 a.m. Oct. 1 (AP)
Janet Jackson released from hospital: Janet Jackson was released from a Montreal hospital just two hours after she arrived, a spokeswoman for the facility said Tuesday, but it was still not clear why she was admitted.
