Fans delighted by DeGeneres' 'Idol' debut
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ellen DeGeneres hit the right notes with "American Idol" viewers. Fans took to the Internet to express their pleasant surprise over the 52-year-old funnylady's debut as the singing competition's fourth judge. DeGeneres assumed her judging panel post for Tuesday's episode chronicling the first round of "Hollywood Week," the cutthroat post-audition phase in which 181 contestants will be narrowed down to 24 semifinalists.
Jay Leno ends his NBC prime-time experiment
NEW YORK (AP) — Jay Leno ushered out one of television's biggest flops without sentiment on Tuesday, the final night of a prime-time experiment doomed by bad ratings and bad vibes. Leno told a few barbed jokes about "The Jay Leno Show," and Donald Trump told him "you're fired." Leno will return to his old perch at the "Tonight" show after the Olympics.
Discovery Channel: 'Deadliest Catch' captain dies
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Discovery Channel says the captain of the "Deadliest Catch" fishing vessel Cornelia Marie has died. Capt. Phil Harris suffered what his family described as a massive stroke on Jan. 29 while the boat was in port at St. Paul Island, Alaska. The 53-year-old fisherman was flown to Anchorage for surgery.
Lil Wayne NY sentencing put off for dental surgery
NEW YORK (AP) — After rap star Lil Wayne spent months bidding farewell to his fans and his freedom, what loomed for him Tuesday was a dental chair, not a house of detention. His sentencing in a weapons case was postponed so he could have dental surgery before going to jail.
Cruise suits up for `Mission: Impossible IV'
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tom Cruise is starring in another impossible mission. Paramount Pictures announced Tuesday that Cruise will be back in front of the camera for "Mission: Impossible IV," due in theaters over Memorial Day weekend in 2011.
Jackson celebrity turns doctor case into spectacle
LOS ANGELES (AP) — There's no bloody glove this time, no smoking gun, no faded music icon showing up in court wearing a wig that made it look like he plugged his finger into an electrical socket. There's not even a celebrity for that matter — the person on trial is a doctor no one had heard of eight months ago.
Vampire author Anne Rice set to release video book
NEW YORK (AP) — Anne Rice is giving the video book a try. The author of "Interview With a Vampire," "The Vampire Lestat" and many other favorites has agreed to terms with the video book company Vook on a multimedia edition of "The Master of Rampling Gate," a vampire story published in Redbook magazine in 1984 and set in an England mansion in the 19th century.
Jamie Foxx delivers music, instruments to kids
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jamie Foxx wanted to entertain a group of musically inclined high school students with a few bars from his Grammy winning hit, "Blame It." But since the song is an ode to the effects of alcohol, he changed the lyrics to "Blame it on the a-a-a-apple juice." The kids roared.
Leno to Letterman: Thanks for Super Bowl ad invite
NEW YORK (AP) — Jay Leno has a message for David Letterman: Thanks. Leno said that "whatever happened in the last 18 years disappeared" when the two comics got together to film their surprise Super Bowl ad last week.
Beyonce, Alicia Keys shoot music video in Rio slum
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Grammy Award-winning singers Beyonce and Alicia Keys are filming a music video in Rio de Janeiro. Sheri Ladner is a publicist with RCA Music Group, which includes Keys' label, J Records. She says the singers are shooting a video for their duet "Put It In a Love Song." The song is from Keys' recently released album "The Element of Freedom."
