02/23/12 05:56 AM UTC AP

Current and former aides to Sarah Palin lashed out Wednesday at HBO's "Game Change," describing the upcoming film's depictions of her on the 2008 campaign trail as "sick" and inaccurate. None of the aides said they have yet seen the movie, which debuts March 10, and some said they had asked for an opportunity to screen the film but had been denied.

02/23/12 05:01 AM UTC AP

Aretha Franklin says Cissy Houston raised her daughter Whitney Houston well — and that an interview where Franklin said parents need to make sure children "leave home prepared" was taken out of context. Franklin released a statement Wednesday, four days after Houston's funeral. She was expected to sing at the funeral in Newark, N.J., Houston's hometown, but bowed out because of leg spasms she said she suffered after a concert at Radio City Music Hall the night before. She performed again at Radio City the night of Houston's funeral, and paid tribute to Houston as "a very fine young lady."

02/23/12 02:22 AM UTC AP

Simon Cowell is playing it coy about rumors that Fergie, Britney Spears and Janet Jackson are being considered for "The X Factor." Two judges' spots on the Fox TV singing contest opened up when Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger left after the first season. Cowell told a teleconference Wednesday that two women will replace them, but he declined to comment on who's being considered.

02/23/12 02:22 AM UTC AP

Billy Wright plunked down dime after dime for comic books while growing up in the late 1930s and early 1940s, caring for the collection he started around the age of 9 until his death more than half a century later. On Wednesday, most of that collection sold for a whopping $3.5 million. Wright's 345 comics, nearly all of which were published from 1936 through 1941, included many of the most prized issues ever, including Detective Comics No. 27, which features the debut of Batman, and Action Comics No. 1, in which Superman's first appears.

02/22/12 10:59 PM UTC AP

Singer Jason Crabb grabbed eight nominations for the Dove Awards, leading the way for the gospel and Christian music show that will be held in Atlanta for the second year in a row. Laura Story had six nominations and rapper LaCrae got five nods for the show, which has run for 43 consecutive years. The show will take place April 19 at the Fox Theatre.

02/22/12 10:19 PM UTC AP

The story of late rap pioneer Heavy D will be chronicled in a documentary airing Sunday on Centric TV. "Be Inspired: The Life of Heavy D" will feature interviews with the Jamaican-born rapper's family and artists such as Will Smith, Mary J. Blige and Queen Latifah, according to Centric TV, the 24-hour channel that is part of the BET Network.

02/22/12 09:48 PM UTC AP

Barney Rosset was a publisher, not an author, and struggled for decades to write the story of his brave and wild life. But few over the past 60 years had so profound an impact on the way we read today. The fiery and publisher Rosset, who introduced the country to countless political and avant-garde writers and risked prison and financial ruin to release such underground classics as "Tropic of Cancer" and "Lady Chatterley's Lover," has died. He was 89.

02/22/12 08:38 PM UTC AP

Viewers gave CBS the week's most-watched show along with 21 others in the top 30 ranking. Fox was represented only by its two editions of "American Idol" — which ranked second and third — while NBC's lone entry, "The Voice," took fourth place, according to Nielsen Co. figures released Wednesday.

02/22/12 08:22 PM UTC AP

Prosecutors have dropped DUI charges against Pittsburgh Steelers receiver and Dancing With the Stars winner Hines Ward. DeKalb County Prosecutor Sonja N. Brown said Wednesday that Ward pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was given a year on probation. She says he also was fined $2,000 and must do 80 hours of community service. He also must undergo alcohol evaluation.

02/22/12 08:15 PM UTC AP

The widow of country music legend Roger Miller doesn't own the rights to some of his biggest hits, including "King of the Road," a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Sony/ATV Music Publishing owns the renewal copyrights to the songs the artist published in 1964. Federal courts have already ruled that Sony owns the rights to Miller's songs that were published from 1958 to 1963.

02/22/12 07:55 PM UTC AP

The Academy Awards will be coming to you live from the same place — but with a different name. Oscar organizers have agreed to drop mentions of the Kodak Theatre from Sunday's broadcast. The move follows bankruptcy proceedings for Eastman Kodak Co., which has received court approval to end its expensive naming-rights deal for the venue that's been home to the awards show for a decade.

02/22/12 07:54 PM UTC AP

Rachel Crow was a tearful runner-up on "The X Factor," but she's a winner now. The 14-year-old singer has signed a series deal with the Nickelodeon channel and a recording contract with Sony's Columbia Records-Syco.

02/22/12 07:44 PM UTC AP

A new musical bringing together Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein and rock icon Cyndi Lauper will put its best foot forward in Chicago this fall. "Kinky Boots" will make its world premiere at the Bank of America Theatre in October ahead of a possible Broadway transfer, producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig said Wednesday.

02/22/12 06:50 PM UTC AP

The Franklin Institute's automaton can't help you find a good sushi place, direct you out of a traffic jam or check your bank balance. But the automaton, a mechanical doll animated by a complex system of spring-driven motors and brass cams, can write three poems and draw four pictures. And what might be most interesting about this 200-year-old curiosity is its ability to amaze a high-tech culture whose homes, cars and pockets are laden with all kinds of wireless, streaming, talking, mapping gadgetry.

02/22/12 06:41 PM UTC AP

Lindsay Lohan drew praise Wednesday from a judge who said the actress was one court hearing away from putting a long-running drunken driving case behind her. "Ms. Lohan, you're in the home stretch," Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner told the actress. "The probation officer is pleased with your progress."

02/22/12 06:01 PM UTC AP

Conan O'Brien's got his desk job for at least two more years. TBS said Wednesday that its late-night host, who premiered with "Conan" in November 2010, has won an extension through April 2014.

02/22/12 05:07 PM UTC AP

A small Ukrainian nationalist party came under fire Wednesday after a high-profile member suggested a singer of African descent was a bad choice to represent the country in the Eurovision song contest. Pop star Gaitana, 32, who was born in Kiev to a Congolese father and Ukrainian mother, was chosen last week to represent Ukraine at this year's Eurovision contest in May in Baku, Azerbaijan.

02/22/12 04:53 PM UTC AP

Publisher and First Amendment crusader Barney Rosset has died. He was 89. Kelly Bowen, a publicity manager at Algonquin Books said Wednesday that Rosset, who helped overthrow censorship laws and profoundly expanded the American reading experience, died Tuesday night in New York.

02/22/12 04:25 PM UTC AP

Attorney Jose Baez says he no longer represents Casey Anthony, the Florida mother whose 2011 murder trial made him one of the best known criminal defense lawyers in the country. In a statement Wednesday, Baez says he has withdrawn from the Anthony case and must attend to the needs of his other clients.

02/22/12 03:06 PM UTC AP

Drummer Deen Castronovo from the rock group Journey was sentenced to 80 hours of community service in Oregon and ordered to attend anger-management classes for a domestic violence dispute. The Statesman Journal reported ( http://stjr.nl/xAQrd7) the sentence Wednesday based on court documents from a diversion agreement.

02/22/12 02:57 PM UTC AP

A new book promises to give a Lin-side look at the NBA's newest sensation. Hachette Book Group says it is publishing "Jeremy Lin: The Reason for the Linsanity," by Timothy Dalrymple. It is due in stores in May, the company announced Wednesday.

02/22/12 01:34 PM UTC AP

President Barack Obama's re-election campaign has named 35 national co-chairs, including elected officials, campaign volunteers and a few celebrities. Among the Democratic politicians serving as co-chairs are Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin. Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, a Republican-turned-Independent, will also serve as a co-chair.

02/22/12 01:27 PM UTC AP

The president just couldn't say no: Mick Jagger held out a mic almost by way of command, and soon Barack Obama was belting out the blues with the best of them. The East Room of the White House was transformed into an intimate blues club on Tuesday night for a concert featuring blues all-stars of the past, present and future — and the president himself.

02/22/12 10:18 AM UTC AP

The founder of the file-sharing website Megaupload was released on bail Wednesday after a New Zealand judge decided Kim Dotcom lacked means to flee because his funds had been seized. "I am relieved to go home to see my family, my three little kids and my pregnant wife," a smiling Dotcom told reporters outside court. "And I hope you understand that that is all I want to say right now."

02/22/12 07:08 AM UTC AP

Adele's album "21" has spent 21 weeks atop Billboard's Top 200 albums chart — and its 21st week is the biggest one yet. Nielsen SoundScan said Tuesday her sophomore album sold 730,000 copies the week after her Grammy Awards sweep. It's the longest stint for a woman at the top of Billboard's album chart, displacing Whitney Houston's "The Bodyguard." It's also now sold 7.3 million copies.

02/22/12 01:55 AM UTC AP

A judge granted a motion Tuesday to dismiss concert promoter AEG Live from a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Michael Jackson's father. City News Service said Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos agreed with AEG attorneys who said Joe Jackson should have joined a separate suit filed by his wife, Katherine. The judge said the law does not favor multiple suits by individual heirs.

02/22/12 01:37 AM UTC AP

The estate of former "Columbo" star Peter Falk has donated $3 million to the University of California, Los Angeles, for student scholarships. UCLA officials say the money will be used to establish the Shera and Peter Falk Lt. Columbo Memorial Scholarship Fund.

02/22/12 01:00 AM UTC AP

Soulful songstress Adele capped a momentous year of Grammy Awards triumph and medical woes with a double win at the U.K.'s Brit music awards Tuesday, taking prizes for album of the year and best British female solo artist before making an obscene gesture after the show's host cut her acceptance speech short. Teen-friendly English troubadour Ed Sheeran won two trophies, including British male solo artist, at an energetic ceremony in London.

02/22/12 12:43 AM UTC AP

Attorneys for country duo Sugarland said concertgoers were at least partly to blame for injuries suffered in a stage collapse, drawing a sharp reaction from fans Tuesday and prompting the band's manager to issue a statement criticizing the finger-pointing. Members of the band expressed shock and sadness after last summer's stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair killed seven people and injured dozens more.

02/22/12 12:03 AM UTC AP

Michael Jackson's doctor was properly sentenced to four years behind bars in the star's death and should not be released on bail, prosecutors argued Tuesday in a response to his bid for release while his case is appealed. Dr. Conrad Murray would be a danger to the community and a flight risk if he was released on bail or on his own recognizance with an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet, Deputy District Attorneys David Walgren and Deborah Brazil said.

02/21/12 10:35 PM UTC AP

Add "The Lyons" to the list of off-Broadway hits jumping to the Great White Way. Producers said Tuesday that Nicky Silver's play about a family grappling with the impending death of its patriarch will start preview performances beginning in early April at the Cort Theatre. Exact dates will be released soon.

02/21/12 10:04 PM UTC AP

Netflix's Internet video service is adding more marquee attractions as it braces for a new competitive threat from cable-TV provider Comcast Corp. As part of an effort to offer more exclusive material, Netflix locked up the right to show "The Artist" and other movies from The Weinstein Co. before the films are released to leading pay-TV channels such as Showtime and HBO.

02/21/12 09:48 PM UTC AP

Denzel Washington's action thriller "Safe House" held the No. 1 spot at the box office with $27.5 million over the long President's Day weekend. The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Monday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Tuesday by Hollywood.com are:

02/21/12 09:34 PM UTC AP

Comcast will launch four minority-owned networks on its cable-TV systems in the next two years, including channels spearheaded by music mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and NBA great Magic Johnson. Two of the networks are majority black-owned while two are majority American-Hispanic-owned, with all of them programming in English, the Philadelphia-based Comcast said.

02/21/12 08:11 PM UTC AP

For more than a decade, Bronson Pinchot has spent much of his downtime in the picture-book Pennsylvania hamlet where he found a dream home far from the stressful clamor of New York or L.A. Pinchot likely remains best known as the endearingly naive, quasi-Mediterranean immigrant Balki Bartokomous from the TV sitcom "Perfect Strangers." But unlike Balki, Pinchot is by his own admission "fiercely private" and an "introvert that does a pretty convincing performance as an extrovert."

02/21/12 07:31 PM UTC AP

With the blessing of Maurice Sendak, Stephen Colbert is releasing a children's book. Grand Central Publishing said Tuesday that it will publish "I Am a Pole (And So Can You!)" on May 8. In a two-part "Colbert Report" segment that aired last month, Colbert previewed the book with "Where the Wild Things Are" author Sendak.

02/21/12 07:02 PM UTC AP

Netflix has locked up the right to show "The Artist" and other movies from The Weinstein Co. on its Internet video service before the films are released to the leading pay-TV channels. The multiyear deal announced Tuesday stocks Netflix with more artillery in its home entertainment battle versus premium cable channels, such as HBO and Showtime, and Internet video services provided by Amazon.com Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Netflix Inc. CEO Reed Hastings has identified Time Warner Inc.'s HBO as his company's biggest rival during the next decade.

02/21/12 06:52 PM UTC AP

Cable TV giant Comcast is launching a new subscription video service that will enable its customers to instantly view movies and TV shows both in and out of the home. The service, called Xfinity Streampix, will be available this week to Xfinity video customers. The company said Tuesday that it will allow customers to access programming on multiple screens and devices including TVs, online platforms and mobile devices.

02/21/12 06:23 PM UTC AP

He's only 17, but pop sensation Justin Bieber is back with his second book. HarperCollins announced Tuesday that it will publish "Justin Bieber: Just Getting Started." The book is described as "the second official photographic book" from the multiplatinum-selling superstar.

02/21/12 06:18 PM UTC AP

From stately oak-lined avenues to raunchy displays in the French Quarter, New Orleans let loose with a Mardi Gras party as parades rolled and revelers frolicked amid showers of beads, trinkets and music. The French Quarter began to fill with costumed revelers soon after dawn. Some people hadn't stopped drinking since Monday's Lundi Gras prequel to Mardi Gras.