Entertainment

NEW YORK The senior vice president and publisher of adult trade books at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has quit, effective Dec. 10.

MILAN, Italy Giulio Bertola, who directed the choir at Italy's famed La Scala theater in 1983-91, has died after a long illness, the opera house said Tuesday. He was 87.

LONDON Live from the palace - Condi Rice on piano!

LOS ANGELES Hollywood's studio heads, stuck in a standoff with the Screen Actors Guild, are making their plea to the rest of the industry in a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times as the threat of a strike looms.

SAN FRANCISCO Blockbuster Inc. will begin selling concert tickets at about 500 of its video rental stores, bolstering its effort to create a one-stop shop for entertainment.

MILAN, Italy The management of La Scala says it has reached a deal with a performers' union to save the gala premiere of the new season.

NEW YORK Coldplay was the hottest iTunes album download this year: Its "Viva la Vida" was crowned the best-selling album of 2008, while Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love" was named the top-selling single.

Darnell Martin could have made an entire movie about Muddy Waters. Or Etta James. Or Chuck Berry.

LOS ANGELES A former employee of UCLA Medical Center pleaded guilty Monday to selling information from the medical records of celebrities and high-profile patients, including Britney Spears and Farrah Fawcett, to the National Enquirer.

LOS ANGELES Kirsten Dunst doesn't need Spider-Man - she's got an assistant who recently proved capable of protecting the actress.

NEW YORK Britney Spears is taking her "Circus" act on the road.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Jack White and his band the Raconteurs called on Ricky Skaggs to help them record a bluegrass-inspired version of their song "Old Enough."

PARIS A benchmark Paris sale of Impressionist and Modern paintings that belonged to French fashion designer Jeanne Lanvin fell well short of pre-sale expectations Monday, in a clear signal the financial crisis is hitting the previously resilient art market.

CHICAGO Jennifer Hudson's estranged brother-in-law was charged Tuesday with three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of three of her family members.

NEW YORK There's a new way to get to Carnegie Hall - YouTube, YouTube, YouTube.

NEW YORK Chris Brown is in demand with on-demand viewers.

LONDON Artist Mark Leckey has won Britain's prestigious Turner Prize for a piece of work that draws in Homer Simpson and the Titanic movie.

NEW YORK Thanksgiving week is usually a good week at Broadway box offices, and the holiday did not disappoint for most shows, according to figures released Monday by the Broadway League, the industry's trade organization.

NEW YORK "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," one of August Wilson's 10 plays chronicling the black experience in 20th century America, is returning to Broadway.

LOS ANGELES Mario Lopez is in negotiations to once again host the Miss America pageant.