Entertainment [4]

Ocean's Eleven is the cinematic version of a Happy Meal -- tasty and filling, not particularly nutritious, but generally pleasing for all. Smart, sassy and gleefully meaningless, this caper flick directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts -- among others -- is quite simply a hoot.

The Polish Officer By Alan Furst Random House Fiction 320 pages

The Royal Tenenbaums, director Wes Anderson's highly anticipated follow-up to 1999's Rushmore, basically has its heart in the right place. But Anderson's coy wistfulness is so rigorously organized, you feel like he grew the heart in a test tube.

The Girls in the Van By Beth J. Harpaz St. Martin's Press Nonfiction/Politics 320 pages

Vanilla Sky, the new film by Cameron Crowe, is a kaleidoscope of dreams, nightmares and reality. Starring Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Jason Lee and Kurt Russell, this film is a remake of the Spanish movie Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes, 1997), directed and co-written by Alejandro Amenabar.

The Good German By Joseph Kanon Henry Holt Fiction 512 pages

John Mellencamp Cuttin' Heads Columbia Records

Joe Somebody, starring Tim Allen and directed by John Pasquin -- who brought us Allen's 1994 hit The Santa Clause -- is a made-for-TV movie dressed up like a feature film. Its plot is not only stale, it's been stale for decades.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a flawless adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's literary masterpiece. Director Peter Jackson and his brilliant ensemble cast have created a spectacular holiday gift for the whole world.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a flawless adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's literary masterpiece. Director Peter Jackson and his brilliant ensemble cast have created a spectacular holiday gift for the whole world.

Given the present movie climate, it's tempting to say you should run out and see Ray Lawrence's Lantana simply because it's about flesh-and-blood adults, as opposed to computer-generated elves and broomstick-riding 12-year-olds.

Set in the windblown and forbidding landscape of Newfoundland, The Shipping News is as cold and removed as its location. Based on Annie Proulx's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, and brought to the screen by director Lasse Hallstrom [Chocolat (2000) and The Cider House Rules (1999)], this slow-moving -- and at times downright bleak -- film nevertheless features a number of excellent performances.

It's not quite accurate to say that the new Meg Ryan time travel romance, Kate & Leopold, isn't as bad as it could have been. But you also may not find yourself squealing with delight every time little Meg bats her eyelashes, squinches her nose, or bites her bottom lip. You still have to bring your own nervous system into the theater, and, let's face it, the act is wearing mighty thin by now. Cu...

When the BBC first came to historian Simon Schama and asked if he would help put together a TV series on the history of Great Britain, Schama had a two-word answer.

Alan Furst writes about a black-and-white world.

Angie Dickinson gushes when she recalls the days and nights of the Rat Pack in Las Vegas.

Tom Shippey once knew and taught with J.R.R. Tolkien at Oxford.

Tom Shippey once knew and taught with J.R.R. Tolkien at Oxford.

A star-studded USO troop kicked off its frontline tour Wednesday in Arlington, Virginia, before heading to Central Asia to perform for U.S. troops fighting in Operation Enduring Freedom. Wayne Newton and comedian Drew Carey headline the entertainers, who include pop singer Jessica Simpson, country singer Neal McCoy, and the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.

Lauded for bringing Hollywood to New Zealand, Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has had to face one of the toughest tests for his epic movie -- his hometown audience.

Five actors starring in the new film Ocean's Eleven are heading to Turkey on a USO tour to boost the morale of U.S. and coalition troops there.

After the September 11 attacks, it quickly became apparent that movies -- feel good movies -- were just what the doctor ordered. Harry Potter (a decidedly feel good fantasy movie), broke many industry box office records, and as the year comes to a close the Oscar-worthy films have started appearing on the horizon like the Spanish Armada. Let's hope they receive a better fate.

British actor Sir Nigel Hawthorne, who won worldwide acclaim for his starring role in the film The Madness of King George, has died at the age of 72.

George Harrison's friends and fans recalled him as the spiritual, unassuming Beatle who never sought the limelight and shrugged off fame but whose impact on the group's sound was profound.

Hollywood star Ashley Judd is believed to have married racing driver Dario Franchitti, giving the Scottish county of Sutherland its second celebrity wedding in a year.

Stuart Adamson, lead singer of 1980s pop group Big Country, has been found dead in Hawaii in what authorities are reportedly calling an apparent suicide.

Stuart Adamson, former lead singer of Scottish rock band Big Country, was found hanged in a Hawaii hotel room, U.S. authorities have said.

The funeral of rock star Stuart Adamson, who found fame with the band Big Country, has taken place in his home town in Scotland.

Bill James has something interesting to say on just about anything baseball. Here are a few of his choice thoughts.

The Grandfather of Indian cinema, Ashok Kumar, who captivated Bollywood audiences and starred in 250 films, has died after prolonged illness at the age of 90.

The manager of missing Scottish rock star Stuart Adamson has made an emotional appeal for the former Big Country singer to get in touch.

Music show host Dick Clark filed a $10 million lawsuit Wednesday against Grammy Awards President C. Michael Greene, accusing him of unfairly barring musicians who appear on Clark's American Music Awards from performing in the Grammy Awards show.

President Jacques Chirac has led the tributes to French singer Gilbert Becaud, who has died at the age of 74.

Gossip doesn't cut it with Goldie Hawn. The snide personal aside is not only destructive, she says, but dreary, and she's asking people -- nicely -- to stop.

The ashes of the late Beatle George Harrison are to be immersed in the sacred Ganges River, according to a spokesman for the Hare Krishna movement.

Those less than tickled by the magical adventures of schoolboy wizard Harry Potter are being offered the opportunity to get things off their chest.

Pregnant Liz Hurley has said she is deeply hurt by millionaire Stephen Bing's insistence that their relationship was not exclusive and that her child may not be his.

Rock legend Sir Elton John is reported to have told an American audience that he will never make another record in protest at the state of the music industry.

Indians want to watch but not do it. At least not yet.

Winona Ryder's arrest for alleged shoplifting at Saks Fifth Avenue is all a misunderstanding, the actress' lawyer said Thursday.

A man has been arrested in the UK for allegedly stalking film star and model Liz Hurley, police said on Monday.

The family of the late George Harrison have called for a minute of meditation on Monday as a tribute to the former Beatle.

It was a year when it all came together for the movie industry. Weary of recession, and later in the year fearful of terrorism, Americans stayed close to home, looking to the multiplex for cheap entertainment.

Two prospective game shows will test the physical and financial limits of their contestants.

British pop star Robbie Williams and Australian actress Nicole Kidman have beaten a little-known club singer in the race to top the UK Christmas pop charts.

A man arrested for allegedly stalking pregnant film star and model Elizabeth Hurley has been released.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling married her boyfriend at a private ceremony over Christmas, her spokeswoman said.

Celebrities began arriving in Scotland Monday for the wedding of Hollywood actress Ashley Judd and Scottish racing driver Dario Franchitti.

Take your pick for charity -- model Kate Moss' underwear or comedian Harry Enfield's smiling pants.