Fashion Police: Worst Dressed of the Week?Fergie, Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen or Katherine Heigl?

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Will Princess Jasmine Still Reign in Round 4? Vote in the Best Princess Tournament!

The coronation ceremony for the Best Princess Ever is right around the corner, and the upsets just will not stop! The fairy dust from round three has settled and the Final Four are here!

Did your favorite make it through? Check out the results:

The animated royalty are now completely dominating. Princess Jasmine sent Princess Di back to the palace after she pulled in 53 percent of the vote. And Cinderella still has some time left at the ball now that's she's ended Grace Kelly's tournament ambitions with her own 58 percent.

Shrek's Princess Fiona continues to hold strong against the competition. Belle proved no match for the ogre royalty, who also received 58 percent, but the real animated upset came from Disney's Tangled newcomer Rapunzel. She sent the lovable Ariel back to her undersea home with a dominating 60 percent of the votes.

So who will make it to the royal finals? It's up to you! Can Fiona take on the army of Disney princesses? Or will Jasmine continue her winning streak? Vote now and be sure to follow all the action on Twitter @RoyalsWed!

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GET THE PICS: Royal Wedding Trinkets & Knick-Knacks

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Montel Williams' drug paraphernalia charge dropped

MILWAUKEE ? A judge dismissed a drug paraphernalia possession charge against former talk show host Montel Williams, who was briefly detained at a Milwaukee airport in January after a search of his luggage turned up the type of pipe commonly used for smoking marijuana.

Williams, who says he legally uses marijuana to treat chronic pain caused by multiple sclerosis, was scheduled to stand trial in May on the charge. But a Milwaukee County judge dismissed the case Tuesday at the district attorney's request after the pipe tested negative for the drug, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

"We concluded that this case was not provable," Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said.

Williams lives in New York but is participating in experimental treatment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He said he forgot the pipe was in his bag, and apologized for inconveniencing the airport security agents, deputies and court system. Williams said he is thankful that he can put the episode behind him.

"This isn't about somebody trying to do something illicit. I'm really just trying to take my medication. Hopefully this issue and this incident will spark some conversations that will help more rational minds find a way to solve the problem and take the patients off the battlefield."

___

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report can be found at: http://bit.ly/gIHdoG

___

Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

View Next Article: Nobel literature juror in RI denies prize biases

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Will Princess Jasmine Still Reign in Round 4? Vote in the Best Princess Tournament!

The coronation ceremony for the Best Princess Ever is right around the corner, and the upsets just will not stop! The fairy dust from round three has settled and the Final Four are here!

Did your favorite make it through? Check out the results:

The animated royalty are now completely dominating. Princess Jasmine sent Princess Di back to the palace after she pulled in 53 percent of the vote. And Cinderella still has some time left at the ball now that's she's ended Grace Kelly's tournament ambitions with her own 58 percent.

Shrek's Princess Fiona continues to hold strong against the competition. Belle proved no match for the ogre royalty, who also received 58 percent, but the real animated upset came from Disney's Tangled newcomer Rapunzel. She sent the lovable Ariel back to her undersea home with a dominating 60 percent of the votes.

So who will make it to the royal finals? It's up to you! Can Fiona take on the army of Disney princesses? Or will Jasmine continue her winning streak? Vote now and be sure to follow all the action on Twitter @RoyalsWed!

Loading poll...

GET THE PICS: Royal Wedding Trinkets & Knick-Knacks

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Will Ferrell at a Loss About 'Anchorman 2' Delay: 'I Don't Understand'

'Everything Must Go,' opening in limited release today tells the story of Nick Halsey, a man struggling with a drinking problem who in the same day gets fired and comes home to discover his wife has left and dumped all his possessions on the front yard. It's a small, heartfelt movie and the actor who plays Nick? Will Ferrell. That's right, the same goofy man-boy comedian who's made us howl with laughter in 'Step Brothers,' 'Elf,' and 'Talladega Nights.' It's a wonderfully understated and deeply moving performance. Ferrell is one of the nicest celebs PopEater has spoken to and he more than opened up about his latest movie, his magical relationship with "comedy wife" John C. Reilly, and he tries to make sense of Paramount's apparent reluctance to an 'Anchorman' sequel.

"Yeah, I don't understand how they conduct their business. It's funny I think they ... actually I don't know what they think," he said of the studio that released the hugely popular 'Anchorman.' "Once again, they don't comment either way but it's not like it's coming from us unsolicited ... We try to explain there's so much interest in a sequel, we're not making this up!"

What attracted you to 'Everything Must Go'? Because it's sort of a departure for you.
First off, I just loved the script. The thing that attracted me the most was the premise. I felt like I hadn't seen that story before where someone who kind of loses everything and chooses to live his life on the front lawn of his house and basically live in front of everyone, exposed to the world. I just loved it.

Did it inspire you to clean out your closets?
I'm a selective pack rat. There's some things I have no problem getting rid of and others I hold onto dearly so no it did not. It's tough for me to get rid of clothes. I grew up in a household with a limited budget and we really had to make our nice clothes last and so now I'll get free pairs of shoes and this, that and the other and I'll be like, 'Oh great!' even though it stresses me out that I don't have enough room to put them, I can't throw them away. I have a rule where my wife can throw anything away as long as I don't see it, so it has to happen under the cover of darkness.

Have you and your writing partner Adam McKay managed to shame Paramount into greenlighting 'Anchorman 2'?
No! Despite all my comments to the media which after I saw ... it's one of the those things where you say something and go, 'Oh I don't remember saying that,' oh I guess I did. No, it has had no effect. (Laughs).

That's so weird. The movie made so much money.
Yeah, I don't understand how they conduct their business. It's funny I think they... actually I don't know what they think. Once again they don't comment either way but it's not like it's coming from us unsolicited. We just keep getting asked so many times about it that we have to comment. We try to explain there's so much interest in a sequel, we're not making this up! So I don't know.

Have you ever bumped into the head of Paramount at a Lakers game?
No but I relish that day. (Laughs)

Would it be super uncomfortable if you sat next to him?
It would be terribly uncomfortable for him.

Fantastic. You should set that up. It's like an episode of 'The Office.' I love uncomfortable situations.
So do I!

I loved you as Deangelo on 'The Office,' by the way. Did you come up with the Southwest obsession?
I'm probably way too honest of a person but the brilliant writing staff just came up with all that. There was a bunch of other stuff that was cut out like I used to weigh in excess of 300 pounds and I lost all this weight.

Is 'Step Brothers' also with Paramount?
No, that's Sony who we've had a wonderful working relationship with. We might do it. We're talking about trying to potentially do it.

You have a magic chemistry with John C. Reilly.
We're just kind of two kindred souls. We were probably brothers in a past life. We just kind of click with our comedic sensibility. It really comes down to the basic thing of thinking the same thing is funny and we totally do. It's the most unique kind of relationship I have with anyone in a way.

More than your wife I'm sure.
Exactly. He's the comedic version of a wife.

Do you feel because 'Anchorman 2' didn't work out it's freed you to do smaller movies like 'Never Let Me Go?'
'Anchorman' wasn't imminent. It didn't even get off the tarmac but last year there were some things that maybe were going to happen and then they fell back into development but it did present me an opportunity to do 'Everything Must Go' and 'Casa de Mi Padre' which is a Spanish language movie. We scrambled and got that together, like two five million dollar movies with short but intense shoots, working with great people and they were two of the best experiences I've ever had. Yeah it opened up this side to do things outside of the studio system that I loved and that now I'm even more open to doing.

It's like an Oprah moment.
Absolutely. I'll wait for the studios to figure out what they're going to do and I'll go off and do these things. They're great because they're getting a lot of attention and I just love being able to step outside of what I normally do and mix it up.

Are you fluent in Spanish?
I'm not but my Spanish is excellent in the movie. I worked with a translator. The joke wasn't for me to speak Spanish poorly. The joke is literally that I'm just another Latino actor. It's ('Casa de mi Padre') kind of a cross between Telemundo and a bad Mexican movie where the continuity is off and things like that.

Your wife is Swedish. Do your kids speak Swedish?
They do. It's pretty great. That was something I was kind of adamant about with my wife like, 'You've got to speak Swedish with them.' I know enough and I keep saying to them, 'My Swedish is really good right?' and they're like, 'No! It's terrible, are you crazy?'

More Q&As From Nicki Gostin: John Waters, Keira Knightley, Jerry Seinfeld and Jesse James

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Fashion Police: Best Dressed of the Week?Reese Witherspoon, Megan Fox or Scarlett Johansson?

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Nobel literature juror in RI denies prize biases

By IAN MacDOUGALL, AP
Thu Apr 14, 12:13 AM EDT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. ? The Swedish panel that awards the Nobel Prize for Literature isn't biased toward European writers or against American writers, a member of the panel said Wednesday.

Nationality isn't an important factor in selecting the prize winner, Swedish Academy member and acclaimed poet Kjell Espmark told The Associated Press.

Other members of the Swedish Academy have suggested both biases exist.

In 2008, the committee's then-permanent secretary, Horace Engdahl, said European writers tend to beat out American writers because American literature is overly insular. In 2009, his successor, Peter Englund, worried the prize was too "Eurocentric."

The list of the past 20 laureates includes one American ? novelist Toni Morrison, in 1993 ? and 11 European writers, including German novelist Gunter Grass and British playwright Harold Pinter. Some of the others selected during that time are not from Europe but have spent much of their writing careers there.

The literature prize election is by secret ballot among the 18 members of the Swedish Academy. Espmark has been a member of the Academy since 1981.

Engdahl sparked an uproar in 2008 when he declared in an interview with the AP that Europeans tend to win because they deserve to win, particularly compared with Americans, whom he dismissed as "too sensitive to trends in their own mass culture."

Engdahl's words were taken out of context, Espmark said Wednesday.

"That interview was summed up in such a way that could make you think that American writers were out of the question because they were too insular and so on. That's just nonsense," he said. "What he talked about actually is that very little translated literature is read in America."

Very few foreign-language books make it into English, especially in the U.S. market, and even fewer reach a wide audience, as Espmark pointed out.

"It's just a matter of a low percentage of translation that makes American audiences rather unaware of what happens in other countries," he said.

He also said he disagreed with Englund when he revealed in 2009 that he thought it was a problem that members of the Swedish Academy tend to "relate more easily to literature written in Europe and in the European tradition."

"The nation is not important, and balance (of laureates' homelands) is not interesting," Espmark said, noting that the panel tries to be impartial and make selections based purely on literary criteria.

Espmark, who is a professor emeritus of literary history at Stockholm University, was in Rhode Island as part of a tour to promote his latest collection of poetry, "Lend Me Your Voice." He gave a lecture at Providence College and read from the poetry collection; he spoke to the AP afterward.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

View Next Article: 'American Idol' finalists attack movie tunes

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Entertainment

tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/index.ssf//2249Sun, 19 Jun 2011 2:47:15 UTCNJ.com: New Jersey Entertainment homeMovable Type Enterprise 4.29-advancetag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/music/index.ssf//2250.65207782011-06-19T02:22:20Z2011-06-19T02:36:19Z

AP File PhotoClarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen onstage together in 2004. Bruce Springsteen has released the following statement about Clarence Clemons' death: Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him....

Jay Lustig/The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/jlustig/index.html AP File PhotoClarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen onstage together in 2004. Bruce Springsteen has released the following statement about Clarence Clemons' death: Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him.... tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/arts/index.ssf//2253.65156572011-06-19T10:01:03Z2011-06-18T14:14:28Z

In the spirit of Dad's Day, check out these books

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"[T]here's a big piece of Jersey in Heaven tonight," one NJ.com user laments.

NJ.com Staffhttp://connect.nj.com/user/njostaff/index.html "[T]here's a big piece of Jersey in Heaven tonight," one NJ.com user laments. tag:www.nj.com,2011:/news/index.ssf//1607.65193242011-06-19T02:39:09Z2011-06-19T04:42:54Z

The 69-year-old saxophonist was the Big Man whose solos keyed Springsteen's sound

Tris McCall/The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/tmccall/index.html The 69-year-old saxophonist was the Big Man whose solos keyed Springsteen's sound tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/arts/index.ssf//2253.65134822011-06-18T12:00:28Z2011-06-17T20:04:29Z

Lisa Harper, author of "A Double Life: Discovering Motherhood." Author Lisa Catherine Harper spent a whopping 49 hours in labor with her first child, a daughter she named Ella. But after all that pain and pushing, South Orange native Harper...

Meredith Galante/The Star-Ledger http://connect.nj.com/user/mgalante/index.html Lisa Harper, author of "A Double Life: Discovering Motherhood." Author Lisa Catherine Harper spent a whopping 49 hours in labor with her first child, a daughter she named Ella. But after all that pain and pushing, South Orange native Harper... tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/music/index.ssf//2250.65134102011-06-18T11:53:36Z2011-06-17T19:57:29Z

Joe Proudman/The Star-Ledger Singer Danielle Patoir of The Prettiest Meltdown performs during the Pier Sessions on the Hoboken waterfront on Thursday. A cool breeze wafts across the Hudson River as a breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline looms in the...

Jim Testa/For The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/njojtesta/index.html Joe Proudman/The Star-Ledger Singer Danielle Patoir of The Prettiest Meltdown performs during the Pier Sessions on the Hoboken waterfront on Thursday. A cool breeze wafts across the Hudson River as a breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline looms in the... tag:blog.nj.com,2011:/fashiontoday//2487.65092662011-06-17T21:27:36Z2011-06-17T21:27:23Z

Lisa Irizarryhttp://connect.nj.com/user/lirizarr/index.htmltag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/index.ssf//2249.65127172011-06-17T18:28:26Z2011-06-17T20:41:08Z

Amid a sea of reporters, Weiner dodged a few inappropriate questions. Was it comedy?

Anthony Venutolo/The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/acvenuto/index.html Amid a sea of reporters, Weiner dodged a few inappropriate questions. Was it comedy? tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/index.ssf//2249.65123882011-06-17T17:38:05Z2011-06-17T17:58:07Z

Highlighting the best comments on NJ.com

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The boat bar at the one-and-only Oyster Creek Inn, Leeds Point Since New Jersey didn't fare so well in the Best Bars in America ranking, it's time to show some Jersey pride and show the rest of the country...

Peter Genovese/The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/pgenoves/index.html The boat bar at the one-and-only Oyster Creek Inn, Leeds Point Since New Jersey didn't fare so well in the Best Bars in America ranking, it's time to show some Jersey pride and show the rest of the country... tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/celebrities/index.ssf//2255.65112232011-06-17T14:46:18Z2011-06-17T16:13:02Z

She and Jane Lynch were on hand for the filming of the "Glee Live!" 3D movie, out later this summer

Vicki Hyman/The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/vihyman/index.html She and Jane Lynch were on hand for the filming of the "Glee Live!" 3D movie, out later this summer tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/index.ssf//2249.65096952011-06-17T14:24:59Z2011-06-17T14:19:48Z

Check out the hilarious video from Letterman as well as the full Audible.com version

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Coldplay's Chris Martin likes to listen to other people's music. On this new track, he even sings about it. For a group that squats in the middle of the road, Coldplay sure is polarizing. The politeness of the London quartet?s...

Tris McCall/The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/tmccall/index.html Coldplay's Chris Martin likes to listen to other people's music. On this new track, he even sings about it. For a group that squats in the middle of the road, Coldplay sure is polarizing. The politeness of the London quartet?s... tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/movies/index.ssf//8000383.65075012011-06-17T12:13:18Z2011-06-16T21:24:19Z

Mark SchaferEmma Roberts and Freddie Highmore in "The Art of Getting By." ?We?re born alone, we die alone,? high school senior George Zinavoy tells us in the opening voice-over for ?The Art of Getting By.? ?Everything in between is an...

Stephen Whitty/The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/sjwhitty/index.html Mark SchaferEmma Roberts and Freddie Highmore in "The Art of Getting By." ?We?re born alone, we die alone,? high school senior George Zinavoy tells us in the opening voice-over for ?The Art of Getting By.? ?Everything in between is an... tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/dining/index.ssf//2254.65070332011-06-17T12:11:30Z2011-06-16T20:28:29Z

Joe Proudman/The Star-LedgerOpen the Sesame owner Petom Kochawattana at his Thai and Japanese restaurant in Springfield. Just a few steps inside the door hangs a gallery-sized, grainy 1966 black-and-white family photograph; the face of Chef Petom, at age 6,...

Teresa Politano/For The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/njotpolitano/index.html Joe Proudman/The Star-LedgerOpen the Sesame owner Petom Kochawattana at his Thai and Japanese restaurant in Springfield. Just a few steps inside the door hangs a gallery-sized, grainy 1966 black-and-white family photograph; the face of Chef Petom, at age 6,... tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/movies/index.ssf//8000383.65073772011-06-17T12:10:51Z2011-06-16T21:13:04Z

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Stephen Whitty/The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/sjwhitty/index.html Stephen Whitty gives 'Page One' three stars tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/music/index.ssf//2250.65069532011-06-17T12:09:56Z2011-06-17T15:11:00Z

England Keep My Bones Frank Turner (Epitaph) It?s been awhile since we?ve gotten a wordy acoustic guitar strummer out of Great Britain. Leave it to punk imprint Epitaph to introduce America to Frank Turner, a fast-talking leftist folkie singer-songwriter...

Tris McCall/The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/tmccall/index.html England Keep My Bones Frank Turner (Epitaph) It?s been awhile since we?ve gotten a wordy acoustic guitar strummer out of Great Britain. Leave it to punk imprint Epitaph to introduce America to Frank Turner, a fast-talking leftist folkie singer-songwriter... tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/movies/index.ssf//8000383.65072462011-06-17T12:04:48Z2011-06-17T14:55:14Z

Carrey chews the scenery even when he's not in the scene

Stephen Whitty/The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/sjwhitty/index.html Carrey chews the scenery even when he's not in the scene tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/arts/index.ssf//2253.65076542011-06-17T12:02:21Z2011-06-16T22:06:13Z

Choreographer Donna Scro, from Montclair, doesn't want the seven guys in her new work to look like her.

Robert Johnson/The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/njorjohnson/index.html Choreographer Donna Scro, from Montclair, doesn't want the seven guys in her new work to look like her. tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/arts/index.ssf//2253.65068992011-06-17T12:01:15Z2011-06-17T19:05:17Z

Joe GeinertNitya Vidyasagar who plays Titania, Queen of the Fairies rehearses a scene from A Midsummer Night�'s Dream. Most performers are interested in the parts that have the greatest number of lines. But of the two roles that Nitya Vidyasagar...

Peter Filichia/For The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/njopfilichia/index.html Joe GeinertNitya Vidyasagar who plays Titania, Queen of the Fairies rehearses a scene from A Midsummer Night�'s Dream. Most performers are interested in the parts that have the greatest number of lines. But of the two roles that Nitya Vidyasagar... tag:www.nj.com,2011:/entertainment/music/index.ssf//2250.65071532011-06-17T12:00:57Z2011-06-16T20:43:21Z

Courtesy of MozayikMozayik, performing at NJPAC's Sounds of the City on July 14. Kitab Rollins has no doubt what the ?sound of the city? is, when it comes to Brick City. ?What Newark loves is house music,? says Rollins, a...

Amy Kuperinsky/The Star-Ledgerhttp://connect.nj.com/user/amykup/index.html Courtesy of MozayikMozayik, performing at NJPAC's Sounds of the City on July 14. Kitab Rollins has no doubt what the ?sound of the city? is, when it comes to Brick City. ?What Newark loves is house music,? says Rollins, a...

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Chris Colfer on Being Named One of Time's Most Influential People (Video)

On 'Live With Regis and Kelly', Chris Colfer of 'Glee' downplayed being named one of Time Magazine's most influential people in the world. Colfer said he recently attended a gala held by the magazine and found himself in company much more deserving of the honor.

"I still don't know what I was doing there," Colfer said self-effacingly.

"That night was crazy because I was sitting at a table with so many people that were just so much more interesting than I was, who, like, were ruling countries," he said. "I was sitting next to the man who started the Egyptian revolution on his blog. I was like, 'I tweeted about Chewbacca today.'"

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PBS head: Public broadcasting funding intact

By DAVID BAUDER, AP
Wed Apr 13, 4:14 PM EDT

NEW YORK ? Despite efforts to strip government funding for public broadcasting, PBS chief Paula Kerger said the federal budget deal retains most of the money that President Barack Obama had set aside for public television and radio stations.

The deal allocates nearly $430 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a 0.2 percent cut from what the president had proposed. PBS is also due to receive $6 million to help public TV stations make the transition to digital services, less than it had hoped for, and another amount for an education initiative with the funding to be determined by the Department of Education, she said.

If passed by Congress and signed into law, this would make for another year where there was much talk about defunding public broadcasting, but no action.

Kerger, president and CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service, said the response of viewers and listeners was key. The advocacy group Association of Public Television Stations coordinated a lobbying effort that had a half-million people send emails to congressional offices and more to make phone calls on behalf of public broadcasting.

"That changed everything," Kerger said. "As eloquent as we hope we can be to articulate the case for public broadcasting, at the end of the day it's really the American people that count."

Three-quarters of the main CPB funding is distributed among the 360 public television stations, with the remainder going to 600 public radio stations across the country.

National Public Radio proved to be the focus of criticism, mostly from Republicans. NPR's president and CEO, Vivian Schiller, resigned last month after hidden camera footage from a conservative activist revealed a fellow executive there referring to the tea party movement as racist. NPR had also been criticized for firing analyst Juan Williams over comments he made about Muslims.

The House voted separately to eliminate CPB funding entirely and to eliminate funding for NPR, but those efforts went nowhere in the Senate.

Joyce Slocum, interim chief executive at NPR, said she was gratified that funding will be retained. "It's a recognition that public radio provides an essential public service," she said. In its lobbying, NPR stressed that the money was for local stations, not for NPR itself.

The budget deal also provides the system with hope for the future. The deal promises the CPB some $445 million in funding for the 2013 budget year, on top of $430 million more set aside for next year. It doesn't mean those appropriations can't be revisited, but it would take a specific effort to undo them, said Anne Bentley, Kerger's spokeswoman.

Critics will be back again, said Wesley Denton, spokesman for public broadcasting critic Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican.

It's a financial issue, Denton said: "They don't need it and we don't have it."

For television stations, an average of 15 percent of their funding comes from this CPB appropriation, Kerger said. But this amount varies across the country, with stations in rural areas far more dependent on the federal money, she said.

Kerger said many lawmakers also recognized the influence that PBS stations have on children with programming geared primarily toward pre-school youngsters. Children's viewership this season is up 21 percent over last year, the network said.

The funding threat also helped PBS with its fundraising among viewers, she said. The number of pledges during the system's March fundraising drive was up 17 percent, with 23 percent more money being given.

During meetings with lawmakers, some suggested that the government help PBS go commercial to avoid such threats in the future. But Kerger said some commercial networks that started with the intention of showing programming similar to PBS eventually had to turn to more lightweight fare.

"If you want to ensure that there is public broadcasting all over the country, then government funding is very important," she said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Nobel literature juror in RI denies prize biases

By IAN MacDOUGALL, AP
Thu Apr 14, 12:13 AM EDT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. ? The Swedish panel that awards the Nobel Prize for Literature isn't biased toward European writers or against American writers, a member of the panel said Wednesday.

Nationality isn't an important factor in selecting the prize winner, Swedish Academy member and acclaimed poet Kjell Espmark told The Associated Press.

Other members of the Swedish Academy have suggested both biases exist.

In 2008, the committee's then-permanent secretary, Horace Engdahl, said European writers tend to beat out American writers because American literature is overly insular. In 2009, his successor, Peter Englund, worried the prize was too "Eurocentric."

The list of the past 20 laureates includes one American ? novelist Toni Morrison, in 1993 ? and 11 European writers, including German novelist Gunter Grass and British playwright Harold Pinter. Some of the others selected during that time are not from Europe but have spent much of their writing careers there.

The literature prize election is by secret ballot among the 18 members of the Swedish Academy. Espmark has been a member of the Academy since 1981.

Engdahl sparked an uproar in 2008 when he declared in an interview with the AP that Europeans tend to win because they deserve to win, particularly compared with Americans, whom he dismissed as "too sensitive to trends in their own mass culture."

Engdahl's words were taken out of context, Espmark said Wednesday.

"That interview was summed up in such a way that could make you think that American writers were out of the question because they were too insular and so on. That's just nonsense," he said. "What he talked about actually is that very little translated literature is read in America."

Very few foreign-language books make it into English, especially in the U.S. market, and even fewer reach a wide audience, as Espmark pointed out.

"It's just a matter of a low percentage of translation that makes American audiences rather unaware of what happens in other countries," he said.

He also said he disagreed with Englund when he revealed in 2009 that he thought it was a problem that members of the Swedish Academy tend to "relate more easily to literature written in Europe and in the European tradition."

"The nation is not important, and balance (of laureates' homelands) is not interesting," Espmark said, noting that the panel tries to be impartial and make selections based purely on literary criteria.

Espmark, who is a professor emeritus of literary history at Stockholm University, was in Rhode Island as part of a tour to promote his latest collection of poetry, "Lend Me Your Voice." He gave a lecture at Providence College and read from the poetry collection; he spoke to the AP afterward.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Was Mariah Carey Reported for Drinking in the Hospital?

All new parents have their hands full, but Mariah Carey and husband Nick Cannon also dealt with a very unexpected visitor in the hospital where their daughter and son, Monroe and Moroccan, were born April 30.

"Child Protective Services actually came to me," Cannon told Piers Morgan on CNN Thursday, "And said that they were here to see me because there had been allegations that there was drug and alcohol use during the stay in the hospital."

But it's hardly as scandalous as it sounds: Cannon believes someone involved in Carey's care was overheard discussing a beer that allegedly boosts breastmilk production. Many moms of twins receive lactation tips specific to the challenges of feeding two newborns, but most can probably count on more privacy than Mariah Carey.

"It all started when a nurse suggested to my wife that if you drink Guinness, the dark beer, the yeast improves breastfeeding," Cannon added. "I don't know if someone heard that [and] were saying my wife was drinking beer. People will do anything to try to conjure up a story."

Cannon's theory is that a mundane conversation became a wild rumor only because of the new mom's celebrity. According to Us, he said the rep responding to information about alcohol in the patients' room understood the circumstances and agreed the allegation was ridiculous.

"To even have to deal with that, with my wife in the state that she's in while we're in the hospital, to even have to think about someone possibly wanting to investigate your children," Cannon said. "It's sad at the end of the day...when you think about people trying to make a buck off newborn babies."

Guinness beer tips aside, nursing twins is serious business for some moms, as 'Modern Family' star Julie Bowen proudly explained during a chat with George Lopez last year. On the other hand, twin mom Jennifer Lopez caused a mini-scandal in the parenting blogosphere when she confidently told People magazine she was forgoing breastfeeding altogether.

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Celebrity Children

Isla Fisher, who is currently pregnant with her second child, takes her daughter Olive for a treat at Milk on Beverly Boulevard.

Bauer-Griffin

Bauer-Griffin

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Is Bethenny Frankel Worth More Than the Kardashians?!

This is one savvy Skinnygirl.

Kim Kardashian may have the bigger booty, but reality star/mom/mogul/margarita mix master�Bethenny Frankel's got the�bigger bank account. This reality star trumps the Kardashian clan?who have pocked millions from best-sellers, numerous E! shows and even paid tweets?all with a cocktail and a dream.

So how did Bethenny do it?

Well, not from Bravo, that's for sure.

Rather than earning megaprofits from the former reality shows, the former Real Housewives of New York City castmember uses them to gain fans and plug her brand, reports The Hollywood Reporter, who sat down with the star right after she signed that massive liquor deal. Topping off all the TV exposure, Frankel's always been extremely savvy when it comes to using Twitter, Facebook and her website to promote her books, workout tips and recipes?amassing over 500,000 followers combined from the sites.

All of her outside moneymaking and branding ventures fall under her personal business umbrella, called Bethenny Frankel.

Running the now extremely successful business, which she began as a modest startup while living with her dog Cookie in her small Manhattan apartment, has worked out quite well for Frankel. Besides tying the knot with hubby Jason Hoppy and giving birth to daughter Bryn, the entrepreneur has managed to do the following after kicking off filming on the first season of RHONY with just $8,000 in her bank account:

? Lucrative Endorsement Deals: Frankel has starred in ads and commercials for Pepperidge Farm Cookies, Bluefly and Hanes.

? Three Published Books: Her first tome, Naturally Thin, was purchased in a "very lucrative" deal by publishing house Simon & Schuster, was on the New York Times best-seller list for 18 weeks. Just nine months later, she released her second book, The Skinnygirl Dish, full of recipes on what exactly she's putting in her skinny bod. She's now released a third book, A Place of Yes, after rewriting her entire first draft. Fun fact: She does most of her writing on planes or in bed wearing pajamas.

? RHONYC/Bethenny Ever After: This is where Frankel built her enormous fan following, who will buy basically anything she slaps the Skinnygirl title on. RHONY debuted in October 2008 and she did the next three seasons, outwitting and outplugging everyone and parlaying that fame into her own show, now titled Bethenny Ever After, which shows a softer side of the now married mom.

? Workout DVD: In Body by Bethenny, the personable Frankel makes yoga look fun while joking with her yoga partner and, of course, plugging her Skinnygirl brand on her shirt.

? Skinnygirl Extensions: The Skinnygirl "lifestyle" includes a shapewear line, diet cleanse and weight-loss supplements. Of her "lazy lingerie" Frankel says, "I don't like to wear lingerie, but my husband loves it. So I created lazy lingerie. You wear it under a blazer or sweater during the day, but when you pull it off, you have on lingerie. It solves a problem."

? Speaking Engagements: With an agent, a booker, manager and PR rep, Frankel earns cash speaking about everything from business to dating and love to food.

? Skating With the Stars:�Frankel cross-promoted this one, as it's currently living on in behind-the-scenes moments on Bethenny Ever After. She managed to squeeze in practice and a trip to Los Angeles with her hubby and 11-month old baby�in tow and finished in second place?winning over even more fans in the process.�

? Liquor Deal: This is Frankel's bread and butter, creating the Skinnygirl margarita after looking for a way to down her favorite drink without all that sugar. After developing the idea for the mix, she began shopping it around to liquor distributors, but no one would take her seriously in a male-dominated market. Finally, after six months of back-and-forth with Beam, who showed interest, she struck a deal (estimated at around $120 million) with the company to produce her formula worldwide. "I created a sub-category that never existed. I wasn't an expert, I was just another person bothered by a 700-calorie margarita," she said.

Frankel's been so successful in her endeavors that network heads are now even rethinking the way their reality stars have been using the networks for personal gain. Some have even begun to include clauses in new talent contracts that would award the network a portion of the money made from the result of a talent's time on a show.

Looks like Frankel's changed the game. And beaten everybody to the punch.�

MORE: Bethenny doesn't care if you see her naked!

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"I Never Wanted to Be the American Idol," Says Eliminee Stefano Langone

Say what?! Who goes on American Idol not wanting to win? Well,�Stefano Langone does just that?or so he claims, after the fact.

The morning after being booted off the Idol stage, he isn't wondering what he could have done differently to stay. Instead, he's thinking about his future and making sure his self-proclaimed "brother," James Durbin, is doing all right after last night's emotional meltdown. So what's Stefano's next move now that he's off the No. 1 show in America....and how did he console James after the cameras stopped rolling?

We reported last night that James was an emotional mess after Stefano's elimination. When he stormed offstage in tears and obvious discontent, we saw a new side of James. But while James took the elimination hard, Stefano himself says it was never his intention to make it all the way.

"When I came out for American Idol I never wanted to be the American Idol," he said, "It was getting my foot in the door of the music industry and taking a step forward in that way. I am so happy about my experience, so thankful for all of this and blessed.

"What I came out here to do, I did it. I succeeded. I got to lucky No. 7, and it doesn't really reflect on who I am as a musician or a performer at all. It's a show. That's one thing you've got to remember, it's a show, and now it's time for me to really move forward. There's a wide open crowd and market out there right now, and I'm ready to pounce on it."

As for James' postshow meltdown, Stefano says he was able to talk him down by reassuring him that everything was going to work out the way it's supposed to.�

"I told him not to worry about me," Stefano told us. "I did everything I set out to do on this show and it's going to pay off and I'm going to do great. I told him, 'Just keep focusing on the show and what you gotta do to keep succeeding and I'll be back in a couple weeks.' I talked him down a little bit. He's a big crybaby."

The pair have been close buddies and roommates since Hollywood Week, making it extra hard to say goodbye, but James guarantees Stefano will be an intricate part of one of the most important days of his life. �

"He's a brother to me, and I'm going to be his best man in his wedding," Stefano said.�

As for Stefano's future in music, well, he's pretty confident he'll have a career as successful as established stars�John Legend and Stevie Wonder.

"I have the range of Stevie Wonder," he said. "I have that range and I have that soul, especially when I get on the piano. People haven't seen that John Legend feel. I have a lot of stuff in the bag that I haven't really shown yet. I haven't gone and done my original stuff, I haven't gotten behind the piano and shown vocally what I am capable of. I am really going to show the world not just what I can do on American Idol but in the music industry the kind of impact I can make."

Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, but Stefano is nothing but excited.

"I cannot wait to start this long and successful journey."

Do you think Stefano has the talent of Stevie Wonder? Do you believe he didn't want to win Idol? Does James emotional meltdown make you love him more? Let us know in the comments!

READ MORE:�Live at�American Idol: Why Did James Durbin Storm Offstage After the Show?

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Will Princess Jasmine Still Reign in Round 4? Vote in the Best Princess Tournament!

The coronation ceremony for the Best Princess Ever is right around the corner, and the upsets just will not stop! The fairy dust from round three has settled and the Final Four are here!

Did your favorite make it through? Check out the results:

The animated royalty are now completely dominating. Princess Jasmine sent Princess Di back to the palace after she pulled in 53 percent of the vote. And Cinderella still has some time left at the ball now that's she's ended Grace Kelly's tournament ambitions with her own 58 percent.

Shrek's Princess Fiona continues to hold strong against the competition. Belle proved no match for the ogre royalty, who also received 58 percent, but the real animated upset came from Disney's Tangled newcomer Rapunzel. She sent the lovable Ariel back to her undersea home with a dominating 60 percent of the votes.

So who will make it to the royal finals? It's up to you! Can Fiona take on the army of Disney princesses? Or will Jasmine continue her winning streak? Vote now and be sure to follow all the action on Twitter @RoyalsWed!

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Selena Gomez Reveals, 'I Want to Be in Love'

Teen queen Selena Gomez covers the new issue of Teen Vogue, and dishes about her future, her fans and of course, her love life.

From tv and movies, to music and a clothing line, it seems the young starlet is taking the world by storm, and knows she couldn't possibly do it without one thing, her fans.

She recorded her latest single 'Who Says' for them, explaining "I just thought they needed it, because of bullying, I hope it inspires them to be who they are."

During her chat with Teen Vogue, nothing is directly said about boyfriend and pop sensation, Justin Bieber, but she does reveal a little about heartbreak and her current thoughts on love.

"But at this moment in my life, I'm at a point where I want to be in love, to give my all and fall head over heels."

On leaving behind her Disney show and her future career plans: "I'm in a very crucial spot, it's like starting over. I was trying to explain it to one of my friends, and he said 'You'll be fine. People believe in you.' But when they're putting together a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, I don't think they're going to go 'Selena Gomez would be great for this!' I'm not an option. It's humbling, having to go from this Disney high back down to having to fight for roles."

On the press, her fans and the paparazzi: "A lot of times the paparazzi will try to use them. They'll say 'Your fans want this.' And it's frustrating because my fans are amazing: They love me, they support me. And I do everything for them. But the press? They don't care about me. They just want something on me that they can use. They just want to get that shot."

On love and heartbreak: "When your heart is broken you want to hate everything. You want to say, 'I don't believe in love; this is ridiculous. It's not supposed to hurt this much.' But at this moment in my life, I'm at a point where I want to be in love, to give my all and fall head over heels. I'm eighteen. I'm not going to marry anybody I'm with and I know that. The next heartbreak I have, I'm sure I'll be like, How can I live without this person? But I'm still trying to dive in and enjoy it."

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Israeli PM's meeting with Bieber called off

By IAN DEITCH, AP
Wed Apr 13, 12:07 PM EDT

JERUSALEM ? Justin Beiber's trip to Israel is off to a rocky start ? tentative plans to meet the prime minister have fallen through under contentious circumstances, and the teen heartthrob says he has holed himself up in his hotel to escape the country's notoriously aggressive paparazzi.

Bieber, adored by young fans worldwide for hits like "Baby," arrived in Israel on Monday and was planning to spend the week sightseeing ahead of an outdoor concert in Tel Aviv on Thursday.

The 17-year-old Canadian artist has set off a wave of excitement, with young females camped outside his hotel and photographers aggressively following him at every stop.

Even 61-year-old Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to have been caught up in the hype. Officials in his office said the Israeli leader had hoped to meet the singer, but hinted that Mideast politics had scuttled the visit.

A spokesman for Netanyahu said Bieber's representatives had initiated the meeting, and the prime minister thought it would be a good idea. He said Netanyahu hoped to bring children from Israel's embattled south, which has absorbed dozens of Palestinian rocket attacks in recent weeks, and give them a "happy experience."

"Unfortunately it has not proved feasible," said the official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. He refused to elaborate, but Israel's Channel 2 TV said Bieber had told Netanyahu's office he did not want to make the visit political.

The Yediot Ahronot tabloid headlined its coverage "Bibi vs. Bieber," using the prime minister's nickname. "Furious Bieber," wrote the Maariv daily.

Ronit Arbel, an Israeli spokeswoman for Bieber, denied the reports. She said there were never any plans ? or even discussions ? about a meeting with the prime minister.

But in a Twitter post ? one of many offered by the singer in recent days ? Bieber acknowledged the difficulties of Israeli photographers and the country's diplomatic minefield.

"I want to see this country and all the places ive dreamed of and whether its the paps or being pulled into politics its been frustrating," he said.

Israeli leaders have an informal tradition of meeting with visiting celebrities. Netanyahu hosted Madonna for a traditional Friday night Sabbath dinner two years ago. More recently, he met the Chilean miners who were rescued after two months underground when they visited the Holy Land earlier this year.

Celebrities ranging from Elton John to Sarah Palin to Leonardo DiCaprio have also had a long history of trouble with Israeli paparazzi.

A practicing Christian, Bieber complained on his Twitter page that paparazzi were pursuing him everywhere, even at sensitive holy sites.

"You would think paparazzi would have some respect in holy places. All I wanted was the chance to walk where jesus did here in isreal," he wrote, misspelling the name of the country and failing to capitalize Jesus' name.

Israeli media showed footage of what it said was the young star trying to escape photographers on a scooter. One of them later lodged a complaint with police saying Beiber had tried to run him over, media reported.

In another post, Bieber wrote Tuesday that he wouldn't go outside anymore: "`Staying in the hotel for the rest of the week u happy?'"

But he later implied a change of mind: "im just excited at this pt to get on stage and perform. gonna take a little break from twitter and enjoy this time with my family until then."

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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