bcentertainmentARTSBRITAINSTARWARSDC.html McGregor Strikes Back Over 'Star Wars' Film   LONDON (Reuters) - 'Star Wars' actor Ewan McGregor says he was disappointed by the last film in the epic science fiction series. McGregor, 31, said fans could expect a return to the style of the first three films when 'Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones' opens next month in the UK.

bcentertainmentTELEVISION24DC.html '24' Finale Secrets Heavily Guarded by Fox   HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - The producers of Fox television's critically hailed drama '24' are going to extraordinary lengths to make sure the secrets of the show's upcoming season finale don't leak out. Anyone involved in production of the series will have to sign a confidentiality agreement, promising that they won't 'at any time, directly or indirectly, without (the producers') prior written consent ... disseminate, permit access to, duplicate, display, publish, state or in any other manner disclose any information of any kind dealing with or in any way relating to the script or season finale.'

bcentertainmentTELEVISIONWRITERSDC.html CBS, Writers Guild Reach News Pact   HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - The Writers Guild of America and CBS have reached a tentative three-year deal on a labor pact covering about 400 news employees. The agreement, which must be ratified by the WGA, was reached early Sunday in New York City following an all-night bargaining session.

bcentertainmentTELEVISIONWEDNESDAYDC.html ABC Cans 'Wednesday 9:30'   HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Maybe ABC should have given its mid-season comedy 'Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central)' another name: Two and out. The network Friday pulled the plug on 'Wednesday,' just two weeks after the show about the harsh world of network TV premiered to a disappointing 3.1 rating/8 share in the key viewer demographic of adults 18-49.

bcentertainmentMEDIABMGCDSDC.html BMG to Test Protected CDs on Industry Insiders   NEW YORK (Reuters) - A new batch of compact discs designed to defeat Napster-style piracy is coming soon to record-industry insiders. BMG, one of the world's five major labels, said Monday it would start issuing promotional CDs -- the free discs distributed to critics, retailers and other insiders weeks before the official release -- with technological countermeasures to prevent copying.

bcentertainmentBRAZILSIMPSONSDC.html Rio Irked by Simpsons Portrayal, Seeks Legal Action   SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - Rio de Janeiro's tourist board Monday said it was mulling legal action against the producers of 'The Simpsons' show for undermining a multimillion-dollar campaign to attract visitors. In the episode 'Blame it on Lisa,' Homer is robbed by street kids and kidnapped by an unlicensed taxi as the world-famous U.S. cartoon family goes to Rio to find a missing orphan Lisa has been sponsoring.

bcentertainmentLEISUREBOXOFFICEDC.html 'Panic Room' Hangs on to Top Box-Office Spot   LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - 'Panic Room,' the Jodie Foster thriller, kept the competition on the outside looking in as it held the top spot for the second weekend in a row at the North American box office, according to estimates released Sunday by the major studios. The suspense tale about a mother and daughter hiding from burglars in a concrete bunker inside their New York City home added $18.5 million in ticket sales during its second weekend in release. The Sony film, now in 3,053 theaters, set a record for an Easter opening weekend, and now boasts cumulative tickets sales of $58.8 million.

bcentertainmentPEOPLEBRITAINMCCARTNEYDC.html Clouds Over Designer McCartney's Rooftop Shower   LONDON (Reuters) - Top British fashion designer Stella McCartney may have make some changes at her multi-million-dollar house in London's Notting Hill if local residents' objections to her new rooftop shower are upheld. Neighbors of McCartney, daughter of former Beatle Sir Paul, have complained to Westminster City Council about the wooden shower and pallings that have appeared atop her west London terraced house.

bcentertainmentPULITZERSARTSDC.html Fiction, Drama, Poetry Pulitzers Announced   NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was awarded Monday to Richard Russo for his book 'Empire Falls', the Pulitzer Prize Board said. It also named the following

winners at Columbia University:     Suzan-Lori Parks, drama,

bcentertainmentARTSMEXICOACTRESSDC.html Mexican Movie Legend Maria Felix Dies   MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's foremost movie legend Maria Felix, renowned as a femme fatale throughout Latin America and the one-time lover of the painter Diego Rivera, died Monday of heart failure, local media reported. It was her 88th birthday.

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