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A lawyer for the TV news producer accused of blackmailing David Letterman plans to ask a judge to dismiss an extortion case that prompted the late-night comic to acknowledge affairs with staffers.

On the eve of a hearing in the Michael Jackson estate, a lawyer for the singer's father filed a 60-page motion Monday that intensifies a bid to get money from his son's estate by making accusations of fraud against the administrators of his will.

Even for a venue as grand as New York's Carnegie Hall, there was a pretty dazzling concentration of star power at Glamour magazine's Women of the Year awards.

Mya is tops on "Dancing With the Stars."

Another executive at The Walt Disney Co.'s movie studio is exiting hurriedly as the company's troubles continue at the box office with a weak opening for "A Christmas Carol."

Mutual of Omaha may have had its own "aha moment." The insurance company has decided to settle its lawsuit against Oprah Winfrey's production company over rights to the phrase.

A judge on Monday ordered a woman to stay away from Justin Timberlake for the next three years.

A Connecticut woman who was mauled and blinded after a 200-pound chimpanzee attacked her in February is set to appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Jennifer Lopez won a court order Monday barring her first husband from making their sex life public - at least for a day.

It may not merit the adjective in its title, yet the animated yarn "Fantastic Mr. Fox" offers some of the most goofy fun you'll have at a theater this season.

It's a seemingly simple approach to one of the modern world's most complicated political problems: By marrying the dainty lutes of the East with thrumming violas of the West, composer Hafez Nazeri says he wants to create harmony between the U.S. and his native Iran.

"Patton, Montgomery, Rommel: Masters of War" (Crown Publishing, 448 pages, $30), by Terry Brighton: During a dinner in Saigon with some news correspondents in 1971, Gen. Creighton Abrams, the U.S. commander in Vietnam, was asked his opinion of the movie, "Patton."

"The Education of a British-Protected Child" (Knopf, 208 pages, $24.95), by Chinua Achebe: Nigerian author Chinua Achebe's new book, his first in 20 years, is not especially new. And maybe that's part of the point.

"Sweet Thunder" (Knopf, 464 pages, $27.95), by Wil Haygood: The boxer Sugar Ray Robinson was a man of glittering skill and deep complexity. So complex, in fact, that several writers - including Robinson himself - have tried and failed to render a full portrait.

OK, Cheeseheads. Get ready to visit Broadway.

Melanie Fiona, "The Bridge" (Universal Motown)

HARDCOVER FICTION

"Samuel Johnson: A Life" (Henry Holt and Company, 432 pages, $30), by David Nokes: David Nokes, a prominent scholar of 18th-century English literature, takes a fresh look at Samuel Johnson, the man known as the creator of the dictionary. In doing so, Nokes shows a very human side of Johnson, and the perspective of his times.

A hospital did not do enough to care for the brother of James Woods when he went to the emergency room complaining of a sore throat and vomiting in 2006, a lawyer for the actor told jurors Monday at the trial of a wrongful death lawsuit.

Comedian and rapper Katt Williams was released on bond Monday after police said they arrested the entertainer for breaking into a home and stealing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and coins.

Comedian Katt Williams has been jailed in Georgia on charges of burglary and criminal trespassing.

Sir Simon Rattle's new contract with the Berlin Philharmonic is just days old but already he's looking ahead - to the orchestra's coast-to-coast tour U.S. tour starting this week, and to the role that classical music can and will play in 21st century society.

Kenny Chesney has made the very hard work of dominating country music look easy.

Bon Jovi, "The Circle" (Island)

Japanese actress Noriko Sakai, once hugely popular in Asia, was convicted of drug use Monday as thousands of people crowded outside the courthouse in anticipation of the verdict.

Marianne Faithfull has never been much for nostalgia throughout a roller-coaster career that's found her constantly reinventing herself. But when her band played "As Tears Go By" on her fall U.S. concert tour, she found herself flashing back to where her wild ride all began.

Broadway ticket availability and capsule reviews of shows as of Nov. 9. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are available at the theaters' box offices for the shows listed. Details about how to obtain tickets appear at the end.

Family ties are powerful, and when the folks are as famous and as accomplished as the Redgrave clan, these bindings must be industrial strength indeed.

Robin Roberts is comfortable in the knowledge that when ABC's "Good Morning America" makeover is complete, she will keep her seat at the anchor desk. She just doesn't know who will be sitting next to her.