AP - With his follow-up to "Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore wants to examine America as an empire, study its standing since the Sept. 11 attacks and present revelations to surprise audiences as much as the first film did.

AP - LOS ANGELES (AP) — Though Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz are keeping a tight lid on their nuptuals, it's looking like a wedding is imminent. Aerial photos posted Friday at several celebrity Web sites, credited to the Insight News & Features paparazzi photo agency, purport to show the Simpson family home near Los Angeles dotted with large white party tents.

AP - After wrapping up a successful concert tour, you'd think Reba McEntire would want to take some time off to relax. Instead, the tireless country star is preparing for her 10th turn as host of the Academy of Country Music Awards this weekend. Over the years, she says she's gained more ease hosting the event.

AP - "But Didn't We Have Fun? An Informal History of Baseball's Pioneer Era, 1843-1870" (286 pages, Ivan R. Dee, $27.50) by Peter Morris: Any institution that endures in American culture passes through an interesting transitional period — the time when it straddles the line between an informal practice and a more structured, formal activity.

AFP - Claus-Dietrich Lahrs, the CEO of leading French fashion house Christian Dior Couture, was Thursday named head of German ready-to-wear company Hugo Boss, a statement from that company said.

Reuters - Colombian pop singer Shakira is using her fame to help poor Latin American children, but she also has her heart set on a new role -- mother to her own offspring.

Reuters - Rocker Lou Reed is taking a walk on the wild side to Sirius Satellite Radio Inc, where he will host his own weekly show, the company said.

Reuters - R&B singer Rihanna's "Take a Bow" soared 52 places to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart Thursday, the second-biggest jump to the top in the chart's 50-year history.

Reuters - When director Andrew Adamson began promoting "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," which opens in theaters Friday, he prepared for specific questions about the Christian audience that helped 2005's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" gross $292 million at the domestic box office.

AP - Taylor Hicks is going from "Idol" to "Angel."

AP - TORONTO (AP) — Shania Twain and husband-producer Robert "Mutt" Lange are splitting up after 14 years of marriage. The 42-year-old Canadian country superstar and 59-year-old Lange married in 1993 and have a 6-year-old son named Eja. Her publicist provided no further details Thursday about the couple's breakup.

AP - CANNES, France (AP) — Fernando Meirelles did boys with guns in "City of God" and murderous corporations in "The Constant Gardener." With "Blindness," the opening night entry at the Cannes Film Festival, the Brazilian director exposes the world's ultimate savages: your friends and neighbors.

AP - LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ellen DeGeneres is putting the California Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage into action — she and Portia de Rossi plan to wed, DeGeneres announced during a taping of her talk show.