AP - Michelle Obama said Wednesday she was "touched" that first lady Laura Bush came to her defense after she was harshly criticized by Republicans for her February comment that for the first time in her adult life she was proud of the United States.

AP - The crowd at Tim Russert's funeral Wednesday would have made a great panel on his Sunday morning news show.

AP - Broadway star Patti LuPone, known for her Tony Award-winning roles in "Gypsy" and "Evita," is working on a memoir, tentatively scheduled to be released in 2010 by Harmony Books, an imprint of Random House Inc.

Reuters - Beck and the Black Crowes will headline the annual San Diego Street Scene festival, scheduled for September 19-20.

Reuters - "Bruno," Sacha Baron Cohen's follow-up to "Borat," has been scheduled by Universal Pictures for a May 15, 2009, release.

AP - Robert De Niro's planned $43 million hotel in downtown Manhattan features a handmade brick exterior, Carrara marble bathtubs — and a luxurious penthouse, which has raised the hackles of preservationists who say he flouted the rules with that top-floor suite.

AP - Documents unsealed from the R. Kelly child pornography trial include claims from the prosecution's star witness that an employee of the R&B star threatened her.

AP - Cyd Charisse, the long-legged beauty who danced with the Ballet Russe as a teenager and starred in MGM musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, died Tuesday. She was 86.

AP - Lil Wayne now has official numbers to back up his bragging — the rapper's new CD has sold a spectacular 1 million copies its first week.

AP - LOS ANGELES (AP) — Snow White, Dorothy Gale, the HAL 9000 computer, Charles Chaplin's Little Tramp and Marlon Brando's Godfather share top billing among the American Film Institute's best genre movies.

AP - "Empire of Lies" (Harcourt, 383 pages, $25), by Andrew Klavan: Jason Harrow, the hero of Andrew Klavan's new crime novel, used to be a sexual sadist, taking pleasure in causing pain to submissive New York City women. But then he found God, moved away from Gomorra, settled down in the wholesome Midwest and married a nice, normal woman.

Fashion Wire Daily - Pretty women and handsome men graced the "Get Smart" red carpet at that retro comedy's premiere at the Mann Village Theater in Westwood, Calif., on Monday night.

Reuters - NBC Sports is taking a further step into Olympic sports with the acquisition of World Championship Sports Network, a small television network and online site that televises year-round competitions.