Buzz Briefs: "Sopranos," Britney Spears
Missing Juror For "Sopranos" Trial Found In Jail
A juror was AWOL for the murder trial of a former "Sopranos" actor but he has turned up -- behind bars.
The juror was absent Monday when court opened for the trial of actor Lillo Brancato and testimony had to be delayed until the man was replaced with an alternate.
Court officials said the juror was arrested during the weekend after being accused of punching his 15-year-old stepson in the face.
Word of his arrest didn't reach the court until Monday.
Prosecutors allege that Brancato - who got his start in the film "A Bronx Tale" and later appeared in "The Sopranos" - was involved in the killing of an off-duty police officer while trying to get drugs.
The defense says the true culprit was Brancato's co-defendant, who was convicted on Oct. 30.
Britney Spears To Embark On "Circus" Tour In March
Britney Spears is taking her "Circus" act on the road.
In an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America," the pop star announced that her North American arena tour will open March 3 in New Orleans. Her new album, "Circus," arrived Tuesday, on her 27th birthday.
It is Spears' first tour in five years as she gains career momentum and stability in her personal life. Spears, who sang her hit "Womanizer" on "GMA," begins rehearsals next month.
Spears' 27-city itinerary includes Atlanta, Miami, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. She'll close the tour April 28 in Chicago.
She will jump to London for performances on June 3 and June 4.
Tickets go on sale beginning Saturday.
A High Note For Callas: Plaque Marks N.Y. Birth Site
And a star was born.
On Tuesday - which would have been her 85th birthday - a plaque honoring opera legend Maria Callas was being unveiled at the Manhattan hospital where she came into the world.
Callas was born to Greek parents in 1923 at what was then Flower Hospital. The hospital merged with other institutions over the years and is now the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center.
Callas' mother took her back to Greece. There, she trained and performed before her professional life took her all over the world, including Italy and the U.S. She died in Paris in 1977.
An organizer for the event says the hospital plaque comes from Italy, and is made from the same marble that Michelangelo used for sculpture.
Condi Rice Shows Her Musical Side To The Queen
Live from the palace - Condi Rice on piano!
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice performed in a piano quintet Monday night for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
Rice played Brahms' Op. 34 with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband's wife, Louise, on violin, and three members of the London Symphony Orchestra.
The queen gave Rice an audio recording of the performance as a gift.
Rice is a classically trained pianist who had expressed a wish to play at the palace.
She was making her final trip to Britain before President-elect Barack Obama takes office next month. On Tuesday, she gave a farewell speech to NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
Former UCLA Hospital Worker Admits Selling Celeb Records
A former employee of UCLA Medical Center pleaded guilty Monday to selling information from the medical records of celebrities and high-profile patients, including Britney Spears and Farrah Fawcett, to the National Enquirer.
Lawanda Jackson, 49, spoke quietly as she entered her plea to the felony charge of violating federal medical privacy law for commercial purposes in U.S. District Court.
She faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for May.
Jackson and her attorney, Angel Navarro, declined to comment after the hearing.
Jackson worked as an administrative specialist at the UCLA hospitals for 32 years and in recent years began using her supervisor's password to access medical records inappropriately, authorities said.
Former La Scala Choir Master Bertola Dies At 87
Giulio Bertola, who directed the choir at Italy's famed La Scala theater in 1983-91, has died after a long illness, the opera house said Tuesday. He was 87.
La Scala said Bertola died Sunday, but did not elaborate on the cause of death.
"A complete musician, director and composer, Giulio Bertola was one of the keepers of the great tradition of Italian choral singing, leaving his mark of extraordinary rigor on La Scala," the theater said in a statement.
Blockbuster Beefs Up Its Stores With Concert Tickets
Blockbuster Inc. will begin selling concert tickets at about 500 of its video rental stores, bolstering its effort to create a one-stop shop for entertainment.
Under a three-year agreement announced Tuesday, Blockbuster's stores next month will become the primary brick-and-mortar sales outlet for music concerts staged by promoter Live Nation Inc. in the United States.
Dallas-based Blockbuster will supplant a hodgepodge of department stores, supermarkets and other retailers that Live Nation had been relying upon as part of an unraveling partnership with Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc.
Beverly Hills-based Live Nation is breaking away from Ticketmaster to build its own ticketing channel. Ticketmaster will continue to handle some of Live Nation's sales until contracts covering several concert venues expire.
With most consumers buying their tickets online, Blockbuster is expected to account for less than 10 percent of the more than 10 million tickets that Live Nation anticipates selling in the United States next year.