A tribute to the legendary French singer Edith Piaf

Daughter of Loudon and sister to Rufus, Martha Wainwright's third album took a turn away from original folk tunes to a full-length tribute album to legendary French singer Edith Piaf. For two nights, the saucily voiced Wainwright re-creates the album live for an intimate Largo audience. Largo at the Coronet. 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. $30. (310) 855-0350. http://www.largo-la.com.

"We're totally doing this. It's hilarious"

The producer had just sent the e-mail to Rob Lowe and was a little nervous. "Look, we wrote this crazy thing, I totally understand if you don't want to do it," he wrote the actor.

Michael Schur and the writers of "Parks and Recreation" had come up with a promotional bit for the NBC comedy, on which Lowe is now a series regular. The script called for the 46-year-old actor to be a full-on diva; he'd arrive on set and, after being told that "Parks" had actually been on hiatus, would then launch into an expletive-filled rant about how his handsome face needed to be on television.

"No one's been on the show before me," he would also snarl to his less-famous cast mates. "There was no … show before me." He'd throw coffee in someone's face. And punch someone else.

Ten minutes after he'd sent the e-mail, Schur's phone rang. It was Lowe. "Are you kidding me?" the actor said. "We're totally doing this. It's hilarious."

"The Quiet World: Saving Alaska's Wilderness Kingdom, 1879-1960"

Fresh off his 800-plus-page Theodore Roosevelt biography, "Wilderness Warrior," historian Douglas Brinkley tackles eight decades of American conservation history in "The Quiet World: Saving Alaska's Wilderness Kingdom, 1879-1960". Comparatively svelte at 576 pages, "A Quiet World" is the second of what Brinkley hopes will be his "Wilderness Cycle."

"Allan Nevins wrote eight volumes on the Civil War and Dumas Malone wrote five volumes on Thomas Jefferson. My plan is to do something similar for U.S. conservation history," Brinkley writes in his acknowledgments.

That's a bold promise. Both authors won Pulitzer Prizes (although Nevins' was for his biography of Grover Cleveland in 1933. He also won for " Hamilton Fish" in 1937), and Malone also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Anyone attempting to move onto their shelf will have to deliver the goods.

Brinkley mostly does, providing an exhaustively detailed account of the evolution of public policy and conservation philosophy that swirled around the 49th state from 1879, when John Muir began his eloquent prose epistles that brought "Seward's Folly" into the popular imagination, to 1960, when what now is known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was established. It's a historical and intellectual terrain as complex and outsized as the state itself — with just as many hazards. Among them are the towering peaks of American conservation: Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, Aldo Leopold.

"Inherently Unequal"

In the years immediately following the Civil War, America appeared to possess the will and the means to end racial segregation and give the same rights enjoyed by whites to its 4 million recently freed black slaves. These noble goals, of course, were not achieved for another century. During the intervening decades, the South saw the rise of Jim Crow and Judge Lynch. In "Inherently Unequal," constitutional scholar Lawrence Goldstone convincingly lays the blame for this tragedy at the door of the institution that could have made the difference but did not: the United States Supreme Court.

Until the early 1870s, advocates of Radical Reconstruction dominated politics in Washington. At the same time, voters approved the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution, granting the federal judiciary enormous power to effect change. But as President Abraham Lincoln's enlightened Supreme Court appointees left the bench, their replacements began to institute, in Goldstone's words, "the same two-tiered system of justice that had existed in the slave era." President Ulysses S. Grant in particular chose poorly, picking justices who came from corporate practices and had little interest in racial equality. In 1875, one of Grant's selections, Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite (shown above), foreshadowed what was ahead. He set aside the conviction in a lower federal court of a white man involved in an 1873 massacre in Louisiana of 100 black militiamen who, after laying down their weapons, were slaughtered by 250 armed whites. Many of those who participated were members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Anything you can do I can do too !!

Looks like this robotic hand is able to do almost anything that a human hand can do. The Tactile Robotic Hand is powered with Air Muscles which appear to be very strong and versatile.

“The Shadow Hand is the closest robot Hand to the human Hand available. It provides 24 movements, allowing a direct mapping from a human to the robot. The Shadow Hand has integrated sensing and position control, allowing precise control from off-board computers, or integration into your existing robot platform. The Shadow Hand contains an integrated bank of 40 Air Muscles which make it move. The muscles are compliant, which allows the Hand to be used around soft or fragile objects. The Shadow Hand can be fitted with touch sensing on the fingertips, offering sensitivity sufficient to detect a single small coin.

The Shadow Air Muscle is a simple yet powerful device for providing a pulling force. It behaves in a very similar way to a biological muscle. When actuated with a supply of compressed air, they contract by up to 40% of its original length. The force it provides decreases as it contracts, and the first few percent of the contraction is very powerful indeed. The simplest use of an Air Muscle is to move a lever. One muscle will pull the lever in one direction, and a spring can return it. Two muscles will allow the lever to be pulled in either direction, with considerable force. Because the muscle contracts over a known distance, it can be used to provide a safe movement: there is no need to ensure that the lever is not going to be rotated beyond its end-stop, because the muscle will only move the lever to its set up angle.”

"Turn Off The Dark"

As previously reported, SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark has delayed its opening night (previously set for January 11, 2011) to Monday, February 7. Directed by Julie Taymor and featuring a book by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger, and new music and lyrics by U2's Bono and The Edge, SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark is now in previews at Broadway's Foxwoods Theatre (213 West 42nd Street). All performances prior to the new opening night have gone on as planned. Above, the Green Goblin (Patrick Page) and Spider-man (Reeve Carney) do battle atop the Chrysler Building.

"Love Is the Answer".

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Eight-time Grammy winner Barbra Streisand will give a rare, live performance at the upcoming Grammy Awards, organizers said on Tuesday in announcing other stars joining the show including Miley Cyrus.

The 68 year-old actress figures to be a big part of the world's top music industry awards, the Grammys, when they are given out on Sunday, February 13.

Known for decades of work in music, theater and movies such as "Funny Girl" and "The Way We Were," Streisand is nominated for a Grammy this year for best traditional pop vocal album with her "Love Is the Answer".

She also is being honored for her philanthropy and creativity by MusicCares, the foundation run by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences that aids musicians.

Streisand performs only sporadically, usually for charity and rarely in such a live, public event such as the Grammys. She last toured the United States and Europe in 2006-2007 in a show that set box-office

“Love Never Dies”

Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s new sequel to The Phantom of the Opera – “Love Never Dies” – will have its world premiere in London, as reported today by Baz Bamigboye in the Daily Mail.

It was initially believed that the new blockbusting musical would open simultaneously in New York, London and Shanghai, but it now appears that managing the logistics of this has proved too complex. However, the show will still break new ground in opening productions around the world in quick succession – starting with London and then following with Toronto, Shanghai and then Broadway.

In London, the show will play at the Adelphi Theatre, owned by Lloyd-Webber’s Really Useful Group, in late October or early November.

Lloyd-Webber also revealed to Baz that, as predicted by previous rumours, Ramin Karimloo (above) and Sierra Boggess will launch the show in the two main leads.

"to berate and humiliate"

Simon Cowell might be the first reality show judge to use his platform to berate and humiliate, but he's certainly not the last. Since he took his post on "American Idol" in 2002, hiring meanies has become the norm and the fans love it.

Now, the sharp-tongued Brit moves on to the American version of "X-Factor.

"a rich and colorful heritage"

As a National Historic Landmark, the Hotel del Coronado has a rich and colorful heritage that sets it apart from neighboring Coronado hotels. From Marilyn Monroe to Charles Lindbergh, from state dinners to the ghost of Kate Morgan, The Del is an American treasure with more than 120 years of fascinating stories to tell.

PRESIDENTS & PRINCES

Eleven U.S. Presidents have visited The Del, starting with Benjamin Harrison in 1891. One of the resort's most famous visitors was England's Prince of Wales in 1920. He would later become King Edward VIII, only to give up his throne in 1936 to marry Coronado divorcee Wallis Spencer Simpson. Many have speculated that they may have first met at The Del.

AMERICAN LEGENDS

The Del has played host to some of America's greats, including Thomas Edison, L. Frank Baum and Babe Ruth. Famed aviator Charles Lindbergh was honored at The Del in 1927 after his successful trans-Atlantic flight. At this lavish banquet, a replica of Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" circled the enormous Crown Room ceiling.

HOLLYWOOD CONNECTION

Hollywood has been making movies at The Del since 1901. In 1958, The Del was the backdrop for the comedy classic "Some Like It Hot," starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The resort has also seen a steady stream of celebrity visitors - from Charlie Chaplin and Humphrey Bogart to Brad Pitt and Madonna.

THE GHOST OF KATE MORGAN

What Victorian resort would be complete without a resident ghost? Kate Morgan checked into the resort on November 24, 1892, and never checked out. Reports of ghostly happenings, all thought to be connected to the death of this beautiful young woman, have been circulating at The Del ever since.

"a house straight out of 'The Hobbit'"

Pembrokeshire, Wales is home to a family with a house straight out of The Hobbit. This amazing architectural wonder is created virtually completely from the natural materials found around the residence. The walls are made out of stone and mud and water enters the house by gravity from a nearby spring. Non-natural materials, such as windows and plumbing, were recovered from trash.

National Museum of Funeral History

This museum in Houston, Texas, owned by a funeral company, houses the largest collection of funereal artifacts in the U.S., traces the history of funeral services, displays historic hearses and provides memorabilia from funerals of the famous, such as Dwight Eisenhower, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and Elvis Presley.

The "Beer Can House "

Mary Milkovisch relaxes outside the Beer Can House in Houston, Texas, the handiwork of her late husband, John.

(Photo by Martin Williams)

“Forever Freedom"

Before his father’s death and his own incarceration for attempting to cross illegally into China, Song Byeok didn’t dare grumble about his life in North Korea. He was just hungry. That’s all he complained about.

his horrifying experiences in prison planted the seeds of hatred towards the regime, and having now made it to Seoul, the 42-year-old Mr. Song expresses himself in art.

The soft-spoken, bespectacled Mr. Song spoke to the Wall Street Journal a day after he opened his first exhibition in Seoul. About 30 paintings are on display at the show, titled “Forever Freedom,” and most are bitterly satirical takes on North Korean society and Kim Jong Il.

One of the most striking works features the torso of Marilyn Monroe in the iconic white halter dress from the movie ‘The Seven Year Itch’, topped with the head of Kim Jong Il. Mr. Song says the picture, titled “Take Off,” aims to deliver a message to Kim: Stop hiding the truth from people and let them see.

THE ANNUAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HOOP DANCE CONTEST

Bisbee, Arizona: Top American Indian and Canadian First Nation hoop dancers compete for the prestigious title of world champion during the two-day event every February.

Peeling back the layers of Bin Laden

It's a crucial question and reminds us, once again, how important it has become to gain an understanding of the fundamentalist Muslim theological current called Salafism and of its contemporary expression through political Islam, since the Brotherhood grows out of the former and is the modern godfather of the latter. Such an understanding can help explain — in part — one of the central paradoxes in the West's ongoing conflict with political Islam's martial manifestation, jihadism: the fact that Al Qaeda's founding leaders, Osama bin Laden and Ayman Zawahiri come not from some hostile quarter of the Arab street, but from the privileged classes of two American allies, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Peter L. Bergen is CNN's national security analyst, and Michael Scheuer spent three years in the late 1990s heading the CIA unit assigned to track Bin Laden. Their new books — "The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and Al Qaeda" and "Osama Bin Laden," respectively — make useful contributions to our growing understanding of these issues, even though neither matches the foundational importance of Lawrence Wright's definitive "The Looming Tower," Steve Coll's indispensable "The Bin Ladens" or Mary R. Habeck's lucid, learned "Knowing the Enemy."

Tough Without A Gun

The pages of this new book about Humphrey Bogart, published by Knopf and penned by Stefan Kanfer (writer of previous biographies of Marlon Brando, Groucho Marx, Lucille Ball, etc.) start in Bogartian fashion, with an intro contradicting Sunset Boulevard and establishing his thesis from The Brattle screenings at Harvard University in the '50s, where films such as Casablanca (historic love classic, regular in Valentine's Day) and The Maltese Falcon (Time magazine reviewed Bogart's Sam Spade as the performance of his career) were revisited and the "Bogie Cult" was born.

Chinese New Year at the Bellagio: the Year of the Rabbit

(Las Vegas) The 12-foot-tall rabbit made of 4,500 live sedge plants is surrounded by eight bunnies.

(Tom Politeo)

City National Plaza: a showplace in Los Angeles nestled between twin 52-story skyscrapers