Los Angeles, California, December 29: It was indeed a Merry Christmas for Hollywood; while retailers across the nation complained of dimness, the entertainment industry managed to pull in large numbers of audiences and fill up its accounts, thanks to the lineup of first-rate movies.

Los Angeles -- The emotionally charged family-and-their-puppy comedy "Marley and Me" was top dog among five holiday releases in U.S. theaters, Box Office Mojo said Sunday.

The comedy, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston as a couple learning life lessons from their unruly pooch, opened at No. 1 with an estimated $37 million in box office receipts.

Adam Sandler telling "Bedtime Stories" was No. 2, lodging $28.1 million in estimated ticket sales.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," in which Brad Pitt ages in reverse was third, taking in an estimated $27 million.

"Valkyrie," retelling a plot to assassinate World War II Nazi Germany leader Adolf Hitler starring Tom Cruise, was No. 4 with $21.5 million.

Last week's top movie, "Yes Man," dropped to No. 5, recording $16.4 million.

Palm Springs, Calif. -- Actor Sean Penn will be honored by the Palm Springs International Film Festival for his role in "Milk," the head of the California festival says.

Festival Chairman Harold Matzner tabbed Penn's portrayal of openly gay San Francisco politician Harvey Milk as "one of greatest acting performances in 2008," Daily Variety reported Saturday.

For portraying the man who was the first openly gay politician in California history before being assassinated, Penn will receive the festival's Desert Palm Achievement Award.

The 20th annual festival will take place Jan. 6, 2009. Among the other honorees set to attend is director Gus Van Sant, who directed Penn in "Milk."

Penn's latest honor comes a year after the actor earned the festival's Director of the Year award for "Into the Wild."

London -- Protesters who booed Katherine Jenkins at a Harrods sale in London say the opera singer should not be involved with a store selling fur products.

Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade protester John Wilson said while Jenkins has spoken out against the fur trade, she appeared at Saturday's winter sale opening for the department store, which allegedly sells imported furs, the BBC reported.

"We are gathered here today because of our disgust at Ms. Jenkins who professes to be against animal cruelty and the fur trade," Wilson said.

Jenkins arrived for Saturday's sale in a horse-drawn carriage and was accompanied by a group of bagpipe players.

The opera star, who was joined at the sale by scores of customers who waited hours for access to Harrods bargains, told the British network she does not personally wear fur, but respects others' opinions on the matter.

Los Angeles, United States, December 28: Lindsay Lohan’s father Michael Lohan seems to have taken blogging too seriously. Lindsay recently accused him of having a child outside his marriage to her mother; with things going rough with his family, the online blog seems to be the only liberation for Michael Lohan, who is now blogging more often than ever.

Aspen, Colo. -- Pop singer Mariah Carey said she was excited to spend her Christmas holiday with her husband, actor Nick Cannon, in Aspen, Colo.

The "Glitter" singer said prior to the holiday season that spending Christmas with her new husband and her dog was an ideal situation for her, the Daily Mail reported Friday.

"I'm really looking forward to being in love on Christmas," Carey said.
"The holidays are always great, but being in love is going to be the icing on the cake."

The British newspaper said Carey has been an Aspen regular during the holiday season the last 10 years and now has shared that tradition with Cannon, whom she met at the 2005 Kids' Choice Awards.

"Aspen is all about the snow and the environment, so it automatically puts you in that celebratory mood," Carey said.

London -- The late British singer John Lennon says in a new TV commercial, made possible through modern technology, that the world's poor children need access to laptops.

The Daily Telegraph reported Friday that digital technology has allowed the late Beatles star to become a TV pitchman for the charity One Laptop per Child.

"Imagine every child no matter where in the world they were could access a universe of knowledge," Lennon is show saying in the commercial, an apparent reference to his solo hit "Imagine."

"They would have a chance to learn, to dream, to achieve anything they want.

"I tried to do it through my music, but now you can do it in a very different way."

Lennon's appearance in the commercial was approved by his widow, singer Yoko Ono, the British newspaper said.

Bridgetown, Barbados -- "America Idol" judge Simon Cowell says he works hard to maintain the toned body he recently showed off during a Barbados vacation.

The 49-year-old said a regimen of vitamins and a steady diet has allowed him to sustain a toned physique despite his advancing age, the Daily Mail reported Friday.

"I have had Botox but not in an obsessive way," Cowell said. "I just like to take care of myself. I am eating a lot better and have cut out the chocolate biscuits and crisps.

"I work out, take lots of vitamins and think I look good for my age."
The star of the British TV series "X Factor" said his focus on his looks is part of an overall TV culture obsessed with an individual's public image.

"I am vain but I cannot think of one person on TV who is not. It is the nature of the beast," Cowell told the British newspaper.

Hartford, Conn. -- A former Wall Street executive says the town of Old Saybrook, Conn., will likely benefit from the creation of the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center.

Bob Czepiel, now a filmmaker, said he and his wife Anne donated $100,000 toward the creation of the site aimed at remembering the late cinematic actress, The Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported Saturday.

The center will house a 250-seat theater dedicated to the "Love Among the Ruins" star, who lived in Old Saybrook before her death in 2003.

The couple agreed that while making the donation helped with the site's price tag of more than $5.6 million, it and the entire center project was a risk.

"During times like this, to get aggressive and do something like this is insane," Czepiel said, apparently referring to the economic recession. "But I am a dreamer, and I learned on Wall Street early on that you have to learn to lean against the wind."

Atlanta -- Rapper T-Pain says he is surprised by his current success in the U.S. music industry, noting the harsh criticism that greeted his first album.

The 24-year-old rapper said when his first album, "Rappa Ternt Sanga," was released in 2005, he expected to find minor success and then disappear from the nation's music scene, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Saturday.

"I didn't even see myself making it past the first album," he said of his first album's unexpected success in light of criticism. "The amount of hate I was getting for it; just seeing how people didn't really accept me at first. It was weird. I thought I was going to sell a quick 200,000 and be out the game."

Now T-Pain is releasing a third album, "Thr33 Ringz," in the wake of earning gold and platinum CD honors with his first and second album efforts respectively.