NEW YORK -- Imagine the Beatles hailed from another port city, on the other side of the Atlantic -- like Newark, N.J.

LOS ANGELES -- The filmmakers of "Left Behind: World at War" figured a little preaching to the choir would help market the Christian-themed thriller.

LONDON -- A diamond tiara worn by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, was front-page news in Britain as royal-watchers noted another first for the new wife of Prince Charles.

POCAHONTAS, Ill. -- In the rough-and-tumble roadhouse called Big O's, a teenage Gretchen Wilson felt at home with a microphone in hand, belting out renditions of old-school Patsy Cline or Loretta Lynn that sliced through the smoky haze.

LONDON -- In "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the teenage wizard faces new terrors. A face-to-face encounter with his nemesis, the evil Lord Voldemort, for one. Girls, for another. And, still fresh in the mind of 16-year-old star Daniel Radcliffe -- ballroom dancing.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The family bluegrass group Cherryholmes was tearing through a song last summer at the Ryman Auditorium when a guitar string snapped.

LOS ANGELES -- In Don Coscarelli's "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road," a seemingly defenseless woman gets to practice her survival skills against a serial killer. In Mick Garris' "Chocolate," a man experiences life through the eyes of a mysterious lady. And in Joe Dante's "Homecoming," deceased U.S. soldiers in Iraq rise from the grave to vote out the politicians who sent them there.

LOS ANGELES -- Jerry Lee Lewis stole the show from Norah Jones and Kid Rock when the musicians performed at a taping of a Johnny Cash tribute.

There was a time when I had watched Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" film enough times that I didn't really feel the need to see the Broadway production of the same. I knew the songs, by heart. I knew how it ended: happily. I knew that Beauty saved the Beast and a lot of other household items, and true love triumphed and the bad guy fell off the castle.

Friday, Bay Area comedian

Oct. 27

'TASTE FOR KNOWLEDGE' -- A wine festival featuring tastings, hors d'oeuvres, live and silent auction, raffle and door prizes and live music will benefit the Napa Valley Unified Education Foundation. Nov. 5 at Copia, 5:30 to 9 p.m., $40 in advance, $50 at the door.

After two decades at the Napa fairgrounds, the 21st annual Wine Festival, a fundraiser for the Napa Valley Unified Education Foundation, moves to new digs Nov. 5. The 21st annual event will be held at Copia, the American Center for Wine Food and Arts, at 500 First St.

At one time being a calendar girl meant a step along the road to Hollywood, to stardom and to fame and fortune.

Domaine Carneros releases Garbo Ros

After "Sideways" hit movie screens last year, many words were written and spoken about pinot noir and merlot, and some articles and seminars even tried to compare the two wines.

NEW YORK -- Scientists have mapped patterns of tiny DNA differences that distinguish one person from another, an achievement that will help researchers find genes that promote common illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.