After weeks of competitive rounds, one Napa Valley teenager has won the title of Idol NV 2007.

“Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter” was one of the first games to really show off the graphical power of the Xbox 360, and the game itself was amazing to boot.

ICHIHARA, Japan  — Kazumi Shimomura’s kitchen table is cluttered with tools not usually associated with cooking: A pair of tweezers, a razor knife and a digital camera.

 The Vienna Boys Choir, one of the oldest choirs in the world, has been a symbol of Austria for nearly 500 years.

It’s a dream pairing — Pat Metheny, the baby boomer guitar god whose musical palette embraces everything from Ornette Coleman to contemporary jazz, and pianist Brad Mehldau, the brooding Gen X prince of the piano.

“Vineland the Musical,” described by promoters as “the tale of life in Chile at the turn of the century, its politics, its people ... a life with parallels today,” comes to Copia Sunday for one performance.

“Pride” — This swimming drama has enough buoyancy to remain afloat, though without the vigor of Terrence Howard and the charm of Bernie Mac, it likely would sink in its own sea of sports cliches.

For this latest cultural planning update, I’m writing from Washington, D.C., where for the second year in a row I am attending the Arts Advocacy conference, sponsored by Americans for the Arts.

One of the pre-eminent interpreters of the classic piano repertoire, Alfred Brendel finally made it to wine country this week.

Lila Downs, daughter of an Scottish-American father and a Mixteca Indian mother, grew up in two worlds: Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca and Minneapolis, Minn.

Audience favorites — including one of the jazz world’s top vocalists — will return to wine country to headline an abbreviated Robert Mondavi Summer Musical Festival this year.

“Jock McDonald: A Series of Series” opens Saturday at the di Rosa Preserve’s Gatehouse Gallery.

Big laughs come to the Napa Valley Opera House when Bay Area comedian Mark Pitta hosts the Best of the San Francisco International Stand-Up Comedy Competition, Saturday at 8 p.m.

The Napa County Farm Bureau will celebrate National Agriculture Week with Napa County Farm Bureau at its Barn Dance and Barbecue at Riesling Hall at the Napa Expo on March 31.

‘Do This’

Summer travelers who sign up with Napa Valley College bring back more than snapshots and souvenirs from their trips abroad — they also earn credit for coursework and gain a richer understanding of their subjects, from foreign languages to art history.

St. A's Decathlon Team takes first

As the last few boxes get packed and cement blocks are pulled from underneath cobwebby axles, Chris Krzywicki grabs the cordless drill, his eyes on the steel Art Deco nameplates adorning his father's old vacation mobile home.

Education

Celebrate without a cake? Never.

Don’t you love those succulent shrimp with the crunchy, golden coconut coating? You know, the ones they have at all the big chain restaurants.

Polly Lappetito is as likely to talk about surfing as sweetbreads, and her entry into the culinary world came by way of a stint as a cook on a fishing boat, but the fun-loving chef has nonetheless risen to a top spot in the restaurant world.

Tucked amid the hills of Napa’s Stags Leap District, a small winery that broke ground more than a decade ago is drawing international attention — and many visitors to Carl Doumani’s Quixote winery are as interested in the place itself as in winemaker Mario Monticelli’s elegantly powerful petite syrahs and cabernets.

Paul Frank of Gemstone Vineyards has been elected to the board of directors of the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising funds to help children in the New Orleans area and support children’s organizations that have a culinary or educational component.

AYTHAYA, Myanmar  — The landscape could well be mistaken for the rolling, sun-drenched hills of Tuscany.

Melissa Maylene Ross and Steven Edward Adams announce their engagement to be married on March 31 at the Marriott Hotel in Napa.

Kristina Koroknay and Chris Dalton of American Canyon were married on Sept. 23, 4 p.m., at Maui Prince Hotel, Makena, Maui Hawaii.

Shannon Wheelan and Josh Speaks of Sacramento announce their engagement to be married in September.

Joseph and Alice (Neihart) Hill of Napa celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Feb. 25. Joe and Alice's family hosted a party at Napa Elks Lodge to celebrate the couple's anniversary. The 70 guests present included family and friends from near and far. Four generations were present -- Hetta Hobson, matron of honor at the couple's wedding in 1947 came from Elk Grove. Hartzel Hill, who was best man, was also present.

ANSTEY-LOKEN -- Joshua Arron Anstey, 32, Sky Oaks Drive, Angwin, to Kristen Ann Loken, Dollarhide Road, 32, St. Helena.

Lena Ditlow and Will Clark of San Leandro announce their engagement to be married on May 12 at Marriott Napa Valley.