PARIS (AP) ― The winds of change blew through Paris on Sunday, day six of the spring-summer 2012 ready-to-wear collections here, as newly appointed young designers replaced the old guard at several top brands and a just-launched label challenged the way the luxury business operates.The brainchild of

NEW YORK (AP) ― If you snicker at the foams, edible papers and other hallmark foods of haute cuisine, you may want to reconsider.Avant garde chef Ferran Adria says that without those, there would be no Rachael Ray, no Food Network, and eating in general would be a lot less exciting.“We wouldn’t have

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― King Sisyphus, it turns out, had little on the folks at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was condemned by the gods to push a giant rock up a hill for eternity. In modern-day LA, the city’s largest museum has spent months ― and $5 million to $10 mil

ALEXANDRIA, Louisiana (AP) -- A chance to perform in St. Petersburg, Russia and at Carnegie Hall is bringing 27 pianists from 13 countries to compete in Alexandria.The Louisiana International Piano Competition is also a chance for central Louisiana residents to meet and hear musicians from around th

ZURICH (AP) -- Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has picked up a special honor for a body of work that includes this year’s Oscar-nominated ``Biutiful,” the haunting tale of a cancer-stricken father.The director acclaimed for movies such as ``Babel” and ``Amores Perros” received a Golden

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- In Washington, the operatic drama is taking place offstage.Spanish tenor Placido Domingo has slammed a Washington Post music critic who said he had “sabotaged” a recent performance of “Tosca” with his conducting, calling her comments “unconscionable” and unleashing a war of words

STOCKHOLM (AFP) ― Predicting the Nobel Literature Prize winner is near-impossible as the Swedish Academy stays tight-lipped and often honours writers off the beaten path ― so could it be Syrian poet Adonis this year?Each year the names of popular authors are tossed about ― U.S. novelists Philip Roth

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ― New Orleans calls itself “America’s Most Haunted City,” and the Halloween season has become one of the most popular times of year to visit, with a music festival that attracts 80,000 people, one of the top haunted house attractions in the country and ghost tours galore.In some way

HILO, Hawaii ― “Hilo ― it is what it is” probably isn’t a tourism slogan that would get a thumbs-up from the Big Island city’s Chamber of Commerce.But I don’t mean it as a put-down. It’s just advice from a longtime visitor who loves Hawaii’s “second city.” I also know the worst thing anyone can do f

From Hansel Family Vineyards comes this fine expression of Russian River Pinot. Round and silky, with a beautiful balance and taste of red plums and black cherries, the 2009 is a splurge, but worth it for a California Pinot of this quality.Save it for a special dinner party to have with roasted or b

Marja Vongerichten’s new cookbook and public television travel/culture/cooking series share the same name: “The Kimchi Chronicles.” The choice of kimchi in both titles was easy.“Kimchi is so distinct to Korea,” Vongerichten says. “It’s the first thing people think of. It’s a great attention-grabber.

KATHMANDU (AFP) ― Nepal has officially opened the Great Himalayan Trail, one of the longest and highest trekking routes in the world, the tourism board said on Thursday.Billed as the ultimate trek, the arduous hike over Nepal’s mighty Himalayas stretches from Taplejung in the shadow of the world’s t

PARIS (AFP) ― French feminists have launched a campaign to abolish the use of “mademoiselle,“ a term for an unmarried woman still used on official papers which they say demeans and enshrines sexism.France has no equivalent to the ambiguous “Ms” used in English, and French feminists do not see the ne

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Tony Bennett made music history Wednesday when he topped the Billboard album chart for the first time in his 60-year career ― and became the oldest living act ever to do so.Bennett, 85, a 15-time Grammy winner who plays London and Copenhagen next week, reached the summit with “Du

MOSCOW (AP) ― A senior Russian Orthodox official claimed Wednesday that novels by Vladimir Nabokov and Gabriel Garcia Marquez justify pedophilia and said they should be banned in the nation’s high schools.Father Vsevolod Chaplin’s demand that Russia’s government investigate and limit the use of the

LAS VEGAS (AP) ― Elton John is returning to Las Vegas for a three-year headlining gig at Caesars Palace.The five-time Grammy winner was set to perform Wednesday night for the first of 16 shows scheduled through October, the first performances of a new show titled “The Million Dollar Piano.”The remai

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Bob Dylan faced uncomfortable questions Wednesday over several paintings in a New York exhibition by the prolific singer-songwriter that appear to have been copied directly from other artists’ photographs.The paintings are part of a show at the Gagosian Gallery titled “The Asia Seri

PINAR DEL RIO, Cuba (AP) ― A traveling exhibition of art donated by a U.S. philanthropist is giving Cubans outside the capital a rare chance to see works from masters such as Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol that would normally hang in world-class galleries instead of sleepy provincial cities.Selection

PARIS (AFP) ― Paris Fashion Week got off to a black-and-white start on Tuesday as a duo of Asian designers sent out Spring-Summer looks for 2012 that played on monochrome in both setting and style.The global fashion pack descended on a Paris basking in gorgeous Indian Summer sunshine for the finale

Lighting is often described as the jewelry of the home. But it’s more critical than that, especially in kitchens, where it’s all about slicing, dicing and reading recipes. So maybe the new catchphrase should be: “Lights are the eyes of the home.”“Kitchen lighting is so crucial and should be one of t