Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia ChildBy Bob Spitz(Alfred A. Knopf)In a characteristically chatty letter from Paris to her sister-in-law, Freddie, Julia Child expresses curiosity about a “newfangled sensation” called television. “How much do you really use it? . . . How do you like the programs? . . . My heavens, I am beginning to feel very out-of-date indeed.” It was 1952. Television was a novelty, and Child was debating the wisdom of collaborating with her new friend Simone Beck on the coo

Creole BelleBy James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster)If all crime novelists were as thoughtful and nuanced as James Lee Burke, we could finally put to rest those groundless prejudices against genre fiction. The marks of the thriller ― violence, greed, unspeakable secrets ― are always present in Burke’s stellar Dave Robicheaux series (as well as his fine Hackberry Holland series). But the books are works of dark art. At their unflinching best, they examine the cost of violence, even when it’s perform

Sandi Tan’s past is teeming with ghosts. The Pasadena, California-based filmmaker-turned-novelist isn’t a seer herself ― she’s a self-described scaredy-cat and doesn’t particularly enjoy supernatural books and movies ― but her childhood in Singapore in the 1980s was populated with ghost stories and family members who saw spirits. Even her elementary school, a dank World War II-era military hospital, was said to be haunted.“It’s such a big part of people’s lives in that part of the world,” says T

NEW YORK (AP) ― You’ve bought rope for that special someone, picked up a few sex toys and read those “Fifty Shades of Grey’’ books a time or three. You know who you are.Well, no need to skulk about at naughty shops or the hardware store as Fifty Shades of Consumption makes it further into the mainstream.Stuart Weitzman and Marc New York have Grey-struck campaigns in the fat September issues of fashion magazines, the former touting black stilettos and high, Anastasia Steele-worthy boots called “F

Former Culture Minister and actor Kim Myeong-gon will return to the small screen for the first time in four years with KBS’ TV drama “Gaksital,” according to reports.Kim, who served in the government post from 2006-2007, will play Yang Baek, an independence activist and spiritual leader of the Joseon people.“I accepted the offer because the role was based on the story of Kim Koo. There has been no drama like ‘Gaksital’ so far that seriously tells the story of the anti-Japanese movement,” Kim was

(123rf)The southwestern US state of Texas is battling an outbreak of the West Nile virus, with 17 deaths blamed on the mosquito-borne disease, authorities said Wednesday.Throughout the state 465 people have been sickened since the start of the year, putting it on track to have the most cases since the disease first emerged a decade ago, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.The county

NEW YORK (AP) ― David Beckham says he’s in the underwear game for the long haul, with the second set of abs ― sorry, ads ― for his branded collection with H&M launching Thursday.The English football star’s ads will coincide with a “statue stunt’’ planned by the retailer, with larger-than-life Beckhams going up in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. New products will be added to the collection later this year.Beckham, 37, said he’s pleased with consumer reaction.“I’m very happy that so far p

Monthly subscription boxes a way to sample wide variety of cosmeticsIt’s like receiving a Christmas gift anytime of the year. A cheerful-looking black box with white polka dots tied up in a hot pink ribbon arrives at the office. You begin unwrapping the box with anticipation. You are a little girl once again as you rush to explore the goodies that lie within. The monthly delivery from Memebox, one of the largest beauty subscription services in the country, is jam-packed with cosmetic products ra

International cultural leaders will gather next month in Seoul to experience Korean culture and discuss how to better promote it. The Corea Image Communication Institute will invite 14 cultural icons from around the world to its third 2012 Culture Communication Forum from Sept. 4-6. The CICI organized the C20 (Culture 20) side event during the G20 Seoul Summit in 2010. “The third CCF is an event that facilitates cultural communication among the participating leaders and helps them learn Korean c

LONDON (AFP) - Previously unpublished extracts from the diary of iconic Welsh actor Richard Burton have revealed his “aching” love for screen siren Elizabeth Taylor, whom he married twice.Passages from the journal, which will be published in full in October, expose a sensitive side to the notoriously hard-drinking actor. “She has turned me into a model man but not a prig, she is a wildly exciting lover-mistress, she is shy and witty, she is nobody‘s fool,” he said of Taylor in extracts published

Actor Ryu Seung-bum and actroess Gong Hyo-jin have ended their 10-year relationship, according to the agency representing the celebrity couple. “They have decided to remain good friends,” the agency Soop Management said on Wednesday.The couple broke up in April after a long on-again, off-again relationship. Ryu and Gong began dating in 2001 when they played a couple in a TV drama. The two broke up in 2003 but got back together in 2008. Ryu is one of the Korean movie industry’s best known actors,