1990s

When actress Kerry Washington was preparing for her role as Olivia Pope, the high-octane Beltway "fixer" on the new ABC series "Scandal," one of the first things she did was launch a Google search for Judy Smith, the real-life crisis consultant on whose professional life the series is based. Washington was somewhat perplexed by how little came up on the D.C. insider who had navigated through some of the thorniest public relations challenges of the past 20 years on behalf of her clients, including Monica Lewinsky, former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig and NFL quarterback Michael Vick, to name a few. There were no interviews and rarely even media mention of the public relations powerhouse.

Home Depot Inc. announced Monday that it was closing its 34 upscale Expo and other home specialty centers and laying off 7,000 people as a result of the crumbling U.S. housing market and worldwide economic downturn. The company said it would close its 34 sprawling Expo Design Center stores by April, including eight in Southern California, and 14 smaller stores. Some employees were stunned. "Shock. It was shock.

The gig : Chief executive of Sapphire Energy Inc., a San Diego biofuels company that develops algae-based fuel that has been used experimentally to power airplanes and, recently, a car that was driven across the country. The serial entrepreneur has had a hand in starting several companies in industries including medical engineering and biotechnology. Sapphire hopes to produce 1 million gallons of algae diesel and jet fuel each year in the next two years, and up to a massive 1 billion gallons of fuel a year by 2025.

During a recent interview with England's Daily Mail newspaper, Steven Spielberg revealed his one-time desire to direct a James Bond movie. "I went to [Bond producer] Cubby Broccoli and asked if I could do one and he said: 'No,'" Spielberg told the paper . "I've never asked again. " It worked out OK for Spielberg; he went on to direct the first film in his own globe-trotting franchise, "Raiders of the Lost Ark. " But what if Spielberg had directed a Bond film? What would that have looked like?

The widow of professional wrestler Owen Hart has come to a settlement with World Wrestling Entertainment in her lawsuit over royalties and the use of her husband's image. Martha Hart announced the settlement Wednesday, and the WWE confirmed the news, although neither side revealed any details of the deal. The June 2010 lawsuit alleged that the WWE was not paying royalties to Hart's estate and was violating a contract that restricted the use of his name and likeness. Hart, 34, was a member of a family full of professional wrestlers, including his father, Stu, six brothers and four brothers-in-law.

Check off another milestone for Apple Inc. — it's now the most valuable company of all time. The technology behemoth achieved that distinction with the latest jump in its seemingly irrepressible stock price. Apple shares have been on a steady uptick for years, and investors now value the company at $623.5 billion. That surpassed the previous high of $616.3 billion, not adjusted for inflation, notched by rival Microsoft Corp. at the end of the late-1990s dot-com boom. To put that in perspective, Apple is now worth 17 times as much as Ford Motor Co., seven times as much as McDonald's Corp.

The looters left signs only trained eyes could see: scars in the earth where shovels were used to dig up relics of Civil War battles. Investigators found 73 refilled holes in January on weed-covered Wise's Field, a remote piece of western Maryland real estate where Union and Confederate soldiers clashed during the Battle of South Mountain on Sept. 14, 1862. Authorities don't know what was taken from the federally owned land along the Appalachian Trail.

Cable companies love to offer combo deals on telephone, Internet and a slew of TV channels you'll never watch. Product bundling also is standard in industries as varied as fast food, cars and software. It's the same with banks, most of which won't sell you a simple checking account except in a fixed-price package with add-ons such as debit cards, mobile apps, online bill payment or savings accounts. Now, in an effort to distinguish itself from the pack, Union Bank is offering customers an a la carte menu - the banking equivalent of breaking up the value meal and promoting burgers, fries and drinks separately.

One story depicts girls coming of age in India. Another follows a group of seniors as they compete in an international pingpong championship in Mongolia. Closer to home is the portrait of local priest Father Greg Boyle and his work with ex-gang members. Then there's a look at "fruit detectives" from around the world in search of exotic varieties. Those are among eight documentaries that will be shown on designated nights at two dozen theaters nationwide this spring as part of the Docurama series.