2013

In an Oscars broadcast that was packed with tributes to movie musicals, "Les Miserables" won three Academy Awards on Sunday, including a win for Anne Hathaway for supporting actress. The film also won in the categories of sound mixing and make-up. Hathaway had been widely expected to win for her role as Fantine, having already picked up most major awards leading up to Sunday's ceremony. In her acceptance speech, the actress said that she hopes the "misfortunes of Fantine will only be found in stories and not in real life.

Wal-Mart's in-store sale on the iPhone 5 and other Apple products is coming to an end this Saturday. After Jan. 12, the big-box retailer will no longer sell the iPhone 5 at the $127 reduced price it introduce last month in time for the holiday shopping season. Most retailers and carriers have been selling the base model of the iPhone 5 for $199. Besides the iPhone 5, Wal-Mart also put the iPhone 4S on sale, discounting it to $47. All of the prices are based on signing a service contract with a carrier.

What is it about presidents' second terms that makes them seem so scandal-ridden? Simple: The iron law of longevity. All governments make mistakes, and all governments try to hide those mistakes. But the longer an administration is in office, the more errors it makes, and the harder they are to conceal. Just ask Richard M. Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton or George W. Bush, all of whom spent much of their second terms playing defense. The longevity rule caught up with Barack Obama last week as he wrestled clumsily with not one controversy but three: the Internal Revenue Service's treatment of "tea party" groups, the Benghazi killings and the Justice Department's seizure of Associated Press telephone records.

The Lakers have announced their schedule for the 2013-14 preseason, including two games to be played in China. On Oct. 15, the Lakers and Golden State Warriors will play an exhibition game in Beijing at the MasterCard Center. Three days later, they'll meet again in Shanghai at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Additionally the Lakers will play the following preseason games: Oct. 5 vs. Golden State Warriors in Ontario at Citizens Business Bank Arena Oct. 6 vs. Denver Nuggets at Staples Center Oct. 8 vs. Denver Nuggets in Ontario at Citizens Business Bank Arena Oct. 10 vs. Sacramento Kings in Las Vegas as MGM Grand Garden Arena Oct. 22 vs. Utah Jazz at Staples Center Oct. 25 vs. Utah Jazz at Honda Center Tickets for the six domestic preseason games go on sale on April 22 via Ticketmaster or www.Cbbankarena.com . The Lakers have also issued a fraud alert regarding purchases of 2013 playoff tickets from third-party sources, urging buyers to purchase directly from the team at Lakers Ticket Exchange . “We want to make sure buyers are knowledgeable about purchasing tickets from the secondary market,” said Tim Harris, senior vice president of business operations for the Lakers.

WASHINGTON - Senators kept the bipartisan immigration bill largely unchanged Thursday after dispatching dozens of proposed amendments even as they punted many of the thorniest issues to next week. The day's session at the Senate Judiciary Committee revolved largely around the elusive issue of enforcement: how to prevent immigrants from remaining in this country after having entered illegally or overstaying their visas. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of the eight authors of the sweeping bill, argued that a strict employment verification system would be among the best tools for clamping down on illegal immigration.

Microsoft Corp. is partnering with Paramount Pictures on a promotional effort for the studio's "Star Trek Into Darkness. " It represents the biggest such undertaking ever for the software giant. The Redmond, Wash., company's campaign isn't short on whimsy: Bing, Microsoft's Internet search engine, was updated Tuesday to include the "Star Trek" language Klingon in its online translation service. But there also is strategic significance to the marketing venture, because it leverages so many Microsoft services, devices and platforms in a way not previously attempted by the company for a movie promotion.

Kim Kardashian and her whole family gave Ryan Seacrest a no-holds-barred interview that aired Sunday in which she revealed major struggles with her pregnancy and divorce. The reality-TV "family with no filter" sat for the interview but, as always, Kim's personal life stole the show as she compared her pregnancy to her older sister Kourtney's. Kourtney "has had really easy pregnancies and so did my mom, and mine has been a little bit different," Kim said on "Ryan Seacrest With the Kardashians: An E!

This post has been corrected. See below for details. An ancient Chinese bowl that dates from the Northern Song dynasty sold for $2.2 million on Tuesday at a Sotheby's auction in New York. What makes the sale particularly noteworthy is that the sellers had reportedly purchased the bowl for just $3. The bowl was part of a Sotheby's auction of Chinese ceramics and other works of art. The sellers were a New York family who had purchased the bowl in 2007 at a garage sale for a mere $3, according to reports.

Talk about long-term planning. Lionsgate on Tuesday announced dates for the next three (!) movies in its flagship "Hunger Games" series.   “Catching Fire,” directed by Francis Lawrence, will come out just before Thanksgiving in 2013, while the two “Mockingjay” movies will be released in November 2014 and November 2015. By the time the final “Hunger Games” movie rolls around, so much time will have passed that we'll be long past this presidential-election cycle and knee-deep in the next one. In making the announcement, Lionsgate revealed its intention not to play the game that “Twilight” studio Summit and “Harry Potter” company Warner Bros.

Malibu Barbie never had it so good. A Paul Smith rug, curtains sewn from Missoni fabric, LED sconces strung with Swarovski crystals, even a Mies van der Rohe Barcelona daybed cluttered with Rodeo Drive shopping bags - all small enough to fit in your pocket. These are but a few of the over-the-top luxuries decorating 10 couture play pads created for the 2013 Designer Dollhouse Showcase. The Los Angeles firm Richard Manion Architecture has constructed scale-model dream houses - Italianate, brownstone, beach house contemporary and other styles - that will be auctioned April 17 to benefit the UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute , part of Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA.