Celebrities

In the year since his death, Heath Ledger has become a sainted figure in Hollywood, reverently recalled for his superior talent and good humor. The foreign press genuflected before his memory Sunday with a Golden Globe for his acclaimed performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," and many expect an Academy Award nomination to follow next week. But in a drab downtown courtroom, a decidedly less glowing portrait holds sway.

Woodstock provided the anthems for a generation that wanted to make a revolution and establish a counterculture. In coming years we all may look back on the concerts and parties celebrating President Barack Obama's inauguration as when a new generation rediscovered the hope in some of the nation's most treasured symbols -- and, as Obama told the hundreds of thousands gathered in the chill, the hope within themselves.

Call it Six Degrees of Bernard L. Madoff. To a roster that already included such notables as director Steven Spielberg and actor Kevin Bacon, add actor John Malkovich, talk-show host Larry King and retired Dodgers pitching ace Sandy Koufax among those hurt by Madoff's alleged Ponzi scheme. Their names appeared on a New York Bankruptcy Court filing late Wednesday that listed thousands of people and institutions allegedly duped by Madoff.

Much of the world seems to have written Africa's problems off as insolvable, and nowadays, if you ask a lot of Americans to name an ongoing tragedy, they'd probably point first to the U.S. economy. Hollywood's political activists are trying to pitch in on both fronts. Several weeks ago, the glitterati came out to discuss how to get involved in assisting U.S. food banks. Feb.

Only Hollywood could make a cause of celebrating causes during the season of its self-congratulations -- or as the industry likes to call it, the run-up to the Oscars. This year's award season, with all its spinoff charity events, has been particularly intense. (Blame it on the euphoria over Barack Obama's inauguration.

If Anais Nin had a Nikon D3 and every celebrity in town on her BlackBerry, her photos would probably look a lot like those Deborah Anderson shot for her new book, "Room 23." Anderson, a photographer whose distinctive sensuality is located somewhere between classic French erotica and Helmut Newton -- is releasing a hefty coffee-table volume today filled with an impressive list of stars: George Clooney, Lindsay Lohan, Kid Rock, Sharon Stone, James Blunt, Cindy Crawford, Elton John.

On Monday night, as the William Rast label, co-founded by Justin Timberlake, was preparing for its debut at the Bryant Park tents, sisters Nicky and Paris Hilton, both of whom can claim the "designer" sobriquet, sat texting in the front row.

Looking at pictures of celebrities strolling down the red carpet is all well and good. But Celebuzz thinks it would be so much better if you could see them up close -- pores and pupils close. In advance of the Oscars, the Los Angeles celebrity website ( www.celebuzz.com) on Wednesday launched a feature that allows you to click on a celebrity photo for a mega-zoom. There are more than 1,200 celebrity news sites in the U.S.

Hollywood is the stuff of fairy tales, and at the Academy Awards on Sunday night, celebrities dressed the part. Recession may be reality, but the gowns and jewels were pure escapist fantasy. Because let's face it, if stars aren't glamorous, they aren't doing their job. There was a magical-princess aura to many looks, in a palette of pales keeping with the spring season's trend for powdery colors.