Dome

Stephen King was born and brought up in Maine; but for winters in Florida, he still calls the state home. The remote, chilly state with its notoriously taciturn population has been the setting for many of his books, including "Carrie," "Cujo," "Pet Sematary," "Needful Things" and 2009's "Under the Dome. " That last novel, "Under the Dome," is the latest of King's works to be adapted for the screen. It's currently filming on location for a CBS television series coming up this summer -- but instead of shooting in Maine, the story has been moved more than 900 miles south, to Wilmington, N.C. The Times' Richard Verrier explains, "filming a television adaptation in King's home state of Maine was out of the question.

Will the Academy's big bubble pop before it has a chance to be built? Italian architect Renzo Piano, Los Angeles architect Zoltan Pali and officials from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled preliminary designs Thursday for a $300-million film museum at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. The architectural centerpiece of the 290,000-square-foot complex, just west of the campus of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, would be a giant glass-enclosed dome, which Piano refers to as the "sphere" and the "soap bubble.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Capitol, one of the nation's most cherished monuments to democracy, could become a symbol of the sorry state of Uncle Sam's checkbook. So warn architect and engineering groups in response to proposed budget cuts for the Capitol's maintenance, including the first major face-lift of the iconic dome in more than 50 years. "The U.S. Capitol is not merely Congress' work space; it is also an attraction for millions of visitors from around the world, a shining example of American architecture - and home to priceless works of art - and a potential target for those who wish to do us harm," the American Institute of Architects, American Society of Civil Engineers and other groups said in a letter this week to congressional leaders.

Stephen King was born and brought up in Maine; but for winters in Florida, he still calls the state home. The remote, chilly state with its notoriously taciturn population has been the setting for many of his books, including "Carrie," "Cujo," "Pet Sematary," "Needful Things" and 2009's "Under the Dome. " That last novel, "Under the Dome," is the latest of King's works to be adapted for the screen. It's currently filming on location for a CBS television series coming up this summer -- but instead of shooting in Maine, the story has been moved more than 900 miles south, to Wilmington, N.C. The Times' Richard Verrier explains, "filming a television adaptation in King's home state of Maine was out of the question.

Episodes of "Under the Dome," a highly anticipated CBS mini-series based on Stephen King's best-selling book will be made available on Amazon's Prime Instant Video service days after their debut on the network. CBS ordered 13 episodes of the drama about a small town that wakes up one day to find itself under a mysterious dome that no can escape from. Amazon will be able to offer episodes for streaming four days after they appear on the network. CBS is often very protective of its content when it comes to online distribution.

Real gold or not? Give it a guess. Here's a clue: The dome rises about 60 feet and is about 60 feet in diameter. Assuming the shape is spherical, the surface area is about 5,600 square feet. That's a lot of gold. Ready for the answer? It falls somewhere between yes and no. The exterior of the dome is made of an aluminum and bronze alloy, but it's covered in gold leaf (176 pounds of it), compliments of King Hussein of Jordan. The Dome of the Rock stands in the Temple Mount area of Jerusalem's Old City.

Tom Brady typically garners the most attention when he's wearing his football helmet. At Monday's Met Gala, however, it was his exposed dome that had tongues wagging. Gisele Bundchen's husband rocked a rather tall, angular new haircut that received what we'll generously call mixed reviews. Shorn on the sides and slicked into what some outlets are labeling a faux-hawk (we retired the expression after Maddox Jolie-Pitt perfected it), the 'do is generating backlash from sports blogs and mockery from celeb outlets.

Two of the biggest names in showbiz, Steven Spielberg and Stephen King, will team up next summer on CBS. The network announced Thursday that it has ordered 13 episodes of “Under the Dome,” a drama adapted from King's 2009 novel about a small New England town suddenly cut off from the rest of the world by a transparent dome, from Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. In addition to writing the source material, King is on board as an executive producer. "Under the Dome" will launch in summer 2013 with a premiere episode directed by Niels Arden Oplev, who helmed the Swedish-language adaptation of “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” CBS appears intent on turning “Under the Dome” into a summer television event by making it available across multiple platforms shortly after the network broadcast.

WASHINGTON - Washington is once again worried about leaks - in this case, real ones from 1,300 cracks in the Capitol dome.  Warning that Capitol visitors are at risk of being struck by falling objects, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday appealed to House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) to support $61 million in repairs to the structure.   "There is a time and a place to debate federal spending and the proper role of government, but most Americans believe that when your house has a leaky roof, you pay to fix the roof," wrote Schumer, who chairs the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, which oversees the Capitol complex.

As a former homeless advocate for Fuller Theological Seminary, and currently a relocation/quality of life consultant interested in alternative forms of housing, I applaud the efforts of Ted Hayes to erect his new village with dome housing (Nov. 6). But what hit me was the price tag for the small dome shelters, $6,500 each. That is what my 15-year-old, 20-foot RV cost me, in which we roam all over the West in doing research. And we have solar electricity (cost additional $500), running water and refrigeration, among other amenities.

"Under the Dome," a novel about a small town suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by a huge transparent dome, is set in Maine, like nearly all of Stephen King's novels. But filming a television adaptation in King's home state of Maine was out of the question. Aside from the inhospitable winter season, Maine does not provide the kind of competitive film tax credit that is increasingly vital to producing television dramas. Producers considered Texas and Louisiana, but decided to base the CBS series in Wilmington, N.C., which offered the right mix of locations and tax breaks.

The lottery for summer permits to hike up Yosemite 's Half Dome via the cables begins online Friday and continues through March 31. Permits are required daily during the summer for each person who wants to hike to the top of Yosemite National Park 's popular granite rock face at 8,842 feet above sea level. The cables with wooden slats that form a kind of ladder on the last 400 feet to the top are scheduled to be up May 24 to Oct. 14 this year, according to the National Park Service . Those who apply may choose up to six date preferences when entering the lottery at recreation.gov , (877)

Erika Glazer came of age at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, listening to the preachings of the late Edgar Magnin -- the "rabbi to the stars" who envisioned a grand sanctuary west of downtown Los Angeles and persuaded Hollywood notables to help fund it. "He was always speeding things up," said Glazer, the daughter of shopping mall developer Guilford Glazer. "I remember as a kid he would skip [Torah] pages. " Now it's Glazer's turn to move things along. The philanthropist has pledged $30 million over the next 15 years toward the synagogue's ongoing restoration and redevelopment.

Episodes of "Under the Dome," a highly anticipated CBS mini-series based on Stephen King's best-selling book will be made available on Amazon's Prime Instant Video service days after their debut on the network. CBS ordered 13 episodes of the drama about a small town that wakes up one day to find itself under a mysterious dome that no can escape from. Amazon will be able to offer episodes for streaming four days after they appear on the network. CBS is often very protective of its content when it comes to online distribution.

BEIJING - Bad air is good news for many Chinese entrepreneurs. From gigantic domes that keep out pollution to face masks with fancy fiber filters, purifiers and even canned air, Chinese businesses are trying to find a way to market that most elusive commodity: clean air. An unprecedented wave of pollution throughout China (dubbed the "airpocalypse" or "airmageddon" by headline writers) has spawned an almost entirely new industry. The biggest ticket item is a huge dome that looks like a cross between the Biosphere and an overgrown wedding tent.

NEW ORLEANS - Joe Flacco has come in from the cold. In five seasons, the Baltimore quarterback has played only eight games in indoor stadiums, and only three in true domes: at St. Louis (2011), Atlanta (2010) and Minnesota (2009). He's 4-4 in domes or retractable-roof stadiums. Sunday, he'll play in the Superdome for the first time. "Is that all I've played in domes? … That's pretty crazy," he said. "The truth of the matter is, when I get in here and start throwing the ball around, you really get kind of excited about it just because you can tell the difference.

Dome reported the terms of Chicago-based Amoco's $3.86-billion takeover bid to its 60 major creditors, but there were indications that the offer could fail. Trying to overcome a debt burden of $4.7 billion, Dome said Amoco Canada has offered to pay secured lenders an average of 88.5% of their loans in a mix of cash and securities.

First, about that dome. We'll be stuck under it with the residents of Chester's Mill, Maine, for most of the thousand-plus pages of Stephen King's impressive new novel, so a few facts may be handy. For starters, it is invisible and impenetrable -- a force field, really, sci-fi flick allusions included. So its sudden manifestation one autumn day causes many bad things to happen. A plane crashes into the dome, some cars and a truck crash into it, flocks of birds crash into it and die. People die too. And King handles these initial catastrophes as he will handle much of the mayhem ahead: with a grim yet almost jocular kind of matter-of-factness.

ATLANTA - Twenty years ago, Jerry Glanville, then the goofball coach of the Atlanta Falcons, concocted a way to get under the skin of the San Francisco 49ers. Seeing as his team the year before had swept the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, along with beating the L.A. Raiders and San Diego, Glanville lugged an enormous trophy on the Falcons sideline at Candlestick Park for a 1992 regular-season game. He called the hardware the California State Championship Trophy. "It drove me crazy," former 49ers tight end Brent Jones told the San Francisco Chronicle this week, recalling the trophy and the 56-17 thrashing his team put on the Falcons that day. "I was so angry at the time.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - He is the Irish whose eyes are smiling, his brows permanently raised in anticipation of saying something that would turn a golden dome bronze. Perhaps this is why Cierre Wood is also the Notre Dame player whose interview Saturday was monitored by a member of the athletic department. This was the first time in more than two months that Wood had been allowed to speak publicly, and a school official hung on every word. Nice try. Unlike his teammates, the running back didn't dance around Notre Dame's BCS national championship matchup with Alabama, he ran right over it. "People can say what they want, but we're gonna hold our own, and at the end of the day, if we do everything right, the scoreboard ... should favor our side," Wood said.