London

Khadijah Williams stepped into chemistry class and instantly tuned out the commotion. She walked past students laughing, gossiping, napping and combing one another's hair. Past a cellphone blaring rap songs. And past a substitute teacher sitting in a near-daze. Quietly, the 18-year-old settled into an empty table, flipped open her physics book and focused. Nothing mattered now except homework. "No wonder you're going to Harvard," a girl teased her. Around here, Khadijah is known as "Harvard girl," the "smart girl" and the girl with the contagious smile who landed at Jefferson High School only 18 months ago. What students don't know is that she is also a homeless girl.

A San Fernando Valley jeweler agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge and return nearly $1.3 million in stock-trading gains he made from allegedly illegal tips provided by a former partner at accounting giant KPMG. Bryan Shaw, 52, of Lake Sherwood admitted in a plea agreement that he conspired with KPMG's Scott London to trade in the stocks of the accounting firm's clients. The pair were longtime friends who enjoyed golfing together. In addition to forfeiting his ill-gotten gains, Shaw faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and a fine, the Justice Department said.

From the nation that brought you "Are You Being Served?" comes "Mr. Selfridge," a loose dramatization of the founding of a British retail institution, the Selfridge & Co. department store, familiarly called Selfridges. Its eight-part run begins Sunday, under the colors of PBS' "Masterpiece. " Starring Jeremy Piven as Harry Gordon Selfridge, the American who brought recreational shopping to Britain, it is neither a miniseries nor a biopic, but a full-on, open-ended TV series - a second season is already slated for 2014 - which, like "The Tudors/The Borgias," takes real people from a real place and time and embroiders their lives with the sort of things you watch television for. There are resemblances to "Mad Men," as well, in that it is a period piece about the business of selling and the dreaminess of buying; and of "Downton Abbey" because it is concerned with social mobility at the end of the Edwardian era and ... big hats.

The Olympics have come and gone for Bryshon Nellum. So has the pain in his legs that made his success in London last summer so amazing. His story was seized upon, correctly so, by much of the media in London, even non-U.S. outlets. After all, even in something as huge as the Olympics, how many athletes win a silver medal in a track event after being shot in the legs and told by doctors they'd never again be a world-class runner? More so, how many carry their country's flag in the closing ceremony?

Grammy-winning singer Adele hasn't been going out in public much lately, but on Monday she and her baby bump made a rare appearance on the streets of London beside her boyfriend, former investment banker Simon Konecki. She wore a body-hugging gray dress, a long blue sweater and flats as photographers snapped shots of her and Konecki leaving the hospital and getting into a car. According to the New York Daily News, the pair appeared quite happy, with Konecki being extra solicitous in his actions towards his pregnant girlfriend.

Jeanne Cooper Emmy winner starred in 'The Young and the Restless' Jeanne Cooper, 84, the enduring soap opera star who played grande dame Katherine Chancellor for nearly four decades on CBS' "The Young and the Restless," died Wednesday in her sleep, according to the network. Cooper's son, actor Corbin Bernsen, said last month in Twitter messages that she had been suffering from an undisclosed illness. A Los Angeles resident, Cooper joined the daytime serial six months after its March 1973 debut, staking claim to the title of longest-tenured cast member.

For years, my husband and I had wanted to take our children to London before the magic of "Peter Pan" and "Mary Poppins" wore off, before the older two became too jaded for the Changing of the Guard and double-decker buses, before they would rather hang out with their friends than go anywhere with their family. But the pound, at $2 a pop, was just too strong. Then last year the pound fell, our frequent-flier miles covered three of our five tickets, and we could proudly announce to our kids that we were going to London for Christmas.

True Religion Apparel Inc., the Southern California purveyor of pricey designer denim, may have gotten too small for its britches. More than half a year after putting itself up for sale amid growth struggles and fluctuating stock, the high-end-jeans seller said its board unanimously accepted an $835-million takeover offer from investment firm TowerBrook Capital Partners. The $32-a-share deal for the Vernon label represents an 8.7% premium on Thursday's $29.44-a-share closing price and a 52% increase from the stock price Oct. 9, the day before True Religion said it would explore strategic alternatives.

Let the games begin. Oh, you thought we meant the Olympic Games ? No, we meant the travel games - the ones we sometimes discover we're not as good at as we thought we were. Usually we don't discover that until we're strangers in a strange land - at least, I don't. Visitors to London , whether they're there for the Olympics or they're going after the crowds die down, may not experience the kind of culture shock as when they travel to, say, a country where English isn't the first language and the customs are totally different.

If you thought flying business class to London was way out of reach, take a look at this summer sale from British Airways. It lets you fly round trip between Los Angeles and the British capital in the Club World business cabin starting at about $3,000, including taxes and fees. With Club World , you sleep onboard in seats-turned-beds. On the ground, you get  access to airport lounges with free snacks, drinks, WiFi and more. Plus other goodies. While still not cheap, the upgrade to business could be worth it if you value the perks, considering that even coach-class transatlantic tickets can set you back about $2,000 on some summer dates.

It's as close to being in the London theater as you can get without actually being in Britain. Visitors to London know that a ticket to a play - any play - at the National Theatre is a must. But if that's not in the cards, the Downtown Independent ( 251 S. Main St ., Los Angeles), the James Bridges Theater at UCLA and others (check for venues here ) have begun tuning their satellite dishes to NT Live , an innovation that allows plays to be streamed across the world and the recordings replayed several times in the coming weeks.

Chi Cheng Deftones bassist injured in car crash Chi Cheng, 42, the bassist for the Grammy-winning rock band the Deftones, died Saturday at a Sacramento hospital from injuries he suffered in an automobile crash more than four years ago. His mother, Jeanne Marie Cheng, announced his death on the website One Love for Chi that had been set up to support him. In 2001, Cheng and his bandmates received a Grammy Award for best metal...

Convincing a rising Broadway star to star in a small, 99-seat Los Angeles stage production can be a real casting coup. But the producers of "Slipping," now running at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood, have learned that it can also create a major headache. Seth Numrich - already a Broadway veteran at age 26, having played the lead roles in "War Horse" in 2011 and "Golden Boy" this winter - began performances in "Slipping" on Saturday. He plays the main role of Eli, a moody high school student adjusting to life in a small, Midwestern town.

LONDON - Security will be tightened for this weekend's London Marathon, which is to go ahead as planned in spite of the Boston bombings, authorities and organizers said Tuesday. Scotland Yard is also gearing up for the challenge of securing the funeral Wednesday of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, which will entail the deployment of 4,000 officers. London is well acquainted with terrorism, but Britain's minister for sport, Hugh Robertson, said he was "absolutely confident" Sunday's marathon could take place safely in the British capital, which last year successfully hosted the Summer Olympics.

LONDON - Security arrangements are under review and could be tightened for this weekend's London Marathon, which is to go ahead as planned in spite of Monday's bombings in Boston, authorities and organizers said Tuesday. Britain's minister for sport, Hugh Robertson, said he was “absolutely confident” Sunday's event could take place safely in the British capital, which last year successfully hosted the Summer Olympics. The London Marathon is one of the world's most prestigious and popular long-distance running competitions, with a route that goes past or over such landmarks as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge.

Organizers for Sunday's London Marathon are reviewing security arrangements after the bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday. London Marathon Chief Executive Nick Bitel said in a statement that "We are deeply saddened and shocked by the news from Boston. Our immediate thoughts are with the people there and their families. It is a very sad day for athletics and for our friends and colleagues in marathon running. "Our security plan is developed jointly with the Metropolitan Police and we were in contact with them as soon as we heard the news.

Question: Can you ever get too much of London? Answer: Maybe. This is being written before the royal wedding, so you may be sick of the jolly olde place by the weekend. But next year promises to be a big one for London, which is one of the world's more expensive cities. A couple of weeks ago, reader Patti Black of Pacific Palisades asked about inexpensive accommodations in London; she'd heard of convent and monastery stays but wondered whether there were other ideas she should consider.

If you go THE BEST WAY TO LONDON From LAX, nonstop service is offered on British, Air New Zealand, United, American and Virgin Atlantic. Connecting service (change of plane) is offered on United, American, KLM, Delta, Continental and Air France. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $711, excluding taxes and fees. St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Road, London; 011-44-207-841-3540, http://www.stpancrasrenaissance.com . Rooms in the Chambers (original building)

Federal prosecutors say phone and brokerage records show that former KPMG senior auditor Scott London and golfing buddy Bryan Shaw spoke by telephone several times in advance of significant news in companies that were clients of KPMG. After the news broke, Shaw made trades that generated $1.245 million in profits. Here are some examples: Herbalife Ltd. Shaw purchases Herbalife shares and call options (a bet that the stock will rise) after a number of telephone calls with London from March to April 2011.

British designers are invading Los Angeles this week to put their work in front of buyers, taste makers and red carpet stylists during the twice-yearly industry showcase known as the London Show Rooms. And we have sketches of some of the pieces created exclusively for the Los Angeles market by shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood (who recently won the Vogue Fashion Fund Award), David Koma (who dressed Miley Cyrus in the best awards show look she's ever had, at last year's People's Choice Awards)