Marcus

Luxury purveyor Neiman Marcus has unveiled its annual holiday catalog chock-full of gifts from the relatively affordable to the enormously expensive (and goofy). Among the highlights -- a posh henhouse, inspired by France's Versailles Palace, for the world's most pampered chickens. Priced at $100,000 (delivery not included), the deal includes a library full of books, an "elegant" chandelier and a custom-built garden. "You've always fancied yourself a farmer -- now thanks to Heritage Hen Farm, you're doing it in the fanciest way possible," says the catalog.

Nowhere is UCLA's depth more precarious than at cornerback. Nowhere is UCLA's future more secure than at cornerback. What seems to be a contradiction meshes with the shot-term need and the long-term benefit of playing freshmen. Starting cornerbacks Aaron Hester and Sheldon Price are capable, but both are seniors. Behind them are freshmen Marcus Rios and Fabian Moreau , who are expected to receive more playing time because another freshman, Ishmael Adams , is facing season-ending shoulder surgery.

The college football season just kicked off, and L.A. still has to cheer for any pro team but its own. Running back Marcus Allen was a standout in college and the pros: a Heisman Trophy winner at USC, then a record-setter with the Kansas City Chiefs after a contentious but stellar stint with the L.A. Raiders, where his clash with team owner Al Davis was as epic as anything on the field. Now he figures large in a new "The Pro Football Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary Book," and as a CBS analyst, as well as a man with a lot to say about the state of the game.

A Los Angeles County jail inmate who allegedly stole a pair of jail pants during his release found himself back behind bars a day later when two off-duty law enforcement officers spotted him wearing them, authorities said. Marcus Garcia, 22, of Saugus was running through a Wal-Mart parking lot in the 25400 block of The Old Road in Stevenson Ranch on Tuesday when an off-duty L.A. County sheriff's deputy and an off-duty L.A. County custody assistant, who were not named, noticed him and called 911, according to the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's station.

At 6 feet 4 and 255 pounds, with 40-yard speed faster than some running backs, Marcus Baugh of Riverside North High is no lumbering giant. Seeing him race down the sideline after making a catch makes him look like a 17-year-old who's indestructible. He's a tight end extraordinaire, having caught 30 passes for 528 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior when he weighed 215 pounds. After an off-season of lifting weights and consuming protein supplements, he has put on 40 pounds.

On Tuesday, the empire of stylist turned media and fashion mogul Rachel Zoe expanded to include jewelry, available exclusively at NeimanMarcus.com and Wednesday at 42 Neiman Marcus stores nationwide. “It's fancy but it's not,” Zoe said at her Melrose Avenue showroom on Monday afternoon, where she previewed the collection, $195 to $650, inspired by her favorite things, including Art Deco and 1960s and 1970s glam. The pieces, like Zoe herself, make a big statement. “I've never been subtle,” she said.

NEW YORK — British authorities turned up the heat on Barclays as its chairman, Marcus Agius, became the first big casualty of a scandal involving attempts to manipulate key interest rates. Agius' resignation Monday came as political and financial observers called for further resignations, starting with that of Bob Diamond, the bank's chief executive. Lloyds and the Royal Bank of Scotland were also among about 20 major Western banks that have come under investigation by U.S. and British authorities for allegedly trying to manipulate the London interbank offered rate, or LIBOR, a benchmark for interest rates on corporate and consumer loans.

Central Florida senior guard Marcus Jordan , a 21-year-old son of NBA legend Michael Jordan , was arrested outside a hotel in Omaha early Sunday morning. Jordan was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and obstructing officers, according to a news release. Police responding to a call at the Embassy Suites found hotel security trying to subdue Marcus Jordan, who was having an argument with two women in the hotel driveway at 2:11 a.m. The release stated Jordan was "very animated, intoxicated and uncooperative," and it took multiple officers to control and handcuff him. Jordan was booked at the Douglas County Department of Corrections.

Many have revisited Miles Davis' jazz; few have recaptured his magic. As 1980s Davis collaborator Marcus Miller observed Wednesday night, the ever-evolving trumpeter never looked back, so contemporary interpreters better keep an ear to the present. Three ensembles picked up the gauntlet at the Hollywood Bowl, where Davis staged his last public performance in August 1991, just one month before he died. Toughest work: Performing the entire landmark "Kind of Blue" album - an appropriate task for drummer Jimmy Cobb's "So What" Band, since Cobb is the 1959 sextet's lone survivor.

With USA Basketball suffering what he called a "rash of injuries," chairman Jerry Colangelo said he plans to meet with the team's coaching staff either April 30 or May 1 in Las Vegas to determine how they're going to fill their thinning roster for the 2012 London Olympics. Orlando center Dwight Howard plans to have season-ending back surgery. Clippers guard Chauncey Billups tore an Achilles tendon earlier this season. Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge plans to have hip surgery.