Ministry

WASHINGTON — Watergate felon and prison reformer Charles W. Colson, who died Saturday at age 80 in northern Virginia, was two people. He was Richard Nixon's "hatchet man," the president's "evil genius," who by his own admission was "ruthless in getting things done" in the Watergate years, when the things that he and others in the White House were getting done would become a national disgrace and send Colson to prison. And he was a born-again Christian, the founder of the world's largest prison ministry, an "unfailingly kind but tremendously courageous" intellectual leader who became the "William F. Buckley" of the evangelical movement.

Once the signature of Robert H. Schuller's worldwide television ministry, the "Hour of Power" will be chopped to 30-minute episodes in some markets when it returns to the air Sunday. The 42-year-old television ministry, filmed at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, announced the format change Thursday as it detailed plans to return to the airwaves. The show has been in reruns since Schuller abruptly cut ties to the ministry last month. "We've been considering this move for years," John Charles, president and chief executive of Crystal Cathedral Ministries, said in a statement.

The Trinity Broadcasting Network, which bills itself as the world's largest Christian network, is embroiled in a legal battle involving allegations of massive financial fraud and lavish spending, including the purchase of a $100,000 motor home for family dogs. Brittany Koper, a former high-ranking TBN official and the granddaughter of its co-founder, Paul Crouch Sr., was fired by the network in September after discovering "illegal financial schemes" amounting to tens of millions of dollars, according to a lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court.

Every Sunday morning, Jillian Carter climbed into her car for the 45-minute drive from Torrance to the grandiose, glass-paneled church in Garden Grove. The Crystal Cathedral featured stirring organ music, pageantry and the sermons of founder Robert H. Schuller, whose sunny Christianity and motivation-seminar zeal combined to make him a 20th century colossus of American televangelism. To Carter, the 3,000-seat sanctuary felt like home. Even as pews emptied, donations nose-dived and the aging founder passed the reins to his children in recent years, the church's first family remained an abiding presence.

When "Hunger Games" premieres Monday, the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live will be more than just a screaming mass of fans watching stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth enter the building. For just one night, the L.A. Live plaza will be a version of "The Hob. " Named for the fictional black market where Lawrence's character Katniss Everdeen sells the fruits of her hunting in her native District 12 (the Hunger Games-era Appalachia), the Hob will take over L.A. Live plaza as a sort of small village where fans can interact, to some degree, with their new favorite movie.

Vendors who have been waiting for years to be paid after Crystal Cathedral Ministries fell into bankruptcy could see further delays because of a financial dispute involving church founder the Rev. Robert H. Schuller and some family members. Schuller; his wife Arvella; daughter Carol Schuller Milner; and her husband, Timothy Milner, have filed a number of claims in Bankruptcy Court alleging that the church owes them money for copyright infringement, intellectual property violations and unpaid contracts.

Crystal Cathedral officials announced Wednesday that Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman has temporarily left the board that oversees the production of the church's landmark "Hour of Power" television show. The oldest daughter of founder Rev. Robert H. Schuller, Schuller Coleman was serving as chief executive of the bankrupt Crystal Cathedral Ministries and was the board's nonvoting interim chairwoman. John Charles, who has held various administrative positions over the last 15 years and most recently served as the church's spokesman, will take over as interim chief executive and president.

Stars bundled up. Studio execs forked over cash. Everyone got headaches from altitude (and hangovers). The Sundance Film Festival's opening weekend has come and gone again, leaving a trail of exhausted but excited independent filmmakers and happier, swag-laden celebs. Here's a guide to who partied where in Park City, Utah. Bing Bar: With deep leather couches and three floors of open bars, the Claimjumper Hotel was transformed by search engine Bing to house film junkets, cocktail parties and a performance series that included stand-up from Aziz Ansari and concerts from Cobra Starship, the Civil Wars and the biggest party draw — a 45-minute set from rapper Drake.

Kanye West earns a living as a rap impresario and moonlights in fashion with women's apparel and sneaker design collaborations. But there's a new bullet point on his résumé: celebrity DJ. On New Year's Eve in Las Vegas, West climbed into the booth to spin the grand opening of 1 OAK — the Mirage hotel and casino edition of New York City's exclusive haunt from Scott Sartiano and Richie Akiva. Under the name "Yeezyworldpeace," West played hits of his own (natch) like "Gold Digger," "Good Life" and the ubiquitous duet "… in Paris" with Jay-Z.