Roberts

Asking Kevin Starr a question is like turning on a fire hose. First there's a blast of erudition. Then, as his intellect gathers, information rushes out in a deluge. He's talking, but it's as if an invisible scholar inside his head is yanking books off shelves, throwing them open, checking the index, then racing off to find the next volume. On the outside, Starr is an avuncular 72-year-old, but his brain is sprinting like an Olympian. Amazingly, it's possible to keep up. This may be Starr's greatest gift: not just that he has amassed a phenomenal body of knowledge but that he can translate it into dynamic works of history.

Robert Downey Jr. opted for lederhosen rather than full-body armor - or a tux - at the "Iron Man 3" photo call in Germany on Friday. The actor, who plays the superhero in the action film, appeared in Munich wearing the below-the-knee breeches partnered with a khaki blazer, button-down shirt and emerald-colored kerchief tied around his neck. He also sported some flashy green socks to pull the whole look together. And his German pride was in uber -drive as he strutted his stuff on the red carpet during the premiere.

Kristen Stewart, who celebrated her 23rd birthday this week, was spotted reveling with on-again-off-again boyfriend Robert Pattinson. The "Twilight" twosome were seen Tuesday having dinner for Stewart's big day at Malo, a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, with about 40 friends, including "Spring Breakers" star Ashley Benson, X17 reported. After dinner, the couple stopped by No Vacancy at Hotel Jupiter, where Hanson was having its album release party, E! News said . "They weren't overly affectionate or anything, but at points they were standing together as they talked to friends," a source told E!

About 10% of married couples suffer from infertility - the inability to conceive a child naturally. Through the better part of the 20th century, physicians considered this a minor and perhaps irrelevant problem, one that contributed overall to society by keeping the birthrate down. British biologist Robert Edwards thought differently. He was among the first to fully appreciate the frustration and depression the condition engendered in its victims and the benefits that could arise from reversing it. Along the way, he met resistance from religious conservatives who insisted that life must begin only through intercourse, not artificially, and from fellow scientists who resented the fact that he spoke frequently with the media about both his research and the ethical implications.

“The Company You Keep,” the new film directed by and starring Robert Redford, also features an impressive supporting cast including Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Sam Elliott, Chris Cooper, Brendan Gleeson, Stanley Tucci and Nick Nolte. In its story of a group of 1960s radicals who are being flushed out of hiding after decades living underground, the film provides a platform for a range of actors of a certain age and associated with a certain era. But with costars Shia LaBeouf, Anna Kendrick and Brit Marling, the film also makes a strong springboard for a younger generation of actors as well.

In “The Company You Keep,” the new film directed by Robert Redford, the Oscar winner also stars as a onetime political radical who has lived for decades as a fugitive from justice under a false identity. When the quiet, stable life he has created for himself is jeopardized, he is set back on the run to clear his name once and for all. The film, which opens Friday, has an impressive cast that includes Shia LaBeouf, Anna Kendrick, Brendan Gleeson, Brit Marling, Stanley Tucci, Terrence Howard, Richard Jenkins, Chris Cooper, Sam Elliott and Nick Nolte.

Comcast Corp. Chief Executive Brian Roberts might run the nation's largest entertainment and cable TV company, but he ranks in the middle of the media pack in terms of salary and perks. Roberts received $29 million in compensation last year, an increase of 8% over 2011, according to a regulatory filing by the company Friday. One of Roberts' ranking lieutenants, Steve Burke, who is chief executive of NBCUniversal, got a double-digit bump. Burke received $26.3 million in compensation in 2012, an 11.3% increase over the previous year, primarily because of increases in the value of his pension.

With corporate headquarters overlooking the hot office market in West Los Angeles, CBRE Group Inc. - the world's largest real estate services firm - finished 2012 with a record $6.5 billion in revenue, and its new boss is optimistic about the year ahead. "We think the economy is going to grow a couple of points this year, and we are expecting our business to grow considerably," said Robert Sulentic, 56, who took over as chief executive in December from Brett White, who retired. Earlier, Sulentic was chief executive of Texas real estate company Trammell Crow Co., which was acquired by CBRE in 2006.

While breaking away from his family's business dynasty, Robert Zildjian took a closely guarded secret with him - a cymbal-making process with roots in the 17th century - and founded his own noisy empire in 1981. A legal settlement prevented him from trading on the Zildjian name long synonymous with cymbals, so he called his Canadian-based company Sabian, an acronym based on the names of his children, Sally, Bill and Andy. As Sabian evolved into a premier cymbal manufacturer, it cut into the market once dominated by Zildjian, the Boston-based company he left behind in a bitter feud with his brother.

NEW YORK - For all its perks, being a popular young actor like Shia LaBeouf in today's media climate can come with some intense pressures. So intense that one of Hollywood's longest lasting stars says he probably couldn't handle them. "I don't envy Shia's generation," said Robert Redford, LaBeouf's director and co-star in the new dramatic thriller "The Company You Keep. " "If what's put to him had been put to me when I was starting out, I might have stayed a painter. " VIDEO: Robert Redford on "The Company You Keep" LaBeouf, who joined Redford for an interview here this week, brought in a historical perspective.