Robin

'Robin and the 7 Hoods' Where: The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego. When: July 30 through Aug. 22 Admission: $68 to $89 Contact: (619) 234-5623 or http://www.theoldglobe.org

Now we know what Gov. Jerry Brown really cares about - what gets him riled and raring to rumble. "The battle of their lives," he promises opponents. "This is a cause. " When a governor bares his soul like that, not only is he waving a nasty stick, he's tacking up a big sign that reads, "Name your price. " Brown's passion: pouring more tax money into inner-city schools at the expense of the suburbs. It's not that simple, of course. Nothing about California school finance is. Not all urban districts would benefit from Brown's school funding redistribution scheme.

Of the following fabled songwriting teams of the 20th century, which won three Oscars, garnered eight Oscar nominations, but never won a Tony? A) Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. B) George and Ira Gershwin. C) Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. D) Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. If you picked "D," well done!

There are monsters and vampires, science fiction, trips back and forward through time, supernatural themes and other out-of-this-world scenarios in the television pilots vying for space on the networks' fall schedules. The five major networks, ordering more than 100 potential new shows for their 2013-14 season, have scoured this planet and distant ones for buzzworthy big-tent series. They've snagged prominent talents like Michael J. Fox, Robin Williams, Toni Collette and Matthew Broderick and adapted film franchises such as "The Avengers" and "Beverly Hills Cop" to try to lure audiences to NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and the CW. FOR THE RECORD: TV pilots: In the April 24 Calendar section, an article about the larger number of network TV pilots being developed for next season said that CBS' ratings were down 3% compared with last season among viewers ages 18 to 49. Based on new ratings released Tuesday, CBS is now even with last year in that ratings category.

A group of comic book artists and writers has succeeded in doing what some of the most fiendish minds of the century--including Penguin, Riddler and Catwoman--have failed to accomplish. They have killed off Batman's right-hand man, Robin, the younger half of the 48-year-old crime fighting team known to readers around the world as the "Dynamic Duo." "Holy Toledo!" as Robin might say. Robin is killed off in next week's issue of Batman comics, blown to bits--BAM!

Like so many romances in this town, ours started at the gym. I'd like to revise history and tell you that I was wearing one of those sleeveless T-shirts because my Rottweiler-like biceps refused to be chained and that I confidently walked up to this struggling damsel in distressed cotton and offered to help her load 45-pound plates onto the leg press. I'd like to say that she was so smitten, so taken by my outdated chivalry and in-fashion muscles that she grabbed my cell, entered her number and begged me to meet her for a protein shake.

Michele Granger of Valencia High School threw a no-hitter and struck out 13 as the U.S. downed previously unbeaten China, 4-0, Thursday night in the Junior Girls World Fast Pitch Softball Tournament. Granger, 17, holds the tournament strikeout record, and has has 73 strikeouts in 38 innings. The U.S. and China both finished the round-robin portion of the tournament with 8-1 records. Japan also made the playoffs by defeating Holland, 3-1, earlier Thursday. Japan finished the round-robin 7-2.

Bishop's girls' basketball team made its trip to Vancouver, Canada, worthwhile by winning the Killarney Invitational, a round-robin event, with a 2-1 record. There was a three-way tie for first, but Bishop's won on point total with 192. To remain in contention after losing its first of two games on Saturday, Bishop's had to beat undefeated Vancouver Killarney in the afternoon.

Twenty-year-old Andrei Chesnokov of the Soviet Union upset Boris Becker, the world's No. 2-ranked player, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, Friday in the $150,000 Young Masters tennis tournament at Stuttgart, West Germany. "I wanted to play well, to concentrate and win completely, but it simply didn't work today. I've lost my senses," said the 19-year-old West German, who entered the tournament as the clear favorite. Despite the loss, Becker qualified for the semifinals today.

ON the ledger sheet of life, it's not clear which of the two L.A. couples in Kate Robin's "What They Have" is more in the black. Both are attractive and artistically ambitious. Both are striving mightily for that ever elusive balance between self-actualization and self-acceptance. And both love to talk ad nauseam about where they're at. The play, which had its world premiere Friday at South Coast Repertory, is made up almost entirely of navel-gazing chat. In fact, the slightest of ambivalent feelings can launch an army of words on the different shades of emotional gray.

Two months after resuming her duties on "Good Morning America," Robin Roberts revealed she was hospitalized last week.  Roberts offered the news on her Facebook page Thursday morning in addressing her absence from covering the Boston bombings. While on vacation in Key West, the "GMA" personality began to feel under the weather. "Nothing serious," she wrote, saying she flew back to New York City and was admitted to a hospital for "a few days. " "Seems my young immune system needed a little boost to fight off 'opportunistic infections.'" Roberts had recently taken a six-month medical leave for a bone-marrow transplant after she contracted myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare blood disorder.

Robin Roberts, host of "Good Morning America" and one of the first female anchors for ESPN, will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2013 ESPYs on July 17 in Los Angeles. Roberts has twice been stricken by serious illness in recent years and just returned to the air last month after being treated for a rare blood disorder. "Robin brings an amazing amount of energy, compassion and determination to everything she does," said ESPN President John Skipper in a statement announcing the award.

Like so many romances in this town, ours started at the gym. I'd like to revise history and tell you that I was wearing one of those sleeveless T-shirts because my Rottweiler-like biceps refused to be chained and that I confidently walked up to this struggling damsel in distressed cotton and offered to help her load 45-pound plates onto the leg press. I'd like to say that she was so smitten, so taken by my outdated chivalry and in-fashion muscles that she grabbed my cell, entered her number and begged me to meet her for a protein shake.

Anchor Robin Roberts made her triumphant return to "Good Morning America" on Wednesday after a lengthy medical leave that began Aug. 30. The episode of "GMA" began with a close-up on Roberts. "I've been waiting 174 days to say this: 'Good morning, America.'" She also reflected on the importance of "faith, family and friends" in helping her through her medical ordeal, which involved a bone marrow transplant for treatment of the rare blood disorder myelodysplastic syndrome.

NEW DELHI -- India's Supreme Court issued a stay of execution Wednesday, delaying for at least six weeks the hanging of four members of a notorious gang, after defense attorneys argued that a nine-year delay in hearing their clemency appeal is inhumane. The decision awaits the verdict from a similar case in which delay arguments are being heard. India's justice system is notoriously slow, and counsel for the gang members maintains that their sentences should be commuted to life imprisonment given their long wait for a hearing.

Robin Roberts will permanently return to "Good Morning America" on Feb. 20, co-host George Stephanopoulos announced Thursday morning. "She's met with her doctors, they've cleared her to come back to the show," he said, noting that Roberts would be returning five months to the day after she took a leave of absence for treatment of a rare blood disorder called myelodysplastic syndrome. "A lot of people are very, very happy for you," Stephanopoulos said, cutting to a montage of celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lopez sharing their well-wishes.

Ever since Little League baseball dropped single-elimination play from its tournament format 12 years ago, many all-star teams have benefited from their additional lifelines. Perhaps no team has taken more advantage than Vineyard Little League of Rancho Cucamonga, which will play Chandler (Ariz.) National tonight in the championship game of the Western Regional in San Bernardino. The winner goes to the Little League World Series, which begins Friday in Williamsport, Pa.

Old Blue, the bird who became the heroine of a conservationist's success story and saved the rare Chatham Islands black robin from extinction, is dead. So high was the regard for Old Blue that New Zealand's government officially announced her death in Parliament. Four years ago, the black robin was the world's rarest bird. There were only five of them left on the remote and windswept Chatham Islands in the South Pacific, 530 miles east of New Zealand's main islands.

For those who follow the Gospel According to Netflix, Friday is the day the world changes, instantly and forever. The day when viewers, too long oppressed by commercials, cliffhangers and increasingly erratic scheduling dictated by greedy network overlords, rise up in glorious revolution and seize the means of consumption. As of 12:01 a.m. Friday, all 13 episodes of the highly pedigreed "House of Cards" - Adapted from a British miniseries! Directed, at least initially, by "The Social Network's" David Fincher!

In the 78-year history of high school sports in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the number of Olympians produced, major league players developed and Hall of Fame members inducted from a variety of sports is staggering. So now you can understand how difficult it is to be selected to the Los Angeles City Section Hall of Fame. The second class of 42 recipients has been selected, and it is a who's who of greatness. There are baseball Hall of Fame members Robin Yount (Taft 1973)