Alan Sues, a flamboyant and wacky member of the comic ensemble that made “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” a big hit for NBC in the late 1960s, died Thursday at his home in West Hollywood of an apparent heart attack. He was 85.

Sues was a regular on the comedy-variety show from 1968 until 1971, playing such characters as Uncle Al the Kiddies’ Pal, a hung-over children’s entertainer, and Big Al, an effeminate sportscaster. He left “Laugh-In” before its final season.

A brief period existed in the spring of 2007 when Amy Winehouse teetered between chanteuse with a cult following, and international superstar. It was right about the time her game-changing album, “Back to Black” was released, and just before the resulting wildfire of fame engulfed her.

Steve Kandrell, now editor-in-chief of Spin, interviewed her at a New York hotel right around that time. “We did a cover story,” he said, “but at the time she hadn’t really begun to get her head around why people wanted to talk to her.”

Amy Winehouse’s rise to fame and struggles with addiction escalated on similar trajectories; that combination might be one of the things she’s remembered most for, but when it comes to purely professional successes, her first might well be considered her “Back to Black” album. The musical effort won her five Grammys. Below, the title track from the album.

“True Grit” is one of the most mainstream, crowd-pleasing films Joel and Ethan Coen have ever made.

It’s sort of a screwball Western, if you will, with vivid performances and strikingly vast, picturesque vistas, the always gorgeous work of the always great Roger Deakins, the Coens’ frequent cinematographer.But it’s a minor entry from the writing-directing brothers, especially
when you consider the inventiveness and strength of their canon and the
close aesthetic resemblance to “No Country for Old Men,” their
masterpiece. While “True Grit” is entertaining, it’s also surprisingly
lacking in emotional resonance, as well as the intriguing sense of
ambiguity that so often permeates Coen pictures. Only toward the end
does it feel like anything is at stake, but at least it’s enjoyable
while you’re waiting.

LOS ANGELES — Dennis Hopper, the high-flying Hollywood wild man whose memorable and erratic career included an early turn in “Rebel Without a Cause,” an improbable smash with “Easy Rider” and a classic character role in “Blue Velvet,” has died. He was 74.

Her ad for Snickers, which debuted during the Super Bowl, was one of the most popular to air. (It’s also gone viral.) She often pops up as a late-night talk show guest. There’s also a movement afoot to have her host “Saturday Night Live.”

White’s mix of grandmotherly sweetness and comic brazenness (note her turn as a foul-mouthed widow who likes to feed the alligators in the 1999 horror film “Lake Placid”) has made her a beloved figure to fans of all ages.

LOS ANGELES – A judge on Friday firmly approved a deal between Michael Jackson’s estate and a concert promoter to exhibit his memorabilia, praising the arrangement that the singer’s mother had fought in court over her concerns that it could harm his legacy and wasn’t competitively bid.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff approved the deal that’s expected to earn Jackson’s estate up to $6 million, saying after four hours of mostly closed-door testimony that there was “no question in my mind this agreement is in the best interest of the estate.”

Tickets for “Michael Jackson: This Is it” go on sale Sunday, September 27, Sony said in a news release Thursday.

“Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, and genius as he creates and perfects his final show,” Sony said.

Kenny Ortega, who was working with Jackson to create the “This Is It” concert, is also directing the documentary.

“As we began assembling the footage for the motion picture, we realized we captured something extraordinary, unique and very special,” Ortega said. “It’s a very private, exclusive look into a creative genius’ world.”

Michael Jackson will be buried in a private service at Forest Lawn-Glendale on Aug. 29, a spokesman said in a prepared statement Tuesday. Guests will be limited to family and close friends.

Details about the burial and the whereabouts of Jackson’s body have been tightly guarded. The announcement came a day after the New York Daily News reported comments by Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, that his son would, indeed, be buried on what would have been his birthday.

The spokesman said Jackson will be buried on the Holly Terrace at the cemetery’s Great Mausoleum. The cemetery’s Web site describes the mausoleum as featuring replicas of works by Michelangelo. It also features a stained-glass re-creation of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

VIENNA, Austria – Organizers of what’s being billed as a global tribute to Michael Jackson in Vienna say the event will be held on Sept. 26.

World Awards Media GmbH, the event promoter, says Jackson’s brother Jermaine is expected to announce the lineup for the concert within two weeks.

Officials in the Austrian capital said Wednesday they are thrilled to host the three-hour event. Organizers say it will feature about 10 major entertainers who will perform 15 to 20 of Jackson’s hits on a crown-shaped stage outside Vienna’s Schoenbrunn Palace.