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Paul McCartney has refused to cancel his concert in Tel Aviv on Sept. 25, despite threats from Islamic militants, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. The response followed comments made by Omar Bakri Muhammad, a militant Lebanese Islamic activist, in an interview that appeared in The Sunday Express of London. Bakri said, "If he values his life, Mr. McCartney must not come to Israel," He also said: "He will not be safe there. The sacrifice operatives will be waiting for him."

Gwendolyn Brooks and Theodore Roethke are among the 14 influential 20th-century American poets whose recordings have been added to Britain's free online poetry archive, the BBC reported. The project will consist of more than 100 American poets reading their own work.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have donated $2 million to create a center, named after their adopted daughter, Zahara, for Ethiopian children affected by AIDS and tuberculosis. The Global Health Committee said the donation from the Jolie-Pitt Foundation would establish a center in Addis Ababa to treat AIDS orphans and develop a program to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis. (Reuters)

The conductor Zubin Mehta has been named one of the winners of the Praemium Imperiale awards by the Japan Art Association in Tokyo. Other winners included the Russian installation artists Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, the Japanese kabuki actor Tojuro Sakata and the British artist Richard Hamilton.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that 300 bleacher seats at the Oscars, scheduled for Feb. 22, will be up for grabs in an online lottery. Beginning Monday and until Sept. 28, movie buffs can register at www.oscars.org/bleachers. (AP)
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A representative of the production company Middle East AEG Live has said that Kylie Minogue will give two concerts in Dubai for "an awful lot of money" in November. Thomas Ovesen , the managing director of the company, said one concert would be for a select group of celebrities at the opening of a luxury hotel on the artificial Palm Island. The other will be for her ordinary fans near a shopping mall. (AP)

The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts will throw a yearlong bash to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The celebration will include a series of artistic and educational events and initiatives, including a free concert by Yo-Yo Ma. As a prelude to celebrations, Lincoln Center will open a refurbished Alice Tully Hall on Feb. 22.(AP)

Matt Damon and Wyclef Jean toured Gonaïves, Haiti, last weekend, The Associated Press reported. They went to draw attention to the area, which has been ravaged by floods caused by the tropical storm Hanna and Hurricane Ike. The two are trying to raise more than $100 million for Haitians in need.

Maurice Sendak, the author of "Where the Wild Things Are," celebrated his 80th birthday Monday night in New York with Meryl Streep, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener and the director Spike Jonze, who has adapted the 1963 children's book for a film to be released in October 2009.

The San Francisco Opera has received a gift of $40 million, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The commitment from John Gunn, the opera's board chairman, and his wife, Cynthia Fry Gunn, is the largest single gift by individual donors in the company's history.

The rapper Webbie was charged with felony eluding, driving under the influence and possession of marijuana after a high-speed police chase in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The authorities said Webbie, whose real name is Webster Gradney Jr., had refused to pull over for a traffic violation and collided with another vehicle.(AP)

A memoir by Serena Williams will be released in 2009 by Grand Central Publishing. Karen Kosztolnyik, a Grand Central editor, said: "We've watched her rise to No. 1 despite physical and emotional setbacks, and her hard work and determination have inspired legions of fans young and old. Serena will give her memoir a strong motivational slant. source>>>