After Harry Potter, let them eat cake.
Saturday at 7 p.m., Joseph-Beth bookstore in the SouthSide Works will host an evening of events promoting Mireille Guiliano 's "French Women Don't Get Fat," a book that goes against carb-counting and other diet advice in favor of a diet that is more a la Francaise. Joseph-Beth will host Will Clower , University of Pittsburgh neurophysiologist and neuroscience historian, who will talk about his book "The Fat Fallacy." There will also be champagne, biscuits et frommage, French coffee and signed copies of Guiliano's book available for purchase. Patrons also can sign up for a chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Paris to dine with Guiliano.
Also at Joseph-Beth, crime writer Andrew Vachss will sign copies of his new novel, "Two Trains Running," at 2 p.m., Sunday. The book, set in the 1950s, is a departure from his series featuring Burke, a fearless private investigator of child abuse. The new novel is set in 1959 and tells the story of a small town run by a family that traffics in vice tourism.
Admission is free.
Details: 412-381-3600.
MOVIES New mall to feature 17-screen theater
Cinemark is putting in a 17-screen, 3,696-seat behemoth at the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer. It will feature all the latest advances in digital sound, stadium seating and wall-to-wall screens, plus an IMAX 3-D screen.
The theater is kicking off its opening day Thursday with a food drive to benefit the Greater Community Food Bank. Admission to each film will be two non-perishable food items, and will include a 15-minute demonstration reel of trailers for the IMAX 3-D theatre.
Audience members will receive special polarized glasses to see the 3-D special effects for "Sharks 3-D," "Aliens of the Deep 3-D" and "NASCAR 3-D." Other 2-D IMAX films, such as "Fighter Pilot," will be shown on the giant IMAX screen, as well as some conventional Hollywood films -- like "Batman Begins" -- which have been adapted to the IMAX format.
Tickets are $7.50 for first-run films, and $7.75 for Friday through Saturday showings after 6 p.m. Children's tickets are $5.25. IMAX tickets range from $6.50 to $10.
Details: 724-274-0515.
PEOPLE Tom Cruise begins his next 'Mission'
Tom Cruise started shooting scenes for "Mission: Impossible 3" in Rome on Tuesday by whizzing past the camera in a speedboat.
Fans looked on from a bridge over the river Tiber as the star sped under them to film the third installment in the action-adventure series. All traffic was barred from the historic waterway for the day.
Before stepping into the speedboat, Cruise kissed and embraced actress Katie Holmes on the riverside set. The two became engaged in June after Cruise proposed at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
"Mission: Impossible 3" is directed by J.J. Abrams , one of the creators of ABC's "Lost" and "Alias," and is produced by Cruise and his partner, Paula Wagner .
Last month, Cruise and Paramount Pictures finalized their agreement after more than a week of haggling over costs.
The movie will co-star Ving Rhames, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Michelle Monaghan and Philip Seymour Hoffman . It is set for release on May 5, 2006.
-- The Associated Press
Pitt checks himself into hospital
Actor Brad Pitt has been hospitalized with a flu-like illness.
Pitt, 41, checked himself into an undisclosed Los Angeles-area hospital Monday night complaining of flu-like symptoms, his publicist Cindy Guagenti said Tuesday. There were no other details, and the name of the hospital wasn't disclosed.
Pitt was in Ethiopia last week with his "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" co-star Angelina Jolie to pick up the actress's newly adopted baby girl, the second child she has adopted. Guagenti said it wasn't known whether the actor contracted the illness while in Africa.
The "Troy" and "Fight Club" star separated from "Friends" actress Jennifer Aniston in January after 4.5 years of marriage and she filed for divorce in March citing irreconcilable differences.
-- The Associated Press
INXS looking for 'completely different' singer
Although INXS is looking for a new singer, guitarist Tim Farriss says the band isn't "in any way, shape or form trying to replace Michael Hutchence ."
"What we really want is somebody who brings their own personality along and someone completely different," Farriss told AP Radio in a recent interview. The band has used guest vocalists since Hutchence died in 1997.
A new reality show to find a lead singer, "Rock Star: INXS," premiered Monday night on CBS, hosted by Dave Navarro , former guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane's Addiction, and TV personality Brooke Burke .
Fifteen performers are competing on the show. The last singer standing will make an album with INXS and go on tour with the band, known for their hits "What You Need" and "Need You Tonight."
What would Hutchence say about the contest?
"I think he'd think it was kind of funny in a good way, 'cause in some ways it is," Farriss said. "But in another way, it's really an organic way to find a new singer. It's the best way we could think of."
-- The Associated Press
