People talk 5/10

First American wins Spanish prizeAmerican playwright Arthur Miller became the first American writer to win the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature.

The honor has traditionally gone to major Spanish and Latin American literary figures such as Mario Vargas Llosa, Camilo Jose Cela and Carlos Fuentes.

Miller, who won the Pulitzer Prize for "Death of a Salesman," was chosen Wednesday from among 24 nominees from 15 countries, including the Portuguese writer Antonio Lobo Antunes and Ernesto Sabato of Argentina.

"With an independence of spirit and remarkable critical sense, he has conveyed from the stage the anxieties, the conflicts and the aspirations of contemporary society," the 15-member prize jury noted.

The prize also has gone to German novelist Guenter Grass, who won in 1999, and Doris Lessing of Britain, winner of last year's award.

The $45,500 prize, named after Spanish Crown Prince Felipe, will be presented later this year in a ceremony in the northern city of Oviedo, capital of the Asturias region.

Other Asturias prizes are awarded throughout the year in the fields of social science, arts, literature, scientific research, international cooperation, harmony and sports.

Powell to accept Liberty Medal July 4Secretary of State Colin L. Powell will be awarded the 2002 Philadelphia Liberty Medal during the city's Fourth of July celebration at Independence Hall.

Selection commission chairman Martin Meyerson called Powell a "giant" among leaders supporting human liberties, citing his role in the war on terrorism, seeking peace in the Middle East and helping the people of Afghanistan transform their nation.

Last year's recipient of the medal and its accompanying $100,000 was United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The Liberty Medal was established in 1988 to honor individuals or organizations whose actions represent the founding principles of the United States.

Lane, Gere together again in 'Unfaithful'The thriller "Unfaithful" marks a reunion for Richard Gere and Diane Lane, co-starring for the first time since "The Cotton Club" 18 years ago.

In "Unfaithful," opening Friday, Gere and Lane play a long-married couple whose seemingly ideal family life is shattered by the wife's fling with a Frenchman and the husband's jealous response.

Stan Lee will sell part of collectionSpider-Man creator Stan Lee plans to sell part of his personal collection of comics and art this summer.

Items for sale will include Lee's collection of original art from the Spider-Man newspaper strip and personal reference copies of key Marvel Comics issues.

The sale will be conducted during the Wizard World comic book collectors convention July 4-7 in Chicago.

Lee, 79, was executive producer of the new film "Spider-Man" and has consulted on other upcoming films based on his characters, including "The Hulk" and "Daredevil," along with a sequel to the blockbuster "X-Men."

Mother's Day not big event for TaylorShe has four children, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, but Elizabeth Taylor says Mother's Day this weekend is no big thing.

"It's not like Thanksgiving, when we all get together," Taylor said in an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. "I think maybe half of my children will be here; they're spread all over the world, and I never know if they're coming."

Taylor said she believes Mother's Day is "a commercial rip-off, to tell the truth, a chance to sell my perfume and other things that ladies like."

The 70-year-old actress, star of films such as "National Velvet," "Giant" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" has been in the perfume business since 1986, when she introduced Elizabeth Taylor's Passion.

- AP