People talk12/27

Winslet, Mendes welcome baby boy

LOS ANGELES -- Actress Kate Winslet and her husband, director Sam Mendes, are the parents of a 7-pound, 13-ounce baby boy. Joe Mendes was born on Dec. 22 in New York. It is the first child for the couple, who were married in May. Winslet has a 3-year-old daughter, Mia, from her previous marriage to Jim Threapleton.

Fan gets meeting of a lifetime with 'Idol' Aiken

ATLANTA -- "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken has granted a fan her Christmas wish. Jennifer Wilson, a 15-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, was at one of his concerts earlier this month. When her father, Wayne Wilson, lifted her out of her wheelchair for a bathroom break, the two ran into band members of the Black Eyed Peas, who also were performing that night. They got the teenager backstage. Aiken posed for pictures with Jennifer and gave her an autograph. Wilson said his daughter was overjoyed by the experience.

Mrs. Rogers coping with loss of Mr. Rogers

PITTSBURGH -- Joanne Rogers, Mrs. to the famed and beloved Mister Rogers, still speaks of the children's television host in the present tense nearly a year after his death. Fred Rogers, host of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," died Feb. 27 of stomach cancer. Since her husband's death, Rogers has accepted awards on his behalf and talked to groups about his lifelong work helping children. Rogers said she's learning to cope.

New language doesn't slow down Ben Kingsley

SAN FRANCISCO -- Ben Kingsley stunned his colleagues on the set of "House of Sand and Fog" with how quickly he mastered basic Farsi. Kingsley, who plays a former Iranian Air Force colonel living in the United States, learned Farsi on the set with help from a Farsi dialect coach as the cameras were rolling. Kingsley won an Oscar for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in 1982's "Gandhi."-- From wire reports

Russian film is 30-year New Year's tradition

MOSCOW-- A plaque has been unveiled at the site of the filming of "The Irony of Fate," and one of its stars has received a national award at a Kremlin ceremony recognizing his contribution to the movie -- a New Year's tradition in Russia. Andrei Myagkov received the award from President Vladimir Putin with 48 other cultural, scientific and military leaders who were recognized Thursday for their contributions to Russian society. "The Irony of Fate" is a satire on the legions of identical, drab apartment buildings across the country. The movie is still widely viewed every year.

Garner will continue TV sitcom role as a regular

LOS ANGELES-- James Garner isn't leaving "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" any time soon.

Touchstone TV, producer of the ABC sitcom, has closed a deal with the veteran actor to continue on the comedy as a regular, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Garner started on the show in November following the death of the sitcom's star, John Ritter, who played a harried dad and newspaper columnist.

Garner, 75, plays the father of the columnist's widow, who helps his daughter and three teenage grandchildren as they confront the realities of becoming a single-parent family.

He is set to return to "8 Simple Rules" on Jan. 5 after falling on the set last week and bruising his hip.

-- From wire reports

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- One of Indiana University's key soccer recruits for 2004 has a name that's already familiar in Bloomington: John Mellencamp.

Mellencamp is a nephew of the 52-year-old rocker, who lives in Bloomington. He's made a verbal commitment to play at Indiana, where the soccer team holds indoor practice in the John Mellencamp Pavilion.

"I don't know what it'll be like to attend a school where they already have a building named after you," Joe Mellencamp, John's father, told The Herald-Times for a story Friday.

The younger Mellencamp, an all-Ohio player, already is familiar with the Indiana soccer program. He was MVP at its soccer camp in 2001 and 2003.

"It was always a dream of mine to play at Indiana, so when I got the chance, I wanted to pursue it," Mellencamp said.

John isn't the only Mellencamp to play soccer. His older brother, Ian, played two years of soccer at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

"But Ian gave up soccer to play guitar, and has his own band, now. I wonder where that came from?" Joe Mellencamp said.