US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary

Martin, Baldwin to "ratchet up the funny" at Oscars

LOS ANGELES - Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were chosen as co-hosts of next year's Oscars to inject a fresh comedic twist into the ceremony while building on decades of tradition, new co-producer Adam Shankman said. Actors Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr and comedian Tina Fey were among names "thrown around" as possible hosts, Shankman told Entertainment Weekly magazine in an interview published on Wednesday, one day after the choice of Martin and Baldwin was revealed.

Robert De Niro movie a "Fine" mess

LOS ANGELES - There isn't much that's fine in "Everybody's Fine," an embarrassing misfire for Kirk Jones, who once gave us the exhilarating comedy "Waking Ned Devine," and for Miramax, a storied company now reduced to little more than a film library. Despite a cloyingly sentimental story that rings false in every moment, the production did attract a substantial cast headed by Robert De Niro. It's not going to help though when Disney's downsized specialty unit releases the film December 4.

Beatles remasters heading to USB

LONDON - The Beatles remasters are coming out on a limited-edition apple-shaped USB drive in time for Christmas, marking the first time the Fab Four's catalog has officially been sold as digital files separate from the CDs. The USB version of all the albums will be released on December 7 in the U.K. and December 8 in North America. The USB is available for pre-order at the online Beatles store, priced at $279.99.

Rockers No Doubt sue Activision over "Band Hero"

LOS ANGELES - Rock band No Doubt sued video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc over the use of their likeness on its new "Band Hero" product, accusing the company of turning the rockers into a virtual karaoke act. No Doubt and Activision had a contract allowing the company to use the band members in the game, but Activision, which is based in Santa Monica, California, went beyond the agreement by allowing gamers to use avatars of the band performing songs from other rock groups, the lawsuit states.

Sundance expands outside Utah for one night

LOS ANGELES - Sundance Film Festival organizers on Wednesday unveiled plans for a one-night expansion of January's event to theaters in eight U.S. cities, hoping to encourage a discussion about the role art and cinema play in people's lives. Sundance, the largest U.S. gathering for independent films, is held each January in Park City, Utah, a small town about 30 miles east of Salt Lake City. On January 28, the festival will send eight festival films and their makers to eight theaters across the United States for "Sundance Film Festival U.S.A."

Meryl Streep's daughter gets first Hollywood break

LOS ANGELES - Meryl Streep's daughter Grace Gummer is set to star in a television drama about the chaotic life of being a Hollywood "It" kid, marking Gummer's first big break into the acting industry. Gummer, 23, will play a 17 year-old daughter of a famous celebrity couple in "Gigantic" a fictional series for TeenNick described as a coming-of-age story among the Los Angeles elite that skewers star-making promotional machinery, Nickelodeon said on Wednesday.

Bob Seger raids vaults for "Early Seger" set

By Gary Graff DETROIT - Bob Seger is raiding his vaults for a 10-song set dubbed "Early Seger, Vol. 1" that will be released November 27 exclusively via Meijers stores in the Midwest before becoming available on Seger's official web site three days later.

Comic-Con founder Shel Dorf dies at age 76

LOS ANGELES - Shel Dorf, the founder of Comic-Con International in San Diego, one of the biggest comic book conventions in the world, has died at age 76, a spokesman said on Wednesday. Dorf died Tuesday at a San Diego hospital, where he spent much of this year being treated for diabetes.

Gerard Butler off to war in "Coriolanus"

LOS ANGELES - Gerard Butler, currently in theaters with the surprise hit "Law Abiding Citizen," will join Ralph Fiennes in a contemporary version of Shakespeare's political and family drama "Coriolanus." The project marks Fiennes' directing debut.

Springsteen to perform more albums in entirety

NEW YORK they'll tackle the 1980 double record "The River" from beginning to end for the first time.