SAN FRANCISCO—Anxiously anticipated by art, novel, and movie lovers, the “Girl With a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer is finally in San Francisco.

Known to many through Tracy Chevalier’s 1999 best-selling, historical novel “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and then through the 2003 Hollywood film starring Scarlett Johansson, who epitomized the authentic look of the girl, Vermeer’s painting still infatuates after 350 years.

Often called the “Dutch ‘Mona Lisa,’” “it’s more than just a beautiful girl who was beautifully painted,” said Emilie Gordenker, director of the Mauritshuis in an article from de Young Museum’s Fine Arts Magazine. “She begs a question with her

Full Article…

• Swan publicly confesses about smoking while pregnant
• Her teary confession used to promote tonight’s show
• Ten says it has not exploited her humiliation

CHRISSIE Swan has gifted Channel 10 a chance to boost ratings through her smoking-while-pregnant saga.

Full Article…

TERRE HAUTE — A club in New York City or the front room of the Eldredges’ house near West Terre Haute.

The setting never fazed Terry Eldredge, even as a teenager. He could play music anywhere, bold and confident.

“He was never bashful,” recalled Louis Popejoy, a renowned Terre Haute musician and one of Eldredge’s early mentors.

More than 30 years ago, Popejoy fronted a bluegrass quartet that included Terry and his older brother, Grady, that toured the country, including the Big Apple and other East Coast locales. The bright lights and audiences didn’t shake Eldredge.

“I’m a 13-year-old boy, never been out of West Terre Haute, and there I was in downtown New York City,” Eldredge remembered, chuckling. “I didn’t really

Full Article…

Review in a Hurry: Third time’s a charmer. In this fur-ociously entertaining sequel, Alex the Lion and his zoo crew try to get home to New York by joining a traveling circus. A funny, snappy script and thrilling action sequences make this European adventure a trip worth taking. 

WATCH: New Madagascar 3 trailer

The Bigger Picture: A sequel can be a tricky trapeze act, but this latest (and best) installment of the popular DreamWorks franchise performs that high-flying feat with the greatest of ease. An

Full Article…

In “Schroder,” Amity Gaige’s third novel, an increasingly distressed father in the middle of a custody battle takes off on an unexpected road trip with his 6-year-old daughter, Meadow. The novel takes the form of a long letter written by the father, Eric, to his wife, Laura, trying to explain his actions. In a recent e-mail interview, Ms. Gaige discussed the slipperiness of identity, why this is her darkest novel yet, and more. Below are edited excerpts from the conversation:

Q.

After moving to America from East Germany when he’s young, Eric changes his last name, from Schroder to Kennedy, and never tells anyone, including his father. Why can

Full Article…

AP / BeyoncBeyonc writes thank you note to fellow Super Bowl performersFeb. 4, 2013, 9:27 AM EST

WENN

Beyoncé wrote an emotional thank you note to her fellow Super Bowl performers telling them it was an “honor” to take to the stage alongside such “phenomenal ladies.”

The singer wowed the crowd on Sunday with her halftime performance at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, which featured a long-awaited reunion with her Destiny’s Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. T

Full Article…