Anthropologist Levi-Strauss dies at 100
PARIS -- Claude Levi-Strauss, widely considered the father of modern anthropology for work that included theories about commonalities between tribal and industrial societies, has died. He was 100.
The French intellectual was regarded as having reshaped the field of anthropology, introducing structuralism -- concepts about common patterns of behavior and thought, especially myths, in a wide range of human societies. Defined as the search for the underlying patterns of thought in all forms of human activity, structuralism compared the formal relationships among elements in any given system.
During his six-decade career, Levi-Strauss authored literary and anthropological classics including "Tristes Tropiques" (1955), "The Savage Mind" (1963) and "The Raw and the Cooked" (1964).
Jean-Mathieu Pasqualini, chief of staff at the Academie Francaise, said an homage to Levi-Strauss was planned for Thursday, with members of the society -- of which Levi-Strauss was a member -- standing during a speech to honor his memory.
France reacted emotionally to Levi-Strauss' weekend death, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy joining government officials, politicians and ordinary citizens populating blogs with heartfelt tributes.
Born on Nov. 28, 1908, in Brussels, Belgium, Levi-Strauss was the son of French parents of Jewish origin. He studied in Paris and went on to teach in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and conduct much of the research that led to his breakthrough books in the South American giant.
A skilled handyman who believed in the virtues of manual labor and outdoor life, Levi-Strauss was also an ardent music-lover who once said he would have liked to have been a composer had he not become an ethnologist.
Kirstie Alley to star in A&E 'docu-series' about her life
LOS ANGELES -- Kirstie Alley is going to star in a new A&E reality "docu-series" about her life as a single mom and her efforts to lose weight.
The network has ordered 10 half-hour episodes of the untitled series from "American Idol" producer FremantleMedia North America. The show will follow the actress at home with her teenage children, at work and as she launches a new weight-loss program.
The 58-year-old Alley, who starred in the sitcoms "Veronica's Closet" and "Cheers," appeared in the 2005 Showtime comedy series "Fat Actress." She played a version of herself coping with Hollywood's fixation on thinness.
She has also been a spokeswoman for the Jenny Craig diet program.
The A&E series is to air next year.
Alleged Seacrest stalker pleads not guilty to felony charge
LOS ANGELES -- A man arrested outside Ryan Seacrest's workplace has pleaded not guilty to a felony stalking charge.
Chidi Benjamin Uzomah Jr. entered the plea Tuesday through an attorney. A court commissioner ordered Uzomah to stay 500 yards away from Seacrest if he is released from jail on $150,000 bail.
Los Angeles police arrested Uzomah at the E! Entertainment Television headquarters in Los Angeles on Friday. A request for a civil restraining order stated he was carrying a knife at the time.
Uzomah appeared in street clothes during Tuesday's hearing and agreed to be represented by a public defender. He is due back in court Nov. 16.
