- Remembering Film Critic Gene Siskel
- 'Life is Beautiful' makes $21.9 mln
- Ventura honors Rolling Stones
- It's No Secret: A Bust-See Web Site
- Noah's Newest Ark
- Sites For Art's Sake
- Mellon Leaves Money, Art to National Gallery of Art
- 'Payback'
- All You Need Is Love (and a Few Web Sites)
- Grammy lifetime honorees announced
- Annual Sundance Film Festival
- 1999 Grammy Award Nominations
- '98 Pulitzer Prizes Announced
- '98 Emmys

(Real Audio Enabled)

One of America's most influential film critics, Gene Siskel, died Saturday at the age of 53. His death came less than a year after surgery to remove a growth from his brain. Siskel began his career reviewing movies for The Chicago Tribune. But he was best known for being part of the television duo of Siskel and Ebert, whose "thumbs up, thumbs down" critiques made them famous. Roger Ebert, Siskel's partner and one-time nemesis, said the future of the show is uncertain.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) - Getting a boost from seven Oscar nominations, Italy's "Life is Beautiful" has become the highest-grossing foreign-language film ever in North America, earning nearly $21.9 million. The story of a father who uses humor to shield his son from the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp, "Life is Beautiful" stars Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the screenplay. Miramax expanded the film to wide release in 644 theaters for the four-day Presidents Day weekend. The film grossed more than $2.8 million over the holiday weekend, its 17th week in release in the U.S.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The Rolling Stones got a grand welcome from their former bodyguard, who happens to be the new governor of Minnesota. "He's done us proud, hasn't he?" a chuckling Mick Jagger said of Gov. Jesse Ventura. "He's been fantastic." Jagger also liked Ventura's proclamation which declared Monday as Rolling Stones Day in Minnesota - even Ventura's congratulations to 55-year-old Keith Richards for being "still alive." "He's done it very funny and been very lighthearted about the whole thing but it's obviously very nice for us," Jagger said.

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Never mind that the images were fuzzy and jumpy. An estimated 1.5 million to 2 million surfers clicked on to the live Webcast of the Victoria's Secret annual fashion show last week, eager to watch supermodels Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum and Stephanie Seymour strut their teeny bikinis. Heavy traffic (with heavy breathing) on the company's Web site caused major delays, but it wasn't the first time virtual voyeurs have breached the limits of real-time Webcasts. Americans swarmed to their computer screens during the Pathfinder mission to Mars, a live birth by a woman in Florida and the transfer of Keiko the whale to a sea pen in Iceland. But nothing compares with the explosion of hits around the globe (34 million in one day on CNN's Web site alone) when the Starr Report was released in September. In the world of online ogling, one truth is already self-evident: from Monica to Victoria, the thong's the thing.

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The legendary Sid Meier (creator of Civilization) is back, and not a moment too soon for players left stranded by Civilization II, which ended with humans taking off for the sun's nearest neighboring star, Alpha Centauri. In his new game, appropriately titled Alpha Centauri ($49.99; 800-245-4625), the passengers of the spaceship have split into seven factions. As a bloc leader, you must explore the new planet and develop an empire. As you encounter other factions, you can deal with them diplomatically or militarily to unite them under one flag. There's a multicultural vibe to Alpha Centauri—one of the faction leaders is a black man, another is a Latina—that's unusual in games like these. That, along with the superior story and gameplay, means Meier has again set the gold standard for strategy.

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By now, we're used to seeing the Internet used for research and business transactions. But a new breed of Web sites is being designed for a decidedly less commercial pursuit, the promotion of digital artists. These sites allow artists to explore new forms of expression and to push cutting edge Web technology to new levels. Hear more about sites designed for artistic endeavors as Morning Edition host Bob Edwards speaks with David Tomere, editor of the Internet newsletter Beta.   And find out more by visiting these featured sites: Superbad, Frienchip, Origami, Hotwired, Day Dream, Languid.

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The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. has received the largest gift in the museum's history. Philanthropist Paul Mellon, who died earlier this month, has bequeathed to the museum $75 million and more than 100 works of art including two oils by Vincent Van Gogh: "Still Life of Oranges and Lemons with Blue Gloves" (1889) and "Green Wheat Fields, Auvers" (1890). The National Gallery of Art was founded in 1941 by Mellon's father, Pittsburgh banker and industrialist Andrew Mellon.

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Mel Gibson's latest action movie, Payback, opened in theaters last week. The movie is based on the Richard Stark novel, The Hunter, and is directed by Brian Helgeland. It's about a small-time thug in a big city. Helgeland wanted part of the feel of the movie to be "a little rough around the edges and not polished at all." Critic Tom Shales says Payback achieves just that. Listen to his review of the movie on Morning Edition.

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Affairs of the heart. They're tricky. Perilous. Delicious. To die for. And Valentine's Day has a history that's as rich and torrid as love itself. The story dates back to the Roman Empire, when Juno, patroness of marriage and women's well being, was revered each February 14. The Feast of Lupercalia, honoring Lupercus, protector of crops and livestock, began on February 15. On the eve of the feast, young women wrote their names on slips of paper and placed them in urns; young men drew names at random, and the pair would then be coupled during the festival. It has been said that the men pinned the names they drew to their sleeves, which has given us the expression "to wear your heart on your sleeve." Often, these couples would fall in love and later marry.

During the third century, there was considerable strife and political upheaval in the Roman Empire.  Claudius II (also known as Claudius the Cruel) was emperor during this time, and he decreed that there would be no engagements and no marriages because he believed a man's happiness at home had a direct impact on the fierceness of the empire's army. Without a wife, Claudius reasoned, his men would have no reason to stay home, and thus he could increase the size of his troops and their hunger for the fight. Despite his decree, the Italian Bishop Valentine clandestinely married young lovers. When Claudius discovered Valentine's secret nuptials, he had him clubbed to death and beheaded on February 14, A.D. 270.

Later, in the fifth century, under the rule of Constantine and amid the advent of Christianity, February 14 was incorporated into the Christian calendar and named, not for the annual pagan harvest festival, but for the Bishop Saint Valentine, who washeralded as a Christian martyr. 

If you're intrigued by the origins of love and Valentine's Day, you can find everything your heart desires on any of the web's numerous Valentine's Day sites. Visit Your Valentine and discover the 20 Things You Didn't Know About Valentine's Day. Take the Are You a Dream Date? Quiz, and get the lowdown on the essential love pack for that special someone in your life. Then, see if you can guess when the first recorded Valentine was sent. (Hint: It involves a knight, a maiden, a captivity, a battle, and an exotic location. Of course.)

Never one to shy away from the selling power of love, Hollywood has created its own take on Valentine's Day over at the Universal Studios lot. Word there has it that the maiden who received the first valentine was actually busy when it arrived. Out shopping, no less.

But there's more than just valentine lore on the web. There's also a plethora of great sites where you can find everything from free virtual bouquets to email valentines and animated greeting cards. If you're interested in splashing some hearts on your home page or adding a tasteful valentine motif to your corporate web site, you can peruse the multitude of sites that offer free clip art, graphics, borders, and background images. Here are a few of the most comprehensive sites available: Valentine's Day Clip Art Open All Night has more than 50 links to sites where you can find high-quality images ranging from the vintage to the custom-designed. You can also download animated GIFs, clip art, and much more. Equally excellent is the Mining Company's Guide to Web Clip Art, which has an A-to-Z list of resources for Valentine's Day aficionados. You can find everything you need to soup up your home page or jump-start your corporate site.

For those of you who like to send greeting cards, several great sites offer free email greetings. The most well known is Blue Mountain Arts' Electronic Greeting Cards, where you can find a wide selection of cards for every occasion. Look for the special Valentine's Day section. Another site you're sure to enjoy is Awesome Musical Valentines. While you're in the email mood, you might consider sending a virtual bouquet to your favorite someone.

If you're in the market for something a little more literal, the web offers plenty of Valentine's Day treats to choose from. If your lover is a chocolate fanatic, you might consider Soma Exquisite Chocolate Truffles. Soma's tag line - Ever Been Ravished by Chocolate? - suggests the company understands what it means to be obsessed with sweetness. The truffles are exclusively handmade, and they're rolled and dipped in the finest European tradition.

Equally enticing is Godiva Chocolatier. This year, the confectioner boasts its special Chocolates and Diamond promotion. Purchase any specially marked Valentines Day 1999 gift box, and you could be the lucky winner of a 7-carat diamond ring.

For those of you who seduce your loved ones with flowers, FTD has everything you need to create the perfect moment. It's a cinch to send beautiful, long-stemmed roses with a simple click of your mouse. If you've ever wondered about the language of flowers, FTD offers the full details on the origin and symbolism of roses. Read about the first cultivated roses, which appeared in Asian gardens more than 5000 years ago. Hear the legend that roses blushed with shame as God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden. Find out what it means when you send red, white, or yellow roses to someone you know. And learn if it's best to send your new date lavender or light-pink roses.

What really matters most on Valentine's Day, though, is that you celebrate with a gift that comes from the heart. A simple card that expresses your feelings will touch those you love more than anything else. If you're at a loss for words, you can seek the inspiration of authors who have a certain way with self-expression. Study Helene Cixous' The Book of Promethea and absorb the rich pleasure of a phrase such as, "I loved you in the darkness at the center of the light."

Then again, if you ingested one too many chalky miniature hearts stamped "Foxy" when you were six, you might be a self-proclaimed Valentine's Day cynic by now. If so, take heart. Celebratory resistance has proven to be a good thing on occasion: In the third century, you'd have kept your head.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) - Johnny Cash, Mel Torme, Smokey Robinson, Otis Redding and Sam Cooke will be honored at the Grammys next month for a lifetime of work. The artists will each receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. The awards for Redding and Cooke are being given posthumously. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences also announced Wednesday that it will give Trustees Awards, for non-performing industry contributors, to the songwriting teams of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, and Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The 41st annual Grammy Awards will be presented Feb. 24.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) - It's a documentary about a gritty subject and almost no one has seen it. But after a showing at this week's Sundance Film Festival, "American Pimp" could capture a distribution deal worth big bucks - and its creators are hoping to milk the opportunity. "We held out showing it to any distributors to put it in a friendly situation for us as far as getting the best price," said Allen Hughes, who has teamed with his brother to make the film as well as "Menace II Society" and others. Sundance, held each year in Utah, is the nation's top showcase for independent films. Overrun by Hollywood players, entertainment reporters and publicists, it's a festival where buzz leads to more buzz, which leads to more hype, which leads to film studios paying millions of dollars for films - something they may or may not regret in the morning.

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