Abdul may return for 'Idol' finale
LOS ANGELES, May 22 (UPI) -- Paula Abdul will return for the season finale of U.S. TV's "American Idol," sources tell People Magazine.
The season nine finale is set to air Wednesday, and will include the last appearance by Simon Cowell before he leaves for "X Factor" in 2011, the magazine said.
Superstar Christina Aguilera is also expected to perform on the show, which will feature competition between prospective "Idols" Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze.
Abdul was replaced as a judge by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres this season.
Madonna blasts sentence given gay couple
BLANTYRE, Malawi, May 22 (UPI) -- Pop star Madonna, who has adopted two children from Malawi, calls the 14-year sentence given a gay couple there "a giant step backward."
In a statement on her Web site Friday, Madonna blasted the judge.
"I am shocked and saddened by the decision made today by the Malawian court, which sentenced two innocent men to prison," she said. "As a matter of principle, I believe in equal rights for all people, no matter what their gender, race, color, religion, or sexual orientation. Today, Malawi took a giant step backward. The world is filled with pain and suffering; therefore, we must support our basic human right to love and be loved."
Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, and Steven Monjeza, 26, received the maximum sentence for open homosexuality, 14 years hard labor, the New York Daily News reported. They came to the attention of authorities when they held an engagement party.
In addition to adopting two children from Malawi, Madonna has opened orphanages in the African nation.
Mike Myers: 'Life is good'
LOS ANGELES, May 22 (UPI) -- U.S. actor and comedian Mike Myers tells Parade Magazine: "Life is good. Not perfect."
In an interview at his Manhattan office, Myers mixed accents, jokes, observations and references to great sketches from comedy history, the magazine said.
Myers' latest animated movie sequel, "Shrek Forever After," opened very strong this weekend, despite some mixed reviews. Parade said the previous three "Shrek" movies have made more than $2.2 billion worldwide.
But Parade said Myers refused to take much credit.
"It's bigger than me, man," he told the magazine. "The writing is awesome and the cast is great. I feel like I'm a custodian of Yellowstone Park."
Born in Canada, Myers was a household name in the early 1990s on "Saturday Night Live," and starred in three successful "Austin Powers" movies before the "Shrek" phenomenon.
"Dude, this is all a dream," Myers told his interviewer. "I have done everything I wanted to do."
Pac-Man still going strong at 30
WASHINGTON, May 22 (UPI) -- Pac-Man, the deceptively simple video game that became one of the all-time bestsellers after its introduction by a Japanese company, has turned 30.
Namco launched the game in 1980, licensing it for 294,000 arcade machines, The Washington Post reports. Since then, experts say, players have manipulated the pastel-yellow Pac-Man sphere through 10 billion games.
The designer, Toru Iwatani, was new to the business when he designed Pac-Man. He was told in 1979 to come up with a game that women would like.
Pac-Man is a gentle game compared to Space Invaders and other games then on the market. The colors are pastel, and there is no gunfire and the game can be played and understood without a manual -- although it is hard to win.
Namco did not expect Pac-Man to be a huge hit, the Post said. But the yellow sphere is now one of the world's best-known icons.
The Guinness Book of World Records says 94 percent of U.S. residents recognize Pac-Man, 1 percent more than Super Mario.
