SMITHSONIAN REOPENING DELAYED

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is now scheduled to reopen in November. The museum has been closed since 2006 for major renovations. The museum initially was to reopen this summer. On Wednesday, Acting Smithsonian Secretary Cristian Samper told a congressional committee that unexpected asbestos and lead paint caused setbacks for the project.

The museum’s interior is being redesigned with a special gallery to showcase “The Star-Spangled Banner” and a skylight to bring more light into a central atrium. Even with the museum being closed last year, the Smithsonian says it counted 24.2 million visitors in 2007 — an increase of 1 million over 2006.

Congress is considering a $34 million increase in funding to help the Smithsonian address a backlog on facility repairs.

Associated Press

OPEN-AIR THEATERS CRUMBLE IN GREECE

Archaeologists are calling for government intervention to repair 76 open-air theaters across Greece that are crumbling from lack of use, Reuters reported yesterday.

The birthplace of Classical drama, Greece is home to dozens of ancient theaters, but only about 30 are currently capable of hosting cultural events, the archaeologists said. The theaters are a cornerstone of the country’s cultural heritage.

Greece’s Epidaurus theater, built in the fourth century before the common era in the Peloponnese peninsula, continues to draw crowds every year for performances of ancient Greek plays by dramatists such as Euripides and Sophocles. Famous for its acoustics, it is the most frequently used ancient Greek theater.

But less fortunate structures, such as the sixth-century B.C.E. Dionysus theater on the Athens Acropolis, have fallen too far into disrepair, due to the stresses of time and nature, to be used for performances.

Staff Reporter of the Sun

NUDE BRUNI PHOTO SOLD FOR 30 TIMES ESTIMATE

A nude photo of France’s first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, was auctioned Thursday for $91,000, about 30 times more than anticipated, the Christie’s auction house said.

The image was taken by photographer Michel Comte in 1993, when Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy was one of the world’s most sought-after models. In the black-and-white photo, she strikes a pigeon-toed pose with her hands covering her crotch.

The 13-by-10-inch photo was bought by an anonymous bidder on behalf of a collector, Christie’s said. The photo had been expected to fetch between $3,000 and $4,000 at the auction, which was held at Rockefeller Center, Christie’s said.

The money from the sale of the Bruni-Sarkozy photo will go to the Swiss charity Sodis, which provides clean drinking water to developing nations, Christie’s said. Proceeds were originally intended to benefit Fondation Kantha Bopha, a charity dedicated to helping Cambodian children, but the foundation rebuffed the offer, saying accepting the funds would cheapen its work.

Associated Press

SOME CHARGES DROPPED FOR PELLICANO

U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer yesterday dropped nearly half the charges against “private eye to the stars” Anthony Pellicano and a co-defendant at the request of prosecutors, who were preparing to rest their case in the wiretapping and bribery trial.

Both men still face 35 counts in the case, which centers on accusations that Mr. Pellicano wiretapped telephones and bribed police and telephone company officials to run illegal checks on those causing trouble for his rich and famous clients. Mr. Pellicano, who has pleaded innocent and is acting as his own lawyer, and four co-defendants were originally indicted on more than 100 criminal counts. The 64-year-old Hollywood private eye could spend decades in prison if convicted.

The high-profile case begun on March 6 has already seen testimony from comics Garry Shandling and Chris Rock, Paramount Pictures CEO Brad Grey, and former Walt Disney Co. executive Michael Ovitz. Mr. Ovitz, once one of the most powerful players in Hollywood, told the court on Wednesday that he hired Mr. Pellicano to investigate journalists writing negative stories about him but said he never told the detective to threaten anyone or use wiretapping.

Prosecutors allege it was Mr. Pellicano who in June 2002 left a dead fish with a rose in its mouth and a note saying “Stop” on the shattered car windshield of Los Angeles Times investigative journalist Anita Busch.

Associated Press