Royals prepare for wedding

Madrid, Spain — Police dogs sniffed for bombs Friday around Madrid’s Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace as Spain prepared for Crown Prince Felipe’s wedding to a former television anchorwoman.

The prince, 36, met television anchorwoman Letizia Ortiz in late 2002 at a dinner party, and they started dating in earnest the following spring. After a secretive courtship, they announced their engagement in November.

Ortiz, 31, will be the first commoner in centuries of Spanish royal history to be in line to be queen.

The Royal Palace will host a banquet for 1,400 guests from around the world — including about 30 heads of state or government, and members of royal houses from as distant as Japan. Former South African President Nelson Mandela was among the guests arriving Friday.

Tight security measures come in the wake of March 11 train bombings that killed 191 people and wounded more than 2,000.

It’s a girl for Hunt, boyfriend

New York — Helen Hunt and her boyfriend, writer-producer Matthew Carnahan, have something to be mad about besides each other: a baby girl.

The 40-year-old actress gave birth to a daughter, named McKenna, People magazine reported Friday on its Web site. The baby, born May 13 in Los Angeles, is the couple’s first child.

Hunt has been dating Carnahan, 43, since 2001. The former “Mad About You” star, who won an Oscar for “As Good As It Gets,” previously was married for about a year and a half to Hank Azaria, who voices several characters on “The Simpsons.”

Auction lets collectors Cash it in

New York — One piece at a time, Johnny Cash’s guitars, banjos, handwritten lyrics, photographs, vintage black leather clothing, Grammy Awards and other belongings will be auctioned this fall by Sotheby’s.

More than 650 pieces from the estate of the country music icon and his wife, June Carter Cash, will be offered Sept. 14 and 15, Sotheby’s said Thursday. The collection is valued near $1.5 million.

The sale features more than 50 instruments owned and played by both June Carter, who died in May 2003, and Cash, who died Sept. 12. A guitar that Cash designed is estimated at $15,000.

Pieces from the his wardrobe will be offered, including his suede fringe jacket, a long leather coat made especially for him valued at $8,000, plus several pairs of boots, hats and shirts.

A 1950s notebook full of Cash’s handwritten lyrics to songs like “Cry, Cry, Cry,” is estimated at $6,000. Seven of Cash’s Grammy awards are included, ranging in value from $5,000 to $10,000.