Alicia Keys snubs out cigarette branding

Jakarta, Indonesia – Philip Morris International has pulled down billboards and posters promoting an Alicia Keys concert Thursday in Indonesia’s capital after the singer protested the cigarette company’s sponsorship.

The logo and slogans of A Mild cigarettes, produced by a Philip Morris affiliate, featured prominently in promotional materials for the concert.

The Washington-based Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids anti-smoking organization initially drew Keys’ attention to the company’s association with the show.

Philip Morris International did not say whether it was demanding its money back, nor reveal how much it had paid to sponsor the event.

In the United States, Philip Morris USA and other major tobacco companies are prohibited from sponsorships of concerts, but there are no such regulations in Indonesia.

More than 30 percent of Indonesia’s 220 million people smoke, making it the fifth-largest tobacco market in the world, according to the World Health Organization.

Russert’s son to join NBC convention team

Los Angeles – The late Tim Russert’s son will take up a family tradition for NBC News, helping to cover the Democratic and Republican conventions.

Luke Russert’s assignment as a convention correspondent focusing on “youth issues” is his first for NBC, the network said Thursday.

Russert, 22, a recent Boston College graduate, has been on the radio since 2006 as co-host with pundit James Carville of “60/20 Sports” on XM Satellite Radio.

“Never before in an election cycle has so much attention turned to the youth vote, and Luke will bring a unique perspective to covering it,” NBC News President Steve Capus said in a statement.

Russert told MSNBC.com that he realizes some might say it was only his name that got him the job. But he’s ready for the challenge and plans to work hard, he said.

“I’m not trying to be my father. He’s irreplaceable. I’m simply trying to do something that I think there’s a real niche for, that there’s a calling for, that has to do with youth, not just in the election but in politics from now on,” Russert said.

Tim Russert, the host of NBC’s “Meet the Press” and Washington bureau chief for the network, died June 13 of a heart attack at 58. He was a longtime and key part of NBC’s political coverage, with a profile as high as the anchors he worked alongside.

Spider becomes Colbert’s namesake

Greenville, N.C. – A trapdoor spider species found along the coast of California last year is the new eight-legged tribute to Stephen Colbert.

How will the faux conservative talk show host take this news? Viewers of the Comedy Central show “The Colbert Report” will find out Wednesday when East Carolina University biologist Jason Bond appears as a guest.

Bond specializes in spiders and millipedes. He and students study both new and known species and provide names for the new ones.

Colbert’s namesake is Aptostichus (ap-TAS’-tih-kus) stephencolberti. Because Colbert doesn’t pronounce the “t” in his last name, it will also be silent in the spider’s name.

Colbert demanded that a spider species carry his name after learning that Bond named a spider for rocker Neil Young.

Court extends Spears’ conservatorship

Los Angeles – Britney Spears’ father will retain control of the pop singer’s finances and personal affairs through the end of the year.

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz extended James Spears’ conservatorship over his daughter Thursday morning until the end of 2008.

Goetz opened the hearing by saying the singer “reluctantly agreed” to extend the arrangement, and scheduled an update hearing for October.

The pop singer’s father assumed control over her personal life and finances earlier this year after a series of high-profile incidents of erratic behavior that twice led to her being hospitalized.

Spears has since shown signs of improvement, settling a custody dispute with Kevin Federline, making successful TV cameos and working on an album this summer.

Neither Spears nor her father appeared in court Thursday.

Durning gets star on Walk of Fame

Los Angeles – From World War II hero to dancer and award-winning actor, Charles Durning has lived a storied life. The 85-year-old added to that resume Thursday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next to one for his idol, James Cagney.

“Cagney was my favorite actor and favorite person,” Durning told The Associated Press after the ceremony unveiling the Walk of Fame’s 2,366th star. “I met him once and he was very kind to me. I never got a chance to tell him what I thought, that he was my hero.”

Durning’s more than 100 movie credits include “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” “Tootsie,” “Dog Day Afternoon,” “To Be or Not To Be,” “The Sting” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

A who’s who of actors joined him at the ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard, including Ed Begley Jr., Jon Voight, Angie Dickinson, Joe Mantegna, Gary Sinise, Elliott Gould, Lee Purcell and Doris Roberts.