AP - Focus on the Family ministry founder James Dobson spoke in support Thursday of Mel Gibson and his film, "The Passion of the Christ," saying Gibson's drunken tirade during a traffic stop had nothing to do with "one of the finest films of this era."

Reuters - New films from Christopher Guest, Emilio Estevez and Pedro Almodovar will receive red-carpet treatment from the Toronto International Film Festival, fest organizers said on Thursday.

AP - Phil McGraw, who brought his "Dr. Phil" show to New Orleans just after Hurricane Katrina, returned this week to tape follow-up episodes that will air in the coming weeks.

E! Online - Wasn't Paris Hilton supposed to have ditched her furry friend a while ago?

AP - With the political season heating up, reporters around New York are writing periodic blogs about the many national political figures they encounter on a regular basis — Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rudy Giuliani and George Pataki to name a few.

Actor Nicolas Cage bought a castle last month in Bavaria called Schloss Neidstein. He says the inspiration came from his mom, whose ancestors are from the country. The star says he was attracted to it at first sight when he and wife Alice Kim Cage, 22, saw the castle....

Porn star Mary Carey launches her latest campaign for California governor, three years after she was defeated by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Carey says her campaign is already running into trouble because she has only collected 40 of the 164,000 signatures needed to register as an independent...

AP - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton Wednesday stopped short of calling for Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman to abandon his plan to run for re-election as an independent, following his upset primary defeat to newcomer Ned Lamont.

The winner of the first season of "Survivor" says adjusting to life in prison has been difficult. Richard Hatch, 45, was sentenced to 51 months in prison for failing to pay taxes on his $1 million "Survivor" winnings and other income....

AP - Chubby cheeks and dimpled thighs have long been a mother's proof of a healthy, well-fed baby. But those roly-poly infants now may be a sign of something much different: America's growing problem with weight.

Reuters - U.S. Muslim groups criticized President Bush on Thursday for calling a foiled plot to blow up airplanes part of a "war with Islamic fascists," saying the term could inflame anti-Muslim tensions.

Reuters - Oliver Stone's new film, "World Trade Center," got off to a promising start at the box office on Wednesday, grossing better-than-expected receipts of $4.4 million in its first day, Paramount Pictures executives said on Thursday.

Reuters - Terry Gilliam tends not to make life easy for audiences, and his new film about a 10-year-old girl who prepares heroin for her father to inject and seeks to seduce an older simpleton is out to make them squirm some more.

Reuters - With his slight physique and lack of conventional good looks, David Hyde Pierce might not be a likely leading man or dramatic linchpin. But once he makes his first appearance in "Curtains," one of the last collaborations of John Kander and the late Fred Ebb (the folks who brought you a raft of musicals including "Cabaret" and "Chicago"), he pretty much carries the show.

John Terry will replace David Beckham as England's team captain. The Chelsea defender will succeed Beckham who retired after five years at the helm following what many consider a disappointing defeat against Portugal at the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals, in Germany....

Investor's Business Daily - Don't confuse exchange traded funds with mutual funds. ETFs are passive instruments; they sit there fully paid into whatever sector they have defined: silver, China or transportation stocks, for instance.

California state Sen. Tom McClintock will stop mailing a fundraising letter written by Mel Gibson, after the actor admitted making anti-Semitic remarks. California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres issued a statement saying McClintock should return any donations that came as a result of...

AP - Troy Smith has developed a different view of football over the last year. Sure, he can run and pass with the best quarterbacks, including a large group of talented ones returning to the Big Ten this season. But now the Ohio State star considers himself a student of the game, transformed by hours of film study into more than just a playmaker.

Reuters - Country-pop trio the Dixie Chicks, still feeling a backlash for criticizing President George W. Bush, have been forced to mostly abandon the American heartland and Deep South on their latest tour.

AP - Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Will Smith's preppy cousin Carlton on TV's "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," is splitting from his wife of four years.