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From staff and wire reports

Roberts, Soderbergh go 'Full Frontal'

HOLLYWOOD, California (Reuters) -- The family that plays together stays together. That's apparently true in Hollywood as well.

Director Steven Soderbergh segued from "Ocean's Eleven" to "Full Frontal." And along with Soderbergh came Julia Roberts, who has followed her "Ocean's" role with an appearance in the (much) lower-budgeted Miramax film, Variety's Army Archerd reports in his column.

Roberts is obviously fond of the director: she won an Oscar for "Erin Brockovich," which Soderbergh directed.

Soderbergh's producer on "Ocean's," Jerry Weintraub, also appears in "Full Frontal," playing a magazine owner who fires David Hyde Pierce, says Archerd.

Weintraub is also hanging around with another "Ocean's" star, George Clooney. The former "ER" actor is directing "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" (based on the life of "The Gong Show's" Chuck Barris). Weintraub again dons makeup to perform a role for Clooney, playing the head of the ABC network.

Weintraub should feel at home in the movie. "Barris was a buddy of mine," he says.

Which brings up the question: Does he know the Unknown Comic or Gene Gene the Dancing Machine?

India.Arie thrilled with Grammy nominations

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) -- India.Arie says she never dreamed she'd be nominated for seven Grammys.

Her debut, "Acoustic Soul," was nominated for album of the year, while her breakout song, "Video," received bids for record and song of the year. She's also nominated for best new artist.

She was among the artists invited to announce the nominations on Friday. "I thought I might get one, or two, and when they asked me to come, I was like, 'Oh, that means I got one.'

"And they just kept saying 'India' over and over. I wasn't expecting that at all. At all. It's weird," she told AP Radio.

What was her first year in music like?

"I went straight from having no job at all to having a career that I had to manage and people and employees," she said. "It's very, very difficult and tiring. ... That it was new and that it was a lot of work made it a double whammy.

"I'm not floating away as high as I could be because I worked for everything."

The Grammys will be presented February 27 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in a live ceremony on CBS.

Owen Wilson loves discerning fans

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) -- Most people have a list of their favorite movies. Owen Wilson has a list of his favorite fans.

Wilson is one of the stars of "The Royal Tenenbaums," directed by his friend and frequent collaborator, Wes Anderson. His other films include Anderson's "Bottle Rocket," "Anaconda," "Zoolander" and "Behind Enemy Lines."

"I notice more people coming up to me," the 33-year-old told reporters. "But mostly the people that come up seem pretty nice. And then you notice which movie they come up to you about."

Anderson and Wilson co-wrote "The Royal Tenenbaums," 1998's "Rushmore" and 1996's "Bottle Rocket," a low-key comedy about two friends who try to embark on a life of crime.

"The people that come up to me about 'Bottle Rocket' tend to be my favorite maybe because that was our first movie and that was maybe the most personal one to us," Wilson said. "And so that means more than like an 'Anaconda' fan even though you're appreciative of that. But I'm more connected emotionally to 'Bottle Rocket' than 'Anaconda.' "

Freddy Fender to receive kidney

SANTA MONICA, California (AP) -- Freddy Fender, nominated for a Grammy for Latin pop album of the year, will undergo surgery on January 24 in Texas to receive a kidney donated by his 21-year-old daughter.

The transplant surgery is scheduled at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Fender is to receive the organ from daughter Marla Garcia of Jacksonville, Florida, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences announced Saturday.

Fender, whose hits include "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights," is battling health problems including Hepatitis C, NARAS said.

The 44th annual Grammy Awards ceremony is scheduled February 27 in Los Angeles.

"I'm already thinking about my acceptance speech," the 64-year-old singer said in a statement.

His album, "La Musica De Baldemar Huerta," will compete in the Latin pop album category. The other nominees are Chayanne's "Simplemente," Cristian's "Azul," Juan Gabriel's "Abrazame Muy Fuerte" and Jaci Velasquez's "Mi Corazon."

Blige, Marc Anthony to perform before Super Bowl

(CNN) -- Mary J. Blige and Marc Anthony will sing "America the Beautiful" before the Super Bowl next month with a chorus of police, firefighters, postal workers and military representatives, the NFL announced Tuesday.

Blige and Anthony will be backed by the Boston Pops and the "America's Heroes Chorus" during the February 3 pregame show at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

Other pop stars appearing at the event include Mariah Carey, who will sing the national anthem, and U2, which is scheduled to perform during the halftime show.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.