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Hayek: Hoping for OscarMEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- Salma Hayek is hoping she'll win the best-actress Oscar for her role as painter Frida Kahlo in "Frida" -- but she doesn't consider herself a favorite.
"We haven't had the promotional campaigns of other films, nor of other actresses," Hayek said Monday. "But I have a chance like all the other nominees. So if I win, it is because I really deserve it." Also nominated for best actress are Nicole Kidman, "The Hours"; Diane Lane, "Unfaithful"; Julianne Moore, "Far From Heaven"; and Renee Zellweger, "Chicago." ABC-TV will broadcast the Oscar ceremony Sunday from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. "One should never lose hope," the 34-year-old Hayek said Monday. "It's clear the U.S. press doesn't see me as one of the strong competitors for the Oscar, but I am happy just with the nomination." When asked if she would consider becoming a U.S. citizen, Hayek said: "How would that improve my situation?" "As a Mexican citizen, my situation is improving," she said. Hayek appeared at a screening of "Frida" Sunday in Mexico City's sprawling center. Ruling favors ButlerCENTRAL ISLIP, New York (AP) -- A Long Island judge ruled that criminal charges against actress Yancy Butler will be dropped in a year if she continues to stay out of trouble. Butler, 32, star of the recently canceled TNT series "Witchblade," filed court papers showing she had completed a 28-day inpatient alcoholism treatment program and continues to participate in outpatient treatment, said Robert Clifford, a spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota. Butler was arrested January 2 following a fracas at her uncle's Hauppauge home. The altercation allegedly involved Butler's father, Joe, former drummer for the '60s folk-rock band, The Lovin' Spoonful. She was charged with criminal contempt for violating an order of protection, and two counts of harassment. Judge Joseph Santorelli said Monday that the charges would be dismissed after a year as long as Butler avoids any other trouble with the law, Clifford said. Butler's father accompanied her to court, and members of her family agreed to the adjournment plan. Flowers for IsmailNEW DELHI, India (AP) -- Ismail Merchant remembers the day when he was showered with marigolds, the saffron petals paving his passage from Bollywood to Hollywood. Merchant was only 13 when a gorgeous young film star, Nimmi, invited her family friend to accompany her to the premiere of "Barsaat." They rode in a green Cadillac convertible through the streets of Bombay -- which produces huge numbers of Indian films and is often called "Bollywood" -- with thousands of fans cheering and tossing marigolds at the teenagers. "I thought to myself, what a wonderful life this is," Merchant told an audience recently in New Delhi, where he was promoting his autobiography, "My Passage From India." "I wanted to be showered with marigolds, too." With director James Ivory, whom he met at a Manhattan coffee shop in 1961, Merchant has created films such as "The Householder," "A Room With a View," "Howards End" and "The Remains of the Day." Their new movie, "Le Divorce," starring Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts and Glenn Close, is scheduled for release later this year. "Who's to say that dreams don't come true? If you have passion, if you think single-mindedly about what you want to achieve, then it will happen," Merchant said. Wolfman Jack statueDEL RIO, Texas (AP) -- A statue of the man who became Wolfman Jack when he was on a border radio station will be erected in his honor this Halloween in Del Rio. A miniature replica of the statue, constructed by sculptor Michael Maiden out of wax, was unveiled Saturday at a daylong music festival held in honor of Wolfman Jack, whose real name was Robert Smith. The disc jockey -- whose gravelly voice and wolf howls made him one of the nation's most recognizable personalities -- was featured in the 1973 film "American Graffiti." He died in 1995 at age 57. Jay Johnson, president of the Wolfman Jack Memorial Foundation, described how Wolfman Jack helped spread R&B and rock 'n' roll tunes across the United States through high-powered radio station XERF-AM, based across the border in Mexico. The statue replica, which stands just over 2 feet tall, depicts Wolfman Jack dancing a jig on one leg with a rainbow of musical notes. Records rain down behind him. "I'm elated Del Rio wants to do this," said Wolfman Jack's widow, Lou Lamb Smith. "This is where Wolf began. He was never on the air before XERF." The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.
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