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Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall call off merger

NEW YORK - The New York Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall abandoned plans Tuesday to merge two of the nation's most storied cultural organizations.

In a statement, the groups said each organization was better off on its own.

The Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall announced the merger plan last spring under which the nation's oldest orchestra would move from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts to its former home at Carnegie Hall.

The reasons included Carnegie's superior acoustics and the cost of renovating the orchestra's home, Avery Fisher Hall - estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.

LAS VEGAS - It is "all but miraculous" that entertainer Roy Horn is alive and able to communicate after being bitten in the neck by a 600-pound tiger, his doctor said Tuesday.

Horn, of the "Siegfried & Roy" show that has thrilled Las Vegas tourists for years, was able to move his feet and hands and is responding to treatment, Dr. Derek Duke said Friday.

Horn, 59, remained in critical condition with a severe neck injury.

He lost a large amount of blood in the attack, doctors said, and later had a stroke.