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Dallas orchestra leader to leave post in 2006

Andrew Litton, music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 1994, has announced that he will leave the post when his contract expires in 2006. Litton told the Dallas Morning News he intends to devote more time to conducting opera and developing children's television programs about music. He will continue to hold his current conducting positions in Minneapolis and Bergen, Norway.

Barry Manilow to play holiday tunes today on A&E

Barry Manilow grew up Jewish in Brooklyn, but he has had a longtime love of Christmas music. He has recorded two albums of holiday songs, which he'll perform from tonight on A&E's Live by Request.

"It's holiday music, really. It's not religious music," Manilow said. "What I love about the holidays is families getting together, people giving to each other, stopping, smiling, hollering at each other."

But Manilow said the show, airing live from 8 to 10 p.m. EST, will mark the first time he and his band perform these songs live.

"We're going to cross our fingers," the 57-year-old said. "I'm going to rehearse right now. We're rehearsing 40 songs. We'll be ready for anything they throw at us."

David Hemmings, the British actor who became one of the screen icons of the swinging '60s with roles in films such as Blow Up, died of a heart attack on a Romanian movie set. He was 62.

Mr. Hemmings collapsed Wednesday shortly after shooting scenes for the movie Samantha's Child, agent Liz Nelson said.

Mr. Hemmings was enjoying a renaissance in his acting career after a couple of decades behind the camera directing and producing TV shows such as The A-Team and Airwolf. An appearance in Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning Gladiator in 2000 led to a flood of offers, including the critically acclaimed Last Orders with Michael Caine in 2001 and most recently The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with Sean Connery in 2003.

But it was roles in films including Roger Vadim's science-fiction romp Barbarella in the 1960s that defined him for a generation.