Bristol Palin to appear on ‘The Secret Life of the American Teenager’

Bristol Palin on TV

Bristol Palin, whose unplanned pregnancy became a national news story that engulfed her mother’s vice presidential campaign in 2008, is bringing her experience as a teen mom to bear on the small screen.

ABC Family announced Tuesday that Bristol, the oldest daughter of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, will play herself on an episode of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” a drama about a teenager who becomes pregnant.

The episode, which airs this summer, will feature 19-year-old Palin as a friend of Amy (Shailene Woodley) attending a music program for teen mothers.

-- Matea Gold Beatles’ studio called historic

The Beatles’ Abbey Road Studios were officially declared a historic building Tuesday, a move that will help preserve the cultural landmark that is a magnet for fans worldwide.

The crosswalk outside the iconic north London studios draws tourists daily, and the facilities have also hosted Pink Floyd, Jeff Beck and Radiohead and are still popular with orchestras.

But their cash-strapped owner, EMI Group Ltd., says the studios have been losing money for years and has only recently shelved plans to sell them. EMI now says it’s looking for money to help revitalize the studios.

-- associated press Leykis returns to local radio

Veteran radio talk show host Tom Leykis, absent from the local airwaves since KLSX-FM (97.1) switched to a music format in February 2009, is returning -- not with the racy relationship show he did on weekdays but rather the lifestyle show that previously was heard on weekends.

“The Tasting Room With Tom Leykis” will air Thursdays on KGIL-AM (1260) beginning this week. It will normally be heard from 8 to 10 p.m., but this week’s program will begin following the conclusion of the USC basketball game.

“The Tasting Room,” in which Leykis discusses topics of fine living such as wine, cigars and restaurants, began five years ago and continued in syndication after “The Tom Leykis Show” folded.

-- Lee Margulies Rushdie to write of hiding

Novelist Salman Rushdie plans to write a book about his decade in hiding under a death threat from the Iranian government using a digital archive of his personal papers housed at Emory University, he said Tuesday.

Rushdie, who is in the middle of a five-year stint as a distinguished lecturer at the Atlanta university, has donated his literary archive to Emory’s special collections library. The university created an exhibit from the manuscripts, letters and photographs that opens Friday and runs through September.

“It’s my story, and at some point, it needs to be told,” he said during a news conference before touring the exhibit with reporters. “That point is getting closer, I think. When it was in cardboard boxes and dead computers, it would have been very, very difficult, but now it’s all organized.”

-- associated press Sting at Bowl with orchestra

Sting, who last appeared at the Hollywood Bowl with his old group the Police, is returning on June 15 with the type of band more traditional on the Bowl stage: a symphonic orchestra.

Sting and London’s 45-member Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra will perform symphonic arrangements of some of his hits, including “Roxanne” and “Fields of Gold.”

Tickets go on sale March 8.

-- Sherry Stern ‘Avatar’ gets 3-D award

“Avatar” picked up another award Tuesday night but Oscar prognosticators needn’t try reading anything into it since “The Hurt Locker” and “Inglourious Basterds” weren’t eligible.

James Cameron’s blockbuster was named best live-action 3-D feature by the month-old International 3D Society, kicking off its inaugural Lumiere Awards at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

“Up,” also in the running for Academy Award best picture honors, was honored as best animated 3-D feature, and another Pixar work, “Partly Cloudy,” won for best 3-D short.

The International 3D Society was formed Jan. 21 with a stated mission of advancing “the achievement of professionals working in the arts and technologies of Stereoscopic 3D.” The awards were voted on by more than 100 film industry 3-D experts, a spokesman for the group said.

-- Lee Margulies