‘American Idol’ back on top

‘Idol’ reclaims its crown

All is normal in the world again as Fox’s “American Idol” beat NBC’s Olympics coverage Tuesday night in the ratings race.

After losing to the Olympics last Wednesday, the first time in six years that “American Idol” hadn’t won its time slot, the talent show made a strong comeback. From 8 to 10 p.m., Fox averaged almost 24 million viewers, compared with 20.8 million for NBC.

“ ‘American Idol’ deserves applause. It’s an absolute juggernaut that went undefeated for six years and is now 223-1; we are just happy to be the 1,” said NBC Sports Senior Vice President Mike McCarley.

-- Joe Flint Keri Putnam to head Sundance

Former Miramax production president Keri Putnam is making a notable switch: She’s heading to Sundance.

Putnam has been named the executive director for the Sundance Institute, essentially the nonprofit’s highest-ranking paid position, where she’ll oversee all of the institute’s programs and report directly to its board, on which festival founder Robert Redford and others sit.

The Sundance Institute is an umbrella organization that, among its many activities, develops young writers and directors, cultivates international programs and presents the Sundance Film Festival. The group’s previous executive director, Ken Brecher, resigned in April, with the position sitting vacant since then.

Putnam’s tenure at Miramax saw the Disney unit release a number of films that were successful both at the awards podium and the box office, including “No Country for Old Men” and “The Queen.”

The hiring of Putnam, who will remain based in L.A., marks the latest new direction for veterans of the art-house film business, who have fanned out to other parts of the entertainment world as the specialty film business has contracted.

-- Steven Zeitchik Anaheim invites Comic-Con

The city of Anaheim is trying to lure the annual comic book and sci-fi convention called Comic-Con from its home in San Diego.

Anaheim officials confirmed this week that they have submitted a proposal to Comic-Con board members to host the event at the Anaheim Convention Center in 2013.

Comic-Con began 40 years ago and has grown into one of the region’s largest annual conventions. It routinely attracts more than 120,000 people.

-- associated press Van Gogh work out of storage

A painting of a windmill newly attributed to the Dutch master Vincent van Gogh went on display in the Netherlands on Wednesday after spending decades in the depot of a Dutch provincial museum.

After experts at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum concluded “Le Blute-fin Mill” was by Van Gogh, the brightly colored painting depicting large human figures around a mill was put on display in the Museum de Fundatie in Zwolle.

The painting, which experts say dates from 1886, was bought 35 years ago by Dirk Hannema, the founder of the museum. He displayed the picture in his own house until he died in 1984, when it disappeared in the museum depot, only to resurface shortly in 1993 and in 2007.

-- reuters Getty, Disney team on study

Snow White and the seven dwarfs -- along with other classic Disney characters -- are heading to the Getty.

The Getty Conservation Institute said Wednesday that it plans to study the deterioration that can occur in plastics -- specifically, the kind used in animation cels.

The study will be conducted as a partnership between the Getty Institute in Brentwood and the Disney Animation Research Library, located in Glendale.

Tom Learner, a senior scientist at the Getty, said in an interview that the study, which is likely to take three years, is intended to explore the reasons why certain cels are deteriorating and to possibly come up with ways to slow the deterioration process.

-- David Ng Aiken to speak for gay rights

More than a year after disclosing he is gay, former “American Idol” runner-up Clay Aiken is speaking before a gay-rights event in his hometown of Raleigh, N.C.

Aiken will deliver a speech about gay rights this weekend at the Human Rights Campaign Carolinas gala, the News & Observer of Raleigh reported Wednesday. Actress Meredith Baxter, who recently said she is a lesbian, also will deliver a speech.

Aiken, 31, says his goal is to urge Americans to support equal rights for all.

-- associated press Finally

All in the family: Melanie Griffith will present her mother, the actress and animal advocate Tippi Hedren, with a lifetime achievement award at the Humane Society of the United States’ Genesis Awards at the Beverly Hilton on March 20.