Quick Takes: ‘Cove’ star threatened

The star of “The Cove,” an Oscar-winning documentary about a Japanese dolphin hunt, is back in Japan to protest the slaughter but had to cancel his trip to the village at the center of the controversy because of threats from an ultranationalist group.

Instead, Ric O’Barry, the former dolphin-trainer for the 1960s “Flipper” TV show, played host to a reception Wednesday for some 100 animal-lovers at a Tokyo hotel.

On Thursday, he will take a petition signed by 1.7 million people from 155 nations demanding the end of the dolphin hunt to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, escorted by police security.

—Associated Press

Lambert sets CMA record

Miranda Lambert made history Wednesday when she was nominated for nine CMA Awards, the most for a female country music artist.

She’ll be celebrating with close friends Lady Antebellum and fiancé Blake Shelton. Lady A earned the second-most nominations with five and Shelton was next with four, tied with Zac Brown Band.

Lambert and close friend Dierks Bentley announced nominations in five categories Wednesday morning on “Good Morning America.” The first seven categories were announced Tuesday in Nashville.

Lambert, Lady A, Zac Brown Band, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban were nominated for entertainer of the year, the Country Music Assn.’s top award.

The awards will air on ABC Nov. 10.

—Associated Press

Foxx returns to TV for ‘Project’

Jamie Foxx, who rose to stardom in the Fox network’s 1990s sketch comedy series “In Living Color,” is returning to the network as an executive producer of a similar sort of show.

The series, known at present as “Jamie Foxx Project,” will premiere during the 2010-11 season, the network said Wednesday. It will star Affion Crockett, whose online spoofs of celebrities such as Jay-Z and Tiger Woods have made him a hit.

Fox said the show would offer “a fresh take on pop culture, including spoofs of movie trailers, commercials, TV shows, music videos and celebrities.

—Lee Margulies

‘Swan’ bows at Venice festival

Darren Aronofsky sees his newest film, “Black Swan,” as the companion piece to “The Wrestler.”

“Black Swan” made its world premiere as the opening film at the Venice Film Festival’s 67th edition on Wednesday, bringing the American director back to the Lido, where “The Wrestler” won the top Golden Lion prize two years ago.

“The more I looked into the world of ballet, I actually started to see all these similarities to the world of wrestling,” the 41-year-old Aronofsky said at a news conference. “They both have these performers that use their bodies in sort of extremely, intense physical ways. Their entire performance is based on intense physicality.”

The psychological melodrama stars Natalie Portman as a perfection-seeking ballerina. She is smothered by her overprotective mother, played by Barbara Hershey.

“Black Swan” is one of 23 films vying for the Golden Lion, which will be awarded Sept. 11.

—Associated Press

Obama speech ratings high

More than 29.2 million people watched President Obama’s address Tuesday from the Oval Office, in which he talked about the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, the Nielsen Co. reported Wednesday. It was carried on 11 networks.

That was more than twice the size of the average for the Emmy Awards on Sunday night, which was the highest rated program on television last week.

—From a Times staff writer

Conan show title is short, simple

Conan O’Brien’s new late-night show on TBS officially has a title. It’s plain and simple: “Conan.”

“I’m just using ‘Conan’ and dropping the ‘O’Brien’ because I want to get away from the whole Irish thing,” the comic said in a news release Wednesday.

The show premieres Nov. 8.

—Maria Elena Fernandez

Mark the date, 90210 fans

OMG, it’s like one of those freaky Maya calendar things or something.

But yes, it’s true: Thursday — Sept. 2, 2010 — is being celebrated as “90210 Day.” It’s the one day this century that the date will line up perfectly with the famous California ZIP Code.

For fans of the 1990s teen drama “Beverly Hills, 90210,” this is an occasion for remembering their beloved series.

Celebrations have been organized in places such as the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, which will screen old episodes. The town of Beverly Hills itself is throwing a party hosted by Larry King.

—Associated Press