'It was hard labour by any measure," says Jake Chapman, recalling his and brother Dinos's apprenticeship as assistants to Gilbert and George. "There was absolutely no creative input at all. They were very polite and it was interesting to hear them talking – as we did our daily penance."

What did the work involve? "Colouring in their prints. We coloured in Gilbert and George's penises for eight hours a day." At least you didn't have to pay, as Rembrandt's assistants did, for the privilege of working in the master's studio. "Oh, we paid," retorts Chapman. "We paid in dignity."

The relationship between artist and artist's assistant is vexed, ripe for oedipal tensions, mutual resentments, or at least spitting in the great master's lapsang souchong. How tired, one suspects, Lucian Freud's assistant (and painter in his own right) David Dawson, got of being called "Dave the Slave" by his late master.

John Lanchester's recent novel Capital captures this two-way vexation when an artist called Smitty, modelled on Banksy, sacks his assistant. "The decisive factor was his assistant's way of making it clear that in his judgment, he and not Smitty was the person who should be treated as the famous artist," writes Lanchester. "The fact that he hadn't actually made any art since leaving St Martins, the fact that all he did was chores for Smitty, seemed in his mind to be a minor, disregardable detail ... Well, thought Smitty, he can piss right off with that."

But what's most striking about the artist-assistant relationship is how it is airbrushed from public consciousness. Behind every great artist might well be a highly skilled team of assistants, but that truth is suppressed for fear of shattering our illusions: the lone-genius myth helps sales, and is partly what gives an artwork its mystique.

When David Hockney's 23-year-old assistant Dominic Elliott died on Sunday after being rushed to hospital from the artist's home in the Yorkshire town of Bridlington, much press attention focused on the entourage the artist has working for him. Elliott had helped Hockney install his show last year at London's Royal Academy, and worked as his driver. Hockney has several other assistants working for him, including a full-time technical PA with his own staff. He has a film crew who have toured the Yorkshire Wolds to make landscape film productions, using nine video cameras. Suddenly Hockney's unremarkable seaside house seemed to be an art world Tardis concealing a hitherto ignored workshop of assistants, like Andy Warhol's Factory, though – with respect to Bridlington – less glamorous.

Giving up that lone-genius idea is hard. "The idea of the genius struggling in solitude in a cockroached and frozen garret with only a crust of bread and syphilis for company is an historically specific vision no longer, if ever, of relevance," argued Stephen Bayley this week writing about Hockney's studio. "Artists are not solitary. They rely on human support systems, often of a very sophisticated sort."

No doubt, but there's more of a paradox here – and more pathos – than Bayley allows. It's Tracey Emin's name on the tent, even if an unsung underling worked on the stitching. Many minions painted Damien Hirst's dots (among them was Lauren Child, who went on to create Charlie and Lola and, when I tried to talk to her about it, preferred not to remember her grunt work) even if he took the credit for the results. Even if Hockney's RA show was the work of many (not least those who built his iPad), it was his name that induced art lovers to queue in the rain in Burlington House's courtyard.

Earlier this week, a 17th-century portrait of a man in velvet hat and two ostrich feathers was re-attributed to Rembrandt after more than four decades of having been assumed to have been painted by one of his pupils. The painting, which hangs in the dining room of Sir Francis Drake's old home of Buckland Abbey in Devon, clearly depicted the Dutch master and bore Rembrandt's signature, but that was long regarded as no guarantee that he painted it. New x-ray evidence suggests it was his work alone. The re-attribution made the painting newly important, even while it remained physically what it was the day before. As a result, according to David Taylor, curator of paintings and sculpture at the National Trust, the self-portrait now becomes "one of our most important works of art and will be the only Rembrandt in the National Trust's collection of approximately 13,500 paintings".

For Chapman, this is disturbing, since what he calls the "possessive claim" on a work of art obscures what makes it worth seeing. "The 'I' eclipses the thing. When someone slings our work on the back of a van, for me it's gone and no longer mine. What a relief! After it goes, the work is open to interpretation. The artist stands by like a spurned village idiot."

But what about the assistant who sees in the gallery a work to which they made a decisive contribution, and yet is labelled only with the artist's signature? What about all those poor saps who paid Rembrandt and then wound up helping him to crank out paintings for which he got the kudos? Chapman is unsentimental: "Does the person who makes the hubcaps or whatever they're called these days – low-profile sports rims – point at a passing Mercedes SLK or whatever it's called, saying, 'I did that?' No. So why should assistants claim possession for their work? It's a job."

Mike Smith has produced work for artists, including the Chapmans. In 2001 he and others assembled an 11-and-a-half ton polyurethane resin piece on the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square for artist Rachel Whiteread. It took three years to make. Not that Smith was complaining. "There are people who latch on to the fact that artists are not making things themselves," he told the Guardian last year. "The moral outrage – the idea that we're all being duped because we're paying all this money for work that's not being made by the artists themselves – is ridiculous."

There can, however, be a great deal of pathos in the role of the assistant. Ashley Hipkin has worked as one of sculptor Antony Gormley's assistants for the past 10 years. After graduating in sculpture from London's Central Saint Martins college in 1996, he spent his 20s working in a restaurant and as a builder while establishing a sculpture practice. "I was floundering a bit, but then I moved to the north-east." There he started teaching and garnered interest from local galleries in his work. But, aged 30, he found himself struggling financially, and applied to work for Gormley. "Antony offered me the job and I spent a month debating whether I should take it. But in the end, I accepted. The decision was based on needing a regular income. I had a family by then."

Do you have regrets? "I sometimes regret that I have let go of my own practice. Maybe I'm doing it because I'm not brave enough to strike out on my own. I've gained a great deal of satisfaction of thinking of the work I have done for Antony, but it's not the same as the pride one feels when you do your own work. I have been having that internal dialogue for a long time."

Hipkin learned early on of the pleasures – and sorrows – of being an artist's assistant when, in 2003, he and others worked on Gormley's show Domain Field at the Baltic in Gateshead. They cast 280 members of the public, aged from two to 85, in plaster to create moulds that were then used to make individual sculptures by a laborious process involving welding steel elements together into each mould. It wasn't just technically demanding. "It was a bit of a love-in," recalls Hipkin. "I loved the work. And then suddenly it's not your work any more, but Antony's."

But not, Hipkin makes clear, because Gormley is a grotesque megalomaniac. "It's the media or the world that takes the work away from you. Antony fully realises there are collaborative elements. He sits in on the studio crits, when there are six or seven people taking part in a real dialogue about the evolution of the idea. There's a joint ownership of what's happening, though Antony still has a grip on everything conceptually."

Unlike the Chapman brothers' work for Gilbert and George, Hipkin's work for Gormley is creatively engaging. "Each assistant is given quite a lot of autonomy to push the work forward. Antony drives the work conceptually, but it's very collaborative. I get as interested in his practice and in the relationship between the body and modernism as he does." He's enjoyed the travel the work has entailed, and revels in the creative input. He's thrived too, as Gormley's practice has, as it's become more internationally lucrative in the past decade. Then he checks himself. "Maybe I've painted it too positively. There is an anxiety about ploughing your creative energy into someone else's work."

Richard Wentworth, professor of sculpture at the Royal College of Art, recalls working as Henry Moore's assistant in 1967. He was there for a short term to learn what he could before setting up his own practice. "I was a callow boy at Henry's, but those procedural days stay with me, the sounds of the radio and news of the day.

"For me then there was deference, and an engaging job of work. We made small things bigger. Not such a bad metaphor. It's fun to learn process and procedure in context, and to do more or less what you are told. There's a time limit, of course, and each has to know what's in it for him." Moore needed assistants such as Wentworth and Anthony Caro because of the growing monumentality of his work.

Wentworth's later practice as a sculptor in the 1970s, one might think, turned away from his master's oeuvre: "I find cigarette packets folded up under table legs more monumental than a Henry Moore," he said once. "Five reasons. Firstly, the scale. Secondly, the fingertip manipulation. Thirdly, modesty of both gesture and material. Fourth, its absurdity and fifth, the fact that it works."

It's almost as though Wentworth the ex-assistant had oedipal issues with his former master. "Any close collaboration involves exchanges of power and patience and skill," says Wentworth diplomatically. "Much more fun if there are episodes of co-learning. Henry was benign and said all sorts of 'wise' things, which I still remember." His inverted commas, not mine.

What happens when an assistant becomes an artist and takes on their own assistant? For example, does the hard labour Gilbert and George inflicted on the Chapmans get visited by the Chapmans on their minions? Quite possibly. "So much of our art is about industrialised slaughter, it makes sense it's made by industrialised labour," says Jake. "Perhaps our poor assistants should rise up against us." He's joking. "We pay them well, and they get fed and they have a nice time. As far as I'm concerned, having an assistant multiplies what you can do. It's dependent on the idea that a) you don't have the time to learn a skill, and b) you can't be bothered to learn it." Perhaps there's even a c) the Chapmans learned from experience with Gilbert and George how mind-numbing the donkey work can be and so devolve it on to underlings.

In fact, the Chapmans provide studio space for their assistants to do their own work if they want. "But that's all. I think it's incredibly patronising to get involved in supervising their artistic development. Those philanthropic, paternal gestures are completely alien to us. We're not here to mentor them. They're here to work for us."

Do you get resentful when your assistants get ideas above their station? "Oh yes," laughs Jake. "If there's a hint of them being successful artists, I will fire them immediately." Again he is, probably, joking.

Summary: The death of one of David Hockney's staff this week has thrown light on the role of artists' assistants. So what's it like realising someone else's vision?


By John Leonard OLD GLORY. An American Voyage. By Jonathan Raban. 409 pages. Simon & Schuster. $16.95.

IN his wonderful book ''Arabia: A Journey Through the Labyrinth,'' Jonathan Raban meets Jan Morris in Cairo. Mr. Raban has been ''drifting into a vein of gloomy Gothic.'' The sensible Miss Morris cheers him up: ''She was a proper traveler, with the traveler's gift for swimming in the stream without drowning in it; while I was a natural candidate for drowning.''

In Mr. Raban's equally wonderful ''Old Glory,'' he fails to drown.After 1,400 miles on the Mississippi River, from Minneapolis to New Orleans and beyond, in a borrowed 16-foot Mirrocraft - a ''mustardcolored shell of aluminum'' less like a boat or a fish or a bird than like ''some new, efficient brand of nonstick saucepan'' - he is, in every sense of the word, buoyant. He may be a snow goose but he is not an armadillo; to understand the difference, you must read his book. Author Is Surveyed

Of course, like the Huck Finn he has dreamed about since he was 7 years old, he is running away from civilization and its disc ontents. But he is acc ompanied by credit cards, navigational charts, pecans, bourbon, Vali um and a book contract. For a professed agnostic, he stops at a su rprising number of churches. And, as if attached by an elastic strin g to some idea of the big city, he will snap back, out of the bayous by jet stream to London.

What must the Middle West have made of this witty, pipe-smoking Englishman? On the river, the lock-keepers and tow-boat captains revile him for his incompetent audacity; the fishermen consider him frivolous; the yachtsmen nod off over their vodka martinis while their wives are motherly; although the bears and snakes and alligators keep their distance, the vultures look him over. On shore - and Mr. Raban spends every night on shore, being as sensible as Jan Morris - he is generally treated as an exotic pet. The river shrugs him off; when it isn't indifferent, it is malign, with its stumps, ''sawyers,'' eddies, boils and wakes.

His is not a cozy river. The Mississippi inspires wonder and revulsion. It smells. It is seldom a friend and often an enemy. It consists impartially of sunsets and sludge. One boil is ''a grotesque, animated flower, spilling enormous petals of water from its center. It was bringing up horrible things from the bottom: rotten stumps, branches gone feathery and white with mold, chunks of black peaty stuff - all the garbage of the riverbed was being scoured out and scattered on the surface. I was certain that if I watched it long enough it would start to spew out bodies, boats, skulls.''

In other words, the river is very much like St. Louis, where he pauses to have a love affair, and Memphis, where he stays a while to support a black preacher who is running for Mayor. As for the smaller towns, Mr. Raban doesn't like them if they've turned their backs on the river, sold out to the railroads. Where is their pride? The levee means more to him than the shopping mall. He prefers Vicksburg, almost against his will, to Natchez, because Vicksburg held out against the Union Army and Natchez is a stage-set for Hollywood movies about plantation life. When Mr. Raban isn't in church or in a bar, he is at a pig roast ora Knights of Columbus picnic. Or the Hell's A ngels are stealing his hat. The variety of people willing to talk to him astonishes: politicians and policemen, newspaper editors and river riffraff, an Arab banker and a Catholic priest, a hog butc her and a taxidermist. The last two are not for the squeamish, but M r. Raban specializes in quick-combustion friendships and is intereste d in everything, from what happened to the factories that made pear l buttons out of clam shells to how to tree a coon. The hog butcher smokes a cigar ''as bigas a submarine sandwich.'' And taxidermy, we are told, is like psychoanalysis:

''In life, these animals have possessed the particular identity of their personal quirks and disorders - their sagging bellies, twisted hind legs, scraggy rumps. Taxidermy restored them all to the standard shape of a normal, well-adjusted coon. The molds came in different sizes but made no allowance for any variety of diet or behavior. A coon was a coon was a coon.''

Mr. Raban's passage is from Labor Day weekend to just before Christmas 1980. It is a time of visits from Jimmy Carter and Pope John Paul II; we are held hostage in Iran. Almost everybody he talks to feels that America is going down the drain. At the same time, there is a Middle Western defensiveness and resentment: as the river brought lax morals and radical ideas from the big cities to the small towns, so the coasts of East and West homogenize and cheapen the culture. I suppose that is the meaning of ''Old Glory'': our flag is tattered. As meanings go, this one doesn't get anywhere, not even as far as the Becky Thatcher book shop in Hannibal, Mo. Unpredictable Opinions

No matter. Mr. Raban - comparing Jackson Square in New Orleans to the Piazza della Signoria in Florence; explaining how most black political dynasties in the South are based on funeral-home fortunes; worrying about his teeth - is excellent company. He is a popcorn popper of opinions, and they are unpredictable. If he picks occasionally on easy targets, such as polyester and state fairs, more often he is surprised and pleased to be afloat, and he is altogether innocent of Blimpy chauvinism.

Only once is he completely wrong. The American language, he says, has a ''fatal preference for theories, principles, concepts, over mere material objects and their intractable thinginess.'' This, coming from someone who has actually studied Arabic, is preposterous.

Illustrations: photo of Jonathan Raban


Garry Trudeau, the creator of the ''Doonesbury'' comic strip that exposes some of the social foibles and political follies of our time, was encountered the other afternoon breaking open a fortune cookie. It arrived with a pot of tea; never mind where. Mr. Trudeau, who treasures his privacy, found a touch of wisdom in the serendipitous message: ''Keep your plans secret for now.''

Mr. Trudeau's sense of privacy, however, does not extend to his views. At 32 Mr. Trudeau, whose outspoken characters owe a historic debt to such cartoonists as Jules Feiffer and the late Walt Kelly, describes himself as an aging agitator. He earned his bachelor's degree at Yale, then gained what might be called his graduate education in Vietnam and as a student of Watergate - two lasting touchstones in his background.

The aging agitator finds inspirational material in more recent political history, too. His next two cartoon collections, to be published in September by Holt, Rinehart & Winston, are called ''The People's Doonesbury: Notes from Underfoot 1978-1980'' and ''In Search of Reagan's Brain.''

Mr. Trudeau's jabs at the high and mighty disturb some editors and enchant his fans. One of his pictorial techniques is to show only the exterior of the White House, with its unseen occupants chattering away, rarely to their advantage. During the Watergate hearings, Mr. Trudeau had his disk jockey character, Marvelous Mark, conclude his report on Mr. Nixon's Attorney General, John Mitchell, by dancing an ecstatic jig to cries of ''Guilty, guilty, guilty!'' The Washington Post killed the cartoon and somewhat stuffily explained: ''We cannot have one standard for the news pages and another for the comics.'' Today ''Doonesbury'' runs in the rival Washington Star.

Twenty-one books have been derived from the strip, which runs in 600-odd papers around the country. About 80 of these papers put him on the editorial page. It would probably surprise some newspaper editors to discover that Mr. Trudeau prefers to be on the comic page instead of in the editorial realm. He finds nothing wrong with being labeled a comic-strip artist, and believes, besides, that more people read the comics than the editorials. In his book-lined studio in Manhattan, he keeps bound volumes of the comic-book series ''Classics Illustrated.''

Sipping his tea, Mr. Trudeau described how he dreams up his cartoons. He spends a good deal of time watching television, going to the movies, reading newspapers and magazines. One thing he doesn't do is walk around with a notebook. He also strongly believes that it is better for him to be an outsider than to fraternize with important people. In ''Doonesbury,'' he says, he wants to represent the outsider on the American scene.

Mr. Trudeau regards himself as more of an idea-and-words man than a polemicist. The idea, which he puts down on yellow legal pads, comes first; then he blocks out what his characters will say; finally the sketching is done, at the eleventh hour. After relaxing on the weekend, he says that on Monday morning he wakes up his characters and tells them: ''O.K., guys, back to work.'' The impudent, clever dialogue (rather than the drawings of his bleary-eyed characters, whose drooping lids leave the impression that they could use a good night's sleep) is what propels a Trudeau panel.

One of the breakthroughs Mr. Trudeau achieved in ''Doonesbury'' was to have his quasi-fictional characters, such as Michael J. Doonesbury, Zonker Harris or Uncle Duke, brush up against public figures whose real names are used in the strip. When he did a strip about ''The White House Years,'' he identified the author as Henry Kissinger but retitled the book ''The White Wash Years.'' And he had one of his characters, the intrepid TV correspondent Roland Hedley, do an interview with dialogue that went, ''O.K., look, the guy's clearly a war criminal. Granted, Henry Kissinger had much to answer for, but need so many trees have died for the cause?'' Lately, Gay Talese has turned up by name as a ''sexual adventurer,'' and David (''Tome'') Halberstam has been described as the author of very fat books.

Mr. Trudeau's offhand philosophy about cartoons is that you have to care about your characters, because if you don't, the reader won't; that the aim to entertain must come before the desire to be a commentator. A cartoonist must keep all this in delicate balance, trying to find a happy combination in which the drawing is an instrument for conveying ideas. Otherwise, he believes, you cannot move people.

The late Jim Andrews of Universal Press Syndicate, who discovered Garry Trudeau's strip in the Yale Daily News and syndicated it, advised him to pace himself: If you do a strip about carpet bombing one week, do a strip about football the next week. That remains his approach. Despite his modest description of himself as simply a comic-strip artist, Mr. Trudeau aims for the jugular as often as he aims to please.

Another cup of tea, another fortune cookie. Garry Trudeau broke it open and grinned his crooked smile. This one read: ''Every man is a volume if you know how to read him.''

Illustrations: drawings of Doonesbury characters


BRIDGEPORT THE Downtown Cabaret Theater, dark for several months, has reopened. Patrons are again invited to bring their own edibles and potables, but the policy of cabaret entertainment, or something approximating it, seems to be gone. So is Claude McNeal, who created and directed all the shows. The credit now reads: ''Downtown Cabaret Theater in association with Leo B. Meyer.'' Mr. Meyer, for the record, did the sets for the last Claude McNeal show and for the current offering.

''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is a British rock musical by the team of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, who are best known on this side of the Atlantic for ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' and the current ''Evita.''

''Joseph'' is a short musical, running a minute or two over an hour. The show's attitude is revealed in the title. While the Bible refers to Joseph as being given ''a coat of many colors,'' Mr. Rice and Mr. Webber call it a ''Technicolor dreamcoat.'' In other words, here is a supposedly hip version of the Old Testament's story of Joseph, whose brothers were jealous of him and the handsome coat his father, Jacob, had given to him. They sell Joseph into Egypt, telling their father that his son is dead. Joseph, meanwhile, rises to high position in the service of the Pharaoh, interpreting the ruler's dreams. In time Joseph is reunited with his brothers, whom he forgives.

The show dates from 1968, when it was created for the schoolboy choir at the Colet Court School in London. An expanded version appeared in London's West End with success in 1973. The dates are interesting since they suggest a later stage of rock in what appears on the stage at the Downtown Cabaret.

As directed by Judith Lisi - who appeared as an actress under Claude McNeal's direction as Judy Lisi - and choreographed by Leo Muller, the show suggests a creation that came along seconds after the Twist. Most of the dance movements are stiff-armed circles that end in pointing gestures. Hips swivel almost continuously.

The story is largely related by a narrator, dressed in tails and singing through a hand-held microphone. The singing and dancing chorus is made up of Joseph's brothers, who come in assorted sizes, shapes and numbers. Though the lyrics refer to Jacob as having 12 sons, there were times when, according to my count, Joseph and his brothers numbered 10 and other times when the total came to 11. There were also four leggy female dancers who seemed to favor a collective Brooklynese when they sang.

''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is more interesting musically than it is lyrically. Granted there is a certain rhythmic sameness throughout the score, but now and again a pleasant melody surfaces. Lyrically there are too many rhymes such as ''And now this coat has got our goat'' for any deep interest.

There are also times when the creators have departed completely from their rock concept and even the biblical setting. There is the ''Benjamin Calypso,'' which sounds and looks as if everyone had suddenly moved to Nassau or Jamaica. And there is ''Those Canaan Days'' with a decidedly French apache flavor to it. This last number is the high point of the show as performed by Bob Filipowich, who has a rich voice and a great deal of style.

In the leading role, Michael McKenzie was a fully serviceable tour guide to the brief evening as narrator. Timothy Dunigun portrayed Pharaoh as an Elvis Presley hip-twitcher with a smoky voice and stopped the show. Edward J. Crader Jr. grinned his way through the role of Joseph. The script suggests a bit of conceitedness about Joseph - after all he was his father's favorite - but I could find nothing to keep me from thinking of a used-car salesman I didn't trust.

All in all, the Downtown Cabaret has created a very serviceable and entertaining production of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.'' Technically, it should not be criticized but rather recognized for what it was originally, a 20-minute piece for a school choir that someone has expanded and that succeeded at a time when producers were positive that rock was what theater audiences wanted.

Other than taking a flippant attitude toward a biblical story, the creators of the show never set any definite style to their works. Therefore, for ''Joseph'' to succeed it needs great style imposed on the production. Judith Lisi has certainly done that.

If more could be done to disguise the fact that ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is essentially a thin joke, I don't know what it is. Certainly the production should please the kiddies, and it makes for a pleasant family entertainment. Better yet, it turns on the lights of the Downtown Cabaret Theater again, and that makes it a decided asset to Bridgeport.

Please note if you are considering attending that ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' plays Thursdays through Sundays only at 7:30 P.M. On Fridays and Saturdays there is a second show at 9:30 P.M. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,'' by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Downtown Cabaret Theater, 263 Golden Hill Street, Bridgeport. Through Jan. 25. Box Office: (203) 576-1636.

Illustrations: photo of Edward J. Crader Jr.


LAS VEGAS, Nev., Sept. 15— It finally happens tomorrow night. Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns will meet in a 20-foot ring built atop a tennis court across the road from the desert. The words will stop and the punches will begin.

''This is a fight that needs no hype,'' Leonard had said before going on a two-week tour to promote the fight. The promoters say that 250 million people, or one-sixteenth of the world's population, will be watching the two welterweight champions in the bout to unify the title.

Leonard and Hearns will be fighting for more money than any other two boxers in history - Leonard for possibly close to $13 million but certainly more than his record $9.7 million, Hearns for a bit more than $5 million. The promotion could gross close to $40 million, a record, and net about $24 million, another record.

Sugar Ray Robinson never made more than $40,000 for a welterweight bout. And to put tomorrow's fight in context, Lou Duva, the fight manager whose son Dan is the promoter, says Leonard and Hearns would be no contest for Robinson in his prime.

But Leonard and Hearns certainly are two of the best fighters in any 1981 weight division, and their meeting is one of the most eagerly awaited ones since Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier got together for the first time 10 years ago.

''This is a fist fight,'' Teddy Brenner, the former Madison Square Garden matchmaker, said, in summing up the basic attraction. Leonard, by far the most popular fighter in the world, is meeting a menacing figure in Hearns, an unbeaten 6-foot-1-inch welterweight with a powerful right hand that has helped account for most of the 30 knockouts in his 32 victories.

''I think people consider this fight as a monster against an ordinary guy,'' said Leonard, who is no ordinary boxer. His only loss, to Roberto Duran, mars a record that includes 30 victories, 21 by knockout (including the Duran rematch), and two world titles. A Rare Unification Bout

Tomorrow night, in a temporary 24,000-seat outdoor arena constructed by Caesars Palace Hotel, Leonard will be risking his World Boxing Council welterweight championship against Hearns's World Boxing Association championship. In the divided world of international boxing, this is the first unification of titles since Duran knocked out Esteban DeJesus Jan. 21, 1978, to consolidate the lightweight championship.

But unification will probably not last long in the 147-pound division. The winner can be expected to relinquish the title, again giving the sanctioning bodies a chance to choose individual champions.

Leonard and Hearns have heavier goals than the undisputed welterweight title. If Leonard wins, he may have to give up the W.B.A. portion if he wants to retain his W.B.A. junior middleweight title. And he wants to keep that W.B.A. title so he can unify the 154-pound championship against Wilfred Benitez, the W.B.C. champion. Eventually, Leonard wants to meet Marvin Hagler, until tomorrow the world's only undisputed champion, for the middleweight title.

Hearns has already said this will be his last welterweight bout. It is getting harder and harder to keep his weight at 147 pounds. His goal is not only to win the junior middleweight and middleweight titles, but also to eventually go after the light-heavyweight (175-pound limit) championship. Dundee an Edge for Leonard

Tomorrow night, as Leonard matches his superior speed and quickness against Hearns's superior reach and power, Leonard also will have a decided edge in his corner, where Angelo Dundee, who has handled nine world champions, directs traffic. Although Emanuel Steward, Hearns's trainer and manager, already has had two world champions in less than four years, he is not considered on Dundee's level as a strategist.

The prefight strategies are set. Leonard, with a 73-inch reach, is expected to try to get inside Hearns's 78 1/2-inch reach. Steward is expected to have Hearns fight defensively, moving backward even, to keep Leonard a long-arm's length away. Steward has shown he can map strategy but has not yet proved he can change tactics if necessary.

For example, when Hilmer Kenty was losing his W.B.A. lightweight title to Sean O'Gr ady last March, Steward kept telling Kenty to ''stick and m ove,'' although his fighter clearly could not move.

Also, Dundee has a reputation as one of the best cut men in the business; Steward does not. Corner Chaos

''Sometimes the corner is complete chaos,'' said a boxing teammate of Hearns from Steward's Kronk Gymnasium in Detroit, who did not wish to be identified.

One time, the fighter said, Mickey Goodwin, the sixth-ranked W.B.A. middleweight, wound up with part of the red beard of Don Thibodeaux in his mouth between rounds. Thibodeaux is a sculptor who is Hearns's assistant trainer.

''It was so funny,'' the fighter said. ''They put in Mickey's mouthpiece and some of Thibo's hair got caught in it. Poor Mickey. He spent the whole round trying to get hair out of his mouth. You ever try to remove hair from your mouth with boxing gloves on?''

Dundee has refused to claim an advantage over Steward. He still can joke about the time he kept yelling at Muhammad Ali to ''get off the ropes, get off the ropes,'' when Ali upset George Foreman in Zaire - by letting Foreman wear himself out punching him on the ropes.

''It's not as if Manny and I were going into the ring to fight,'' Dundee said. ''Them guys on the stools are what counts.'' Before the sun goes down for the Leonard-Hearns bout, scheduled to start at 7:30 local time, which will be 10:30 in New York, some other fine young fighters will be on the preliminary card. Perhaps the two best teenagers in the world - Edwin Rosario, a Puerto Rican junior lightweight, and Tony Ayala Jr., a junior middleweight from San Antonio - are on the card, as well as two heavyweight prospects, Marvis Frazier and Tony Tucker.

Rosario, 18, has won all 19 pro fights by knockout. He will warm up for a shot later in the year at Sammy Serrano's W.B.A. 130-pound title by meeting James Martinez, a veteran with a three-bout losing streak. But Martinez's losses were all by decisions and he has not been stopped by some top boxers. He could take Rosario the distance.

Ayala, also 18 and undefeated, meets lesser opposition in the former Mexican welterweight champion, Jose Baquedano. Frazier fights Guy (The Rock) Casale and Tucker meets the veteran Harvey Steichen.

Davey Pearl was named referee for the Leonard-Hearns bout at Tuesday night's rules meeting. The three judges, who will do the scoring, will be named Wednesday by the Nevada State Athletic Commission with the accord of both the W.B.C. and W.B.A. The judges will be American and at least two will be from Nevada.

The three-knockdown rule - in which a fighter dropped three times in a round loses automatically - has been waived. The mandatory eight-count will be in effect and a fighter can not be saved by the bell except in the 15th round. Scoring will be on the 10-point system.

Illustrations: Photo of Tommy Hearns


With the growing interest in the use of plant extracts both in medicine and in cosmetics, ''botanicals'' is a word that one is probably going to hear often from now on. Scientists speak of botanicals when discussing their search for new cancer-fighting drugs, contraceptive agents, insecticides, sugar substitutes and painkillers. Cosmetics chemists speak of botanicals in conjunction with new formulations for cleansers, moisturizers, hand creams, bath products, hair rinses and shampoos.

Botanicals are any type of plant extract that serves a pharmacologic or cosmetic purpose, and the history of their use spans thousands of years - from the herb healing of the ancients to some of the most sophisticated drugs prescribed today. Folk remedies from many cultures are still providing botanists with leads in their search for flowers, leaves, stems and roots that yield valuable ingredients.

Yet the vast potential of botanicals has hardly been tapped. According to Dr. Norman R. Farnsworth, head of the department of pharmacognosy and pharmacology at the University of Illinois at the Medical Center, only about 1 percent of the approximately 750,000 different species of higher plants on the face of the earth have been seriously investigated. Nevertheless, he says, the range of present-day uses is considerable.

On the medical side, between $4 billion and $5 billion worth of prescription drugs of plant origin is sold annually in the United States (this is equivalent to about one prescription in four). An indication of what may lie ahead: The National Cancer Institute, working with the United States Department of Agriculture, is examining some 5,000 extracts each year, with a total of 35,000 plants screened to date. One of the prize finds has been the Madagascar periwinkle, whose tiny white or rose blossoms have been used for centuries in Asian medicine to treat everything from toothaches to dysentery. From this plant, two major cancer-treatment drugs, vincristine and vinblastine, have been derived.

Meanwhile, cosmetics chemists are working with a fascinating array of botanicals to meet all kinds of everyday beauty needs. The list includes chamomile, wild pansies, marigolds, lavender, meadow sweet, cornflowers, hawthorn blossoms, gentian, broom, white nettles, marjoram, sage, horse chestnut, ivy, juniper, hops and mint, to name a few.

Much of the impetus for the use of botanicals in medicine and cosmetics comes from abroad. Certainly, when it comes to cosmetics, the European influence is clear. During the past 10 years, plant ingredients have been used increasingly in France, Italy, West Germany and England. And while there is no dearth of such imported cosmetics on the American market, the current crop is nothing compared with what is expected in the near future.

One of the most practical cosmetic uses of botanicals is in colorrinse shampoos. Take the Klorane collection, developed by a French country pharmacist, Robert Rolland, which Macy's and Bloomingdale's are now starting to stock. A chamomile shampoo from the collection puts sunny lights in blond or light-brown hair. A shampoo made with walnut leaves helps brighten dull brown hair. A henna shampoo does as much for fading redheads, and a cornflower shampoo takes the yellow out of white, the brassiness out of blond. Another French shampoo, which acts as a blue rinse on the hair, is Orchidee Bleue, imported by Caswell-Massey Pharmacy in New York. Louis Licari, a hair-color expert at La Coupe in New York, uses it to wash blond hair a shade ashier. To wash in more blond color, he favors chamomile also, but here his choice is not French but English - a shampoo made by Molton Brown of London and sold at Cambridge Chemists on Madison Avenue.

Chamomile, a mainstay of botanical cosmetics, is used in many skincare products, too. Nowhere is its versatility more apparent than in the collection that Clarins, a leading French firm, is introducing at Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue and Henri Bendel this week. Chamomile is present in close to a dozen different Clarins herbal blends, which are formulated to help cleanse, soften, soothe and moisturize the skin.

One very ancient European way with botanicals is the aromatic bath. It was a daily ritual among the Greeks and most conspicuously indulged in by the Romans, who carried the custom throughout Europe and all the way to Bath. Soon a host of bathing preparations will be available in this country. Among the first arrivals will be Kneipp Bath Botanics, which are expected any day now at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's and Macy's. This set of six herbal solutions is said to have originated with Father Sebastian Kneipp, a parish priest who lived in the Bavarian village of Bad Worishofen during the latter part of the 19th century. The ingredients in the herbal solutions, and the effects attributed to them, are: rosemary to wake up the body, juniper to relieve sore muscles, chamomile to soothe the skin, pine and spruce to lift the spirits, meadow blossom to relax at day's end and hops to induce sleep.

While many European plant-extract products do go back in time, botanical cosmetics are so popular today that many companies are engaged in innovative experiments. Pablo Manzoni, formerly the creative director at Elizabeth Arden who is starting his own line of cosmetics, has a newly patented process for extracting juice from plants that will be used for cosmetics. He reports that the process makes it possible to put more than 75 percent natural liquid content in lotions and more than 50 percent in creams. He is using this new technique for a line of skin-care products which he will be bringing out in this country later in the year.

Summary: By Jane Ogle   With the growing interest in the use of plant extracts both in medicine and in cosmetics, ''botanicals'' is a word that one is probably going to hear often from now on. Scientists speak of botanicals when discussing their search for new cancer-fighting drugs, contraceptive agents, insecticides, sugar substitutes and painkillers. Cosmetics chemists speak of botanicals in conjunction with new formulations for cleansers, moisturizers, hand creams, bath products, hair rinses and shampoos.   Botanicals are any type of plant extract that serves a pharmacologic or cosmetic purpose, and the history of their use spans thousands of years - from the herb healing of the ancients to some of the most sophisticated drugs prescribed today. Folk remedies from many cultures are still providing botanists with leads in their search for flowers, leaves, stems and roots that yield valuable ingredients.


PEKING, March 27— Mao Dun, a writer who said literature should not be an ''intoxication'' but whose ideology-laced works showed a psychological penetration, died today, the official news agency Xinhua reported. He was 85 years old.

Mr. Mao was best known for his 1933 novel ''Midnight,'' an indictment of Shanghai's newly emerging industrialists. The book also told of peasant uprisings, labor strikes and rural depression.

Mr. Mao was cultural minister from 1949 to 1965 and like many in the arts, was criticized during the Cultural Revolution of the late 1960's. In recent years, he was president of the Chinese Writers Association and editor of Chinese Literature, a magazine.

Mao Dun was a pen name. He was born Shen Yen-ping. Xinhua reported last month that Mr. Mao's ''Ordeal,'' which he wrote more than 30 years ago in Hong Kong, was about to be published for the first time. Mr. Mao wrote in the preface that he intended to write a five-volume novel giving a comprehensive description of major political and economic events in China. He had finished the first volume when he heeded a Communist Party call to take a post here, according to Xinhua.

In 1919, Mr. Mao and others founded a society encouraging realistic literature and opposing ''art for art's sake.'' In 1930, he joined the Chinese League of Left-Wing Writers. During China's war against Japan and the civil war, he was regarded as a major figure in the leftist arts movement in areas under the control of the Kuomintang.

Mr. Mao once wrote: ''Literature is not intended to provide relief for those who suffer from the ennui of life, but it performs a positive function of stimulating the human mind. Especially in our age, we hope it will aim to shoulder the heavy responsibility of awakening the masses and giving them strength.''

His writings also depicted the mental agitation of Chinese intellectuals as revolutionary ideas developed and the inability of the peasants to ''get out from under'' their burden of toil and debt.


To many contributors to The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, giving is an annual event, as predictable as the holidays. Their gifts in memory of family or friends account for a major portion of the fund every year.

Among the faithful donors is Rhea Blackwood of Forest Hills, Queens. Her $1,000 gift this year, she wrote, was made ''in everlasting loving memory of my dear husband,'' Henry S. Blackwood.

Other longtime friends of the Neediest Cases Fund include Eleanor K. Morgenthau of Manhattan, whose donation of $500 was in memory of her parents, Harry and Nellie Kohn, who ''gave to the fund since its inception.'' A Family Tradition

Florence Steiger of Woodmere, L.I., following a practice of giving to the fund that has gone on ''for more years than I can remember,'' donated $10 in memory of her grandparents, Charles and Hanna S. Wolff, and her father, Jerome J. Cohen.

Mr. and Mrs. Patrick S. James of Garden City, L.I., sent a check for $100 and wrote that they ''have contributed since 1934 and look forward to it every year.''

From Jeanette S. Goldman, a retired New York City schoolteacher, came a gift of $25 and a note that said, ''I am 90 and have given to the fund since it began.''

The Neediest Cases Fund is now in its 70th year. It was established in 1912 by the late Adolph S. Ochs, then the publisher of The New York Times, in response to reports of widespread misery among New York City's destitute families. Recorded yesterday $ 50,000.00 Previously recorded 859.683.46 ------ Total $909,683.46 HOW TO AID FUND

Checks should be made payable to The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund and sent to P.O. Box 5193, General Post Office, New York, N.Y. 10087, or to any of these organizations:

COMMUNITY SERVICE SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, 105 East 22d Street, New York, N.Y. 10010. *

FEDERATION OF JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES OF NEW YORK, 130 East 59th Street, New York, N.Y. 10022. *

CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK, 1011 First Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022. *

FEDERATION OF PROTESTANT WELFARE AGENCIES, 281 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10010. *

CHILDREN'S AID SOCIETY, 105 East 22d Street, New York, N.Y. 10010. *

BROOKLYN BUREAU OF COMMUNITY SERVICE, 285 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11217. *

CATHOLIC CHARITIES, DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN, 191 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201. *

STATEN ISLAND FAMILY SERVICE, 88 New Dorp Plaza, Staten Island, N.Y. 10306. *

No agents or solicitors are authorized to seek contributions for The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund. Contributions to the fund are deductible on Federal, state and city income taxes. *

To delay may mean to forget.


MADRID, Oct. 27— Almost one year old, the 35-nation East-West conference on detente and human rights resumed here today after a summer break with expressions of gloom about the outcome.

Since it opened last November, the conference has labored to review and advance the 1975 Helsinki accords. Western diplomats acknowledge that little progress has been made, and several delegates are pessimistic that an agreement can be reached by the proposed closing date of Dec. 18.

With the member countries of the Warsaw Pact and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization disputing the convening of a follow-on session on disarmament, diplomats are already exploring ways of ending this conference while keeping alive the idea of detente.

Speaking today on behalf of the 10 members of the Common Market, John Wilberforce of Britain chastised the Soviet Union for its military intervention in Afghanistan, a crackdown on human rights activists, the jamming of Western radio broadcasts and failure to give adequate notification of military maneuvers around Poland. Afghans Called Opposed to Soviet

''The people of Afghanistan continue to make clear their opposition to the Soviet-created regime by fighting or fleeing in ever increasing numbers,'' he declared. ''There are now some 2.4 million refugees in Pakistan, with at least 400,000 in Iran. This is the largest concentration of refugees in the world.''

Mr. Wilberforce endorsed a Canadian proposal for a follow-up meeting on human rights, which the signers of the Helsinki accords are pleged to respect. He accused the Soviet Union of cutting off the flow of emigration, and said that Jewish emigration this year was down to 73 percent of last year's level.

Leonid F. Ilyichev of the Soviet Union called attacks on his country's human rights record ''cheap propaganda'' and said that recent pacifist marches in Western European capitals were a sign that ''the spirit of detente is still alive.'' Mr. Wilberforce retorted that implementation of the Helsinki accords would give Soviet citizens the opportunity to demonstrate, too.

The pacifist movement has begun to cause concern among Western delegations. ''I suppose it will make the Russians less likely to negotiate, won't it?'' one delegate said. ''They've got a good thing going, and I suppose they will try to keep it that way.'' West Is Seeking to Avoid Blame

Most Western delegates believe that the conference has been a propaganda defeat for the Soviet Union, and they are now eager to avoid blame if the gathering were to fail to reach any solid accords.

Divergent Eastern and Western conceptions of the proposed followup conference on disarmament, which would strengthen so-called confidence-building measures to lessen the chances of a surprise military assault, remain the main stumbling block to an agreement. The West wants a firm agenda, while the Soviet Union seems to envision a more open-ended gathering.

When the Madrid gathering adjourned on July 28, the two sides disagreed over the territorial zone that should be discussed. After the Russians had agreed to include the Soviet Union's European part, up to the Ural Mountains, Max M. Kampelman of the United States offered to include American troop movements across the Atlantic to Europe.

But Mr. Ilyichev said today that another Western concession was required. So far, the position of the United States and its allies is that no further concessions are possible.


ANKARA, Turkey, June 3— A Turkish military court ordered former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit freed from prison today, but he still faces two separate charges and possible jail sentences.

Although the military prosecutor declared that Mr. Ecevit should be released for lack of evidence, he was not acquitted as had been widely expected.

The presiding judge announced that Mr. Ecevit would be set free but that his trial would be resumed on June 29. The former Prime Minister is accused of damaging Turkey's reputation abroad, a charge that carries a possible five-year jail sentence.

Mr. Ecevit, a Social Democrat and the most outspoken critic of Turkey's military regime, was arrested on April 10 for an alleged interview published in the Norwegian newspaper Arbeiderbladet that was considered injurious to the military regime.

Denying that he had given any statement to the Oslo newspaper, Mr. Ecevit said, ''I have been kept under arrest for almost two months for statements that I have not made and words I have not said.'' Cites Editorials Abroad

He said more damage had been done to Turkey's reputation abroad by his jailing than by any statement by him. He cited editorials protesting his arrest that appeared in American and other newspapers.

The defense centered on a statement obtained from the author of the incriminating article, a Danish journalist named Jan Stage, who said that Mr. Ecevit had refused to give him an interview and that the article was based on other sources.

Legal experts believed that Mr. Ecevit would be acquitted in this case once the courts receive official translations of the Arbeiderbladet article and the author's declaration and verification by a Danish court.

But Mr. Ecevit still faces other charges of violating the regime's ban on political statements, for which he could get from six months to two years in prison.

On Friday Mr. Ecevit must appear before another military court because of alleged declarations to the German weekly Der Spiegel and to Dutch television. He is charged with having criticized the political restrictions under the military regime.


Three artists from the UK, Israel and Spain have been shortlisted for the 2015 BP portrait award from what was the biggest ever year for entries.

A total of 2,748 portraits from a record 92 countries were submitted – a striking increase on the 2,377 from 71 countries last year and the most that have been received in the prize’s 36-year history.

Organisers said the increase was down to new rules that allow people to submit images of their portraits digitally.

The shortlist includes a portrait award regular in the shape of Michael Gaskell, an artist based in Leicester, who has been runner-up three times and selected for the exhibition five times. This year, he was shortlisted for a portrait of his niece Eliza, who sat for him in early 2014 aged 14.

Gaskell said he first painted Eliza when she was a young child but that remains unfinished. “I hope this painting conveys a sense of Eliza’s growing confidence as she develops into a woman but retains some of the self-consciousness which was also present at the time,” he said.

In its lighting and composition the painting is influenced, Gaskell said, by the 15th-century Dutch painter Hans Memling.

Matan Ben-Cnaan, from the north of Israel, was shortlisted for his portrait, Annabelle and Guy. On the face of it, the painting is a seated man with his daughter and a large dog. But Ben-Cnaan said it was an allegorical portrait inspired by the biblical story of Jephthah, who led the Israelites into war with the Ammonites and vowed to God that, if he won, he would sacrifice the first thing he saw on his homecoming. He expected it to be a dog. Unfortunately it was his daughter.

“The tension imminent in the moment of realisation of the horrible price one must pay is reflected in the composition,” he said. “Her [Annabelle’s] strong posture reflects her own resolve and her role, in both the biblical story and in Guy’s life, in carrying his burdens and misfortune.”

The third shortlisted artist is Borja Buces Renard, who divides his life and work between Madrid and Florida. His painting is My Mother and My Brother on a Sunday Evening, which has added poignancy because of who is not in it.

Renard said he painted his mother Paloma and his brother Jaime on what was a regular Sunday family get-together but his father was absent due to illness. He died a few weeks later.

The weekly event was slowly disappearing, said the artist. “I wanted to portray this emotion in my painting with the image of my father missing and that difficult time for all of us, especially for my mum, who had dedicated herself to taking care of him.”

Pim Baxter, the museum’s deputy director and chair of judges, said: “It was good to see even more international artists entering and my fellow judges and I were impressed by the different styles of portraiture, some quite new to the exhibition, and intrigued by the stories behind the portraits.”

The judging panel this year comprises Pim Baxter, deputy director of National Portrait Gallery, historian Simon Schama, curator Sarah Howgate, artist Peter Monkman, Kim Mawhinney, head of art at National Museums Northern Ireland, and Des Violaris, the director of UK arts and culture for BP.

An exhibition of 55 portraits will go on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London between 18 June and 20 September with the £30,000 winner named in June.

Summary: Total of 2,748 portraits from record 92 countries submitted – the highest number of entries in the prize’s 36-year history


US President Barack Obama has taken a robust line during his State of the Union speech. (AAP)

President Barack Obama has declared America has turned the page on years of war and economic hardship, in a populist-tinged State of the Union address that set up the battle to succeed him.

Emboldened by a stronger economy and better approval ratings, Obama called for a new chapter in US history that ushers in a fairer economy with a better shake for the middle class.

"We are 15 years into this new century. Fifteen years that dawned with terror touching our shores; that unfolded with a new generation fighting two long and costly wars; that saw a vicious recession spread across our nation and the world," he said.

"It has been, and still is, a hard time for many. But tonight, we turn the page.

"The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong," Obama said, claiming credit for ending the recession.

He heralded the "growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, and booming energy production" that have also helped revive his political fortunes as his time in the White House nears its end.

Mr Obama signs a tie after delivering his speech. (AAP)

Appealing to Democrats determined to retain the White House in 2016, Obama called for an increase in the minimum wage, equal pay for women and tax breaks for the middle class.

Drawing a stark contrast with tax-averse Republicans, he dared his foes to oppose proposed tax hikes for the rich that would pay for middle class breaks.

"We have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth. It's now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next fifteen years, and for decades to come.

"Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well? Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone who makes the effort?" he asked.

Obama's Republican opponents have branded such talk as little more than class warfare and will use their majority in both houses of Congress to make sure the plans never become law.

Republican Senator Joni Ernst, who was tasked with rebutting Obama's speech, said Americans are still suffering from "stagnant wages and lost jobs."

Republican Senator Joni Ernst was tasked with rebutting Mr Obama's speech. (AAP)

She also decried Obama's "failed policies" and a "stale mindset" that led to "political talking points, not serious solutions."

Obama also redoubled calls to end the half-century-old embargo on Cuba and vowed to veto any move to put further sanctions on Iran.

"Our shift in Cuba policy has the potential to end a legacy of mistrust in our hemisphere," he said.

US President Barack Obama shakes hands with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro at Nelson Mandela's memorial in December 2013. (Getty)

On Iran, Obama warned any move to impose new sanctions could scupper delicate negotiations aimed at reaching a complex nuclear deal.

"New sanctions passed by this Congress, at this moment in time, will all but guarantee that diplomacy fails ," he said.

"That is why I will veto any new sanctions bill that threatens to undo this progress."

Obama also used the speech to call on Congress to authorise the use of force against the Islamic State jihadist group.

The conflict against ISIL was also mentioned. (AAP)

"In Iraq and Syria, American leadership - including our military power - is stopping ISIL's advance."

"This effort will take time. It will require focus. But we will succeed."

US politicians paid tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks by holding up pencils during the speech.

Democratic Congresswoman from Texas Sheila Jackson lee and Democratic Congressman from Georgia John Lewis waved pencils when President Barack Obama mentioned free speech. (AAP)

Do you have any news photos or videos?

Summary: US President Barack Obama will argue for increased military powers to stop Islamic State during his State of the Union address, according to excerpts.


Miss USA winner Olivia Jordan

07/12/2015 AT 11:30 PM EDT

Olivia Jordan (aka, Miss Oklahoma) has been crowned

She defeated first runner-up Miss Texas (Ylianna Guerra) in the final moments of the Sunday pageant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

She was presented her crown by

Nia Sanchez of Nevada, who also congratulated her on Instagram.

The annual pageant was still held on Sunday despite being mired in controversy due to co-owner of Miss Universe

The real estate tycoon's remarks eventually led to NBC

with the show, and caused the show's

and musical performers to drop out.

The show was picked up by the

network last week, and TV personality Todd Newton and former Miss Wisconsin USA Alex Wehrley stepped in as

On Saturday, Trump announced that he would not attend the show because he would be "campaigning in Phoenix." (Trump is currently running for President, hoping to secure the Republican nomination.) Despite this, Trump's spokesperson Hope Hicks

that he has "no official events" on Sunday and would be traveling to New York.

I will not be able to attend the Miss USA pageant tomorrow night because I am campaigning in Phoenix. Wishing all well!

Although the show went on, the drama isn't over for Trump, as

in the upcoming Miss Universe pageant.

2015's winner will be the 64th Miss USA to represent the United States at the Miss Universe competition later this year.

Summary: She defeated 50 other contestants in the annual pageantÂ


Ahmen Khawaja's Twitter feed about Queen Elizabeth. (Twitter/AAP)

A BBC reporter is to face disciplinary proceedings after a tweet mistakenly claiming that the Queen had died was posted on the internet.

The BBC has apologised for any offence caused by the inaccurate tweet, which was picked up by a number of foreign news outlets, according to reports.

Another tweet wrongly claimed that the Queen was being "treated" in hospital and generated speculation on social media about the state of the monarch's health.

The tweets were posted on the day the corporation held a technical rehearsal for its future coverage of the Queen's obituary but the BBC stressed that tweeting was not part of the exercise.

By coincidence, the Queen was at hospital earlier today for her routine annual medical check-up.

Buckingham Palace took the unusual step of confirming the private medical visit after concerns were raised about her wellbeing following the tweets.

Ahmen Khawaja is a journalist with the BBC.

The messages were posted on Twitter from the account of BBC broadcast journalist Ahmen Khawaja, and it is understood she will now face disciplinary proceedings.

One tweet said: "'Queen Elizabrth has died (sic)."

Another tweet said: "Breaking: Queen Elizabeth is being treated at King Edward VII Hospital in London. Statement due shortly."

The journalist later deleted the tweets, apologised for what she described as a "false alarm" and suggested her phone might have been hacked.

Ms Khawaja tweeted: "Phone left unattended at home. Silly prank. Apologies for upsetting anyone!"

It is thought the messages might have been posted on Twitter by someone who thought the BBC's rehearsal was a real event.

Do you have any news photos or videos?

Summary: Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the Queen is in good health, after a BBC reporter mistakenly tweeted that she had died.


TheMonday rally was stronger than most traders expected. Whenever this happens, it pays to take a look at the trading action and try to determine what hypothesis best fits the facts.

China: gaps up, ends near high

Germany: gaps up, ends at high

U.S.: gaps up, highs for day

Hmm, there's a pattern here, and it's clearly global in nature. Comments from the People's Bank of China official that China has "room to act" in combating deflation and slow economic growth is yet another sign that some type of stimulus is coming.

And confidence indexes were strong in Europe, indicating that the ECB is having some kind of influence on investor attitudes.

Here in the U.S., three or four healthcare deals don't hurt, neither does much better than expected February pending home sales.

But still, is that it?

I think there's another crucial factor: it's the end of the quarter, with a lot of outperformance and underperformance. Just look at the performance spread between some of the S&P sectors:

This is for just one quarter, not a full year.

I look at the trading in the U.S. in the last week, and it sure seems like some people are moving some stocks around...buying losers (energy, some industrials) and lightening up on the winners (biotech).

It makes perfect sense to buy underperformers going into the end of the quarter, particularly if you think they have put in some kind of bottom.

This drop in energy stocks is the classic buy-the-dip. Traders simply refuse to believe that oil will remain in the $40s for any length of time.

There have been attempts to buy dips in energy ETFs like the S&P Oil & Gas Exploration ETF, where we saw volume spurts when oil dropped in January and mid-March.

Here's another seasonal factor: April starts on Wednesday, historically the best month for the Dow, up 1.9 percent on average since 1950, according to the Stock Trader's Almanac.

One final observation: traders have been waiting for this mythical 10 percent correction for several years, and it still seems a ways off, despite lower earnings and a Fed poised to raise rates sometime this year.

I do anticipate that the Fed tightening will have a dampening effect on stock multiples (the S&P is currently at roughly 17 times forward earnings, a bit high), but if it's just one rate hike this year, is that going to tank the market?

Not likely. Instead, choppy trading is the most likely path, flat for the year.

And if rate hikes are going to be slow and moderate, and economic growth is steady buy subdued, why not go back and focus on dividend payers, like everyone did last year?

My biggest worry remains the down earnings projections for Q1 and Q2. But, let's assume this is a washout year for earnings. If that's true, it's perfectly reasonable to expect sloppy sideways trading.

But once companies start increasing earnings projections next year, guess what happens? Anyone for a late-year rally?

Summary: Stocks up on better data, stimulus hopes


Homeowners preparing to sell can find themselves between a rock and a hard place: Pouring money into renovations rarely pays for itself in added value, but buyers who spot maintenance issues are likely to offer less.

Now is the time to determine what your home needs to be sale-worthy. March is when buyer traffic typically picks up, Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, told CNBC.com earlier this year. Many are families hoping to find and close on new homes in time to move during the summer.

Big projects aren't your best bet. The average project recoups just 62.2 percent of its cost in added home value, according to Remodeling Magazine's 2015 Cost vs. Value report. A major, midrange kitchen remodel costs an average $56,768, for example, but adds $38,485 in value at resale—67.8 percent of that cost. (See chart below for some of the most and least valuable projects.)

Read MoreFor the best deal, skip this amusement park line

Summary: When home buyer traffic picks up, it pays to be ready. A little elbow grease can help ensure your home stands out.


Together the Guardian, The Observer and guardian.co.uk reach 5.5 million upmarket readers who take frequent holidays and who are hard to target through other media.

• These readers are 40% more likely than average to take short breaks in the South East or the Isle of Wight.*• They are more likely than other quality press readers to have young children, so will be attracted by the short journey time and outdoor activities that a UK holiday can offer.• 40% have visited a London museum or gallery in the past year.

An upmarket audience who enjoy outdoor activities Guardian and Observer readers are independent holiday makers who enjoy outdoor activities, visiting historical attractions and doing more than just lying in the sun.

Using index figures, the chart demonstrates how our cross-platform audience differs from those of other quality titles and from the British average (index 100). E.g. the GNM audience index 168 for visiting museums and monuments, making them 68% more likely than average to do so.

ContactDisplay advertisingsam.brooker@guardian.co.uk 020 3353 3423Classified advertisingjamie.o'hanlon@guardian.co.uk 020 3353 2053

Source: Total Audience 2012 wave 2*compared to the average British adult

Summary: The Guardian and The Observer each reach over 1.1 million affluent and upmarket readers who are hard to target through other media.• These readers are 60% more likely than average to take short breaks in the South East or the Isle of Wight.*• They are more likely than other quality press readers to have young children, so will be attracted by the short journey time and outdoor activities that a UK holiday can offer.• 49% have visited a London museum or gallery in the past year and in the 2009 Guardian and Observer reader travel awards they voted the British Museum, the London Eye and the Tate Modern as their top three UK tourist attractions.


For many Americans, the prospect of living on the streets is probably only a couple of missed paychecks away. Richard Gere is not one of those people, but he plays one in Oren Moverman’s “Time Out of Mind.”

Yes, there is a problem with glamorous movie stars slumming down to stretch their acting range and earn hoped-for Oscar attention. And homeless people do not have other stars popping in for cameos, like Steve Buscemi playing a mean building manager or Kyra Sedgwick as a bag lady with a cart full of cans.

But this is no exercise in miserabilism. Instead Moverman and Gere take a problem and elevate it into a universal experience, turning social issues into existential insights. Gere’s immersive performance as a New York City vagrant and Moverman’s deceptively simple, pseudo-verite style, plus a scene-stealing turn by Ben Vereen, make “Time” pass rewardingly.

George Hammond (Gere) starts a typical day prodded awake by Buscemi’s callous functionary. Hammond has spent the night in a bathtub in an apartment that some woman has allowed him to crash in. But she’s been evicted, and Hammond must go. Which, after hanging around and insisting he’s “between things,” he does.

The options are limited. He falls asleep on the street, and punks steal (then mockingly return) his shoes. He needs booze, so he pawns his coat (despite his indigence, Hammond preserves a whiff of gentility), gets another one from a church and pawns that as well. He watches from afar his estranged daughter (Jena Malone), then approaches her and is rejected, more than once.

He ends up at a homeless shelter, where Dixon (Vereen), an irascible motor-mouth, befriends him. Then Dixon vanishes. “People are just gone sometimes,” Hammond mutters. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Shot from afar or through windows, or in reflections of windows, Hammond melts into his surroundings, its noises, its traffic, its disdaining crowds. Though “Time” can’t compare with Ben and Joshua Safdie’s “Heaven Knows What” (2014), which was written by and starred a young addict and was based on her experiences, it does make the phrase “there but for the grace of God” seem less of a cliché. And if Gere and Moverman get Oscars for it, they deserve them.

Directed by Oren Moverman. Written by Moverman and Jeffrey Caine. Starring Richard Gere, Ben Vereen, Jena Malone, Kyra Sedgwick. At Kendall Square. Running time 122 minutes. Unrated

Summary: “Time Out of Mind” stars Richard Gere as a homeless man.


That said, the attacks are serious— and unusual—said George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida.

"It's an all-time high for a yearly total. It's an unprecedented situation," he said. "This is just a slap in the face that we need to be more careful entering the sea."

Even with this year's unusually high number of attacks in the Carolinas, in context, there are more pressing dangers at the beach than sharks, Burgess said. The world saw only three known shark-attack fatalities in 2014. The last fatal shark attack in South Carolina was in 1852.

Burgess added that the number shark attacks is directly related to the number of people in the water.

"It's sort of a back-handed compliment to the chambers of commerce who are bringing that many people into the waters," he said. "The next step is development of beach safety personnel and services to reduce the risk of shark attacks on their beaches that are now drawing so many people."

Read MoreHow summer vacation can hit your Christmas budget

Tourism brought $21.3 billion to North Carolina in 2014, said Wit Tuttell, executive director of Visit North Carolina. Six and a half million people spent their time visiting North Carolina beaches in 2014, according to a survey from the organization.

This year's tourism season has yet to take a hit from the shark attacks, said Lee Nettles, executive director of the Outer Banks Visitors' Bureau. Nettles said his office has seen an increased number of concerned calls from visitors, but that people aren't canceling their trips.

"Clearly something extraordinary is going on, but the three shark encounters we've had in the Outer Banks are relative to the 5 million visitors annually," he said. "Three shark bites is three too many, but it's still a relatively safe environment."

At the Ocean Boulevard Bistro and Martini Bar in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, owner Donny King said he saw an uptick in business at his restaurant during the Fourth of July weekend. He's personally taking precautions, but he's not staying out of the water.

"I'm a surfer myself. My nephew is in town with us working at the restaurant, and we go surfing as much as we can," he said. "We just make sure we're in a busy area and staying near life guards."

CORRECTION: There were 23 shark attacks reported in Australia in 2014. That fact was misstated in an earlier version of this article.

Summary: Businesses in North and South Carolina aren't seeing a drop in tourists, despite the record number of shark attacks.


China also seems ready to reciprocate. China's President Xi Jinping told the 10,000 people gathered at the ceremony of the 77th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre (atrocities committed by Japan's occupying forces in 1937) last December that China should not "bear hatred against an entire nation just because a small minority of militarists launched aggressive wars."

Japan knows the conditions of a rapprochement with its crucially important trade partner. China also knows that improved relations with Japan and a compromise on territorial claims would calm down similar disputes with its other Asian neighbors.

Hostile inter-Korean relations are another obstacle on the way to a stronger economic development in Northeast Asia. China and Japan could help with contacts between Seoul and Pyongyang. China, in particular, could use its strong trade and investment ties with Seoul and its "special" relationship with Pyongyang to reduce tensions between estranged Korean cousins.

That will be tough, though. But it does seem that Koreans want to talk about a broad range of economic, social and security matters.

Snarled up by overlapping territorial claims along their 3,500-kilometer frontier, the Chinese-Indian relations also looked hostile and crisis-prone until both countries agreed to move on. Who would have thought, for example, that instead of trading bullets and military incursions into contested areas, the Chinese and Indian border guards would be holding together a New Year party last week?

That unexpected bonhomie is an interesting sequel to the Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India last September. Sporting an impeccably tailored white kurta, Mr. Xi celebrated Indian Prime Minister Modi's 64th birthday in Ahmadabad, the capital city of the state of Gujarat, where his host earlier served as chief minister.

The key points of a Sino-Indian deal involve a settlement of border problems and China's large infrastructure investments – about $20 billion only in Indian railways. These investments would partly compensate for China's trade surplus with India, which amounted to $36.2 billion in India's fiscal year 2013-14.

Both issues are under active consideration. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced during his visit to Delhi in early June of last year that Beijing was ready to settle border issues – a signal that China was eager to open up big investment and trade flows with India.

China's broadening economic transactions with the rest of Asia form a strong regional investment platform.

Political and security problems in Southeast Asia and on the Korean Peninsula are serious obstacles to a faster economic development, but there are important moves currently under way in both areas that should be watched.

Asian economy is part of China's development strategy. That is an objective where China won't fail to deliver.

Michael Ivanovitch is president of MSI Global, a New York-based economic research company. He also served as a senior economist at the OECD in Paris, international economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and taught economics at Columbia.

Summary: Financial markets are focusing on China's economic growth and on its ability to manage compositional changes of its aggregate demand and alleged excesses.


U.S. stocks fell for a fifth day on Thursday, with the S&P 500 finishing below 2,000 for the first time in a month, as crude prices fell, large U.S. banks reporting disappointing results, and Switzerland's central bank unexpectedly gave up its minimum exchange rate.

"Central bankers were surprised today, and investors too, by the whole Swiss thing," Kim Forrest, senior equity analyst at Fort Pitt Capital, said.

"It foretells what happens next week, if they are going to massively do QE (quantitative easing), which is kind of what is indicated by the Swiss move today," said Forrest, who added that what remains unclear is "how forcibly (European Central Bank President Mario) Draghi is going to be able to do QE."

Bank of America dropped after the bank reported a 14 percent fall in quarterly profit; Citigroup also declined as it posted a slim fourth-quarter profit. Target shares rose after the discount retailer should it would discontinue operations in Canada.

"Bank earnings are a negative," Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities, said.

The CBOE Volatility Index, a measure of investor unease, rose 4 percent to 22.33.

A measure of manufacturing in the new York region climbed to 9.95, above estimates. Other reports had wholesale prices falling 0.3 percent in December, and a larger-than-expected number filing for jobless benefits last week, up by 19,000 to 316,000.

Summary: Stocks fell Thursday, extending losses into a fifth day.


Massachusetts finance regulators have charged Boston-based Realty Capital Securities LLC with proxy voter fraud, alleging that agents impersonated shareholders to use their stocks to vote on important questions of corporate governance.

Secretary of State William Galvin’s office said agents of Realty Capital Securities impersonated shareholders of New York-based Business Development Corp. of America in June and September to get votes passed to benefit New York investors Nicholas Schorsch and William Kahane, who indirectly controlled Realty Capital Securities. The regulator’s complaint asks for Realty Capital Securities to be stripped of its broker-dealer license and pay a fine.

“They corrupted the [proxy voting] process and they cannot be allowed to do business in Massachusetts,” Galvin said in an interview. “We think this went all the way to the top.”

Realty Capital Securities is a Delaware-registered subsidiary of New York-based RCS Capital Corp. with offices in Boston. It is part of a network of real estate companies controlled by Schorsch and Kahane, Galvin’s office said. One of the proxy votes allegedly affected by fraud was necessary for a proposed $378 million deal involving Schorch’s companies, and another would have given Schorsch and Kahane more control over Business Development Corp. of America and deprived “mom-and-pop investors” of their rights, Galvin said.

Schorsch stepped down from the management of his main real estate company in the wake of an accounting scandal last year that caused its stock and that of affiliated companies including RCS Capital Corp. to decline sharply, according to a September article in Investment News. His companies are also under investigation by several federal authorities, the publication reported. Realty Capital Securities’s main business is selling non-traded real estate securities to financial advisers, the article said.

Galvin said some of the behavior seemed criminal, and his office could refer cases to prosecutors. The secretary of state can seek only civil penalties.

Workers at Retail Capital Securities also faced “intense pressure” to whip up proxy votes for investment funds affiliated with Schorsch and Kahane, backed by “thinly veiled threats” that they would be fired if they didn’t succeed, Galvin’s complaint alleges. Proxy votes for the BDCA measures could be cast online, by e-mail, or through a phone call, and three Realty Capital Securities employees allegedly cast votes by phone and used foreign accents to imitate shareholders.

The investigation started after a Realty Capital Securities employee tipped regulators, and the anonymous employee is extensively cited in Galvin’s complaint. An employee who took part in the alleged fraud declined to be interviewed by regulators, citing his right against self-incrimination, the complaint said.

Galvin’s office said its administrative complaint centered on two instances, but regulators believe “numerous” instances of proxy voter fraud occurred.

A spokesman for RCS Capital Corp. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Summary: Agents allegedly impersonated shareholders to use their stocks to vote on questions of corporate governance.


Keisha Knight Pulliam and fiancé Ed Hartwell

01/01/2016 AT 01:30 PM EST

rang in the New Year quite literally.

Pulliam, best known for her role as Rudy on

shared a snapshot of her New Year's kiss featuring a huge diamond on

"Happy to spend not only my new year but my life with this guy!!! #BlessedBeyondMeasure," the 36-year-old captioned her Instagram.

So, who's her beau? Former NFL star Ed Hartwell, 37, who also made appearances on seasons 1 and 2 of

, when he was married to cast member Lisa Wu. The pair divorced in 2012.

Before officially announcing her engagement, Pulliam flashed the ring in a prior Instagram post, and although she made didnât mention the news, a few fans noticed the sparkler, making note of it in the comments.

"Happy New Year!!! The champ is here!!! Lolâ¦So grateful for family. #SpadesChamp #YesWeHaveBelts #BlessedBeyondMeasure #FamilyOverEverything," she captioned the pic.

Summary: Congrats are in order for the former child star


2 Broke Girls 9:30 p.m., CBS

Every season, critics require one sitcom that embodies everything that stinks about conventional network TV comedy.

That sitcom can serve as an efficient way to mention the most banal, insulting, trite, predictable, pointless, hopeless, formulaic, cruddy, laugh-track-cluttered, one-liner-driven television without having to use all those words. The emblematic show isn’t necessarily a spectacular disaster so much as a piece of bottomless mediocrity.

Over the years, titles that have occupied that position have included “Dads,” “Mulaney,” “Cavemen,” “Still Standing,” and “Work It,” the classic about men who decide they’ll do better in the job market if they pretend to be women. For a few years, one of my favorite exemplary bad shows was “According to Jim.”

Currently, “2 Broke Girls” is my go-to title when it comes to summing up just how crummy a sitcom can be. Listening to the nonstop jokes on this show is like getting slapped across the cheeks repeatedly with a rubber ducky. The plastic writing relies solely on groan-worthy schoolyard sex jokes, bad puns, ethnic and racial stereotypes, menstrual humor, and quirky foreign accents. Unlike, say, the two women in New York on “Broad City,” the characters on “2 Broke Girls,” including stars Beth Behrs and Kat Dennings, are not characters so much as vehicles for quips.

Summary: Listening to the jokes on this show is like getting slapped across the cheeks repeatedly with a rubber ducky.


Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery includes more than half a million “permanent residents” and 478 pastoral acres near Prospect Park.

But soon, because of a $1 million gift from Elizabeth and Robert Jeffe, the cemetery also will include a first-rate archives study center, library and gallery for displaying records from a collection that dates back to 1838.

The gift, which came partly from the couple’s family foundation and from an...

Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery includes more than half a million “permanent residents” and 478 pastoral acres near Prospect Park.

But soon, because of a $1 million gift from Elizabeth and Robert Jeffe, the cemetery also will include a first-rate archives study center, library and gallery for displaying records from a collection that dates back to 1838.

The gift, which came partly from the couple’s family foundation and from an endowment they created at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will help the cemetery preserve its business and architectural records, handwritten burial books, letters, notes and a trove of photography. The cemetery also has 7,000 objects, such as artwork and books, in its collection.

This is the Jeffes’ first gift to Green-Wood, but they have a long history of supporting historical institutions, like the Museum of the City of New York, and in preserving historic sites around the five boroughs.

For the most part, the collection at Green-Wood has been accessible only to cemetery officials. The new center, to be named for Mrs. Jeffe’s parents, Margaret “Jo” and Francis X. Rohn, will make the collection broadly available.

Mr. Jeffe, who is retired from investment banking, said he and his wife decided to focus on expanding and preserving the archives because “this was a very big opportunity to save the history of an important cultural institution in New York City.”

Mrs. Jeffe, a writer and editor born in Queens, has a particular interest in urban history. Green-Wood’s archives, she said, are a rich source of information not only for genealogists but historians. Having the records in a user-friendly and proper archive center will be “transformative for the institution,” she said.

“I write about history, and I’ve spent many hours in archives,” said Mrs. Jeffe. “Very often until materials in an archive become readily available for public use—research and observation—people have treasures they don’t even know they have.”

The addition of an archives study center, which should be finished in the summer of 2017, follows several other recent efforts to transform Green-Wood from a cemetery into a cultural destination. A greenhouse, which sits near the cemetery’s main entrance, is being transformed into a visitor center.

Mrs. Jeffe said Green-Wood’s physical space lends itself to concerts, historical programming and strolling.

“The cemetery can be a wonderful link to the community,” she said.

Write to Melanie Grayce West at melanie.west@wsj.com

Summary: Elizabeth and Robert Jeffe donate $1 million for an archives study center, library and records gallery at Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery.


AbbVie Inc. and Genentech said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted priority review status to their treatment for lymphocytic leukemia as a secondary therapy.

The treatment—called Venetoclax—was given FDA breakthrough therapy designation in April 2015 for lymphocytic leukemia, the most common form of adult leukemia.

AbbVie Inc. and Genentech said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted priority review status to their treatment for lymphocytic leukemia as a secondary therapy.

The treatment—called Venetoclax—was given FDA breakthrough therapy designation in April 2015 for lymphocytic leukemia, the most common form of adult leukemia.

The biotech companies said their marketing application for the treatment also has been validated by European regulators.

The priority designation means that the FDA review potentially will be shortened to six months, from the standard 10 months. The status is granted for treatments the FDA expects have the potential to provide significant improvement in the treatment, prevention or diagnosis of a disease.

The priority review was granted based on the results of a Phase II study in which patients had a 79.4% overall response rate and 7.5% of patients showed a complete response.

The FDA introduced the breakthrough therapy designation in 2012 to expedite the development and review of drugs for serious or life-threatening conditions.

Genentech, a unit of Roche Holding AG , and AbbVie are evaluating venetoclax as a potential stand-alone drug or as part of a combination therapy for lymphocytic leukemia as well as several other blood cancers.

Write to Tess Stynes at tess.stynes@wsj.com


03/30/2016 AT 08:00 AM EDT

and Gloria Vanderbilt have written a book together and they are the subjects of an

, but there are still things the

-son duo don't know about each other.

In a recent interview with PEOPLE and

editorial director Jess Cagle, Cooper, 48, learned that his mother, 91, was once in a same-sex relationship.

"I, myself, when I went to [Miss Porter's School in] Farmington, [Connecticut] I went through a brief so-called lesbian relationship with a girl in school," Vanderbilt revealed after Cooper discussed coming out to the author.

In response, the CNN anchor appeared shocked, saying, "What? Hello," and adding, "this is news to me. You didn't mention this in the book, Mom."

Anderson Cooper and mother Gloria Vanderbilt

"Cynthia, her name was, and she came once to visit my aunt in New York on holiday," continued Vanderbilt. "We had this sort of lesbian relationship and it felt so great. It felt so good and yet I thought, 'There's something about this,' and this is before the thing I knew about my mother. I thought, 'No, this is something that's not really what I want.' It was very brief."

Vanderbilt revealed that she was 13 at the time of the relationship, and said she now realizes, "I think almost everybody goes through at one point â¦ of course, the thing is, now we realize there's no difference. Love is love."

Vanderbilt said her understanding of homosexuality was largely shaped by the public gossip surrounding her own mother, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt. Cooper, who

in 2012, explained that during a 1932 custody trial Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt was "accused" of being a lesbian.

"That word wasn't spoken. The press wasn't supposed to write about it," Cooper said. "My mom knew that something terrible had come out in the court, but she didn't know what it was and she didn't know what being a lesbian meant at the time, obviously."

Donald Trump on the cover of PEOPLE

Added Vanderbilt, "Then of course, when I heard what it meant, it affected me so much because I thought this is something so terrible. This is like a terrible brand, like a terrible stamp. Is it something that maybe I have inherited? That was very difficult for me growing up to try to figure it out."

It seems time has shaped Vanderbilt's understanding, however, as she said, "It has nothing to do with whether it's two men or two women, it's love. And it's just like being married, it's what it is."

Cooper and Vanderbilt's relationship will be featured in an

and, before that, in a memoir,

, due out April 5.

Summary: Anderson Cooper and mother Gloria Vanderbilt opened up about their sexualities during an interview with PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly editorial director Jess Cagle


Most athletes want to keep their scholarships, but the demands of high-level college athletics can be challenging.

Some students will end up transferring to other schools where they feel they'll be under less pressure or get more playing time, or both. In men's basketball (which has unusually high transfer rates), 14.5 percent of NCAA Division 1 players in 2012–2013 were transfers from 2–year colleges and 13.3 percent came from 4–year schools. Among female basketball players, 7.5 percent of Division 1 players were transfers from 2-year schools and 8.6 percent from four-year colleges.

Even for those who are committed to sticking with their teams, the amount of time required of them can be tough to manage.

Nicole Sung-Jereczek started rowing in high school, having competed as a gymnast through middle school, and found she loved the sport and the close teamwork. When she became a rower at UCLA after being recruited with a scholarship covering about three–fourths of her costs, many things about the team exceeded her expectations. "I didn't expect to have such great bonds with my teammates," she said. She was also surprised at "how much the athletic department at UCLA worked to help me succeed academically and athletically," providing trainers, tutors, and more.

Even so, Sung-Jereczek said, the college commitment was formidable. "I didn't expect or anticipate the amount of time that I would have to devote to it," she said, of her time spent rowing at UCLA. Her commitment meant she couldn't get a part-time job or internship, she said, and severely limited her social life. "I didn't expect or anticipate that I would only be rowing or studying."

Plenty of athletes share that experience. In a survey of college athletes by the NCAA asking what students wished they could have changed about their college sports experience, the most common responses were about time. Another NCAA survey found that a typical NCAA athlete in-season spends 39 hours a week on academics—and 33 hours a week on sports.

Sung-Jereczek graduated from UCLA last spring, having rowed all four years on a scholarship that she said covered roughly three-fourths of her college costs. But she estimated that roughly 30 percent of the people she started with in her freshman year did not stay on the team that long—even in a sport where teammates are unusually reliant on each other.

She's proud that she rowed through college, and she managed to land a job at a sports management company after graduation. But Sung-Jereczek said she definitely thought about quitting along the way. "It's something my teammates and I always struggled with," she said, what with bus rides to the marina at 5:30 in the morning, 20 hours of practice every week, and frequent travel to races and competitions. "It's really hard for people to stick with it."

Her sister is rowing at UCLA now, Sung-Jereczek said, and wants to row all four years. "She's determined to, but you never know what happens."

Summary: The odds of playing in college--much less getting a scholarship--are lower than you might think. And the pressure is intense for those who do.


Boston Scientific Corp. increased total compensation for chief executive Michael F. Mahoney 10.1 percent to $11.6 million last year, according to a regulatory filing Tuesday by the Marlborough-based medical device maker.

The proxy statement, posted in advance of the company’s May 3 annual shareholders meeting, said Mahoney earned a base salary of $967,740 in 2015. He also received stock awards totaling $6.6 million, option grants of $1.7 million, and incentive pay of $1.8 million, as well as other compensation totaling $276,209, according to the statement.

Boston Scientific, which moved its headquarters to Marlborough from Natick in 2014, reported an 8 percent increase in revenue last year to $7.5 billion. The company sells a broad portfolio of products, ranging from cardiac devices to women’s health and urological products.

Summary: Total compensation for chief executive Michael F. Mahoney climbed 10.1 percent, according to a regulatory filing by the Marlborough-based medical device maker.


04/12/2016 AT 12:00 PM EDT

– but is a romantic reconciliation on the table?

show Tuesday morning, discussing the topic with co-hosts

"Are you and Scott getting back together and will you ever get married?" asked Gifford, 62, of the former couple, who share three children and were together for nine years before

"I don't know – we're not getting back together right now. But I don't know what the future holds in life and God's plan," responded Kardashian, 36.

Kardashian maintained that she and Disick, 32, are focusing on

, 3, and baby boy

"We're just doing our best to be the best parents," Kardashian said. "Like he

, and it was great. We're friends at this point."

As for whether she "misses him," Kardashian said she doesn't know.

"I mean, we talk all the time so I feel like I don't really get that chance," she added. The reality star also opened up about her special plan to escape the media attention of starry cities like New York City and her hometown of Los Angeles. "I say, every summer I want to start getting a house in the middle of nowhere," she explained. "Literally in the woods. Like a tiny cottage. Like Sleeping Beauty! I need it."

Summary: Kardashian and Disick split last July after nine years together


As part of its evolution, a diamondback rattlesnake is known to shed its skin. During the off-season, the same could be said for the Arizona Diamondbacks, as they rolled out a new lineup of ground-breaking uniforms that had the baseball world talking.

The latest production from FOX Sports Arizona's Emmy Award winning Original Programming department is set to tell the story of how these new uniforms came to life when "D-backs Evolution" debuts on Friday, Feb. 19, at 6:30 and 11 p.m.

The half-hour show is narrated by Matt Williams and gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at what went into creating the uniforms. Highlighting the show is exclusive video shot from inside the design meetings that included D-backs players, coaches, front-office staff and the uniform designers. "D-backs Evolution"also includes interviews with many of the people who were involved in the process, including Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, Patrick Corbin, Chip Hale and Derrick Hall. Additionally, Arizona State University evolutionary biology professor Kevin McGraw discusses the scientific advantages of the team's colors, and the show also features factory footage from New Era Cap, which co-designed the new sublimated D-backs caps.

FOX Sports Arizona televises the most regional sports action in the state and is the exclusive local cable television home of the D-backs, Suns, Coyotes, Cardinals, Mercury, Rattlers, NAU and AIA. FOX Sports Arizona is seen in 2.5 million households in Arizona and New Mexico and can also be seen across the country via home satellite services. For even more coverage, log onto www.FOXSportsArizona.com, www.twitter.com/foxsportsaz and www.facebook.com/foxsportsarizona.

Summary: 30-minute special takes an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the design process for the Diamondbacks' new uniforms.