The Associated Press

LOS ANGELESE -- A judge dismissed criminal charges Monday against Jack Nicholson after the man who accused him of bashing his Mercedes with a golf club said he didnÕt want to proceed.

The actor had been scheduled to be arraigned, but Robert Blank told the judge he was satisfied with NicholsonÕs apology and the settlement of a lawsuit. Terms of the March settlement have not been disclosed.

After being cut off in traffic authorities said, Nicholson became enraged and used a golf club to dent the roof and smash the windshield of BlankÕs Mercedes-Benz at a red light.

Municipal Judge Martin Suits dismissed the two misdemeanor counts of assault and vandalism over objections from Deputy City Attorney Jeff Harkavy.

Nicholson wasn't present at the hearing.

Nicholson's screen credits include ÒEasy RiderÓ in 1969, ÒA Few Good MenÓ in 1992 and the 1975 ÒOne Flew Over the CuckooÕs Nest,Ó for which he won the Academy Award as best actor.

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SAN FRANCISCO Ñ Hoofer Gene Kelly, knocked off his feet by a bout of the flu, was resting comfortably Monday in a hospital.

The 81-year-old dancer, star of "Singing in the Rain," and ÒAnchors AweighÓ was admitted Sunday after calling his hotel and complaining of a headache and some pain, St. MaryÕs Hospital spokesman Wade Rose said.

Kelly was in stable condition Monday and could be released Tuesday, Rose said. attend a performance of the ballet ÒRomeo and Juliet.Ó

Kelly also starred in such screen classics as "Brigadoon" and ÒAn American in Paris,Ó which won the Academy Award as best picture of 1951.

Kelly won the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Film Institute in 1985 and the Screen Actors Guild achievement award in 1988.

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FORT WORTH, Texas Ñ ÒThe Price is RightÓ game show announcer Rod Roddy came home to keep watch over a less glitzy pricing game Ñ a garage sale.

Bob Barker's sidekick was helping to sell off items from his parentsÕ home. A classified ad touting the weekend event told folks to ÒCome on Down,Ó and nearly 1,000 people did, including hundreds seeking autographs.

The goods were primarily Òbric-a-brac and other stuff,Ó Roddy said, but their sentimental value drew him home to take part anyway.

"The reason I did this is because I wanted to pass it along in person. I wanted to know who was getting it, because it was very personal to me,Ó Roddy said. ÒIt was special to my mother, it was special to my father and other people who are gone now. I really just didnÕt want to dump it.Ó

Furniture, books, glassware and albums Roddy sent home while traveling the country as a disc jockey were among sale items. Roddy estimated proceeds at over $1,000 and said heÕll probably donate the money to a Fort Worth charity.

Many of the people who showed up asked to hear his trademark ÒThe Price is RightÓ line: ÒCome on down!Ó

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PORTLAND, Maine Ñ Dressed like a sex goddess, best-selling author Amy Tan wielded a whip on literary colleagues Stephen King and Dave Barry when their band, the Rock Bottom Remainders, took the stage in KingÕs home state.

During Tan's sultry rendition of ÒThese Boots Are Made For WalkinÕ,Ó other band members aimed their bottoms toward the audience while the author of ÒThe Joy Luck ClubÓ delivered a whipping.

With King playing his new black guitar adorned with mother of pearl spiders on the neck, the group performed such rock standards as ÒWooly Bully,Ó ÒLeader of the Pack,Ó ÒGloriaÓ and ÒLouie, Louie.Ó

Formed two years ago to entertain at a booksellersÕ convention, the Remainders performed Saturday night at a benefit concert for the Maine Medical CenterÕs ChildrenÕs Miracle Network.

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CHESAPEAKE, Ohio -- A 14-year-old student didnÕt win the contest but got a nice thank-you note from the subject of her essay, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"The fine essay you composed about me brightened my day,Ó Ms. Ginsburg wrote to Maggie Gibbs, a student at Chesapeake Middle School.

She signed the letter: ÒWith every good wish, and hope that you will thrive in your studies and see your dreams come true.Ó

Maggie wrote the essay for a contest about women-making-history. It was sponsored by several state agencies. About two weeks ago, classmates told her she had received a letter from the Supreme Court.

"I didn't believe Õem one bit,Ó Maggie said.

But she went to the school office and found a handwritten letter from Ginsburg, imprinted with the seal of the United States.

"My teachers got hysterical,Ó Maggie said.

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LOS ANGELES -- Christian de Portzamparc became the first Frenchman to win architectureÕs most prestigious honor, the Pritzker Architecture Prize.

An international panel of judges praised de Portzamparc, 49, as a Òpowerful poet of forms and creator of eloquent spaces.Ó

"It's an encouragement for French architecture and it will present a boost for my ideas, which are not always followed,Ó Portzamparc said in a telephone interview from his Paris home over the weekend.

Since 1979, the $100,000 price annouced Suday has been given each year to a living architect. The award will be formally presented at a June 14 ceremony in Columbus, Ind.

Portzampac's major buildings in France include the City of Music, a music academy. He also has completed projects in Japan, Italy and Denmark. Read Next Article