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The Shuffle: The long road for Lindsay

In early August, actress and celebrity tabloid fixture Lindsay Lohan concluded a 14-day stay in jail for violating her probation. She was sent off to mandatory rehab only to be released weeks later to continue outpatient treatment. Now, Lohan’s career CPR has officially begun.

Review: 'Going the Distance'

Typical rom-com sprinkles in moments of man humor

“Going the Distance” will undoubtedly appeal to both sexes. The ladies will flock to see a sweet romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore and guy-next-door Justin Long. The guys will fork over $8, $9 or $10 to watch a raunchy laugher with “Saturday Night Live” star Jason Sudeikis and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” wild card Charlie Day. But everyone will leave the theater feeling like they didn’t get the best of either world.

'Last Exorcism' takes No. 1 spot

When box office returns started coming in Friday afternoon, the heist film "Takers" looked like the clear winner. But as the sun faded on the West Coast, the horror movie "The Last Exorcism" leaped into the lead, ultimately grossing $9.5 million for the day, compared with $7.5 million for "Takers."

The suave and the goofy

'Mad Men,' 'Modern Family' take top Emmys

LOS ANGELES — The darkly intimate 1960s-era drama "Mad Men" and the comedy romp "Modern Family" were the top honorees at Sunday's Emmy Awards as American life past and present proved a winning formula. "To our fans, we are so grateful, we are so thrilled that families are sitting down together to watch a television show, and we're so happy that you have let us into your families," said Steven Levitan, "Modern Family" executive producer.

An exercise in modesty

Q & A with M. Ward of She & Him

Most who have heard of the indie folk duo She & Him know it as actress Zooey Deschanel's ("(500) Days of Summer," "Yes Man," "Elf") music project. Guitarist and producer M. Ward — the duo's other half — would like to keep it that way. Deschanel and Ward met on the set of the film "The Go-Getter" and immediately hit it off. Deschanel admitted to Ward that she had recorded tons of home demos, but never did anything with them. Ward, who had worked with Neko Case, Bright Eyes and My Morning Jacket among many others, took a listen. And the rest is history.

Something big in Bethany

Region comes together for fun at Northwest Missouri State Fair

The town of Bethany, Mo., is a pretty quiet, unassuming place — at least for 359 days out of the year. But one yearly event causes tens of thousands to make Bethany a destination for big fun, whether they are looking for live music, livestock, motorsports or plenty of other varieties of family entertainment. That event is the Northwest Missouri State Fair, which will take place Sept. 1 through Sept. 6.

Under the radar

Veteran guitarist Alejandro Escovedo to perform at Record Bar

It’s shocking how few people know who Alejandro Escovedo is. After all, the guy’s been a renowned guitarist and songwriter for nearly four decades. He got his start with The Nuns in San Francisco in 1975. Not only did The Nuns share the stage with The Ramones, but the rock outfit opened the Sex Pistols’ final concert.

We recommend, Aug. 27, 2010

Entertainment calendar, Aug. 27, 2010

High noon

First Thursday Downtown Noon Concerts begin next week

People look forward to the midday hour for any number of reasons, whether it’s a chance to escape work or sink their teeth into that lunchtime meal they’ve been craving since, well, breakfast. Now, people in St. Joseph have one more reason to look forward to noon thanks to the First Thursday Downtown Noon Concerts, a series that begins Sept. 2 at First Presbyterian Church.

The Shuffle: A numbers game

I can’t say numbers are exactly my forte. Heck, part of the reason I studied journalism at college was to slyly avoid taking a single class in mathematics. But in the process of my weekly bloodhound-esque hunt for pop culture topics, I stumbled across numbers, both big and small, that told surprising stories and hinted at the mercurial nature of entertainment topics. Number crunchers, this one is for you.

Noted connection

'Sounds in the Square' concert comes to Felix Street Square

The gazebo in Coleman Hawkins Park at Felix Street Square has racked up plenty of live music mileage recently between the weekly Sounds of Summer Concert Series, the Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival in June and numerous benefit concerts. If the structure’s ceiling could talk, it would probably sing instead.

This is: Noah Earle

Kermit donated to Smithsonian

WASHINGTON — The original Kermit the Frog, his body created with an old dull-green coat and his eyes made of pingpong balls, has returned home to the nation's capital, where the puppet got his start. The first Kermit creation from Jim Henson's Muppet's collection appeared in 1955 on the early TV show "Sam and Friends," produced at Washington's WRC-TV. Henson's widow Jane Henson on Wednesday donated 10 characters from the show to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Entertainment briefs for Aug. 27, 2010