Danny Puff

WASHINGTON (AP) Schoolteacher Patricia Cooper gazed out at the many hundreds of thousands of people lining the National Mall, moments after Barack Obama had been sworn in for the second time as president.

"The media kept saying there were going to be so many fewer people," said Cooper, 51, from Upper Marlboro, Md. "But look out there!" she beamed. "We still have a pretty big crowd."

True, the crowd was roughly half that of Obama's momentous inauguration in 2009, and the sense of history, and pure excitement, far less potent. But despite a more sober national mood, there was plenty of enthusiasm even among people who'd been there the first time, like Cooper and oh yes, star power, as the capital threw its marathon, once-every-four-years party.

"I was there last time, and I was just so proud to be here again this time," Cooper said. "And the weather was great!"

It was a warmer day indeed, with a noon temperature of 40 degrees. And if the day was balmier, it seemed its whole aura was mellower, too, with not only the president but his whole family looser than four years ago. Malia and Sasha, no longer adorable little girls but rather stylish young women, chatted on the podium, showing how comfortable they'd become after four years in the public spotlight, and Michelle Obama sported a hip new haircut: blunt-cut bangs. Even Chief Justice John Roberts seemed more relaxed; well, he breezed through the oath of office that he had stumbled over four years ago.

Of course, it was lost on no one that the president was renewing his oath at a somber and difficult time for the nation. A still struggling economy. The fiscal crisis. The fight over gun control, in the wake of the horrific shootings in Newtown, Conn. The continued threat of terrorism. A general sense that the country is more polarized than ever.

But for a day, the capital city celebrated. And as always, it was a marathon, with more than 12 hours of public events for the president, beginning with a morning prayer service, through a parade that went past dark, with the president still standing and clapping and the Inaugural Balls, of course.

And though the president went home not long after 10 p.m., Washington was still buzzing. Downtown was gridlocked, as taxis, a hot commodity, tried to navigate closed-off streets. Stevie Wonder was singing at the cavernous Washington Convention Center, where the balls were held, and the Goo Goo Dolls and Ke$sha were performing at separate events elsewhere just a few of the happenings that turned Washington into Celebrity Central for the weekend.

But the biggest celebrities? That would be Barack and Michelle Obama, and their appearances at the Inaugural Balls three of them this year, much pared down from 2009 were the most eagerly awaited events of the night.

The Obamas first hit the Commander in Chief ball, held like the others in the vast Washington Convention Center, where the nation also got a first glimpse of The DRESS! Mrs. Obama again chose designer Jason Wu, this time a custom ruby-colored halter dress of chiffon and velvet that accentuated her bare shoulders and arms. And if she looked more ethereal four years ago in a frilly white Wu gown, this time she looked hipper especially with her new, much-discussed bangs. (The hairdo was described earlier by her husband as the most significant event of Inauguration Weekend.)

The first couple and the second, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill took a spin on the floor with selected members of the military. And the Obamas danced romantically to "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green, sung here by Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson, whispering and laughing as they spun.

Meanwhile, the huge crowd at the downstairs official ball had its own entertainment. First up was Alicia Keys, who, like most of the celebrities on hand, made no secret of her affection for Obama. "Obama's on fire!" she sang, changing the lyrics of her hit song. "He's the president, and he's on fire."

Equally effusive was "Glee" actor Darren Criss, who attended the ball and had performed over the weekend at the Kids' Inaugural Concert. "I think the tagline of this weekend is that if there's anything cooler than electing the first African-American president, it's re-electing him," Criss said in an interview.

The entertainment also included the Mexican band Mana and country singer Brad Paisley, who joked that Americans have a democracy that's the envy of the world, so we celebrate by "getting drunk in a huge convention center." The audience milled around, buying drinks at the cash bar and bemoaning the skimpy snacks until the popular, Grammy-nominated band fun. came on, with lead singer Nate Ruess' energetic vocals inspiring much of the crowd to sing their anthem "We Are Young" even if they weren't.

Albert Wilkerson is 74, to be precise, but he was enjoying the evening immensely, he said, despite the noise, the crowds, the cash bar and food that consisted of pretzels and snack mix, $150 tickets notwithstanding.

"I like being here," said Wilkerson, who came from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. "I feel like a true American."

Caitlin Kelly wasn't quite so forgiving. "You diet for weeks to get into a dress, and then they give you pretzels?" asked Kelly, 28, of New York. "I'm gonna get tipsy fast."

It was a three-generation affair for the Sawtelle family, meanwhile, with grandmother Anna Kristina Sawtelle, 76, from Ogunquit, Maine, by way of Sweden, attending the main ball by wheelchair. Sawtelle's extended family traveled from Sweden to see the event, with her 12-year-old U.S.-born grandson a Boy Scout from Troop 698 of Burke, Va. serving as volunteer security for the parade.

"I am proud my grandson guarded the president,'" she said.

The Obamas soon came down and repeated their dance with Hudson, to huge cheers from the crowd and too many cellphone photos to count. After one more appearance at the third venue, the Obamas went home. But Stevie Wonder took the stage, his familiar hits "My Cherie Amour," ''Signed, Sealed, Delivered" and more luring a few brave souls to dance.

Over at the Harman Center for the Arts, meanwhile, there was a hipper vibe, with a big bash thrown by the Creative Coalition, an arts advocacy organization, featuring a full concert by the rock band the Goo Goo Dolls. There, everyone was up and dancing in their theater seats by the second song. At yet another venue, the 9:30 club, pop singer Ke$ha was performing, and praising Obama's speech. "I really appreciate him addressing equal rights" for gays, said Ke$ha. "It's an issue very close to my heart."

A slew of celebrities had also watched Obama's swearing-in earlier in the day. Katy Perry showed up in a chic orange coat and wide-brimmed hat. She sat next to singer/guitarist John Mayer. Up on the podium, folk icon James Taylor sang "America the Beautiful," and Kelly Clarkson performed "My Country, 'Tis of Thee."

But the biggest attraction? Ask Jada Mason, age 8, from Tulsa, Okla. "I got to see the president AND Beyonce!" she beamed, when asked her favorite moment of the day. (Beyonce sang the national anthem.) Jada's family had taken a road trip from Tulsa in a 12-passenger van nine family members, and three generations to attend the inauguration. Just try telling their mother, Mattece, that this inauguration was less powerful than Obama's first.

"It was just momentous," said Mason, who is African-American. "More important than the first. Because it was based on his credentials, you know? Not someone giving us a chance because it was time to give us a chance."

Amber M. Whittington feels the same way. "This is a validation of our electing the first black president," she said, explaining why she felt the day was so important. "It wasn't a fluke."

And so, when a little boy started complaining about the cold early in the morning, the 26-year-old volunteer, who was waving people through a gate, knew just what to say.

"You will be very grateful to your parents one day," she told the boy. "This is history. You will realize that soon."

"It's worth it."

___

Associated Press writers Nancy Benac, Kimberly Dozier, Josh Lederman and Mesfin Fekadu contributed to this report.

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PARIS (Reuters) - A cloud of harmless gas smelling of sweat and rotten eggs leaked out of a chemicals factory in northwest France and wafted across the English Channel as far as London on Tuesday.

The leak occurred on Monday morning at a Lubrizol France plant near Rouen, 120 km (75 miles) northwest of Paris, and winds blew the invisible gas cloud south over northern France on Monday night and then up into England on Tuesday.

The fire brigade in the county of Kent, southeast of London, warned residents to keep their doors and windows closed due to a gas cloud it believed had come from France and London police said it had reports of an acrid smell in southeast London.

Lubrizol France, which makes additives for industrial lubricants and paint, said the gas was mercaptan, also known as methanethiol, a colorless additive used in natural gas because its sulphurous smell enables gas leaks to be detected.

Internal operations director Pierre-Jean Payrouse said the company was battling to plug the leak, as the cloud spread over some 350 km (220 miles), but said it might take until the evening. The cause of the leak was still unknown.

"It's not so much a leak as a product that has decomposed, which smells very bad and which is escaping," Payrouse told RTL radio. "An investigation is under way (into what happened) but our priority is to deal with the problem."

The gas, which is non-toxic but is flammable in strong concentrations, prompted a flood of phone calls to emergency services in France in the early hours of Tuesday.

The Paris police department issued a statement saying the gas posed no health risks but warned that it smelled like a mixture of "sweat, garlic and rotten eggs".

A French Cup soccer match between Rouen and Olympique Marseille had to be postponed because of the stink, the French federation said.

A local news website said the gas had caused migraines, irritations and nausea among some residents of Rouen.

Britain's National Grid, which receives emergency phone calls when people smell gas, said it was experiencing a large volume of calls, as did smaller gas providers across southeast England.

London's Metropolitan Police tweeted: "We are aware of reports of a strong, noxious, gas-like smell in some South East London boroughs. No risks to public."

Ohio-based Lubrizol, founded in 1928 and part of U.S. conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway Inc since 2011, has production facilities in some 19 countries.

Payrouse said the last time the company had experienced a similar incident was in the late 1980s.

(Reporting by Catherine Bremer, Geert de Clercq and Julien Pretot in Paris, Karolin Schaps and Stephen Addison in London; Writing by Catherine Bremer; Editing by Alison Williams)

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Amid all the pomp and circumstance of inauguration weekend, Vice President Joe Biden showed a few of his 2016 cards as he mingled with some constituencies that would be key if he decides to run for president.

On Saturday, Biden attended the State Society of Iowa "First in the National Celebration" where he slipped up and referred to himself as the president instead of as the V.P.

"I'm proud to be president of the United States, but I am prouder to be " Biden said as the crowd started to laugh and cheer. "I'm proud to be vice president of the United States but I am prouder to be Barack Obama, President Barack Obama's vice president."

It wasn't just the state of Iowa that he seemed to be courting. For his official swearing in at the Naval Observatory on Sunday, Biden invited members of two other early primary states - New Hampshire and South Carolina. Newly elected Gov. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and other New Hampshire officials attended, and according to a pool report, and a seat at the ceremony was reserved for South Carolina Democratic Party chair Dick Harpootlian.

And who did the vice president select to swear him in for a second term? Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was the third woman and first Hispanic to ever issue the oath. On Sunday evening, the wooing of Hispanics continued when he made a surprise stop at the Latino Inaugural Gala.

"One thing that happened this election, you spoke, you spoke in a way that the world - and I mean the world as well as the United States - could not fail to hear," Biden said there. "The fact that the Hispanic and Latino community in this country was such a decisive voice in turning out in this election was noticed by the whole hemisphere .I think you underestimate your power. I think you underestimate what you've done for America and what you're about to do."

Then came Biden's jaunt through the Inaugural parade Monday when the vice president hammed it up with the crowd as he jogged up and down and zigzagged across the parade route, giving hugs and handshakes to supporters, wearing his penchant for retail politics on his sleeve.

So Biden left plenty of 2016 tea leaves to read as he heads into his second term as President Obama's number two.

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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Advanced Micro Devices Inc has hired two senior engineers with experience at Qualcomm Inc and Apple Inc, its latest high-level recruitments as it diversifies beyond a slowing personal computer industry, sources close to the chipmaker said.

Charles Matar, with expertise in low-power and embedded chip design, joined as AMD's vice president of System-on-Chip Development, two sources said. Matar most recently worked at Qualcomm.

Wayne Meretsky, who has worked at Apple on processors used in the iPad and iPhone, was named vice president, software IP development, they said. Meretsky will lead software developments for AMD's chips.

AMD spokesman Drew Prairie also confirmed that AMD hired the two engineers to help the chipmaker expand into new markets, but he did not provide details.

AMD depends on the PC industry for about 80 percent of its revenue. With sales in that business falling due to a growing preference for smartphones and tablets, the company is rushing to expand into new markets for its chip processors and graphics technology.

One of Silicon Valley's oldest chipmakers, AMD has experienced major changes in its lineup of executives and senior engineers since Chief Executive Rory Read moved over from PC maker Lenovo in 2011 promising to make the struggling chipmaker more efficient.

In October, AMD announced it was laying off 15 percent of its workforce, its second round of job cuts in less than a year.

Matar and Meretsky both worked at AMD earlier in their careers. Their return follows chip guru Jim Keller, who joined AMD as chief architect in August last year.

Keller was previously a director at Apple in charge of designing mobile processors used in the iPad and iPhone.

Sunnyvale, California-based AMD hopes to increase sales in markets such as communications, microservers, digital signs and stripped down "thin client" computers. It wants those non-PC markets to account for as much as 50 percent of its revenue within three or four years.

Matar will focus on designing SoCs, or "system on a chips", which integrate several features found on a computer into a single piece of silicon. The technology is widely used in smartphones, tablets and embedded devices.

The chipmaker plans to ship a new low power processor, codenamed Temash, for tablets and hybrid laptops running Microsoft's Windows 8 platform in the first half of this year.

Its Kabini laptop processor, also planned for early 2013, will have 50 percent better performance than its predecessor, according to AMD.

(Reporting by Noel Randewich and Richard Chang)

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PARK CITY, Utah (AP) Sebastian Junger wishes his latest Sundance Film Festival documentary never had to be made.

It's been a bittersweet return for Junger at Sundance, where his war chronicle "Restrepo" won the top documentary prize three years ago.

Junger's back with "Which Way Is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington," a portrait of his "Restrepo" co-director, who was killed covering fighting in Libya in April 2011. The film debuts April 18 on HBO.

Junger and producer James Brabazon, a long-time colleague with whom Hetherington covered combat in Liberia, were glad to share the film with Sundance audiences but uneasy coming to a festival that's billed as a celebration of film.

"It's an odd feeling. James and I are maybe the only filmmakers in the town who are in some ways quite sad our film exists," Junger said in an interview alongside Brabazon. "But it's also our opportunity to sort of communicate how extraordinary our good friend Tim Hetherington was.

"So I'm walking around, I'm seeing restaurants and street corners where Tim and I had conversations. I'm sort of flashing back. Yeah, it's a very kind of poignant experience."

A portrait of a U.S. platoon in Afghanistan, "Restrepo" earned an Academy Award nomination for best documentary. Six weeks after attending the Oscars, Hetherington was killed by shrapnel from a mortar round.

"Which Way Is the Front Line" chronicles Hetherington's early life in Great Britain, where he studied photography and first went overseas in 1999 to cover young soccer players in Liberia. In 2003, he returned there with veteran war photojournalist Brabazon to cover rebels trying to overthrow President Charles Taylor.

In 2007, Junger, author of the best-seller "The Perfect Storm," enlisted Hetherington to shoot photos and video for "Restrepo." The two spent a year filming a platoon in one of Afghanistan's most dangerous war zones, capturing both the boredom of waiting around for the fighting and tragedy as U.S. soldiers lost close friends in combat.

Hetherington was not the usual objective, fly-on-the-wall photojournalist. The new film reveals him as a chronicler of combat but also a humanitarian who engaged with his subjects and put his own life at risk to help them.

Brabazon recounts a day in Liberia when a doctor treating rebels was accused of being a government spy. A rebel leader dragged the man away at gunpoint, and Brabazon, who already had witnessed executions in Liberia, was convinced he was about to shoot video of another.

Hetherington was shooting video right next to him and stepped in to grab the gun hand of the rebel leader. He talked the man down, telling him not to shoot the doctor because he was the only medic the rebels had to tend their wounded.

"That for me more than anything demonstrated Tim's courage, bravery and central humanity," Brabazon said. "That wasn't another picture or part of the story for him. That was something that he needed to involve himself in as a human being with a very specific and concrete outcome. That person survived and was able to continue treating the wounded. That's how Tim saw war."

Hetherington had talked about leaving combat coverage behind, starting a family and settling down in a less-dangerous lifestyle. Though Hetherington had called Libya his last trip to a war zone, Junger and Brabazon said they're not sure he would have followed through and given up the front lines despite new opportunities that "Restrepo" had opened for him.

Junger and Hetherington had enjoyed the glitz of the Oscars, but they definitely felt out of place.

"If you're in the Hollywood world, the red carpet is in some ways, it's a savage sort of competition for attention," Junger said. "It's their combat zone, and we were just visiting it. ... We're kind of going to the zoo and seeing the pretty animals in some sense."

Hetherington enjoyed it and was bemused by all the attention, Junger said. Yet throughout Oscar season, the Arab Spring revolts were erupting in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere in Middle East. Hetherington and Junger kept telling each other they should be there rather than parading around Hollywood in tuxedos.

Soon after, Hetherington was there, back on the front lines.

"He is probably the only person who's managed to do this. He went from the red carpet at the Oscars to dead in a war zone in six weeks," Junger said. "People who make films that go to the Oscars usually don't get killed in war zones, and people who go to war zones aren't often on the red carpet. And he managed to do both."

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It was one of the biggest questions of Monday's inaugural celebrations: not what would President Barack Obama say, but what would his wife, Michelle Obama, wear?

The first lady cemented her reputation as an international style trend-setter with her choice of a Jason Wu red sleeveless ball gown in the evening, and a striking business-style blue navy coat and dress for the ceremonial daytime events.

It was a huge win for U.S. designer Wu making one of his ball gowns her choice for a second straight inauguration.

The first lady appeared for her first dance of the night with the president at the Commander-in-Chief's Ball for U.S. service members in a ruby-colored chiffon and full-length velvet gown custom made by the New York-based designer.

Her shoes were from the London-based Malaysian-Chinese designer Jimmy Choo, and she wore a diamond-embellished ring handmade by jeweler Kimberly McDonald of New York.

Michelle Obama helped make Wu a household name by choosing a white chiffon gown he designed for the balls celebrating her husband's first inauguration in 2009. Wu, now 30, has since had significant commercial success, but his creations in the two inaugurations has won him a place in U.S. fashion history.

Dressing the first lady, a Harvard-trained lawyer known for her style, can be a huge boost for a fashion designer or retail chain.

Praised for wearing high-end designers as well as pieces from mass-market stores, the first lady has won over fashion critics in her four years in the White House.

"Icon's a big word and it sometimes gets over used, but I think if we're going to use it, we can use it now," said Steven Kolb, chief executive of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, adding, "What makes her a real icon is the work that she does and the woman that she is."

Dresses, sweaters, shoes and belts she has worn have sold out at retailers from designer showrooms to mass market chains including Gap Inc., J. Crew and Target Corp., for which Wu has designed low-priced fashions.

Earlier on Monday, the first lady wore a navy coat and dress by designer Thom Browne, inspired by the fabric of a man's silk tie.

Her belt and gloves were from J.Crew, a chain that is a fixture in U.S. shopping malls; the necklace and earrings were designed by Cathy Waterman. The suede boots were by Reed Krakoff, as was the short blue cardigan she wore to a celebratory lunch in the Capitol.

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Best known for men's clothing, Browne boasts a string of design awards, most recently, a prestigious National Design Award for fashion from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution.

"She likes well-tailored clothes, so the inspiration was doing something that looked tailored and structured and fitted through the body and somewhat A-line for the skirt and the dress," Browne told the Los Angeles Times.

Style mavens credit the 49-year-old first lady with changing the way American women put together their outfits, and, by patronizing U.S. designers, bolstering a multibillion-dollar industry.

A 2010 study from New York University's Stern School of Business found that a single appearance by the first lady can generate $14 million in value for a company.

Famed for her toned arms, Obama set a trend for sleeveless tops. Her cardigans and belted dresses have prompted many working women to switch from blazers and suits in the workplace.

"Michelle looks good however, wherever, whatever she does. Michelle looks good in her sleeping gown," said Sharon Johnson, a therapist who came from Baltimore to watch the inauguration, and joked that she is still looking for the green leather gloves Obama wore on Inauguration Day four years ago.

"Her beauty is so far inside, and shines so far outside," Johnson said.

When Michelle Obama held the Bible for her husband during his official swearing-in on Sunday, she wore a dark blue dress by Reed Krakoff, the creative director for the Coach leather goods company, who has become a fashion designer.

On Sunday night, she wore a sleeveless black sequined dress by Michael Kors to an inaugural reception for supporters.

At that reception, President Obama weighed in on what he termed the most "significant" event of the inaugural weekend, his wife's hotly discussed new hairstyle.

"I love her bangs," Obama said. "She looks good. She always looks good."

Interest in Michelle Obama's clothing has extended to the outfits worn by her two daughters. On Monday, the White House said Malia, 14, was wearing a J.Crew ensemble and Sasha, 11, wore a Kate Spade coat and dress.

Obama is a far bigger influence on U.S. fashion than most of her predecessors. Laura Bush favored suits by Oscar de la Renta and Hillary Clinton, the U.S. Secretary of State, is best known for wearing a range of brightly colored pants suits.

Even stylish Jackie Kennedy wore mostly European designers.

Obama's fashion choices have not always been applauded. Some Americans were angry when she wore a red gown from a British label - Alexander McQueen - to a 2011 state dinner for China's president.

Kolb dismissed such concerns, noting that fashion is a global business and that U.S. designers are thrilled when, for example, Kate Middleton, the wife of Britain's Prince of Wales, wears their clothing.

"At the end of the day, we get up in the morning and we look in our closet and we have to feel good about what we put on," he said.

At the end of the inaugural festivities, Michelle Obama's outfits and accompanying accessories will go to the National Archives.

(Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Steve Holland and Alina Selyukh; Editing by Alistair Bell and Christopher Wilson)

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(Reuters) - Sony Corp's Sony Mobile Communications Inc said it will sell the new version of its Xperia tablet in Japan this spring, the Nikkei reported, citing Kyodo News.

The Xperia Tablet Z, whose price has not been announced, has a 10.1-inch display, is 6.9 mm thin and weighs 495 grams, according to the company's website.

Rival Google Inc's Nexus 10 tablet is 8.9 mm thick, while Apple Inc's iPad mini measures 7.9 mm.

Sony halted sales of Xperia in October, a month after launch, after discovering gaps between the screen and the case that made some of the machines susceptible to water damage.

The Nikkei reported on Sunday that Japanese smartphone makers seem to be regaining some market share they lost to companies like Apple and Samsung Electronics Co.

(Reporting by Krithika Krishnamurthy in Bangalore; Editing by Joyjeet Das)

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NEW YORK (AP) The second inauguration of President Barack Obama gave television networks a chance to bask in the majesty of a Washington event that unites Americans of all beliefs and ideologies at least for a moment.

Then it was back to business as usual: the dissemination of widely divergent views on what people had just seen for themselves.

ABC, CBS and NBC, along with the cable news networks, cast aside regular programming on Monday to carry the ceremonial swearing-in and Obama's inaugural address. It didn't carry the same sense of history that Obama's first inauguration did. In 2009, even ESPN and MTV covered the swearing-in. This year, ESPN stuck to talk about the upcoming Super Bowl, and MTV aired "Catfish: The TV Show."

Until the ceremony actually began, the networks were all challenged with the television equivalent of vamping for time. On MSNBC, Andrea Mitchell interviewed singer John Legend, who noted that one of his songs was on Obama's Spotify playlist. NBC discussed first lady Michelle Obama's new hairstyle.

"Well, what else are we going to talk about?" anchor Brian Williams said apologetically.

Obama's inaugural address lasted about 18 minutes, seemingly only slightly longer than the inaugural poem and definitely shorter than the evaluations of on-air pundits paid to dissect it.

CBS veteran Washington hand Bob Schieffer, sifting through a transcript of Obama's speech after it was delivered, said he "didn't hear a line that kind of sums it all up." His colleague, Scott Pelley, called it a civil rights speech and noted Obama's citation of key moments in fights for equality among black Americans, women and gays.

"I felt during much of the speech, I felt like I was listening to a Democratic Ronald Reagan," said ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl. "Where Reagan was unabashedly conservative, Obama was unabashedly progressive."

While Karl's colleague, conservative commentator George Will, said too much of the speech reprised campaign themes, he found links in language used by Obama and inaugural addresses by Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.

On CNN, historian and Obama biographer David Marannis said Obama's address was much more positive and active than his first inaugural speech four years ago. "I could feel his heart beating this time," he said.

Chris Matthews said on MSNBC that parts of the speech were "going to drive the right crazy." A click away on the TV remote at Fox News Channel, analyst Charles Krauthammer was proving it.

"I found this sort of unrelenting," Krauthammer said. "You get a sense of a man who said, 'Alright, I've won my second election. I never have to face the electorate again. I'm going to be who I want to be, and I'm going to change the ideological trajectory of this country. That's my job, and that's why I'm here historically.'"

Fox's Brit Hume drew a joking rebuke from a colleague when the camera showed a picture of Beyonce, and he said, "She looks stunning, doesn't she?"

"Watch out," Chris Wallace quickly said. "Brent Musburger got in trouble for that, my friend." After the recent college football national championship, ESPN announcer Musburger was scolded by his bosses for lingering on the beauty of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron's girlfriend, the 2012 Miss Alabama USA.

Beyonce "is an incredibly beautiful woman, and there's nothing wrong with pointing it out," Fox's Megyn Kelly said.

When the inauguration festivities moved indoors and cameras panned over politicians circling through the crowd, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow struck a note that a regular cable news viewer might question as too hopeful.

"I think the ceremony is cool, and the usual celebration is cool," she said. "It is also really nice to see Republicans and Democrats, and liberals and conservatives, chatting very casually with each other without talking politics."

As she spoke, the cameras focused on Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts smiling but standing alone.

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TORONTO (Reuters) - Shares of Research In Motion surged to a 13-month high on Monday after its chief executive said the company may consider strategic alliances with other companies after the launch of devices powered by RIM's new BlackBerry 10 operating system.

In an interview with a German newspaper on Monday, Thorsten Heins, the chief executive, said RIM's ongoing review could potentially lead to the sale of its handset business or the licensing of its software to rival smartphone companies.

"The main thing for now is to successfully introduce Blackberry 10. Then we'll see," Heins was reported as saying.

The company, set to launch its new line of devices on January 30, played down the significance of the comments, saying that Heins's comments were in line with his prior statements.

"We do not have anything new to report on our strategic review at this time," said RIM spokesman Nick Manning.

The comments sent RIM's Toronto-listed shares up as much as 17.6 percent, with the shares up 15.3 percent at C$18.12 at 1400 ET. The company's typically more-active Nasdaq-listed shares were not being traded on Monday because U.S. financial markets were closed for a public holiday.

RIM announced a far-reaching strategic review last May in which it was widely expected to examine all options, from software licensing deals to an outright sale of the company.

The company virtually invented mobile email with its first BlackBerry devices more than a decade ago, but its market share has evaporated as consumers have flocked to Apple Inc's iPhone and devices based on Google's Android operating system. RIM now hopes its revamped line of touchscreen and keyboard devices will help it win back market share.

RIM shares are down almost 90 percent from an all-time high of over C$150 in 2008, but the stock has rallied in the last four months as the launch of the BlackBerry 10 devices nears. Its shares have nearly tripled in value since dipping as low as C$6.10 in late September.

The stock rose more than 6 percent on Friday alone, after an influential analyst raised his rating on the company and said that the BlackBerry 10 operating system performed as well or better than rivals in recent tests.

Byron Capital analyst Tom Astle on Monday raised his price target on RIM shares to C$18 from C$14.

"There are several emerging datapoints that suggest this may be a more successful product cycle than many expected," said Astle in a note to clients.

(Reporting by Euan Rocha; Editing by Frank McGurty and Leslie Adler)

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RENO, Nev. (AP) Long before Hostess Brands' plan to shut down made Twinkies the rage, Nancy Peppin found something special about the cream-filled snack cakes.

No, she doesn't have a sweet tooth for them.

But she has featured Twinkies in hundreds of pieces of quirky, satirical artwork because of an obsession with what she calls the "ultimate American food icon."

The prolific Reno artist says she was first influenced to focus on Twinkies in 1975 by Andy Warhol, who demonstrated that even a Campbell's soup can could be an object of art.

"He showed you a new way of looking at a familiar object," said Peppin, who has sold and exhibited her artwork. "That's what I'm doing with Twinkies. I'm having people look at Twinkies in a brand new way and in an entertaining way."

Shortly after Hostess Brands Inc. announced plans to go out of business last year, Peppin was among those who joined the rush to stores to fill shopping carts with boxes of the spongy cakes.

But unlike others, she didn't buy 12 boxes with 10 Twinkies each to turn a profit on eBay or Craigslist.

"I needed art supplies," said Peppin, who uses Twinkies and their packaging to create some of her pieces. She also features renderings of the snack cakes in watercolor paintings, mixed media, prints and artwork.

Her works include her "Twinkies in history series," which portrays how scientists such as John James Audubon, Charles Darwin and Leonardo da Vinci would have sketched and written about Twinkies in journals or books.

Peppin, an Oakland, Calif., native who earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1966, conducted extensive research to make the series seem as authentic as possible.

Her Audubon series on the "North American Twinkie (twinkopus hostus)" includes illustrations of three "important subspecies Cream-bellied Twinkie, Strawberry-throated Twinkie, Golden-backed Twinkie" as well as writings describing the "birds" and explaining their migration patterns.

"Twinkies radiate out from the spring St. Louis breeding area to the summer nesting habitats throughout the world. Populations are heaviest in the North American 7-11 meridian," she wrote. St. Louis and 7-Eleven stores both share a long history with Hostess and its brands.

She updated the Audubon series after Hostess shut down operations in November: "It went from being the most popular snack cake in the world to sudden extinction due to consumption by raptors capitalist vultures (cathartes wallstreetidae)."

Her painting titled "The Last Snack" is a takeoff of da Vinci's "The Last Supper" featuring Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho Hos and other Hostess products at a table with the same arrangement and background as da Vinci's classic.

Her parody of a "girly" calendar from an auto body shop features a partially undressed "Miss Twinkie" standing next to her Harley.

The artwork reflects the offbeat sense of humor of a woman who by day creates special effects animation for Reno-based International Game Technology, one of the world's largest slot machine makers.

Steven High, executive director of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Fla., said he finds Peppin's artwork and use of Twinkies as a metaphor to explore various subjects clever, humorous and imaginative.

"In some ways, she takes this kind of silly item and treats it as a cultural artifact and imagines it as a subject of scientific studies," he said. "She's an excellent illustrator and the way she pulls these (works) together is amazing. They're fascinating and draw you in, even though the subject matter is unusual."

Peppin foresees no end to her obsession. With many potential buyers lined up for Hostess brands, she says, Twinkies will survive into the future.

Hostess is expected to announce a bidder for Twinkies and its other snack cakes this month. Other interested parties will be able to make competing offers once the top bid is announced.

"It'll become a mutation of the species, but it'll perpetuate the species," Peppin said. "There are all sorts of history applications that I haven't exhausted like Twinkies being found in the ruins at Pompeii."

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