Danny Puff

NEW YORK (AP) It all started with a slap for Matthew Rhys. Trying out for "The Americans," he took one in the puss from Keri Russell.

This new FX drama, whose third episode airs Wednesday at 10 p.m. EST, focuses on two KGB spies posing as an ordinary American couple shortly after Ronald Reagan became president.

As Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, they have a comfortable home in a Washington suburb, two sweet kids, a travel agency they run and, by all signs, a solid piece of the American Dream. No one would suspect that they are Russian-born plants bent on burying the United States with subterfuge and brutality.

No one, that is, unless it's their new neighbor, FBI agent Stan Beeman (played by Noah Emmerich with an infectious mix of cunning and dorkiness), who has recently moved in with his family across the street. He represents just one among the many threats of exposure, imprisonment or death they face daily.

"It's an incredible balancing act to portray: the domesticity of their suburban lives and the struggle of their relationship as an arranged couple, and then the extreme spy stuff," says Rhys.

"The balancing act is very difficult," echoes Russell in a separate interview. "We're spies, but how much do you play that reality? And how do you play the masquerade that you're NOT a spy? There are so many layers to it."

"The Americans" is a good old-fashioned thriller, set in a pre-cellphone, -Internet and -PC world where gumption counts as much as gadgetry in the espionage game, and where the world is a very anxious place yet handily divided between Good and the Evil Empire (as Reagan dubbed the Soviet Union).

Meanwhile, the series calls on viewers to root for Philip and Elizabeth as they risk everything to advance this "Evil Empire."

But however driven in their partnership, they are butting heads. Elizabeth despises American values. She is fiercely devoted to the cause of Mother Russia. But Philip is torn: He doesn't think the U.S. is such a bad place.

"That kind of disagreement is something I understand as someone who is not a spy, but as just someone in a marriage," says Russell with a knowing smile.

For most viewers, Russell, now 36, needs no introduction. In 1998 she burst on the scene, complete with those flowing pre-Raphaelite curls, in the title role of "Felicity," then followed up with the miniseries "Into the West," films including "Extraordinary Measures," ''Waitress" and her upcoming horror flick, "Dark Skies," and, alongside Will Arnett, the short-lived sitcom "Running Wilde."

The script for "The Americans" arrived at Russell's door just days after the December 2011 birth of her second child, Willa Lou, with carpenter-husband Shane Deary. Understandably, she wasn't eager to rush back to work.

"But this show was so strange and complicated I couldn't really figure it out, and I thought, 'That could stay interesting and fun to do,'" she says. Besides, it conveniently substitutes circa-1980s Washington with New York locations. "It shoots near my house in Brooklyn. I can ride my bike to work."

Still sylphic and long-haired, Russell makes an ideal Elizabeth Jennings, who, by turns, is a lovely wife and mother, a fearless operative and a rock-'em-sock-'em brawler.

And to hear her talk, Russell seems thrilled with her leading man.

The 38-year-old Welsh-born Rhys is best known from ABC's drama "Brothers & Sisters," where he played lawyer and gay man Kevin Walker. His credits also include the indie film "The Scapegoat" and the BBC miniseries "The Mystery of Edwin Drood."

"He's a real actor! I'm in awe of him!" says Russell. "We'll be doing a scene and I'll go, 'Matthew's doing all of THAT, and I'm just doing THIS! Arggggg!' Between Matthew and Noah Emmerich and me, I'm the most boring TV person in the show."

When those words are shared with Rhys, he bursts out laughing.

"She's INCREDIBLE! She's the total package!" he declares. "Her work ethic is huge, she takes the right things seriously and most of the other stuff, not. I wish she had a little more awareness of how good she is."

Rhys was asked to come test opposite Russell based on his impressive off-Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of the modern classic "Look Back in Anger."

"I was brought in for the infamous 'chemistry read,'" he chortles, meant to see how he and Russell would mesh.

He was one of several prospects.

"In between them, I was pumping in the bathroom because I was nursing a new baby," Russell laughs. "And then I'd come out and test with the next stranger. We were reading the scene in the laundry room from the first episode, where Philip presents the idea of defection." (Philip tells Elizabeth: "We could get relocated, live the good life, and be happy.") "My character is outraged that he would even consider it.

"Basically, there's a slap in that scene," Russell adds. "But when the first guy came in, I didn't do it."

Then it was Rhys' turn. "The director said, 'Slap him.' So I went for it."

Rhys picks up the story: "Strange as it may sound, she slaps incredibly well. In the same place every time, and never near your eye. The swing of her arm was incredibly violent, but her wrist remained soft, so there wasn't much force behind it."

Clearly, he and Russell connected.

"And now it's become this ongoing joke," he says. "Keri will slap me not hard just before a take, just to see how I react. I feel like Inspector Clouseau and she's Cato. It's a surreal feeling to have the demure, angelic Keri Russell wallop you across the chops at any moment. But it's great!"

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Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at fmoore(at)ap.org and at http://www.twitter.com/tvfrazier

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LOS ANGELES (AP) Academy Awards producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have run out of rehearsal space. Dressing rooms, too.

The award-winning production duo is planning the most performance-filled Oscar show ever. They promise a "wow moment" in each of its 13 acts, so the show demands a more dynamic stage and more dressing rooms and rehearsal time than previous Oscar productions.

"I don't think any Oscars have been as performance-based," Meron said.

It's no surprise, given the pair's hit-filled history: They produced 2003's best picture, "Chicago," and count TV's "Smash" and the recent Broadway revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" among their credits.

Running out of space for their Oscar production's A-list roster of performers including Barbra Streisand, Adele and Norah Jones is what Zadan calls a "great problem."

"When you do an Oscar show, you don't have a dressing room problem. The presenters don't get dressing rooms. And how many people perform on the Oscars, like one or two?" he said. "We have a staggering amount of performers, and each of them needs a dressing room... We're measuring the magnitude of how big the show is by the fact that we don't have (enough) dressing rooms."

Just added to the list of stars who may need spots? The cast of "Chicago."

The producers announced Monday that Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah and Richard Gere will reunite on the stage where "Chicago" won its Oscar 10 years ago.

"In a night of celebration of the music of the movies, we find it very appropriate," Meron said.

So will the musical cast sing?

"We can't talk about what they're going to do!" Zadan said.

Here's what they will talk about:

Expect a dynamic, screen-filled set to accommodate the movie-focused numbers: "We're using a lot of cutting-edge technology with new LED screens of different sizes, shapes and configurations... It's kind of thrilling what we're doing with screens," Zadan said. "There will be, too, the regular screen that you have to use each year... but then we have all kinds of other screens that we're using in the show that are completely unique and different and allow us to do stuff with cinema, so it's not a concert thing where somebody comes out and sings a song. It's all integrated into movies."

Look for a lot of host Seth MacFarlane: "He's going to be very present as a host, as a host should," Meron said.

And expect to hear him show off his chops: "Seth will sing. He's got a great voice," Zadan said.

"Seth really does understand and have great reverence for the music of the movies," Meron added. "He loves it."

And about those "wow moments?" Among them will be a celebration of the James Bond film franchise, a tribute to movie musicals, Streisand, Adele, a "special appearance" by Daniel Radcliffe, Charlize Theron, Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and maybe something from the cast of "Chicago."

"We think seeing the cast of 'The Avengers' is pretty wow," Meron said.

Better book them a dressing room.

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Contact Sandy Cohen at www.twitter.com/APSandy.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) A warning not to show too much skin didn't seem to deter the stars out Sunday for the Grammy Awards.

Jennifer Lopez was among those showing off thigh-high or higher openings in their dresses. Katy Perry showed down-to-there cleavage in a seafoam gown.

CBS put out a memo earlier in the week asking that "buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered" for the televised award show. The memo sent out Wednesday also warned against "see-through clothing," exposure of "the genital region" and said that "thong type costumes are problematic."

"As you can see, I read the memo," Lopez joked as she took the stage.

Miranda Lambert revealed some leg on the red carpet and laughed about the guidelines.

"I thought it was funny," she said. "Country music has never really been a problem with that."

Singer-songwriter Skylar Grey let out an "oops!" when asked about it. "I had to show the side boob," she said. "What are they gonna do, kick me off?"

Andrew Dost of fun. said he read the memo, "but all we wanted to do is go as classy and timeless as possible." Bandmate Jack Antonoff joked that he was "showing off a lot of ankle" going sockless with high pants.

Rihanna seemed to get the memo: The usually provocative star covered up in an elegant red gown. Taylor Swift wore a prim gold metallic floral cocktail dress by Jenny Packham to the pre-telecast awards before changing into something a bit more revealing for the red carpet. Beyonce wore a modest pantsuit. All three won early awards.

"I think it's just, you know, we should always stay classy and dress according to the event that's being held," Ashanti said. "So I don't think people should be limited so much and told what you can and cannot do. But, you know, you do have to have a certain class and prestige about yourself."

Even she, though, revealed a fair amount of leg and cleavage. Hey, this isn't the Oscars.

Comedian Kathy Griffin joked about the fashion warning.

"I'm here to watch all the pomp and circumstance," she said. "You want to see a lack of underwear. I'm open to all the forbidden parts."

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AP reporter Beth Harris contributed to this report.

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A record $1 million reward was posted on Sunday for information leading to the capture of a fugitive former Los Angeles policeman suspected of targeting police officers and their families in three killings committed in retaliation for his 2008 firing.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck said the reward, raised from private donations, police unions, businesses and city and county governments, marks the largest sum ever offered in Southern California in a criminal investigation.

The reward was posted as law enforcement agencies across the region pressed on for a fourth day in their search for the suspect, ex-LAPD officer and U.S. Navy reservist Christopher Dorner, 33. Beck described it as the most extensive manhunt ever mounted in the Los Angeles area.

He called the spate of revenge-driven violence Dorner is accused of committing "an act of domestic terrorism."

"This is a man who has targeted those who we entrust to protect the public. His actions cannot go unanswered," Beck said.

At a news conference, Beck said investigators were making progress but he declined to elaborate, saying they presumed that if Dorner is still alive, he would be following media coverage of the manhunt closely.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa added, "Our dedication to catching this killer remains steadfast, our confidence in bringing him to justice remains unshaken."

An LAPD spokesman also said police would be providing extra security for the recording industry's Grammy Awards ceremony on Sunday at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angles.

The search for Dorner has been focused in the snow-covered San Bernardino Mountains northeast of Los Angeles since a pickup truck belonging to Dorner was found abandoned and burning near the popular ski resort community of Big Bear Lake on Thursday.

Police throughout the region also have chased down numerous unconfirmed sightings and dead-end leads.

One of the latest of those, prompted by calls from two individuals reporting they had seen someone resembling Dorner, led police on Sunday to a hardware store in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley community of Northridge.

The store was evacuated and searched, but no evidence of Dorner's presence was uncovered, police said.

His last confirmed encounters with authorities came early on Thursday in two Riverside County towns east of Los Angeles, police said. He is accused of exchanging gunfire with a pair of police officers in Corona, injuring one, and later ambushing two policemen at a stoplight in Riverside. One of those officers was killed, the other wounded.

'UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE'

A rambling manifesto posted on Dorner's Facebook page last week claimed he was wrongly terminated from the LAPD in September 2008 and vowed to seek revenge by unleashing "unconventional and asymmetrical warfare" on police officers and their families.

A former Navy lieutenant, Dorner was named as a suspect in last weekend's slayings of a campus security officer and his fiance, the daughter of a retired Los Angeles police captain blamed in Dorner's manifesto for his dismissal. The couple, Keith Lawrence, 27, and Monica Quan, 28, were found shot dead last Sunday in their car on the top level of a parking structure in the city of Irvine, south of Los Angeles.

Dorner had ended his military service two days earlier, but the Navy has not disclosed the circumstances of his discharge.

Quan's father, Randy, had represented Dorner in disciplinary proceedings that led to his dismissal from the LAPD after a police inquiry found he had made false statements accusing a superior officer of using excessive force against a homeless person.

Beck announced on Saturday a reopening of the inquiry to "reassure the public that their police department is transparent and fair."

The LAPD also has launched an inquiry into a police shooting in which two women were wounded when officers opened fire on a pickup truck resembling Dorner's vehicle in a case of mistaken identity on Thursday. The two women, one of them aged 71, were delivering newspapers when they were shot.

The police officer who was killed in an ambush that morning was publicly identified on Sunday as Michael Crain, 34, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in the Riverside Police Department for 11 years.

LAPD spokesman Andrew Smith said "an army" of police officers would be providing security for a public memorial service planned for Crain on Wednesday.

In addition to keeping up the manhunt in and around Big Bear Lake, police were searching areas around the homes of more than 50 Los Angeles police officers whose families authorities believe Dorner has targeted as potential victims.

(Additional reporting and writing by Steve Gorman. Editing by Christopher Wilson)

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NEW YORK (AP) During every season of designer previews at New York Fashion Week a few key, quirky items seem to pop up on different runways. They're not quite trends since one has to think they're partly for runway effect not retail orders, but they're part of the style zeitgeist nonetheless.

This time there were fur mittens oversized like boxer mitts at Alexander Wang and Altuzarra. What were the odds? And how does the ball start rolling on items such as oversized fur mittens, harnesses or sleeveless coats?

It's safe to say designers don't take a meeting together to decide what direction to go in.

"The honest answer is some of it is plain and simple coincidence," said Cindi Leive, editor in chief of Glamour magazine. "These designers are creating hundreds of looks over the course of a season. It would be more unusual if there were no overlap."

Still, she said, there also are fashion cycles and sociological factors to consider as catwalk collections are prepared.

Take fur both real and fake. Leive said Sunday it has been on every runway so far on this fourth of eight days of fashion week.

After the recession, no one was touching fur, she said, but it has slowly made a comeback as people feel a little more comfortable about spending money. The interpretation this go-around has been impactful, with an emphasis on oversized unexpected fur touches such as hoods, handbags and boots, but they're not as expensive as a full-length coat.

It's important for fashion insiders to be aware of what's happening in other parts of culture, including politics and art, said Marie Claire executive editor Nina Garcia earlier in the week as she prepared to judge aspiring designers at "Project Runway."

"Successful designers soak it all in," she said.

Fashion week continues in New York through Thursday, when the influential Marc Jacobs closes out things. Runway previews then move on to London, Milan and Paris.

DVF

Diane von Furstenberg's "Glam Rock" collection included wrap dresses, long her calling card, jumpsuits and metallic jackets. It also included high-shine silver leather skinny pants.

"The idea is not that it's clothes for a party, but it's clothes. It's life that's a party and that was my inspiration," she said in a backstage interview.

She isn't afraid of prints and color, and there were animal prints, angel wings and birds in a sunset palette dotted by rose gold and silver.

Her fall collection had a much less aggressive tone than most of the others. Remember, von Furstenberg is courting the party girl, who'd have places to wear maxi dresses and gold snakeskin jackets. It's chiffon one minute, leather the next.

"Wrapped in a swirl of twisted chain-link, she steps into the night, lights flashing. With an effortless glamour, she winks at herself and smiles at her shadow," von Furstenberg said in her notes.

DKNY

Donna Karan's DKNY label features a lot of lipstick red and hot pink looks for fall.

Yes, there were tough-girl looks, including a long quilted bomber jacket and a long silk-and-jersey dress with sheer panels in black. But it was the brights, and especially the animal-print brights, that lit up the runway

There was a "heartthrob red" quilted crop top worn over a flowing, long silk dress and a tailored, peak-lapel blazer in "pop pink" over a button-down shirtdress. The animal prints showed off a long tunic-length sweater silhouette.

Colorblocking was freshest when Karan used sophisticated camel, crisp white and downtown black on a paneled parka, and when she mixed gray herringbone, white and black on a flirty dress with a slim bodice, full skirt and soft shoulders.

TRACY REESE

There were animal prints all over Tracy Reese's fall collection.

A cheetah-print coat opened the show, paired with a black lace shirt and a charcoal pant. The collection also included a cheetah tunic covering a cheetah skirt, a zebra-print trench over a crepe floral dress and an "animal jacquard" coat in tan and black worn over a sequined sweater.

"There are so many cool ways to use animal prints," Reese said backstage. "Subtle and not so subtle. Even in the beading."

Reese said she hoped women would become bolder about mixing prints like pairing an animal print with a floral. "Most women like to wear only one print at a time. But I like to mix them, and I wanted to open up the conversation a bit."

Her collection also included a floral-printed neoprene frock in pink, orange and black and a sleek black knee-length number with huge red flowers on it, its dainty shape contrasting nicely with the boldness of the print.

VICTORIA BECKHAM

The opening look at Victoria Beckham's show was a windowpane plaid coat. She also incorporated more sweaters and knits into her collection, with a nod to mod with some geometric, colorblocked shift dresses.

The most unexpected looks were the flashes of bright yellow, including a sleeveless trench; the techno shine she added to pleated skirts that the audience could only see as the models walked; and the long cape-style tuxedo coat.

One of the important evolutions for fall is the softer shoulder, which she used to tweak one of her popular zip-back, slim-fit dress silhouettes.

For shoes, she put models in lower kitten heels, made in collaboration with Manolo Blahnik, which was a bit of a surprise for a woman known for skyscraper stilettos.

"I'm always designing what I want to wear," she said.

DEREK LAM

Derek Lam says a navy-black mix is one of his favorite combinations.

"There's something very unpretentious about navy, and black is very crisp and stark. The navy breaks up the black. And black gives the navy an urban feel," the designer said backstage after his fall-winter preview.

Lam paired a navy-and-white satin top with a black wool trouser. A navy-and-gray wool jersey T-shirt came with a navy-and-black jacquard trouser, plus black shoes and bag. A felt coat came in navy, black and white wool, covering an ivory lace dress.

Another big color on Lam's runway this season: luxurious camel. A classic, loose coat in camel cashmere opened the show, and a roomy cashmere duffel coat looked glamorous with sunglasses of the same color. Camel was also used for a wool cashmere pullover, a wool-and-cashmere dress and a big boucle cape.

Capes in general were a popular item. One particularly nice look was an elbow-length black leather cape that tied in front.

A red, knee-length fox fur vest, paired with wine-colored flat boots, was by far the most flamboyant item in the show. A shorter, navy fox vest was more understated and in line with the rest of the collection. It was paired with a navy crochet dress and brown ankle boots.

JOSEPH ALTUZARRA

Joseph Altuzarra's urban, confident, fashion-forward customer wears graphic black-and-white leather layers it on, in fact and then there's the fox or mink fur on top. She's not shy about drawing attention in fur mittens, shiny grommet embellishment and strategically placed zippers. She wears her high-waisted trousers with a low-slung belt.

His fall-winter collection also includes optic white pants and a khaki cotton sleeveless trench worn with a khaki four-button tailored skirt.

The silhouette he offers his customers is strong and slim, sometimes with a little bump at the hip.

"The design and construction emphasize the nip of the waist and exaggerate the hip, while shrunken proportions mixed with a bolder shoulder volume sharpen the classic silhouette," he says in describing the shape.

CHRISTIAN SIRIANO

The "Project Runway" alum used the Russian opera as the inspiration for his fall runway show, using a book of Russian opera houses as reference.

The girl wearing this collection, he said, was on her way to see the Russian opera.

"I wanted it to be a story of what she wears during the day, what she'll wear for a cocktail dress, what she'll wear to the opera," he said.

His vintage-inspired day looks evoke many eras, from the 1940s to the 1960s, and were mostly separates of turtlenecks paired with loose leather trousers and faux fur vests in muted colors such as white, black and camel.

One ensemble included a pointed-toe flat in a penny loafer style, a surprise inclusion given fashion's love for the high heel. Siriano explained it as a way to ensure its wearability, and also because he "wanted it to be a bit more demure, a bit simple."

Other shoes in the collection included bootie heels and heeled penny loafers with gold trim, echoing the filigree that anchored many of the evening dresses that closed the show.

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AP Writers Jocelyn Noveck, Nicole Evatt and Amanda Kwan contributed to this story.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) There is a heavier-than-usual police presence at the Grammy Awards because of a dangerous former Los Angeles police officer believed to have killed three people in a region-wide rampage this week.

Police Cmdr. Andy Smith says the always heavily guarded Grammys will see even more officers at Staples Center Sunday as the hunt for 33-year-old fugitive Christopher Dorner continues.

The search is focused in mountains 80 miles away, but police say Dorner could be anywhere, and most of the targets he threatened in an online manifesto have ties to the LAPD, which typically has a visible presence at the Grammys.

Scores of officers are outside Staples, others are stationed on a hotel roof across the street and Grammy participants' credentials are being checked constantly.

Dorner's manifesto mentions many celebrities, but makes no threats to entertainers.

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MANILA, Philippines (AP) A southern Philippine town plans to hold funeral rites for the world's largest saltwater crocodile and then preserve its remains in a museum to keep tourists coming and prevent their community from slipping back into obscurity, the town's mayor said Monday.

The 1-ton crocodile was declared dead Sunday a few hours after flipping over with a bloated stomach in a pond in an eco-tourism park in Bunawan town, which had started to draw tourists, revenue and development because of the immense reptile, Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said.

"The whole town, in fact the whole province, is mourning," Elorde said from Bunawan in Agusan del Sur province. "My phones kept ringing because people wanted to say how affected they are."

Guinness World Records had proclaimed it the largest saltwater crocodile in captivity last year, measuring the giant at 6.17 meters (20.24 feet). The reptile took the top spot from an Australian crocodile that measured more than 5 meters (17 feet) and weighed nearly a ton.

The crocodile was named Lolong, after a government environmental officer who died from a heart attack after traveling to Bunawan to help capture the beast. The crocodile, estimated to be more than 50 years old, was blamed for a few brutal deaths of villagers before Bunawan folk came to love it.

The giant reptile has come to symbolize the rich bio-diversity of Agusan marsh, where it was captured. The vast complex of swamp forests, shallow lakes, lily-covered ponds and wetlands is home to wild ducks, herons, egrets and threatened species like the Philippine Hawk Eagle.

Wildlife experts were to perform an autopsy as early as Monday to determine the cause of its death, Elorde said.

Bunawan villagers planned to perform a tribal ritual, which involves butchering chicken and pigs as funeral offerings to thank forest spirits for the fame and other blessings the crocodile has brought, Elordie said. A group of Christians would separately offer prayers before the autopsy.

The rites would be held at the eco-tourism park, where the reptile had emerged as a star attraction, drawing foreign tourists, scientists and wildlife reporting outfits like the National Geographic to Bunawan, a far-flung town of 37,000 people about 515 miles (830 kilometers) southeast of Manila.

The crocodile's capture in September 2011 sparked celebrations in Bunawan, but it also raised concerns that more giant crocodiles might lurk in a marshland and creek where villagers fish. The crocodile was captured with steel cable traps during a hunt prompted by the death of a child in 2009 and the later disappearance of a fisherman. Water buffalos have also been attacked by crocodiles in the area.

About 100 people led by Elorde pulled the crocodile from a creek using a rope and then hoisted it by crane onto a truck.

Philippine officials had planned to construct a road to the park to accommodate the growing number of tourists, Elorde said, adding that he planned to have the crocodile preserved and placed in a museum so Bunawan villagers and tourists could still marvel at it.

"I'd like them to see the crocodile that broke a world record and put our town on the map," he said.

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A woman digs her car out of a snow drift in Portland, Maine, Feb. 9, 2013. (AP Photo)

The winter storm that blanketed the northeast left more than 30 inches of snow in at least 46 cities and towns before heading out to sea. In Connecticut, where more than three feet fell in several pockets of the state, the town of Hamden cracked the 40-inch mark--the most in New England.

Below are the top snowfall totals compiled from National Weather Service data, CBS News and Boston.com.

1. Hamden, Conn. 40.0"
2. Milford, Conn. 38.0"
3. Clintonville, Conn. 37.0"
4. Oxford, Conn. 36.2"
5. North Branford, Conn. 36.0"
6. Meriden, Conn. 36.0"
7. Gorham, Maine. 35.5"
8. East Haddam, Conn. 35.5"
9. Fairfield, Conn. 35.0"
10. Wallingford, Conn. 35.0"
11. Yalesville, Conn. 35.0"
12. West Boylston, Mass. 34.5"
13. New Haven, Conn. 34.3"
14. West Haven, Conn. 34.0"
15. Northford, Conn. 33.5"
16. Medford, New York 33.5"
17. East Haven, Conn. 33.0"
18. Guilford, Conn. 33.0"
19. New Hartford, Conn. 33.0"
20. Stratford, Conn. 33.0"
21. Wolcott, Conn. 33.0"
22. Madison, Conn. 32.0"
23. Manchester, Conn. 32.0"
24. North Guilford, Conn. 32.0"
25. Waterbury, Conn. 32.0"
26. Berwick, Maine 32.0"
27. Centereach, New York: 32.0"
28. Portland, Maine 31.9"
29. Stoughton, Mass. 31.5"
30. Colchester, Conn. 31.0"
31. Weatogue, Conn. 31.0"
32. Spencer, Mass. 31.0"
33. Upton, New York 30.9"
34. Central Islip, New York 30.7"
35. Coventry, Conn. 30.5"
36. Tolland, Conn. 30.5"
37. Framingham, Mass. 30.5"
38. New Boston, N.H. 30.4"
39. Fitchburg, Mass. 30.2"
40. Winchester, Mass. 30.2"
41. Bridgeport, Conn. 30.0"
42. Monroe, Conn. 30.0"
42. Naugatuck, Conn. 30.0"
43. Old Saybrook, Conn. 30.0"
44. Quincy, Mass. 30.0"
45. Mount Vernon, N.H. 30.0"

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will describe his plan for spurring the economy in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, offering proposals for investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, clean energy and education, a senior administration official said on Saturday.

In the annual presidential address to Congress, Obama plans to show he has not lost sight of the economic woes of middle-class Americans - issues that dominated the 2012 election campaign but have been overshadowed recently by efforts to cut the deficit, overhaul immigration laws and curb gun violence.

"The potential success of his second term is hugely dependent on the rate at which the economy grows," said Ruy Teixeira, a political scientist with the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress.

"There's no problem the Democrats have that can't be solved with faster growth. Conversely, there's not much they'll be able to do if growth stays slow."

Obama previewed his economic growth plan in a speech to House of Representatives Democrats this week, telling them he would stress the importance of education, development of clean energy, and infrastructure.

There were no details on the new initiatives for infrastructure, manufacturing, clean energy and education, elements first reported by the New York Times.

But any new spending will face tough opposition from Republicans in Congress who are focused on cutting spending and reducing the deficit.

Obama has urged Congress to take steps to postpone harsh government spending cuts slated to take effect on March 1, and the White House took pains on Friday to describe how the cuts would affect ordinary Americans' lives.

Obama has said he is willing to cut a "big deal" with Republicans to trim spending on the Medicare and Social Security programs for the elderly, but has insisted in ending long-standing tax breaks for oil companies, private equity firms and corporate jet owners to create more revenue for government.

(Editing by Peter Cooney)

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc. is experimenting with the design of a device similar to a wristwatch that would operate on the same platform as the iPhone and would be made with curved glass, the New York Times reported on Sunday.

The article cited unnamed sources "familiar with the company's explorations".

The watch-like product that could be used to make mobile payments is currently in the experimental stage and would operate on Apple's iOS platform, which is the foundation of its iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch consumer devices, the Times said.

An Apple spokesperson did not immediately return a call for comment.

The Wall Street Journal separately reported that one person briefed on the effort said Apple discussed such a device with its major manufacturing partner Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, also known as Foxconn, which has been working on some technologies that could be used in wearable devices.

The Taiwan-based company has been working toward making more power-efficient displays and its technologies are aimed at multiple Foxconn customers, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing the same person.

(Reporting By Marcy Nicholson; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

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