Danny Puff

HELSINKI (Reuters) - The makers of Angry Birds are launching a cartoon series this weekend, expanding further beyond its highly addictive games in a bid to expand entertainment and merchandising.

Rovio, the company behind the popular mobile app game Angry Birds, said the cartoons will feature adventures of birds that appear in its games.

Angry Birds Toons can be downloaded through on-demand services, and will also air on television channels such as FOX8 in Australia, ANTV in Indonesia, Cartoon Network in India, and MTV3 Juniori and MTV3 in Finland, it said.

Rovio has expanded into merchandising and licensing in the past few years and its colorful, round bird characters are sold as stuffed animals and appear on everything from T-shirts to soda cans.

It announced in December that it hired Hollywood executive David Maisel as executive producer of a 3D animated film planned for release in 2016.

(Reporting by Ritsuko Ando, editing by Paul Casciato)

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NEW YORK (AP) White smoke or black smoke? Maybe it's easier just to wait for a text message that a new pope has been elected.

A Catholic organization has set up a website, www.popealarm.com, that lets people register to receive a text or email notification when a pope has been selected.

While the process of selecting a new pope is as old as the ages, there are enough changes to the media to make the last papal conclave in 2005 seem like ancient history.

The text service was set up by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, or FOCUS, and had proven so popular with more than 40,000 respondents that the popealarm website said Tuesday it could no longer guarantee new registrants would get a text message. People could still sign up for emails.

"When the smoke goes up, you'll know what's going down" is the website's motto.

FOCUS paid nearly $10,000 to set up the free service, figuring it was good publicity. Now the group's leaders are sifting through co-sponsorship offers from other organizations impressed with the amount of online traffic it has generated and hoping for their own exposure, said Jeremy Rivera, spokesman for the Christian campus ministry.

Another new website, www.adoptacardinal.org, assigns interested people one of the voting cardinals at random to pray for him as he deliberates on a new pope. Nearly 500,000 people had signed up by Tuesday morning.

American television network stars are in place in Vatican City for the start of the conclave Tuesday. All will wait for the traditional signal that a new pope has been selected: white smoke from the burned ballots of cardinals wafting from a Sistine Chapel chimney.

Two of the three U.S. evening news programs broadcast from Rome on Monday in anticipation of the conclave: ABC's "World News" with Diane Sawyer and the "CBS Evening News" with Scott Pelley. Brian Williams of NBC's top-rated "Nightly News" did not make the trip.

In 2005, none of the top network anchors went to Rome for the conclave. Some network planners are reluctant to move broadcasts to Rome for the conclave because it's an open-ended event; no one knows how long it will last. It's different for the installation of a new pope, a defined event that can be scheduled around.

Lester Holt is the leading newscaster on hand for NBC News, the network said Monday.

Besides Pelley, CBS has sent its morning-show team of Charlie Rose and Norah O'Donnell to Rome. The other network morning shows will have anchors on scene for special reports Holt for NBC's "Today" show and Josh Elliott for "Good Morning America" on ABC.

Shepard Smith, who is Fox News Channel's top news anchor, is that network's top person on the scene. CNN has sent Anderson Cooper and Chris Cuomo, who will trade off coverage during the day and evening. Chris Jansing is the anchor leading MSNBC's coverage.

Among the specialized websites offering coverage of the event, the National Catholic Reporter is among the most watched by people following the story.

While Nate Silver of The New York Times' FiveThirtyEight blog predicted odds for last fall's presidential election, he's making no such call this time. The blog did publish a list from Oddschecker.com that was a compilation of various betting odds on who will be the next pope.

The top choice, with an average chance of 23 percent, was Angelo Scola of Italy. Oddsmakers gave him a narrow advantage over Peter Turkson of Ghana.

Asked what media outlet he'll follow most closely, James Martin, a Jesuit priest and commentator, said that "the person matters much more than the site."

He has a handful of experts whose reportage on the conclave he closely follows: John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter; Thomas Reese, author of "Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church;" Robert Mickens, a writer for the Catholic news weekly The Tablet; John Thavis, whose book "Vatican Diaries" came out last month; and Sandro Magister, a television producer and blogger.

Allen warned readers in the National Catholic Reporter about the chance for initial confusion since smoke coming out of the Sistine Chapel often seems gray at first. That was a big complaint among TV anchors at the last conclave.

"Generally, it takes a few minutes to sort out what's actually happened," Allen wrote.

NBC News will let people judge for themselves online. It is setting up a "smoke cam" of live streaming video of the Sistine Chapel chimney.

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EDITOR'S NOTE David Bauder can be reached at dbauder(at)ap.org or on Twitter (at)dbauder.

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LONDON (Reuters) - Champagne is losing its fizz for British consumers who would rather be curled up with a book downloaded onto their eReaders, according to government statisticians.

The Office for National Statistics, which bases its monthly calculation of inflation on 700 goods and services priced in 150 areas of the country, said sales of books for digital devices represented a "significant and growing market".

Statisticians update the basket of items every year so the contents accurately capture changing trends in spending.

The annual rejig also shows what British consumers are eating and drinking - and what they are not.

With Britons perhaps not having much to celebrate as the country flirts with its third recession since 2008, champagne has been taken out, and it has been replaced by sales of white rum, which the statistics office said was increasingly popular with young drinkers.

Blueberries, continental sliced meats and packaged stir-fry vegetables have all made their debut in the basket.

On the Do-it-yourself front, self-assembly kitchen wall units are being added to the basket, while basin taps make their exit.

As well as ebooks, Britons are increasingly buying digital television recorders. These devices, which allow people to record and rewind live television, have replaced standard Freeview receiver boxes.

In another sign of the times, packs of disposable contact lenses are also entering the basket, replacing pairs of soft contact lenses.

(Reporting by Christina Fincher; Editing by John Stonestreet)

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LOS ANGELES (AP) Prosecutors say a 12-year-old boy has admitted making a prank 911 call that drew police to Ashton Kutcher's home.

The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office says the boy admitted responsibility for making a false bomb threat and computer intrusion. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Prosecutors say the boy is also accused of making false 911 calls involving Justin Bieber's house and a bank. Those charges will likely be dismissed, but the district attorney's office says the allegations will be considered when the boy is sentenced.

The boy's identity has not been released.

His calls were among several targeting celebrities in the Los Angeles area in recent months in a practice known as "swatting." The pranks are intended to draw large police responses, including SWAT teams.

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A 12-year-old boy admitted in court on Monday that he falsely reported to police last year that criminals with guns and explosives had invaded the home of actor Ashton Kutcher and shot people, the Los Angeles County District Attorney said.

The boy, whose name was withheld because he is a minor, prompted police to dispatch emergency responders to the "Two and a Half Men" star's Hollywood home in October.

Such prank emergency calls are known as "swatting" because SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) officers are often sent to such purported crime scenes. The child was charged with making a false bomb threat and computer intrusion because he placed the call from a computer.

The boy has also been charged with a misdemeanor count of making a false emergency report when he allegedly placed a hoax call about gunshots being fired on the Los Angeles-area property of teen pop star Justin Bieber.

The boy, who will turn 13 in April, faces additional felony charges of making a false bomb threat and computer intrusion after allegedly saying there was a bomb at a Wells Fargo bank branch in Los Angeles.

Those charges are expected to be dismissed when the boy is sentenced, the district attorney said.

All of the prank calls were placed in October.

The boy's sentence is at the discretion of the court, which could decide on at-home probation or placement in a group home among other punishments, district attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons.

He has been released to the custody of his parents and the case has been transferred to his home county, which the court declined to name publicly.

In California juvenile cases, defendants have the option to either admit or deny charges brought against them by petition.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Cynthia Osterman)

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) In the frenzy of South by Southwest, even standouts like The Flaming Lips feel the need to stand out.

Now consider that problem while surveying the 2,200 mostly unknown bands packing Austin starting Tuesday for the marquee week of the trendy festival that blends the famous and nameless, headlined this year by Green Day, Dave Grohl, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Natalie Maines of The Dixie Chicks and Snoop Lion (perhaps still better known as Snoop Dogg).

Squeezing into the intimate showcases for those big acts will be all but impossible. The Flaming Lips will take all comers at a free outdoor concert, yet the psychedelic rockers known for theatrical live spectacles are still pulling out the stops for attention, performing their yet-unreleased album "The Terror" in its entirety for the first time.

Call it a lesson for all the lesser-knowns at SXSW: make your set memorable, or leave possibly forgotten.

"You have to do something beyond your normal show and normal existence," said The Flaming Lips multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd, who believes SXSW can still make a band that shows up struggling to make a living. "If you're playing SXSW and playing in the right spot, this might be the time a manager of another band might see you and you get your shot. Otherwise, you may not get your shot at all."

That SXSW has skewed too commercial at the expense of up-and-comers is a gripe that sometimes feels as old as The Flaming Lips, whose dark new album set for release in April will be their 13th in their 30-year history. What ostensibly began in 1987 as an insider gathering for unsigned bands to catch the eye of a record executive or musical tastemaker has mushroomed into a weeklong party with a festival feel and A-list acts.

Other notables at the SXSW this year include Vampire Weekend, Kendrick Lamar, Iggy and the Stooges, the Black Lips, Tegan and Sara, Haim and Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore's new side project, Chelsea Light Moving. Then there are the stars who will inevitably drop in for unannounced shows, such as when 50 Cent and Eminem collaborated for a set that was also streamed on YouTube.

James Minor, the general manager of the music arm of SXSW, said the upside of SXSW for chart-topping artists is a fresh dose of relevance. But he describes the festival that runs through Saturday as a still-valuable showcase for emerging bands to get exposure and take crash courses on the business side of an evolving industry where it's getting harder for artists to make a buck.

"I feel people are turning around a little bit, as maybe in the past they see SXSW as party time," Minor said. "But I feel like there's a general sense that artists that are succeeding are more aware of the industry."

Among those out for awareness this week are The Rubens, an Austrialian rock band who has yet to release an album in the U.S., let alone play here before. Frontman Sam Margin is grateful his band has it better than most they're already signed to a major label in Warner Bros. but is expecting a competitive atmosphere that raises the stakes to standout.

That doesn't mean any gimmicks for The Rubens they're just hoping their performances finds buzz in a week that's so packed with bands that even Margin confesses to trouble navigating it.

"It's been really hard to find anything. I've been Googling it and there is so much going on," Margin said.

Of course, the big acts don't show up simply to upstage the rest of the lineup. Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, whose substance abuse problems last year forced the band to postpone the start of a 2013 arena tour, debuts the documentary "Broadway Idiot" that jumps from concerts to the punk band's Broadway musical.

Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips is similarly premiering his own film called "A Year in the Life of Wayne's Phone" that promises to be every bit as curiously weird as it sounds. Maines, who has been seldom heard from since the Dixie Chicks began a hiatus in 2008, returns to the stage in her native Texas to promote her solo debut "Mother" due out in May.

Drozd said he first performed at SXSW in 1989 with another upstart band before joining The Flaming Lips. He hopes the potential remains the same for others a quarter-century later.

"We thought we might get out next big break," Drozd said. "We played to five or six people. Nothing came of it, but it felt like anything could help."

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Follow Paul J. Weber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pauljweber

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By Mike Collett-White

LONDON (Reuters) - With a range spanning the cardigan-clad sweetheart in the hit musical "Grease" and the leotarded gym instructor in the raunchy single "Physical", no one could accuse Olivia Newton-John of playing it safe in 40 years of singing country, pop and rock.

The Australian, who was born in England and is touring there for the first time in 35 years, admits to being terrified at some of the choices she made in a career boasting four Grammy awards and a lead role in the biggest musical movie hit in U.S. history.

"I like a challenge," Newton-John, 64, told Reuters in an interview before starting a six-concert tour that ends on March 17 in Manchester.

"I was always afraid of these changes but I did them anyway, kind of 'face your fears' ... because I felt you also had to challenge yourself a little bit. But I was terrified."

The 1981 release of "Physical", a song from the album of the same name, was banned by some radio stations in the United States banned for raunchy lyrics such as "There's nothing left to talk about/Unless it's horizontally."

"I remember calling (manager) Roger Davies right after I'd finished it ... and going 'Oh, I'm not sure we should put this out, it's a little too risqu '. He said: 'It's too late, love, it's gone to radio'."

Adding to the controversy was the video, in which Newton-John played a gym instructor in a tight leotard surrounded by oiled body-builders portrayed as gay in a twist ending.

FROM NICE TO NAUGHTY

"I look back now and it's hilarious, because that was so naughty in its time," she recalled. "That was another challenge that worked, thank goodness. It was either going to be a big success or nothing. There was no in-between with that song.

"It was banned in Utah and I did my television special for the Physical Tour in Utah. I remember I was probably so terrified I got sick right before the shoot."

In fact, "Physical" proved to be the pinnacle of Newton-John's solo career, topping the U.S. pop charts and becoming one of the best-selling singles of the decade.

By then, Newton-John had already left her comfort zone more than once. She recalled pursuing a career as a performer despite resistance from her parents, who wanted her to finish school.

She comes from an academic background - her grandfather was Max Born, a German-British Nobel Prize-winning quantum physicist.

"My grandfather apparently used to play music with Einstein, they used to play chamber music together, so it (the musical gene) goes back," Newton-John said.

She left Australia for Britain in the 60s to make it as a pop star. By the early 70s, she had featured in the charts and on television before representing the United Kingdom at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing fourth behind winners ABBA.

Then came a move to the United States, where Newton-John broke into the country music scene despite being considered an outsider. Her hit "Let Me Be There" won her a country vocal Grammy.

SANDY IN SPANDEX

The next gamble came with "Grease", the hit 1978 film adaptation of the Broadway musical that would turn her into a household name.

"Grease itself was a bold enough move - playing the second character in Grease, and for that to be so successful, I mean, who knew?"

Her character's transformation from clean-cut "Sandy 1" to spandex-clad "Sandy 2", out to snare John Travolta's Danny, was one that she took into real life, ditching the safety of soft pop and country for an edgier image and sound.

The name of her next album? "Totally Hot".

"The raunchy kind of image that Sandy 2 had, it gave an opportunity to change my direction a little bit and do something a little more fun," she said.

"I did country, and then it was pop, and then 'Grease' kind of went into rock and so I got to change a little bit. Everyone does it now, but then it probably wasn't so common."

Newton-John, now based on the west coast of the United States along with her family including daughter Chloe, said she would continue to record new music but may cut back on touring.

"I have so many ... other things I'm passionate about and involved in and I love singing and I love recording, but touring takes a toll and you're away from home a lot," she explained.

Newton-John, who survived breast cancer in 1992, has set up a cancer centre in Australia and has campaigned on issues including deforestation, dolphin culling and fracking.

Why does she take on so many issues outside music?

"I think it's really for my mum," she said. "My mum was always writing letters to the council about problems, and so I think I owe that to her."

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

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By Sui-Lee Wee

BEIJING (Reuters) - Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei announced plans on Monday to release a heavy-metal album that he said would "express his opinion" just as he does with his art.

The burly and bearded Ai said 81 days in secretive detention in 2011, which sparked an international outcry, triggered his foray into music.

"When I was arrested, they (his guards) would often ask me to sing songs, but because I wasn't familiar with music, I was embarrassed," Ai, 55, said in a telephone interview. "It helped me pass the time very easily.

"All I could sing was Chinese People's Liberation Army songs," Ai said. "After that I thought: when I'm out, I'd like to do something related to music."

A court in September upheld a $2.4 million (1.6 million pounds) fine against Ai for tax evasion, paving the way for jail if he does not pay. Ai maintains the charges were trumped up in retaliation for his criticism of the government.

The world-renowned artist has repeatedly criticised the government for flouting the rule of law and the rights of citizens.

Ai's debut album - "Divina Commedia", after the poem by Italian poet Dante - is a reference to the "Ai God" nickname in Chinese that his supporters call him by. "God" in Chinese is "Shen", while "Divina Commedia" in Chinese is "Shen qu".

Two songs are about blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng, whose escape from house arrest last April and subsequent refuge in the U.S. Embassy embarrassed China and led to a diplomatic tussle.

One song on the album is called "Hotel Americana", a dig at the U.S. Embassy for sheltering Chen. Another is "Climbing over the Wall" - a reference to Chen's scaling of the walls in his village to escape, and Chinese Internet users circumventing the "Great Firewall of China", a colloquial term for China's blocking of websites.

Ai said he was not worried about government persecution for his album, which will be out in about three weeks. But he is gloomy about the prospects of it being sold in China, saying he will distribute the album online "because music is also subject to review" in China.

Ai said his time in the recording studio did not mean that he was moving away from art.

"I think it's all the same," he said. "My art is about expressing opinion and communication."

Ai said he was working on a second album, with pop and rock influences, that he hoped people would sing along with.

"You know, I'm a person that's furthest away from music, I never sing," Ai said. "But you'll be surprised. You'll like it."

(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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By Euan Rocha

TORONTO (Reuters) - BlackBerry shares rose 12 percent on Monday, fueled by takeover speculation and news that AT&T Inc will start selling the new BlackBerry Z10 touchscreen smartphone in the United States on March 22.

The CEO of China's Lenovo Group Ltd told a French newspaper on Monday that the personal computer maker might consider an acquisition of Canada's BlackBerry at some point in the future.

"External growth remains a question of opportunities," Yang Yuanqing told Les chos in an interview.

"As for BlackBerry, the file could eventually make sense, but I must first analyze the market and understand the exact weight of this company," he said in response to a question about whether the company would make a move on BlackBerry.

BlackBerry, a one-time smartphone pioneer, has bled market share to the likes of Apple Inc's iPhone, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's Galaxy line and other devices powered by Google Inc's market-leading Android operating system.

In a make-or-break move to regain market share and return to profit, BlackBerry introduced the new smartphone to much fanfare in January, and said it was abandoning its old name, Research In Motion, and renaming itself BlackBerry.

A spokesman for Lenovo in Canada downplayed the CEO's comment, saying, "in no way was this an indication of activity or strategic direction."

Another Lenovo executive had made a similar comment when asked about BlackBerry in January. That remark also sparked a rally in BlackBerry shares, but Lenovo said at the time that the executive was only speaking broadly about M&A strategy.

BlackBerry shares were up 11.7 percent at $14.59 on the Nasdaq on Monday afternoon, while the Toronto-listed shares were up 11.7 percent at C$14.99.

AT&T LAUNCH

BlackBerry is hoping the new devices, already on sale in Canada, Britain and more than 20 other countries, will help it win back market share in the United States, which was once a stronghold for the smartphone industry pioneer.

The U.S. launch of the new devices has been delayed due to a longer carrier-testing phase in the country. AT&T said pre-sales of the devices will begin on Tuesday.

BlackBerry says sales of its new smartphone have been outpacing its expectations so far, but investors are keen to see how it fares in the United States.

As expected, AT&T said it would sell the devices for $199.99 with a two-year contract. T-Mobile USA said on Friday it planned to start selling the BlackBerry Z10 to its business customers in the United States on Monday.

Verizon Inc , the biggest U.S. wireless carrier, has yet to say when it will start selling the Z10. The Z10 and the soon-to-be-launched Q10, which will come with BlackBerry's traditional physical keyboard, are powered by the new BlackBerry 10, or BB10 operating system.

"We believe the Street is pricing in such a weak fiscal 2014 that BB10 does not need to be an outstanding success to surprise," Scotiabank analyst Gus Papageorgiou said in a note to clients on Monday.

Papageorgiou, who has a "sector outperform" rating on the stock, said he expects the company sold about 1 million BlackBerry 10 devices in the quarter ended March 2.

"Gross margins should begin to move higher as more Z10s enter the mix," he said. "Next quarter will be the true test as BB10 launches in the U.S."

($1 = 1.027 Canadian)

(Editing by Lisa Von Ahn, Peter Galloway and Matthew Lewis)

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By Estelle Shirbon

LONDON (Reuters) - Disgraced energy minister Chris Huhne was jailed for eight months on Monday for lying to police about a speeding offence in 2003, in the final chapter of a bizarre tale of adultery and revenge that has gripped the British public.

Huhne's ex-wife Vicky Pryce, a prominent economist, was also jailed for eight months for her role in the deception.

Prior to the scandal, Huhne had been seen as a potential future leader of the Liberal Democrats, junior partners to the Conservatives in Britain's ruling coalition government.

When his car was caught by a speed camera, he and his wife falsely told police she had been driving, so that the minister could avoid a driving ban.

The incident remained a family secret for years but came back to haunt Huhne after he left Pryce for his mistress, Carina Trimingham, in 2010. Pryce told two newspapers about the 2003 deception in an act of revenge that landed both Huhne and herself in the dock.

"Any element of tragedy is entirely your own fault," judge Nigel Sweeney told the pair as he passed sentence on them.

"IMPLACABLE DESIRE FOR REVENGE"

"There is a controlling, manipulative and devious side to your nature," he told Pryce, saying she had been driven by "an implacable desire for revenge".

"Despite your high office, Mr Huhne, you tried to lie your way out of trouble by claiming you were innocent, by repeating that lie again and again," the judge told the disgraced politician.

"You have fallen from a great height."

The estranged pair sat side-by-side in the glass-walled dock during the lengthy sentencing hearing but did not make eye-contact. Trimingham sat in the public gallery in the courtroom packed with journalists.

Dressed in a dark suit and tie, Huhne, 58, stood grim-faced to hear his sentence. Wearing a black jacket, silver-grey roll-neck top and dangly earrings, Pryce, 60, appeared to be fighting back tears throughout the hearing.

The judge told the pair they would serve at least half of their sentences before being released on parole.

Huhne resigned as energy secretary in February 2012, when he and Pryce were both charged with perverting the course of justice. He spent the best part of a year fighting a costly legal battle, trying to get the charge against him thrown out.

That attempt failed when Judge Sweeney ruled at the end of January that he should face trial. Huhne initially pleaded not guilty, but a week later, on the morning the trial was due to start, he stunned Britain by changing his plea to guilty.

"BLOODBATH"

His lawyer, John Kelsey-Fry, told the court Huhne's 11th-hour guilty plea had taken courage and had avoided what would have been "a bloodbath" if Huhne and Pryce had stood trial together.

Instead, Pryce stood trial alone after pleading not guilty. She admitted taking Huhne's speeding penalty but put forward an archaic defense of "marital coercion", arguing that Huhne had bullied her into it.

A first jury failed to agree on a verdict on Pryce, but after a retrial a second jury convicted her on Thursday.

Pryce's trials revealed painful details of the breakdown of her 26-year marriage to Huhne.

He became a minister in May 2010, but within weeks a newspaper found out he was having an affair about which Pryce had been unaware.

The story was widely covered by the national press, with the added spice that Trimingham had previously been in a lesbian relationship.

Evidence shown at Pryce's trial revealed how, starting in November 2010, she spent six months plotting with journalists to try to get the story about the 2003 speeding deception into the papers in a way that would damage Huhne but not expose her.

"I definitely want to nail him," Pryce wrote to one journalist in a March 2011 email that was read out in court.

(Editing by Michael Holden and Andrew Roche)

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