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Book reviews appear to be an endangered species, at least for standalone sections of the newspaper. Recently the San Diego Union Tribune merged its books section with the arts pages. That is spurring debate about how readers will learn about the books.

With July 4 falling on Wednesday, it's been an extended weekend for movies. Today we find out if any of the new releases will be bombs bursting in air, or just bombing at the box office. From the online magazine Slate, here is a roundup of what critics are saying about Transformers, Introducing the Dwights and License to Wed.

Kasi Lemmons' film stars Don Cheadle as "Petey" Greene, the ex-con turned radio star who helped restore calm in Washington, D.C., when rioting exploded after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Chiwetel Ejiofor co-stars.

On the 40th anniversary of his first illustrated book, Eric Carle has come full circle.

The star-studded Essence Music Festival starts today at its home in New Orleans, after relocating because of Hurricane Katrina. Essence entertainment editor Cori Murray says attendees can expect appearances from Beyonce, Mary J. Blige and White House hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Allison Samuels, entertainment reporter for Newsweek, offers a glimpse into the latest celebrity news and trends. On today's agenda: Whoopi Goldberg's debut next week on The View, Oscar-nominated director John Singleton's recent involvement in a fatal car accident, and the latest in the Whitney and Bobby saga.

A spicy fiesta of Latin flavors is featured in the most recent issue of Gourmet magazine. Ruth Reichl, lead editor of the publication, talks about the celebration of Latin food and its influence on American cuisine.

The dialogue in this fanciful "biography" certainly isn't up to the beloved novelist's standard, but the performances do sparkle and the look is Merchant Ivory-lush — so there's plenty of pleasure to be had.

Milos Forman's lush epic tries to link the Spanish Inquisition, the rise of Napoleon, and the paintings of Francisco Goya; Javier Bardem is a preening monk, Natalie Portman a tortured innocent, Stellan Skarsgard the almost irrelevant title character.

Nicole Willis is a retro soul singer from Brooklyn. Her really tight band, the Soul Investigators, is from Finland. The group sounds like it's from Memphis – and it's one of Oliver Wang's favorites of the year so far.