OUT THERE: Olympic lugers take up wake surfing on Lake Placid

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Brian Martin surfed up the pale green wave into the froth on top, then sliced down and up in a series of short turns, his muscular torso twisting each time.

Ang Lee attends benefit screening of ‘Taking Woodstock’ in NY area where scenes were shoty

Billy Joel postpones 2nd upstate NY show after coming down with flu-like illness

ALBANY, N.Y. — Billy Joel and Elton John have postponed a second upstate New York concert on their top-grossing tour after Joel fell ill with flu-like symptoms.

Pianos postponed: Billy Joel’s illness delays sold-out Buffalo show with Elton John

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Billy Joel and Elton John have postponed their concert in Buffalo, N.Y., because Joel isn’t feeling well.

Ex-Barenaked Ladies singer, girlfriend buy central NY home next to where they were arrested

FAYETTEVILLE, N.Y. — Former Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page has bought a new home in central New York next to the apartment where he and his girlfriend were arrested last July for cocaine possession.

Terrell Owens counting on TV series to show a side of him that’s closer to reality

BUFFALO, N.Y. — T.O. is the brash, mercurial athlete, a polarizing teammate for 13 NFL seasons. Terrell is the man, shy and sensitive by nature.

Andy Warhol’s portrait of Michael Jackson is back on sale at New York gallery auction

EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. — An Andy Warhol portrait of Michael Jackson is back on the auction block at a New York art gallery.

Andy Warhol’s portrait of Michael Jackson dropped from Hamptons gallery’s auction

EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. — A New York art gallery has temporarily removed an Andy Warhol portrait of Michael Jackson from the auction block.

Frederick Douglass heritage center lacks staff to officially open in Rochester, NY

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Passers-by frequently peer into the window at the new center honoring former slave, famed orator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. And if they knock on the door, they can get a quick tour guided by the Rev. Errol Hunt and his son Gerry.

Surviving recession in big cities’ shadows a challenge for suburban arts organizations

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — When he hired Itzhak Perlman as artistic director of the Westchester Philharmonic in 2007, Joshua Worby thought he’d hit a grand slam.

Ryan Hunter-Reay rolls with disappointment, ready to defend at Watkins Glen

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — A year ago, Ryan Hunter-Reay left Watkins Glen International brimming with confidence after a surprising IndyCar victory.

With Setanta filing for bankruptcy, PGA Tour goes dark in UK

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The PGA Tour is broadcast to more than 230 countries in 35 languages with a maximum reach of just under 600 million homes. For the moment, it has gone dark in an important part of the world.

Sorry, Paul Simon, Kodak’s taking your Kodachrome away, retiring the color film after 74 years

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Sorry, Paul Simon, Kodak is taking your Kodachrome away.

Kodak retiring Kodachrome film; Photography company cites lack of demand in digital age

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Eastman Kodak Co. is retiring its most senior film, the iconic Kodachrome, because of declining demand in this digital age.

Unseen Dali drawings, a gift to doctor who treated him, to be shown in Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Fifteen drawings Salvador Dali made for a doctor who treated him are going on exhibit for the first time in Buffalo.

Lennox Lewis heads inductees into Boxing Hall of Fame; joined by Canizales, Mitchell

CANASTOTA, N.Y. — In a sport many view for its violence, Lennox Lewis said Sunday he wanted to be remembered for making it a “sweet science, a magical dance” as he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Imagine Lennon in his PJs: Woodstock site exhibit shows images from the John & Yoko bed-in

BETHEL, N.Y. — John and Yoko hung out in their pajamas for eight days during their “bed-in” at a Montreal hotel in 1969. Reclining on a king-size bed, the famous Beatle and his new wife read Lao Tzu, snuggled and recorded the anthem “Give Peace a Chance.”

Church’s Hudson Valley home displays landscape paintings and the vistas that inspired them

HUDSON, N.Y. — Artist Frederic Edwin Church built Olana, his grandiose, Persian-inspired villa, atop a hill on 250 acres in the Hudson Valley so he could be close to the natural beauty that inspired him. When not traveling the world, he could look out the windows to see the lush landscapes of the Hudson River, the Catskill Mountains and trees stretching for miles — and paint them just as he saw them.

T.O.’s reality show ready to start filming in Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Terrell Owens will have even more TV cameras in tow when he arrives in Buffalo this weekend for the start of the Bills’ series of voluntary minicamps.

Surprise Rodin bronze part of $2M restoration for New York lighthouse honoring French explorer

CROWN POINT, N.Y. — More than 10,000 campgrounds dot the American landscape. But only at the state-run campground in this remote Lake Champlain town can you find a Rodin sculpture on public display just steps away from campers pitching tents and grilling burgers.

Book: Kennedy ended US Senate bid when kids, husband said she was becoming a different person

ALBANY, N.Y. — A new book paints a picture of an intense, angry Caroline Kennedy bent on extending her family’s legacy in the U.S. Senate only to end her quest when her kids no longer recognized their cool, composed mother.

NY, VT mark Samuel de Champlain’s 1609 explorations; lakeside communities hosting events

CROWN POINT, N.Y. — The sculpture of Samuel de Champlain gazes up the lake he explored 400 years ago this summer, opening the way for Europeans who made extensive use of the waterway during their 200-year struggle for control of North America.

Chuck Mangione, who lost 2 band members in NY plane crash, performs for victims’ families

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jazz musician Chuck Mangione has performed in upstate New York at a concert rescheduled after two of his band members died in a plane crash there in February. Other victims’ relatives attended.