Miami Book Fair International: thousands of readers to throng literary fest even in recession

Less poetry, music but big Miami book fair goes on

Corning 3Q profit falls but still beats Wall Street forecast as TV glass deamnd grows

Corning 3Q profit off, but TV glass demand grows

Stores embrace old-fashioned holiday with the classics _ gingerbread and red, green and gold

NEW YORK — Stores are turning back the clock, conjuring images of hearth and home as they stock their holiday merchandise.

AP sources confirm Comcast is in talks for a 20 percent to 50 percent stake in NBC Universal

PHILADELPHIA — Comcast Corp. might spend billions for a stake in NBC Universal, a deal that would transform the nation’s largest cable TV provider into one of the most prominent owners of TV shows, movies and other programming as well.

Searching for new careers, aspiring daredevils take a leap toward Hollywood at stunt school

SEATTLE — In this job market, people will do some crazy things.

Brother, Can You Spare an iPod? Entertainment provides escapism, catharsis in hard times

NEW YORK — In hard times, entertainment either grinds it out with the rest of us, or it waltzes.

Great Recession is reflected in our national culture, but are the changes lasting?

The economy is really bad, Jay Leno told his “Tonight Show” audience in March.

Highlights of Obama’s 5 broadcast interviews, on topics from health care to baseball

Highlights of President Barack Obama’s interviews broadcast Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” NBC’s “Meet the Press,” ABC’s “This Week,” CNN’s “State of the Union” and Univision’s “Al Punto.” The interviews were taped Friday at the White House:

Arts crisis: Theater, TV and movies tackle causes and costs of global financial meltdown

LONDON — Greed, hubris, vast fortunes erased at a stroke — the financial crisis is dramatic gold dust for writers.

Retailers resizing products, stores and themselves to counter frugal shoppers

NEW YORK — The Great Recession and Americans’ retreat into thriftiness are teaching retailers a new lesson: How to survive when consumers are focused on “needs” rather than “wants.”

Golden goal: UEFA, elite clubs to share $1.55B as Champions League deals defy recession

GENEVA — The world’s most lucrative club soccer competition, the European Champions League, will earn a record $1.55 billion in marketing and television revenues for clubs and organizer UEFA this season.

Teens party on as families cut thousands off budgets to host coming-of-age celebrations

MIAMI — For a generation of girls, coming of age during the recession calls for a celebration that can be as much DIY as it is mini-wedding.

As the back-to-school season kicks off, parents stay cautious, demand value

NEW YORK — Retailers are geared up for back-to-school shopping. But getting recession-weary parents similarly stoked — now, that might be tricky.

The art of a recession: Many gallery owners closing or struggling in tough times

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Art gallery owners across the country are finding they have a tough sell these days.

Netflix remains on a roll in recession as 2Q profit rises 22 percent to top analyst views

SAN FRANCISCO — Netflix Inc.’s second-quarter profit shot past analyst expectations, following a familiar script as recession-weary consumers flocked to its DVD-by-mail and Internet streaming service.

Recession puts pinch on Paris’ haute couturiers, purveyors of the $25,000-plus dress

PARIS — During a recession, how do you hawk a dress that costs more than many cars?

Estonians sing en masse to lift spirits dampened by recession

TALLINN, Estonia — More than 20,000 choir singers gathered Sunday to fill the air with positive vibes as Estonians took their minds off a crippling recession in a mass celebration of folk songs.

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.

Stand operators hope recession will mean strong ‘backyard fireworks’ sales for Fourth of July

MARYSVILLE, Wash. — Even in a scorched economy, there’s still some money to burn.

What’s the ‘The New Normal’ after the recession? ABC News to focus on subject

NEW YORK — The economic crisis isn’t over yet, but ABC News is concentrating some reporting on what life will be like when it is.

Music festival stimulus package: Bruce Springsteen, Phish big draws at eighth year of Bonnaroo

What’s one way to ensure your mega music festival is well attended in the middle of a recession? Book a reunited Phish.

At celebrity-studded annual meeting, Wal-Mart vows to hang onto customers gain in recession

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s newly installed President and CEO Mike Duke pledged to shareholders Friday that the world’s largest retailer will build on its success by keeping its customers even when the economy improves.

Other genres may dance the blues away, but country takes the lead on songs about the recession

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Recession? What recession?

Jay Leno takes comedy show to Ohio to boost morale in region battered by thousands of layoffs

WILMINGTON, Ohio — In a region stung by layoffs and the pullout of a major employer, comedian Jay Leno was good for a few laughs.

A day in the recession: Job hunting, a free meal, an auction - and a prayer

It’s a rainy spring morning and Tamara Ogier plants herself at a table in a Spartan room in the Atlanta federal courthouse, computer and tape recorder at hand, ready to hear another day’s stories of financial ruin.