A rose for Cloris Leachman

People

Academy Award-winning actress Cloris Leachman, 82, will serve as the grand marshal of the 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade, officials said Friday. Leachman was featured on this season's "Dancing With the Stars."

Book shelf

Whale of a debate

The Massachusetts House on Thursday passed a bill naming "Moby-Dick" the state's official "epic novel." That was a compromise after some lawmakers questioned Rep. Christopher Speranzo's proposal to dub Herman Melville's 1851 classic the "official book." Rep. Cory Atkins contended her district in Concord has "more authors per square mile than any other," citing Louisa May Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne. The bill needs to pass the Senate and get the governor's signature.

Putin's new pets

There's no doubt what Vladimir Putin's favorite birthday present is this year — a rare Ussuri tiger cub. State television showed the Russian prime minister petting the 2-month-old female cub Friday at his home. Putin refused to say who gave him the cub for his 56th birthday, which was Tuesday, but said a good home will be found for the tiger, presumably in a zoo or wildlife preserve.

Sick Bay

Dalai lama's operation

Surgeons successfully removed gallstones from the Dalai Lama on Friday, an operation that will not prevent the Tibetan spiritual leader from traveling again by the end of the month, said spokesman Chhime R. Chhoekyapa, who called the surgery "a simple, routine procedure."

Passages

Dixie Lea Burd, 74, a half-sister of Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, died Tuesday in Phoenix of Alzheimer's disease.

Eileen Herlie, 90, a stage and TV actress who appeared on "All My Children" for more than 30 years as the motherly Myrtle Fargate, died Wednesday of pneumonia.

Today in History

1962: Pope John XXIII convened the first session of the Roman Catholic Church's Second Ecumenical Council, also known as "Vatican II."

1984: Space shuttle Challenger astronaut Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space.

1991: Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexually harassing her; Thomas reappeared before the panel to denounce the proceedings as a "high-tech lynching."

Today's Birthdays

Author Elmore Leonard, 83. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., 58. Actor David Morse, 55. Actress Joan Cusack, 46. Actor Luke Perry, 42. Rapper MC Lyte, 37. Actress Emily Deschanel, 32. Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, 23. Golfer Michelle Wie, 19.

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