Dog acquisition on hold

Critters

Dog acquisition on hold

Malia and Sasha Obama will have to wait at least two more months for that puppy their dad, President-elect Obama, promised them. The pup won't become part of the first family until after they move into the White House on Jan. 20. In an interview with her husband broadcast Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes," future first lady Michelle Obama said: "We're on call-mode on the dog front. Because ... as responsible owners we — I don't think it would be good to get a dog in the midst of transition." She added: "We cut that deal with the kids before ... America knew about it. So they're — they're good with it."

Box Office

No stopping James Bond

"Quantum of Solace," a tale of secret agent James Bond's quest to avenge the death of the woman he loved, blasted out $70.4 million in ticket sales last weekend. It was the biggest opening for a Bond film ever and surpassed the high expectations set for the film. Although Bond clearly was the irresistible force at ticket booths, it was a great all-around weekend for Hollywood as two very different comedies, the animated "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," and raunchy "Role Models" stayed strong in their second weekend and came in second and third in box-office grosses.

Next move

Chess Olympiad

Ninth seed Armenia, winner of the last Chess Olympiad, held second seed Ukraine to a 2-2 tie in open division play Sunday, drawing all four games in their match in the fourth round of this year's event. The highlight of the day was a 68-move tussle between Ukrainian Vassily Ivanchuk, rated third in the world, and Armenian Levon Aronian, rated seventh. Both players had their chances in a game that went all the way down to just the two kings on the board when they shook hands. The 13-day 38th Chess Olympiad that started Thursday includes 146 teams in the open division and 111 in the separate women's division.

Passages

Reg Varney, 92, a comic actor who played a cheery Cockney bus driver in British sitcom "On the Buses," died Sunday in Budleigh Salterton, southwest England, after a short illness.

Today in History

1558: Elizabeth I acceded to the English throne upon the death of Queen Mary.

1869: The Suez Canal opened in Egypt.

1962: Washington's Dulles International Airport was dedicated by President Kennedy.

1968: The NBC television network outraged football fans by cutting away from the closing minutes of a New York Jets-Oakland Raiders game to begin a special presentation of "Heidi" on schedule. (Home viewers were prevented from seeing the Raiders come from behind to beat the Jets, 43-32.)

1973: President Nixon told Associated Press managing editors meeting in Orlando, Fla.: "People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook."

1998: The public got to hear Monica Lewinsky's voice for the first time as the House Judiciary Committee released 22 hours of tape recordings secretly made by Linda Tripp.

2003: Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as the 38th governor of California.

Today's Birthdays

Singer Gordon Lightfoot, 70. Movie director Martin Scorsese, 66. Actress Lauren Hutton, 65. Actor-director Danny DeVito, 64. "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels, 64. Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean, 60. Actress Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, 50. Actor William Moses, 49. Entertainer RuPaul, 48. Actor Dylan Walsh, 45. Actress-model Daisy Fuentes, 42. R&B singer Ronnie DeVoe (New Edition; Bell Biv DeVoe), 41. Actress Leslie Bibb, 35. Actress Rachel McAdams, 30. Rock musician Isaac Hanson (Hanson), 28.

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