2009's top color is mimosa

Upbeat

Mark it on your calendar: cheerful and sunny yellow will be the influential color of 2009, according to Pantone, which provides color standards to design industries. Pantone picked "mimosa," a vibrant shade of yellow illustrated by the flowers of some mimosa trees and the brunch-favorite cocktail, as its top shade of the new year.

People

CNN anchor dumped

Veteran CNN anchor and reporter Miles O'Brien, 49, who led the cable news channel's coverage of space and aviation, is being let go after a 16-year tenure. Along with O'Brien, who served as CNN's chief technology and environment correspondent, six producers who work in the science, environment and technology unit in Atlanta are leaving CNN.

Actor's brother shot

"Entertainment Tonight" and TMZ.com report that "Zodiac" star Mark Ruffalo's brother, Scott, a Beverly Hills, Calif., hairstylist, was shot in the head Monday night. As of Wednesday afternoon, he remained hospitalized, but his condition was unknown.

Honors

Obama gets a holiday

In Central Alabama's Perry County, government workers get a day off for Presidents Day, Martin Luther King Day and Veterans Day. In 2009, they'll get one more: "Barack Obama Day." The rural county has approved the second Monday in November as "Barack Obama Day." Commissioners passed a measure that would close county offices for the new annual holiday and its roughly 40 workers will get a paid day off. Perry County has 12,000 residents, most of them black.

BOOK SHELF

It's not Harry, but ...

J.K. Rowling's new book, "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," a collection of five fables mentioned in her Harry Potter series, is being published around the world today. The day before publication, "Beedle the Bard" was ranked No. 1 on Amazon's British and U.S. Web sites.

Winner writing a book

Barack Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, 41, is writing a book about the historic election victory and has retained attorney Robert Barnett, Obama's literary representative, to shop the proposal to publishers. The book has been tentatively titled, "The Audacity To Win," a reference to Obama's million-selling "The Audacity of Hope."

Today in History

1875: William Marcy Tweed, the "Boss" of New York City's Tammany Hall political organization, escaped from jail and fled the country.

1918: President Wilson headed to France to attend the Versailles Peace Conference.

1978: San Francisco got its first female mayor as City Supervisor Dianne Feinstein was named to replace the assassinated George Moscone.

Today's Birthdays

Actress-singer Deanna Durbin, 87. Actress Gemma Jones, 66. Actor Jeff Bridges, 59. Actress Patricia Wettig, 57. Jazz singer Cassandra Wilson, 53. Actress Marisa Tomei, 44. Rapper Jay-Z, 39. Actor Orlando Brown, 21.

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