Susan Boyle voted into next round of "Talent"

People

She has got talent

Singing sensation Susan Boyle, 47, the church volunteer who wowed the world with her angelic voice, on Saturday was voted into the next round of the "American Idol"-style show "Britain's Got Talent." Boyle, who lives alone with her cat, Pebbles, in one of Scotland's poorest regions, will perform in a live show today, weeks after her performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" from "Les Misérables" shocked judges and charmed tens of millions of people worldwide. Simon Cowell and his fellow judges said Saturday that Boyle is among 40 performers they've selected to advance in the competition. Bookmaker William Hill makes Boyle a runaway favorite to win the final May 30.

Critters

Taking on the seals

Officials in San Diego who want to prevent seals from taking over the popular Children's Pool beach in La Jolla are hoping recordings of barking dogs will scare away the sand hogs. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the city will seek court approval this week for a plan to use the recordings at the beach at a cost of nearly $700,000 a year.

Law & disorder

Too close for comfort?

Real-estate agents Melinda and Scott Tamkin on Friday sued "CSI" writer and producer Sarah Goldfinger, claiming two shady characters on the show were named after them in revenge for a Los Angeles real-estate deal gone bad. The Tamkins sued for defamation and invasion of privacy, seeking $6 million in damages, claiming the show hurt their business.

Honors

Cannes prize for Saberi

A film co-written by U.S.-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi won a prize in one of the Cannes Film Festival competitions Saturday. "No One Knows About Persian Cats" won a special jury prize in the festival's Un Certain Regard competition. The film is a lively look at Tehran's underground music scene and the risk of censorship and jail faced by Iranian musicians. Saberi shares a screenplay credit on the film, which was directed and-co-written by her romantic partner, Bahman Ghobadi. "Dogtooth," about an unusually isolated family, won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard competition. Saberi was freed from an Iranian prison May 11, where she had been held on spying charges, and she returned to the United States on Friday. Cannes' main prizes, including the coveted Palme d'Or, will be handed out today.

Today in history

1883: The Brooklyn Bridge, linking Brooklyn and Manhattan, was dedicated by President Arthur and New York Gov. Grover Cleveland, and opened to traffic.

1941: The German battleship Bismarck sank the British dreadnought Hood in the North Atlantic.

1976: Britain and France opened trans-Atlantic Concorde supersonic transport service to Washington.

2004: President Bush sought to reassure Americans in a prime-time address that he had a plan to pull Iraq out of the violence and chaos that had marked the year since he declared an end to major combat.

Today's birthdays

Comedian Tommy Chong, 71. Singer Bob Dylan, 68. Actor Gary Burghoff, 66. Singer Patti LaBelle, 65. Actor Alfred Molina, 56. Actress Kristin Scott Thomas, 49. Actor John C. Reilly, 44.

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