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This afternoon, you can see Lenny Kravitz in person. Kravitz will answer questions and play an acoustic show at the Hard Rock Cafe in Station Square to benefit the Salvation Army's efforts to help flood victims in Western Pennsylvania. Tickets are $100. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. for the 3 p.m. show.

Details: (412) 481-7625.

-- Regis Behe

Historian offers talk on French military in colonial America

Canadian historian Renee Chartrand will explore the history of French military forces and tactics in colonial America at 7 p.m. today in St. John's Lutheran Church -- opposite Old Economy Village -- in Ambridge, Beaver County.

Chartrand's free talk will highlight a meeting of the Western Pennsylvania Civil War Round Table.

Chartrand's forthcoming, new book on the French & Indian War is "Monongahela 1754-55: Washington's Defeat, Braddock's Disaster." Chartrand's previous books include "Colonial American Troops 1610-1774;" "The British Army in North America, 1793-1815"; and "Ticonderoga: Victory Against All Odds."

St. John's Lutheran Church is at 1320 Church St., one block west of Merchant Street, Ambridge, Beaver County. Details: (412) 741-9205.

--Deborah Deasy

Olivier lives again -- in 'Sky Captain'

The idea of raising Laurence Olivier from the dead for the new film "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" started with producer Jon Avnet.

"I'm kind of bored with these living villains," Avnet says. "They have a pulse, but they're dead."

Old footage of Olivier, who died in 1989, was used to create Dr. Totenkopf, an evil scientist who plans to destroy the world. The role is small and fragmented, comparable to the wizard in the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz."

The filmmakers acquired nondescript documentary footage from the actor's estate. Director Kerry Conran then manipulated the images into 3D to create a figure they could move and mouth the scripted lines.

Using old footage of deceased actors isn't new. In recent years, commercials have shown Fred Astaire dancing with a vacuum cleaner and John Wayne in a beer ad. The sight of these actors in commercials not of their choosing has made some wonder about the fairness of the practice.

Olivier's "Sky Captain" performance is new and entirely created by moviemakers rather than inserted into the film, but there are similarities.

"At the time we did this with such affection," Conran says. "These are actors here, and we're not doing anything to damage or change this person's legacy."

He adds: "But I do think it certainly raises certain ethical questions. Ultimately, it's in the hands of the people with the rights, the estates."

The affection for Olivier seems credible. In the background of a scene in "Sky Captain," a theater's marquee is clearly visible, with the title to one of Olivier's most loved films: "Wuthering Heights."

-- The Associated Press

Celebs offer dinner for charity

A chance to see and be seen with Leonardo DiCaprio in Los Angeles. Or eat clam chowder with Ben Affleck in Boston. Or dine with Ricky Martin in Miami. These aren't necessarily fantasies for those with deep, charitable pockets.

These celebs -- as well as Sarah Jessica Parker and Benjamin Bratt -- will auction dinner in their company for charities they have chosen individually. The bidding, which was to begin Thursday, concludes Oct. 3. It is being held on a Web site run by eBay, accessible through Godiva.com, the sponsor of the fund-raiser.

The winning bidder can bring seven friends to the dinner, each of which will be created by a well-known chef and topped off by a new truffle from Godiva. For the hosting celebrities, the pressure to entertain their guests is clear.

"I'll bring my clown makeup and do some juggling or something," Martin says.

He he's more interested in talking about his charity, People for Children, a project of the Ricky Martin Foundation. The Latin singer created the organization in 1997 to help eliminate the trafficking of children.

When Martin first learned that child trafficking wasn't just the shuffling of children across borders but an extensive problem of exploitation for prostitution, he was thrown.

"I had no idea what child trafficking was," Martin says. "At the end of the day, we're talking about organized crime."

The other dinners will raise money for various causes including the prevention of global warming and UNICEF.

-- The Associated Press

Downey Jr. is set to sing away

Robert Downey Jr. is moving from the big screen to the music scene.

The "Gothika" and "Chaplin" star has signed an exclusive recording contract with the Sony Classical label.

"Robert is a brilliantly gifted songwriter who writes lyrics that are wise and moving," Sony Classical President Peter Gelb said Wednesday in a statement. "His burnished, smoky voice is an expressive and touching medium for the songs that he has written."

Downey's debut CD, not yet titled, will include two covers -- "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin and "Your Move" by Yes -- and eight pop ballads written, sung and played on the piano by the actor. It will be released on Nov. 23.

Downey, 39, has written songs for three of his films ("Too Much Sun," "Two Girls and a Guy" and "Friends & Lovers") and sang during his 2000 stint on the TV show "Ally McBeal."

He was an Oscar nominee for 1992's "Chaplin."

-- The Associated Press

Paris prefers a good heart to good looks

Paris Hilton says "looks don't matter anymore" when it comes to her dating preferences.

Hilton told "Access Hollywood" that in her search for Mr. Right, she'd rather have someone with a good heart.

"Looks don't matter anymore," the 23-year-old hotel heiress-model-actress said in the interview, set to air Wednesday. "It's all about how nice they are. At this point, I want to find a guy who's right for me. I want someone who's going to treat me well and love me."

Hilton, who broke up with Backstreet Boy Nick Carter this summer, starred in two seasons of the Fox reality show "The Simple Life." She recently published a memoir, "Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose," and launched a jewelry collection.

"I'd rather have someone with a good heart than some good-looking idiot with no brain, because looks fade and I know that. I know that I'm not going to be good-looking forever," she said. "No one is, so it doesn't matter."

Hilton, who just released "Screwed," the first single from her debut album, said people should listen to her material before drawing any conclusions about her talent.

"Please, my album is so insane," she said. "People are going to be blown away."

-- The Associated Press

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