ABC News Sued Over bin Laden Images

An Egyptian cameraman has brought a copyright infringement suit against ABC News, contending that without his permission the network used rare images he shot of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan during the 1980's, Reuters reported. In the suit, filed in Federal District Court in Denver, Essam Mohamed Aly Deraz seeks $10 million in damages and wants to bar ABC from further use of the still photos and video pictures. According to the lawsuit, Mr. Deraz "was the only cameraman with Osama bin Laden in the late 1980's, and his film and photographs were the only ones ever taken then that show Osama bin Laden in the battlefield." Jeffrey Schneider, a spokesman for ABC News, said the network had not seen the lawsuit, and he declined to comment.

Edinburgh Festival Ends With a Bang

Fireworks illuminated Edinburgh last night in a pyrotechnic display marking the end of this year's International Festival. The noisy celebration, sponsored by the Bank of Scotland, was set to Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The grand finale to the three-week arts festival was expected to draw more than 200,000 people.

Grand Ole 80

Great American Country, the national cable network, has designated October Opry Month in honor of the Grand Ole Opry's 80th anniversary. Highlights of the Opry-themed programming will include the Oct. 1 induction of Dierks Bentley as the youngest member of the Opry and five half-hour specials about the Opry and its past, among them "Firsts" and "Greatest Moments." The main event, a live "80th Anniversary Special" on Oct. 15, will feature the country music stars Travis Tritt and Ralph Stanley. The full lineup of programs is available at www.gactv.com.

Unconventional Theater

Some of New York's most distinctive contemporary theater artists, including Mac Wellman, Richard Maxwell and Elevator Repair Service, will be featured in the Prelude '05 festival, Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 at the Martin E. Segal Theater at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. The festival, which celebrates new and unconventional theater being created by New York-based artists and companies, offers free admission to all events, first come first served. The festival's short performances, readings and open rehearsals of new works will feature discussions with the artists after each performance. Details are available at www.theatermania.com.

New CD's This Week

The Rolling Stones lead the charge with "A Bigger Bang" (Virgin), boasting 16 tracks ranging from the political "Sweet Neo Con" to the ballad "This Room Is Empty," sung by Keith Richards. Another notable release this week will be Sarah McLachlan's "Bloom" (Arista), featuring dance floor-friendly makeovers of songs from throughout her career remixed by Talvin Singh, Sly & Robbie, Thievery Corporation and others. Joan Baez's "Bowery Songs" (KOCH), recorded live in New York last year, which includes her versions of songs by artists like Steve Earle, Natalie Merchant and Bob Dylan, and "Warnings/Promises" (Capitol), the fifth full-length release from the Scottish band Idlewild, will also be released. So, too, will the North Mississippi Allstars' "Electric Blue Watermelon" (Ato); "Amber Highlights" (Infernal) by Greg Dulli, the former Afghan Whigs frontman; and "Voice" (Sanctuary) by the British chanteuse Alison Moyet, who tackles songs by the likes of Elvis Costello, Bert Bacharach and George Gershwin. GRANT JAMES VARJAS

Opera Guild Awards

New York's Metropolitan Opera Guild has announced the first Opera News Awards, intended to recognize distinguished contributions from leading opera figures. The honorees, to be recognized at a ceremony at the Hotel Pierre on Nov. 20, are the conductor James Conlon, music director of the Ravinia Festival and music director designate of the Los Angeles Opera; the soprano Régine Crespin; the tenor and conductor Plácido Domingo, general director of both the Washington National Opera and the Los Angeles Opera; the mezzo-soprano Susan Graham; and the mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick.

Video Awards a Big Draw

The Aug. 28 broadcast of MTV's Video Music Awards, with Diddy, below, as host, was cable's top-rated show last month. Its audience of 8.01 million, according to Nielsen's estimates, easily beat the No. 2 program of the month, a Nascar Nextel Cup race on TNT on Aug. 21 (6.87 million). Among the Top 20 programs in total viewers were eight episodes of WWE Monday night wrestling, currently on Spike TV but moving to USA in October. In the 18-to-34 demographic, four episodes of MTV's "Real World" ranked in the top six for the month. MTV won that age group in prime time in August, but for the whole day Adult Swim took first place. Among total viewers and 18-to-49-year-olds in prime time, TNT led the other advertiser-supported cable channels: all four of its original episodes of "The Closer" made the month's Top 20 in total viewers. KATE AURTHUR

Persia in London

While art lovers in Iran are currently able to view works of Western art for the first time at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Londoners will be able to see "Forgotten Empire: the World of Ancient Persia," opening at the British Museum on Friday. Many of the artifacts in the London museum are on loan from the National Museum of Iran, the Persepolis museum and the Louvre, and will be seen in Britain for the first time. Between 550 and 330 B.C., the Persians ruled a vast empire that stretched from North Africa to the Indus Valley and from Central Asia to the Arabian Sea.

Footnotes

The cast and crew of Terrence McNally's "Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams," currently at Primary Stages, are taking donations this week to support the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Marian Seldes gives a nightly curtain speech to help raise money to be donated to the American Red Cross. ... Dance Theater Workshop has announced that the 21st Annual Bessie Awards are to be held Sept. 18 at the Joyce Theater in Manhattan. The awards, named for the dancer and teacher Bessie Schonberg (1906-1997), will honor outstanding innovative achievements in dance and related performance during the 2004-5 season. ... Josh Hamilton ("Hurlyburly") will appear with Mary Stuart Masterson in a staged reading of Jean-Marie Besset's "Commentaire D'Amour" Nov. 11-13 at the French Institute Alliance Française in Manhattan. The reading is part of "Act French," a citywide festival celebrating contemporary theater from France. Details are available at www.actfrench.org. ... The Broadway Inspirational Voices, directed by Michael McElroy ("Big River"), will give a benefit concert for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS on Oct. 16 at Town Hall. Star Jones will be host for the event, "Broadway Gospel Celebration: 11," and special guests are to include Deborah Cox. ... The Latvian National Opera was forced to close a production of Sergei Prokofiev's "Cinderella" after only two performances when Mr. Prokofiev's estate complained about the adaptation, which set the ballet in a brothel. ... Jennifer Tilly won her second major poker tournament, the World Poker Tour Ladies Night III at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. Just two months ago, Ms. Tilly, an Oscar-nominated actress, won the Ladies No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em event at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.