Associated Press
Inmates at a prison in Kenya are greeted by actor Nicholas Cage, who visited the country to draw attention to piracy.
Film star Nicolas Cage has visited a Kenyan prison holding suspected Somali pirates awaiting trial to highlight the problem of piracy in the Indian Ocean.
He toured the Shimo La Tewa prison in the Kenyan coastal town of Mombasa.
Cage, a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador on Drugs and Crime, told The Associated Press Television News on Tuesday that he wanted to meet with some of the suspected Somali pirates, hear their stories and understand what is fueling piracy off the Somali coast.
"Then I'm in a position where I can actually make some sense and talk about it when I go back to the States where I go talk to different U.N. councils and discuss the matter," Cage said.
He left Kenya on Wednesday.
Somali pirates are currently holding around a dozen ships and more than 200 crew members, and attacks have increased in recent weeks as seasonal rains subsided.
On Wednesday, pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama for the second time in seven months, though private guards on board the U.S.-flagged ship repelled the attack with gunfire.
An international flotilla of warships now patrols the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, but pirates continue to carry out attacks because of the millions of dollars that can be made from a successful hijacking.
'Earl' cast as Memphis cop in pilot
"My Name Is Earl" star Jason Lee wants back on prime-time TV.
The actor has signed on to star as a Memphis police officer who lives with his mother and moonlights as an Elvis impersonator in the TNT project "Delta Blues."
The cable network has ordered a one-hour pilot, which is being executive-produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov.
Michael Wright, TNT and TBS head of programming, called Lee "the ideal choice to bring the compelling, off-kilter (character) to life." Lee played lovable hick Earl Hickey on NBC's "My Name Is Earl" for four seasons.
The pilot will be filmed in Louisiana.
People still wild about sexy Depp
Get lost, Hugh Jackman. This year's "Sexiest Man Alive" is once again Johnny Depp.
Johnny Depp
Depp nudged aside last year's winner to get the coveted endorsement from People magazine Wednesday. It's the 46-year-old actor's second time as "Sexiest Man Alive." He also won in 2003.
Kate Coyne, senior editor at People, said on CBS' "Early Show" that Depp has achieved an almost "iconic status in terms of sexiness."
Says Coyne: "Johnny Depp was someone who was sexy 10 years ago. He'll be sexy 10 years from now. He's someone who appeals to multiple generations of women."
Depp joins other double winners Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Richard Gere.
-- From Our Press Services
Today's birthdays
Talk show host Larry King, 76; talk show host Dick Cavett, 73; media mogul Ted Turner, 71; fashion designer Calvin Klein, 67; sportscaster Ahmad Rashad, 60; journalist Ann Curry, 53; actress Allison Janney ("The West Wing"), 50; actress Meg Ryan, 48; actress Jodie Foster, 47; singer Tony Rich, 38; country singer Billy Currington, 36; rapper Lil' Mo, 32.
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