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Clik here to view. Subtly stained lips are in for spring, and a few companies are making the look a whole lot easier to get with their crayon-like gloss sticks.

Nars Cosmetics is releasing its Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils in February (just in time to draw on a perfect pout for a Valentine’s Day date). The pencil looks exactly like the Velvet Matte lip pencil that came out in the fall but slides on similar to a gloss, sans that sticky, drippy shine. The formula contains vitamin E and A to keep lips moisturized and comes in six shades. A fave is New Lover, which is described by the company as a “strawberry pink, laced with gold that mimics the look of overly-kissed lips.”  Yes, please!

Skeptical about how a pencil could also be a gloss, I tested the Nars version and thought it felt more like a balm than a gloss. The color is very subtle and gives lips a sheer blush that looks really natural. The color fades gradually over a few hours, but without getting clumpy or dry.

Clinique’s Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm, which is just landing in stores now, has a similar effect as the Nars stick and comes in eight bright and girly shades. The pink-red color of the Chunky Cherry pencil took me back to my childhood when I had an obsession with Hawaiian Punch and the syrupy soda stained my mouth. A more neutral Richer Raisin is a versatile pink-brown that would look good on almost any skin tone. Like Nars, the stain is subtle, sheer and glides on easily due to the shea butter and jojoba seed oil in the formula. But after it starts to fade, my lips were left a bit dry and feathery. Something gloss from a tube trends not to do.Image may be NSFW.
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Most of us are tethered to our favorite tubes of traditional lip gloss formula, but if it’s the more natural, “no lipstick-lipstick” look you’re going for this spring, gloss pencils are your beauty must-have.

Nars Cosmetics Velvet Gloss Lips Pencil, $24, available Feb. 1 at www.narscosmetics.com.

Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm, $15, at Clinique counters nationwide.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photo (top): Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm. Credit: Clinique

Photo (bottom): Nars Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil. Credit: Nars

IS A COLD CASE WARMING?: The 1997 slaying of rapper Notorious B.I.G. has been one of L.A.'s enduring mysteries. CNN reports that LAPD officers are still actively working the "Biggie Smalls" case: "According to one law enforcement source, the investigation into the 13-year-old unsolved case was "reinvigorated" months ago as a result of new information, but the source would not elaborate further because of the ongoing investigation that includes the Los Angeles Police Department, the L.A. County district attorney's office and the FBI." Sources told The Times that detectives looked into some leads several months ago but that the case remains fairly wide open.

HAPPY ENDING FOR LOST LAPTOP: If you were to lose your laptop, you might assume it was gone forever. But the Santa Monica Daily Press reports a happy ending for one man's lost computer:  "Imagine Tokyo businessman Tetsuo Fukuda's surprise last month when he learned his long-lost computer, which he'd misplaced near Santa Monica's Monsoon Cafe during a trip here in June, was heading across the Pacific Ocean on its way to his doorstep."

NOW IT HAS A TWIN: A second angel from the old Richfield Building has been discovered. (L.A. Observed).

GLASS OPENING: Renderings of a new pavilion for the National History Museum. (Curbed L.A.)

NO VOTE: In what might be a first, the city of Paramount has cancelled its upcoming election. (Long Beach Press-Telegram)

BEACH BINGO: Can't keep surfers away from this San Clemente beach (OC Register)

COMMUNITY BUILDER: A "founding father" of Carson has died at 93. (Daily Breeze)

-- Shelby Grad and Andrew Blankstein

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Clik here to view.The early figures are in — and KCET-TV's departure from PBS is looking like a ratings disaster for the Los Angeles-based public broadcasting outlet.

For the first four nights this week, KCET averaged a 0.3 household rating, according to the Nielsen Co. That's a whopping 50% decline compared with the 0.6 rating recorded the same period last year, when KCET featured the familiar lineup of PBS programs. An average of 22,000 viewers tuned in to KCET during prime time this week; last year at this time, it was 41,000.

The picture is even worse when ratings for the entire broadcasting day are considered. KCET is delivering a 0.1 household rating, compared with a 0.3 rating last year. KCET is now averaging just 10,000 viewers throughout the day.

KCET left PBS effective Jan. 1 after months of disputes over dues and other issues. Ironically, one of the reasons for the split cited by KCET President and Chief Executive Al Jerome was the rating erosion seen by PBS programming. Because KCET is an independent public broadcaster and does not sell commercial time the way an ad-supported network does, ratings are less critical than membership support. However, low viewing totals suggest a lack of interest that could ultimately affect membership and pledging efforts.

The station has replaced signature PBS shows such as "Nova" and "Antiques Roadshow" with repeats of British series such as "Prime Suspect," as well as documentaries and news programs imported from Japan, Canada and elsewhere. 

Station officials provided their own comparison — including figures from Saturday, the first PBS-free day, and Sunday — that showed ratings had declined only 23% compared with last year.

But spokeswoman Cathy Williams wrote in an e-mail: "We think it is much too early to evaluate the ratings, particularly since we're coming off a holiday weekend."

— Scott Collins (Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: KCET President and Chief Executive Al Jerome in his office in October. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times.

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Southern Sudanese are widely expected to vote for independence — splitting the largest country in Africa and the Arab world in two — in a referendum on Sunday. Secession would mark the beginning of a complicated process of creating a new African state.

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Clik here to view.The referendum was designed to be the culmination of a peace process ending decades of conflict between the north and the south in Sudan, but there are lingering fears that tensions could erupt into violence.

Tensions between the north and south have a long history, going back to pre-colonial days. The two areas have significantly different cultural, ethnic and religious makeups — the north is mainly Arab and Muslim while the south is mainly African and Christian or animist — which have complicated relations for many years.

After the civil war broke out, the first attempt to stop the fighting and negotiate a solution was the Addis Ababa peace agreement signed in 1972. This ended the war for 10 years, but two factors led to the resumption of civil war: the growing Islamization of the north and changes to clauses in the peace accord that cost the south some of its representation in government.

This conflict — which killed an estimated 2 million people — continued until the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in January 2005. The CPA — which included a cease-fire deal and a system of power and revenue-sharing between the north and south — contained extensive provisions on self-government in the south, representation of the south in the national unity government and an elaborate process of creating democratic institutions.

These democratic provisions, however, never operated as originally designed, and the hope that this system would entice the south to remain a part of Sudan was dashed.

Now that the six years scheduled in the CPA between the agreement and the referendum have passed, southern Sudanese — whether living in the south, north or in sufficient numbers abroad — must decide between unity and secession. (Northern Sudanese do not vote.) There is an overwhelming consensus that the south will vote for independence. Voters have been registered and there is a strong international presence on the ground, so the referendum is expected to proceed relatively smoothly.

The question is what happens the day after the vote. It is important to remember that if the south secedes, there will be not one but two new countries after the referendum — the north will be a different country and is likely to immediately implement Sharia law and assert its Islamic identity with renewed vigor. The potential complications between the two countries are endless, as they will need to negotiate the distribution of oil revenues, water, official borders, citizenship, disarmament and other security issues.

The referendum also marks a recognition by the international community — historically adverse to dividing countries — that no other solution but separation exists. As a result, it sets a precedent and may have implications for other divided African counties, including Nigeria and Congo (not to mention Darfur). While Eritrea has been the only country to secede in Africa since the end of colonialism, this took place as a result of war.

Southern Sudan’s vote for independence will be Africa’s first secession through referendum and hopefully through peaceful means. The threat of violence, however, looms large with immediate concern over the sharing of oil revenues, the yet-to-be-demarcated border and southerners currently living in the north. It will be important to keep watching after the results become clear.

-- Marina Ottaway in Washington

Editor’s note: The post is from an analyst with the Carnegie Middle East Center. Neither the Los Angeles Times nor Babylon & Beyond endorses the positions of the analysts, nor does Carnegie endorse the political positions of The Times or its blog.

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Clik here to view.The first bite Hemet resident Liz Franzino got on her first long-range fishing trip targeting cow tuna proved to be something special.

The diminutive Franzino (she’s 4-foot-11) found herself waltzing all the way around the decks of the 92-foot sportfishing vessel Royal Star, out of Fisherman's Landing, over a dozen times as her tuna came up in a slow spiral.

The process took 2½ hours, said Franzino, an eighth-grade science teacher at March Middle School in Moreno Valley, who was on a 12-day angling excursion.

"I used the harness and the rail and everything the boat had to offer," Franzino told dock reporter Bill Roecker. "In the end he came up on the bow. At my height, I couldn’t see the fish until they brought it down the rail and through the gate."

Royal Star skipper Randy Toussiant weighed the fish on the deck at 315 pounds, putting Liz in another diminutive group -- she is one of only four women fishing San Diego's long-range fleet who have landed yellowfin tuna over 300 pounds (the largest was a 353.7-pounder caught by Judith Montague in 2008).

"I want to express my gratitude to the crew and the other anglers for their patience and their encouragement and for giving me passage so many times," Franzino continued. "I’m just a normal person, and a lucky fisherman," she said, summing up her experience.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: Liz Franzino is all smiles as she stands next to the 315-pound yellowfin tuna she caught. Credit: Bill Roecker / Fishingvideos.com

Film commissioners in New Mexico and Ohio have been forced to resign as power shifts across the country to new, more conservative-leaning administrations that may not be as friendly to subsidizing Hollywood productions.

New Mexico Film Office Director Lisa Strout, who was appointed to her job by Democratic Gov.  Bill Richardson, stepped down last week after seven years on the job. Susana Martinez, a Republican, was recently elected as the country's first female Latino governor. Image may be NSFW.
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Strout presided over a period of rapid growth in New Mexico's film industry, during which it became a key rival to California, and was a well-known figure to many filmmakers in Hollywood. With its 25% film tax credit and diverse locations, New Mexico has hosted such movies as "Terminator Salvation" and recently secured Marvel Studios' "The Avengers," which begins filming in April in Albuquerque.

Strout could not be reached for comment. 

Ohio Film Office Director Jeremy Henthorn also was asked to resign  this week after just one year on the job. Ohio is only in the second year of its film program, which offers a modest amount in tax credits -- $20 million a year -- compared with what most other states offer.

Henthorn said he and his staff stepped down as newly elected Republican Gov. John Kasich took control of the government. Kasich defeated Ted Strickland, the Democratic incumbent, who was seeking a second term.

"I was notified on Monday,'' Henthorn said. "I was shocked. I was hoping to see my job through the first two years of the program."

Successors to Henthorn and Strout have not been named.

In most states, film commissioners are political appointees who serve at the pleasure of the governor, so it is not unusual for new people to be installed whenever there is a change in government.

"It's just politics,'' said Jeff Begun, a partner in the Incentives Office, a Los Angeles company that advises filmmakers on tax rebates and credits. "It's not a move against the film programs, as far as we can see."

Begun expects other resignations to follow, but not in California, where Film Commissioner Amy Lemisch served under former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and, for now at least, is expected to remain in her job working for new boss Jerry Brown.

"Amy has done a good job; I don't think she is going to have a problem in her chair,'' Begun said. 

-- Richard Verrier

Photo: Lisa Strout, former director of the New Mexico Film Office. Credit: New Mexico Film Office.

Redlands police have redeployed two-thirds of their 74-officer staff in the wake of a shooting Wednesday night in which a suspected Latino gang member fatally shot two black youths and wounded two others, an incident that the mother of one victim believes was racially motivated.

The department has about 50 officers working the streets in the case, said Carl Baker, a Police Department spokesman.

"We don’t have a lot of homicides in Redlands," Baker said. "When we do have something like this, we devote all the resources we have available pretty quickly."

At the time of the shooting, Baker said five youths were in the playground area between two apartment buildings at Oxford Drive and Post Street. At least one youth walked up and began shooting, killing Quinn McCaleb, 17, and Andrew Jackson, 16, both of whom were black, and wounding two other youths. A fifth person was unharmed.

[Updated at 3:30 p.m.: Redlands police and clergy plan a march to "Heal the Land; Heal the City" at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The march will be begin at Sun Avenue and Post Street, near where the shooting occurred, and end at Micah House, an after-school ministry for neighborhood youths, a few blocks away on Oxford Drive.]

-- Sam Quinones

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The one-man play "Thurgood," starring Laurence Fishburne, has seen productions on Broadway, the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles and the Kennedy Center in Washington. In February, the play will be coming to television screens thanks to HBO, in honor of Black History Month.

The premium cable channel said that it will air "Thurgood" on Feb. 24 at 9 p.m. PST. In addition, the show will air on Feb. 24 at 3:55 a.m. and Feb. 27 at 11:45 a.m. HBO said the stage production was taped at a live performance at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater.

Written by George Stevens Jr., "Thurgood" is a solo play in which the nation's first African American Supreme Court justice, Thurgood Marshall, talks about his life and law career. Fishburne received a Tony nomination when he starred in the 2008 Broadway production, directed by Leonard Foglia. That was followed in the summer of 2010 by the productions at the Kennedy Center and Geffen Playhouse.

Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote in his review of the Geffen production that Fishburne's "virtuoso stage command is riveting even when the documentary play ... momentarily stalls in the final stretch of what is otherwise an assured chronological stroll."

-- David Ng

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Clik here to view. RELATED:

Sidney Poitier and Laurence Fishburne at the after-party

Laurence Fishburne has found a joy supreme

Lynn Nottage working on 'Ruined' screenplay for Oprah Winfrey, HBO Films

'Sister Act' musical finally heading to Broadway

Top photo: Laurence Fishburne in "Thurgood" at the Geffen Playhouse. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press

Bottom photo: Sidney Poitier and Fishburne at the Geffen. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press

Left wing Alexei Ponikarovsky and defenseman Willie Mitchell are expected to return to the Kings’ lineup Saturday against Columbus at Staples Center, good news for a team that has been making bad news daily during a five-game losing streak.

Ponikarovsky, who injured an ankle Dec. 26, and Mitchell, who hurt his left knee Dec. 16 in only his second game back after a concussion, had no restrictions in practice Friday at El Segundo and said they’re ready to go. Ponikarovsky will play on the left side with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, back to his natural right-wing position after moving to the left for a while. The second line was also revamped — again — with Marco Sturm on the left, Jarret Stoll at center and Wayne Simmonds on the right.

Coach Terry Murray said he wasn’t sure who will come out of the lineup when Ponikarovsky and Mitchell return, though forward/defenseman Peter Harrold — who was on right wing Thursday — is an obvious candidate to be scratched.

“Today I skated a full practice just to get ready mentally,” Ponikarovsky said. “Physically I was ready, but mentally I have to focus and get back.”

Although Murray was definite in saying Mitchell and Ponikarovsky will return, Mitchell termed it as “a pretty good chance” he will play.

“As long as it doesn’t get worse then it’s fine,” Mitchell said. “You feel like you can do your job and not be a liability to the coaching staff or your teammates because that’s what’s most important.”

There was one hold-your-breath moment involving Mitchell on Friday: the veteran defenseman twisted his knee during a drill and got up slowly, skating in circles for a few moments until he was sure he could continue. He shrugged it off.

“That just happens. Anyone who’s had the injury I had, you tweak it a little bit, it burns for a little while and goes away,” he said. “All the guys who have had similar injuries go through that, so this is part of the program.”

Jonathan Quick will start in goal Saturday for the Kings, who are halfway through an eight-game homestand and have yet to win a game. Murray also said he wants enforcer Kevin Westgarth in the lineup Saturday and again Monday, against Toronto.

Look for more at www.latimes.com/sports
-- Helene Elliott

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Clik here to view.Cheers to you, James Franco -- and not just for further increasing your sexual ambiguity, and therefore improving our chances of dating you.

Really, cheers not only for saying awesome stuff that's poignant about male sexuality in pop culture, but also for having a sense of humor.

You know, fluid sexuality, the thing that some male stars can put forth, then immediately recoil from for fear of alienating a larger audience? 

"It's funny because the way that kind of stuff is talked about on blogs is so black-and-white ... " Franco told Entertainment Weekly this week about his affinity for gay roles, and what that means regarding the longstanding tradition of questioning his sexuality.

" 'Is he straight or is he gay?' Or," he lamented, " 'This is your third gay movie -- come out already!' "

"And all based on, gay or straight, based on the idea that your object of affection decides your sexuality."  

Franco, who has portrayed gay characters including an activist in "Milk" and beat poet Allen Ginsberg in "Howl," insists he finds plenty more dimensions to the characters than their bedroom proclivities.

"Or, you know what," he concluded, "maybe I’m just gay."

Heart emoticons from the Ministry, James.

ALSO:

Cher thinks Chaz Bono is a smart girl, err, boy!

Kevin Spacey addresses gay rumors: 'I don't live a lie'

Chris Brown, Raz-B: What's the homophobic Twitter-fight back story?

-- Matt Donnelly
Twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo: James Franco in 2008. Credit: Getty Images

Click here to download TV listings for the week of Jan. 9 - 15 in PDF format

TV listings for the week of Jan. 9 in PDF format (alternate link)

Weekly TV Listings can also be found at: www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv

This week's TV Movies

SATURDAY

Good Morning America (N) 7 a.m. KABC 

McLaughlin Group (N) 6:30 p.m. KCET 

The Chris Matthews Show Healthcare repeal; 2012 election: Chuck Todd; Kelly O'Donnell; John Heilemann, New York Magazine; Alex Wagner, Politics Daily. (N) 5:30 a.m. KNBC 

SUNDAY

Today Divorce; snow blowers. (N) 6 a.m. KNBC 

Good Morning America (N) 6 a.m. KABC 

State of the Union With Candy Crowley Agenda for Congress: Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.); Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.); agenda for Congress: Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.); Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). White House staffing; Congress: Ed Gillespie; John Podesta. Economic fact check: Greg Ip, the Economist. (N) 6 and 9 a.m. CNN 

CBS News Sunday Morning Bullying; Terry Fator; David Sedaris; Javier Bardem. (N) 7 a.m. KCBS 

Fareed Zakaria GPS Darfur; Sudan: George Clooney; John Prendergast, Enough Project. (N) 7 and 10 a.m. CNN 

Meet the Press Democratic agenda: Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Panel: Ron Brownstein, National Journal Group; Erin Burnett, CNBC; Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.); Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho). (N) 8 a.m. KNBC 

This Week With Christiane Amanpour Budget: Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.); Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). The “tea party” and Congress: Rep. Chris Gibson (R-N.Y.); Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-Ill.); Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). Panel: Former Gov. Howard Dean (D-Vt.); Dick Armey, Freedomworks; Arianna Huffington, the Huffington Post; George Will. (N) 8 a.m. KABC 

Fox News Sunday Congress: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.); Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.); House agenda: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wa.). Panel: Brit Hume; Mara Liasson; Bill Kristol; Juan Williams. Moderator: Bret Baier. (N) 8 a.m. KTTV 

Reliable Sources Coverage of Congress; White House press secretary: Debra Saunders, San Francisco Chronicle; Roger Simon, Politico; Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune. OWN cable network: Marisa Guthrie, Hollywood Reporter; Lola Ogunnaike, pop culture commentator. (N) 8 a.m. CNN 

Face the Nation Congress: Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.); Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.); Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.). (N) 8:30 a.m. KCBS 

60 Minutes The rapid spread of gambling in the United States; the murder of the mayor of a Mexican city. (N) 7 p.m. KCBS

Police were looking Friday for three men who assaulted a wrestling coach at Polytechnic High School in Long Beach after a wrestling match on campus.

Officers responded to the school gym about 7:30 p.m. Thursday after three men attacked the coach, whose name was not released, said Nancy Pratt, a spokeswoman for the Long Beach Police Department.

By the time officers arrived, the three assailants had fled, she said. They were described as a man in his 40s, an 18-year-old man and another young man.

Witness told officers that the assailants were seated in the stands during the match against Lakewood High School, but when the event ended, they jumped out of their seats and assaulted the coach.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives in the violent crimes unit at (562) 499-1261.

-- Richard Winton

GM has few reasons to be jealous of all the cool gadgets at the Consumer Electronics Show after it unveiled a new and extremely green car somewhat playfully called the EN-V. (Green with envy. Get it?) 

The Electric Networked-Vehicle, GM's vision of future urban transportation, is based on research done on the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility, or PUMA, project, which was a collaboration between GM and Segway, maker of the namesake two-wheel personal transporters. It uses much of the same technology found in the Segway PT to balance on its two main drive wheels.

But this is more than just a Segway built for two: GM predicts that it will drive itself.

The idea is that multiple EN-Vs would connect to one another like a social network to share information about traffic conditions, enabling the car to adjust its speed and route accordingly. Or if there are enough of them on the road, they could help avoid creating traffic snarls.

Another advantage would be that drivers wouldn't have to drive. They could catch up with work or do a little social networking of their own. The question is whether drivers will want to give up control of their car just so they can play a future version of Farmville. 

RELATED

Consumer Electronics Show: Ford Focus electric vehicle revealed with smart-phone apps

Consumer Electronics Show: Audi talks electric Spyders, Chinese-reading touchpads and accident prevention

-- Tim French

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