The hatchback to be manufactured in Tennessee starting in late 2012 is no nerdy eco-friendly car, that's for sure. And the prototype certainly was fun to drive. Nissan set up a test course in the Dodger Stadium parking lot and even this cautious driver couldn't help but race down the straightaway. No emissions, no tailpipe, no noise -- but lots of speed, right away.

Ghosn says the Leaf goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 10 seconds, although it felt much faster than that. "This is not a golf cart," he reminded us several times.

But he is nevertheless keen on a slow U.S. rollout because he wants to get the battery technology and consumer experience right. In the first two years, just 10,000 to 20,000 Leafs manufactured in Japan will make their way to the United States and the first will go to around 15 high-potential cities, from Seattle, down to the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego, and over to North Carolina.

Los Angeles is likely to be an early market too and sources say Nissan is negotiating partnerships for the second largest U.S. city,  where we spend way too much time in our cars. The Leaf can go 100 miles or 160 kms on a single eight-hour charge -- enough for most L.A. commutes. And in a place where tailpipe emissions account for 40 percent of greenhouse gases (versus 30 percent for the nation), a Leaf fleet could make a difference in Los Angeles.

So, what do you think? Don't you find this car sexy?

Photo credit: Reuters/Fred Prouser (Nissan's Ghosn stands in front of the all-electric Leaf)

Black was one of many celebrities who joined the five-hour "Bienvenido Gustavo!" fest to tout music education for kids, a new audience for classical music and multicultural musical offerings -- all espoused by Dudamel, the most popular export of Venezuela's famous public music school network "El Sistema." Music legends like Quincy Jones, Sergio Mendes, Herbie Hancock, Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), actor Andy Garcia and composer John Williams also turned out for a night of music under the stars.

Even U.S. President Barack Obama got in on the act -- not in person, but he did send a letter Saturday to the Los Angeles Philharmonic saying "music is the universal language which builds intercultural relationships" and he "hopes the L.A. Phil inspires others to study the arts."

One of the highlights of the night came from a hundred kids from underprivileged South L.A.  in the new El Sistema-inspired Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, who made their Hollywood Bowl debut with Dudamel conducting Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." Their families sat in the front, in what is known as the pool circle -- the most coveted seats in the Bowl. VIPs and the city's cultural elite sat behind them, sipping wine and picnicking.

Then, dressed in a cream colored Armani dinner jacket, Dudamel and his Los Angeles Philharmonic delivered the show's powerful final act -- Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, complete with a huge chorus and four vocal soloists. Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed called it "a Beethoven Ninth to be remembered."

Two big screens on either side of the stage gave view to Dudamel's expressions, his graceful motions and his hair -- the hair being very important part of the movement as his black ringlets fly to and fro.  Even jaded critics enjoy watching Dudamel.

After a standing ovation, Dudamel returned to the stage and spoke in both Spanish and English about America being one continent -- no South, no North, no Central America. He flashed his boyish grin and said he had a surprise. The Philharmonic played the last minutes of the symphony again, this time to an eruption of fireworks. No doubt thousands of first-time concertgoers joined the ranks of classical music lovers -- that's saying something in L.A..  And this is too: Dude was on fire!

Photo credit: Reuters/Fred Prouser (Gustavo Dudamel meets the press, Sept. 30, 2009)

A reporter asked the 28-year-old classical music sensation what he had on  his iPod, to which Dudamel answered that he loved Latin music and was listening to the likes of Venezuelan salsa star Oscar D'Leon and Dominican crooner Juan Luis Guerra.

And then the reporter said: "You are in America now, what Americans?" Dudamel didn't miss a beat and shot back "I am talking about Americans!" -- to which the room packed with journalists erupted in laughter and clapping.

That Latin America is indeed part of America is something that Dudamel brings up often, but always with good humor and patience.  At his news conference he reiterated that America is one -- Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, the United States, all included. That message is likely to resound in Los Angeles, a city that is half Hispanic and home to millions who migrated from southern portions of the Americas.

Photo credit: Reuters/Fred Prouser (Gustavo Dudamel talks to journalists Sept. 30, 2009)

The bug exterminator turned political powerhouse -- known as "The Hammer" for his hardball tactics -- took to the ballroom in the ninth season of "Dancing with the Stars" with two-time champion and professional dancer Cheryl Burke.

And while Burke warned in rehearsal that "Tom is very conservative, so a lot of hip shaking is not up his alley," the audience got to see a fair amount of that too. Watch the video here.

Good humored and surprisingly light on his feet, as one shocked judge said, DeLay and Burke received a score of 16 points out of 30. Another judge said: "Parts were magic, parts were tragic," to which DeLay turned around and, again, shook his tail feather.

"I got bigger critics than those judges," said the former congressman whose Washington career hit the skids in 2005 when he was indicted in Texas on campaign finance charges. Although he pleaded not guilty, he dropped out of his re-election bid in 2006.

Tuesday night we'll see how DeLay fared with the people, when viewers' votes are announced. More than 17 million viewers tuned in to see the season premiere, making it the most watched show on prime-time TV Monday night.

Photo credit: Adam Larkey/ABC.

The Shower Manager can be programmed to run for five, eight or 11 minutes at full flow. After a warning beep it cuts the flow by two-thirds, just enough to rinse. Five minutes have to pass before it can be reset -- an eternity in a shower.

One satisfied customer, Lisa J, was quoted by the company as saying her kids "call it the Shower Nazi." The Web site claims a family of four (including two teens) can save $400 annually in water and heating costs - compared to the product's online price of $125.

There is a cheaper alternative to promoting -- though not enforcing -- shorter showers. For $15.50, you can get a shower timer in the shape of a duck, a turtle or a star. One person on flickr showed their duck timing a 3 minute shower, prompting the comment (from a teen?): "Woah! I would have a hard time with three-minute showers."

Photo credit: Reuters/Mark Blinch (A woman takes a shower in a Toronto gym.)

But the mood at Jack's is decidely somber. A few days earlier, the farmers in these parts were told not to expect any federally supplied water this year due to a third year of drought and low levels in the reservoirs.  Without water, they can't plant their lettuce and tomatoes, and they may lose parts of their precious almond and pistachio orchards.  All this land flourished with water brought from hundreds of miles away, snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada.

In reporting for our series on water scarcity in the U.S. West, I was amazed that the top farming region in the nation had not prepared itself better to deal with Mother Nature's fickle ways with water. But many here feel they would have avoided this predicament were it not for the "man-made drought" --  new regulations to save endangered fish species by sharply restricting water pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. And there's a lot of anger at environmentalists who want more water for wildlife habitat and less for farming.

"Everyone's looking to place blame," said Jack Minnite, who owns the popular restaurant in the town of Firebaugh. "But if the environmental restrictions on the Delta were lifted, would our problems be solved?"

Probably not. As you can see in Part 4 of the water series, there is no silver bullet for the water scarcity that cloud's California's farming future. Climate change is expected to worsen the intensity and frequency of drought in California, leading to drastic diminution of the Sierra snowpack that serves as the state's largest fresh surface water reserve.  A combination of additional water storage infrastructure, a new canal, more low-water crops and greater conservation could save the industry, experts say. But that will require a lot of compromise and, as processing tomato buyer Frank Pitts says, "laying aside the emotion."

One gripe that comes up time and again in these parts is that the American public and politicians do not understand what is at stake in the San Joaquin Valley. Let the region's farms succumb to water scarcity, they say, and Americans will see less fresh produce at their supermarkets and higher prices. Oh, and then there's that issue of food security. 

"This is like buying foreign oil," almond farmer Mike Wood said. "All of the sudden, we have no control over our food supply."

Farmers insist they are not crying wolf over water. This is the worst it's ever been for them, they say. But are California's farmers to blame for their own water woes?

Photo credit: Reuters/Robert Galbraith (A water canal and almond farmers in Firebaugh, California, February 2009)

Just one year after a skeletel and skittish Amy Winehouse was the main Grammys attraction (via satellite after getting out of rehab), Adele showed a cleaner, healthier and more confident side of British female pop singers at this year's awards.

The 20-year-old with a big voice and a plus-size figure to match won the coveted Best New Artist, beating out fellow Brit girl Duffy and American teen heartthrobs Jonas Brothers. "Duffy, I love you, I think you are amazing," Adele said in her acceptance speech. And then she nervously giggled as she said "Jonas Brothers, I love you as well. "

With country duo Sugarland, the London native performed her hit single "Chasing Pavements," for which she won another Grammy for best female pop vocal performance. But she lost out on Record of the Year for that same tune from her debut album "19" as fellow Brits Coldplay won for "Viva La Vida." 

Duffy, the Welsh newcomer who sings in a 60s-soul style, missed on Best Artist, but did manage to take home Best Pop Vocal Album for "Rockferry."

(Reuters photo of Adele with her Grammys by Mario Anzuoni)

Although "Slumdog" is a favorite to win best picture at the Oscars next month after winning at SAG, the Producers Guild and the Golden Globes, the SAG award came as a surprise to the four Indian actors who collected it. Anil Kapoor, a veteran Bollywood actor, said "it was overwhelming to be nominated, but to win this is unbelievable."

Backstage, Kapoor said one of the highlights was meeting Angelina Jolie, courtesy of his "Slumdog" co-star Irrfan Kahn, another Bollywood big name who played opposite the actress in "A Mighty Heart."

And Dev Patel, the 18-year-old who plays the slum dweller that triumphs on India's version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?," said his golden moment at SAG was running into Kate Winslet on the red carpet. "She was like my first love...and she knew who I was!"

"People who I grew up watching or hearing, they know who we are," said Patel. "The crazy thing is that everyone has really embraced the film."

Expectations are now high that the international success of "Slumdog" will catapult not only these actors, but also the prolific Bollywood film industry. The female lead and Patel's on-screen love, Freida Pinto, said "this film means an opportunity now, not just for me but for many back home, many people around the world trying to make this crossover."

British actress Kate Winslet keeps picking up awards for her 2008 film roles and admits she is struggling with her acceptance speeches.

On Sunday, she won best supporting actress from the Screen Actors Guild for her role as a German woman with a Nazi past in "The Reader," adding to her double win at the Golden Globes a few weeks ago.

"I'm a bit lost for words, I'm sorry," she said in her speech on Sunday. But she actually came off better than at the Globes, where she gushed her way through her speeches, especially after winning best actress for her role as a frustrated suburban wife in "Revolutionary Road."

Backstage on Sunday, she joked with reporters: "I don't have to make another speech do I? I am so bad at this..Clearly I am still learning." She said that winning comes as a shock and "just takes her breath away."

For the Oscars on Feb. 22, Winslet will by vying for best actress for her "The Reader" role, in which she has an affair with a teenage boy and bares herself in several intimate scenes. But her breath will really be taken away if she wins the Academy Award over multi-award winning actress Meryl Streep, who took best actress from the Screen Actors Guild for her role as a vindictive nun in "Doubt."

Winslet has never won an Oscar despite many nominations. So can she win the Oscar and make a decent speech?

"I was sitting on the edge of the bed with my family watching our new president-elect," actor/director Sean Penn said Thursday night as he collected the Britannia Award for Excellence in Film from the Los Angeles chapter of BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

"I have never been able to put the word 'my' before president before," he added, prompting loud applause from the British-American film industry crowd that also honored actors Tilda Swinton and Don Cheadle and director Stephen Frears.

When not working on films -- either acting or directing, which he did last year with "Into the Wild" --  the Oscar winner has hopped on planes and ruffled feathers by touring Iraq and meeting with Washington foe Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president.

Penn will be making new waves with "Milk," in which he plays Harvey Milk, the late San Francisco gay activist and politician of the 1970s. The Gus Van Sant film opens later this month on the heels of a stinging defeat for California gays, who saw their right to marry overturned at the polls this week.

While he may have made peace with American politics, Penn did use the stage to take a parting shot at another foe -- ex-wife Madonna, playing Thursday across town at Dodger Stadium.

After searching for "my British thing to say," Penn shouted "Guy Ritchie's back!"

British filmmaker Ritchie and Madonna are divorcing after nearly eight years of marriage.

-Photo credit: Reuters/Fred Prouser (Sean Penn arrives at BAFTA Awards)