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Along with everybody else, the entertainment world watched with interest Apple's announcement yesterday of its new tablet, the iPad. The Associated Press looks at its potential for video games. The Hollywood Reporter finds the new device underwhelming. And Freep.com, among others, notes that "Mad TV" actually joked about the name in 2007.

Headlines around the entertainment world today:

MUSIC

• The Detroit papers are doing some preview coverage of this weekend's Ann Arbor Folk Festival. The Free Press has Martin Bandyke interviews with Rosanne Cash here and Raul Malo here, while the Detroit News talks to Ben Gibbard. Find AnnArbor.com's preview coverage here, including interviews with Richie Havens, Jay Farrar, the Hot Club of Cowtown and Ann Arbor's own Nervous But Excited.

• The "Hope for Haiti" album will debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, MTV.com reports.

• Ann Arbor native Mayer Hawthorne has announced a new batch of tour dates, including a March 26 stop in Detroit. AnnArbor.com's September feature on Hawthorne is here.

• Jazz violinist Regina Carter returns to her hometown of Detroit for a gig with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra this weekend, The Detroit News writes.

• Tickets are on sale for the Traverse City Microbrew and Music Festival. And the Motown Winter Blast returns next month.

MOVIES

• EW.com's Popwatch puts some much needed perspective onto the fact that "Avatar" is now the highest-grossing movie of all time.

• The Detroit News' Tom Long has a review of "Bilal's Stand," the Sundance Film Festival entry with some local connections (including a Sunday night screening at the Michigan Theater. Find the AnnArbor.com story here).

• Director Michael Bay has been to Detroit as part of location scouting for "Transformers 3," MLive.com reports.

• "Poltergeist" star Zelda Rubinstein has died at age 76.

• George Lucas is producing a CGI musical.

• And here's a teaser trailer for "The Runaways," making a big noise at the Sundance Film Festival:

TELEVISION

• The Associated Press has a piece wondering whether the late-night battles have permanently damaged Jay Leno.

• In today's "American Idol" update, Neil Patrick Harris squabbles with Simon Cowell, and MTV.com recaps all the action.

• ABC has canceled "Ugly Betty," the Los Angeles Times reports.

• Jennifer Lopez is set to guest star on "How I Met Your Mother."

• The CW has picked up a couple of pilots.

BOOKS

• The New York Times has an interesting feature on C.D. Payne, creator of the original "Youth in Revolt" novel, now a movie that was partly filmed in Ann Arbor.

• Deaths of note today include Howard Zinn at age 87 and Louis Auchincloss at 92.

THEATER

• The Chelsea area's own Jeff Daniels is returning to the Broadway hit "God of Carnage," the New York Times reports.

• The Free Press has a feature on plays at the Gem and Century theaters in Detroit with opposing male/female focuses.

• Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit has received a $37,000 grant from Chase Community Giving.

• The Detroit News has a review of "K2" at Performance Network. If you missed it, here's the AnnArbor.com review.

• A stage version of "The WIzard of Oz" opens Friday at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit, the Detroit News reports.

Renee Tellez, Chrysta Cherrie and Jenn McKee contributed to this roundup. Bob Needham is director of entertainment content for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at bobneedham@annarbor.com or 734-623-2541, and follow him on Twitter @bobneedham.

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