AP poll finds support for Sotomayor confirmation

Americans have a more favorable first impression of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor than they did for any of President George W. Bush's choices for the high court, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll.

The public also backs her confirmation in higher numbers.

The poll, released Tuesday, said that roughly a third of the country has a favorable view of Sotomayor, while 18 percent view her unfavorably. Half of those polled say she should be confirmed; 22 percent oppose her confirmation.

President Barack Obama nominated the 54-year-old appeals court judge last week. She would replace Justice David Souter, who will retire in a few weeks.

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Is it `bye-bye' Barkley?

PHILADELPHIA Charles Barkley lists Phoenix, Portland, LA Lakers,LA Clippers, and Seattle as his top trade choices if he's finished asa member of the Philadelphia 76ers.

"I could win a championship in any of those places," Barkleysaid.

The Sixers ended a turbulent season at 35-47. Barkley is oneplayer the team could use to bring in talent should management opt totrade him.

The reported trade negotiations between the Lakers and Sixers inJanuary were real and …

Bologna beats Fiorentina 2-0 in Serie A

MILAN (AP) — Struggling Bologna beat 10-man Fiorentina 2-0 on Tuesday to boost its chances of Serie A survival.

Bologna was clinical in the first half, with Alessandro Diamanti and Gaston Ramirez scoring to establish a solid halftime lead.

Fiorentina had several opportunities but a combination of wasteful finishing and strong goalkeeping by Bologna's Jean-Francois Gillet kept it from scoring.

Any hopes it had of getting back in the game all but evaporated five minutes into the second half as Ruben Olivera was sent off for a serious foul on Diamanti.

Bologna is now level with 12th-placed Fiorentina and seven points above the relegation zone.

Fiorentina started …

Cerus shares rise on R.W. Baird upgrade

Shares of Cerus Corp. rose Tuesday as an R.W. Baird analyst upgraded his rating on the company, citing the value and potential of the Intercept blood system.

The system is used to clean bacteria, viruses, and parasites out of donated blood prior to transfusion. R.W. Baird analyst Christopher J. Raymond upgraded the stock to "Outperform" from "Neutral" and raised his price target to $5 from $3.

Shares of the Concord, Calif., company jumped 31 cents, or 13.2 percent, to $2.67 in afternoon trading. The stock has traded between 60 cents and $3.57 over the last 52 weeks.

"With signs of sustainable commercial progress in …

Laurie Metcalf: Not Your Typical TV Star

Laurie Metcalf arrives for the interview in a rumpled whitenightgown and pink, fuzzy slippers. She isn't wearing a trace ofmakeup and her hair just sort of hangs there, very much like Jackie,the character she portrays on the top-rated TV sitcom "Roseanne."

But today Metcalf is in costume for her latest project, a playcalled "My Thing of Love," at Steppenwolf Theater. While shovelingdown sushi in between performances, the actress openly discusses thehigh and low points of her career and her personal life.

Metcalf, who has been nominated for an Emmy this year, alsoreceived the coveted Theatre World Award for new talent in Broadwayand Off-Broadway theater. She has …

Local film gets national distribution, Boston left out

Here's the good news -- Craig Ross, Jr.'s "Blue Hill Avenue" has been picked up for national distribution by Artisan Films. The independent film set in Roxbury won the Audience Favorite Award when it was screened at the 3rd annual Roxbury Film Festival in Aug. 2001. It was so popular, in fact, festival producers ACT Roxbury Consortium and Color of Film Collaborative put on a second showing of "Blue Hill Avenue" to accommodate audience interest.

Here's the bad news -- the distributors aren't opening the film in Boston. Why? The Artisan Films executives told the Banner "no comment."

A petition is circulating urging Artisan to reconsider. You can add your voice by emailing …

Car bomb targets Lebanese troops, killing 5 people

A remote control car bomb packed with ball bearings ripped through a military bus Monday, killing four soldiers and a civilian in a city that has been tormented by sectarian violence, Lebanese officials said.

It was the second deadly attack targeting troops in northern Lebanon in less than two months. Suspicion immediately fell on an al-Qaida-inspired Islamic movement that has been locked in bitter conflict with the army since last year.

The blast came two days after a car bombing in the capital of neighboring Syria killed 17 people and wounded 14. Syria said Monday that the Damascus attack used a vehicle from a neighboring Arab country it did not name.

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