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Fall's hottest hairstyles include perfect and polished 1950s ponytails and pixie cuts inspired by Mia Farrow's late-1960s crop. The trendiest styles from fashion runways and the red carpet are pulled up, swept to the side or simply chopped off. Top knot This style seems to rule with leading ladies, as well as with tweens and twentysomethings who love Audrey Hepburn's hair in "Breakfast at Tiffany's. " Salma Hayek and Molly Sims have been spotted recently with their hair piled up on the tops of their heads and coiled around like a dollop of whipped cream.

Susan Atkins, who committed one of modern history's most notorious crimes when she joined Charles Manson and his gang for a 1969 killing spree that terrorized Los Angeles and put her in prison for the rest of her life, has died. She was 61. Details on death here. Atkins died at the Central California Women's facility in Chowchilla on Thursday night, said Terry Thornton, spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Atkins, who had been receiving medical care at the prison's nursing facility over the past year, died of natural causes, Thornton said.

Three-dimensional mammogram technology, which could reduce the number of women who need additional screening for breast cancer, received approval Friday from the Food and Drug Administration. But experts and advocacy groups were divided over how helpful the new images would be. About 10% of women require follow-up screening because their first set of mammograms is not clear enough, which 3-D images might help resolve, said Kristin Byrne, chief of breast imaging for New York's Lenox Hill Hospital.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa drew cheers from environmentalists just over two months ago when he issued a new political promise: eliminating coal from the Department of Water and Power's fuel mix by 2020. Instead of waiting a decade to see if that promise comes true, a Sacramento-based advocacy group decided to stage a publicity campaign thanking the mayor. It bought advertising space on city bus kiosks showing a smiling picture of Villaraigosa and the word "Successful."

Controversy is swirling around a pricey and much-heralded hair-straightening treatment after researchers in Oregon announced recently that they had found that the formula contained the dangerous chemical formaldehyde, even in packages labeled formaldehyde-free. The company behind the Brazilian Blowout responded with a series of statements on its website, first maintaining that the formula contains no formaldehyde and taking issue with Oregon's test methods, then saying it conducted its own tests and concluded that the formula does indeed contain the chemical but in a trace amount that is "considered safe and allows for use of the term 'formaldehyde-free.

It's not exactly young love, but some might find it romantic. On Valentine's Day, an aging Lothario that has been flitting from beauty to beauty through the solar system will make his final stop, taking pictures of a battered dowager to send to the folks back home before disappearing forever. The Stardust spacecraft, which has already taken images of asteroid Annefrank and captured interstellar dust from comet Wild 2, on Monday night will swing by comet Tempel 1. There, it will take new pictures of the devastation wrought on the comet by NASA's 2005 Deep Impact mission.

Suddenly glasses seem to be all the rage. Scenesters are wearing oversized frames at the club, Tina Fey flaunts sexy librarian-style specs, and Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z have launched remarkable collections of Clark Kent-style eyewear. And, sure, you can go to LensCrafters to buy a serviceable pair in a cafeteria-type setting, or to Oliver Peoples for some high-class panache. But if funky boutique is more your style, a couple of independent spots in town are definitely not from the cookie-cutter.

Two years after selling her original namesake company, Taryn Rose is back in full force. The orthopedist/shoe designer, who made her name crafting fashion-forward designs that are as comfortable as they are pretty, has debuted a luxury line that is available at Neiman Marcus, with new designs rolling out this fall. A less expensive division is featured on the Home Shopping Network. And with new partners the Schottenstein Group, Rose will have a midrange line available at stores including Bloomingdales, Nordstrom and Macy's next year.

There's an adage that finding the perfect wedding dress is like finding a perfect partner: You want one that hugs your body, offers support, lifts you up and makes you feel beautiful. So wouldn't it be great to get a dress from a brand that, like your future spouse, you trust to give you these things on an average Wednesday as well as on what's supposed to be the most memorable day of your life? That seems to be the philosophy behind the slew of major mass-market retailers now offering bridal gowns.

If you are a woman who loves to wear fragrance but only if it's not too floral or girly, maybe it's time to expand your choices. This year, why not try a men's scent? Odd? Not at all. Much, if not most, fragrance is unisex. It's mainly the packaging, marketing and strength of the fragrance that categorize it as "male" or "female" and determine in which part of the department store the bottle is sold. "I think it's really quite outmoded to talk in terms of male and female fragrance anyhow," says Mandy Aftel, owner and perfumer of Aftelier Perfumes, an artisinal perfumery in Berkeley.

Gov. Jerry Brown froze statewide hiring Tuesday to help cut the cost of government hours after he dropped a legal effort to reduce government workers' wages. Brown did not specify how much the hiring freeze would save. In a statement, he described it as part of a larger effort to cut $363 million from California's bureaucracy. The governor relies on that reduction in his proposed budget but does not say how it will be achieved. "We have a $25-billion deficit, and we must do everything possible to save money and make government leaner and more efficient," Brown said in the statement.

I'm not Egyptian. I don't have any Egyptian friends. I've never had more than a passing interest in the shifting politics of the Middle East. So why was I so obsessively bound to the images of Egypt's grass-roots rebellion? I watched the protests on my kitchen television while I cooked dinner, and on my laptop in bed until I fell asleep. I kept my car radio tuned to NPR, so I could keep up on my commute. I bombarded my daughters with such frequent updates, they began avoiding me. It wasn't just my "news junkie" hunger, and I wasn't the only one enthralled.

He's not Little Louie anymore. Nor "Louie who?" But Louis Oosthuizen still answers to Shrek. He knows that as long as he has that gap in his front teeth, the nickname will stick. Nor has he ever been offended by that. Shrek is a star now, the 2010 British Open champion, winner of that grand event at no less than the symbolic cradle of golf, the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland. He also has a new head cover for his driver ? the animated ogre has been replaced, as has his own image.

Imaging tests such as MRIs and X-rays frequently are performed so that doctors can protect themselves from lawsuits, according to a new study. A review of 2,068 orthopedic patients throughout Pennsylvania showed that almost 35% of the imaging costs were ordered for "defensive" purposes, researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia reported Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in San Diego....

Images of comet Tempel 1 taken by the Stardust spacecraft during its Monday night close encounter suggest that the comet's surface is much more fragile than astronomers had anticipated, with major changes occurring during its 5 1/2-year orbit of the sun, researchers said Tuesday. The close-up pictures also showed an unexpected layering of the comet's interior, a feature that researchers had not been able to detect in 2005 when an earlier mission shot an 820-pound probe into Tempel 1's side.

A NASA spacecraft has begun beaming back dozens of raw images from a comet purposely hit by an earlier probe, and officials say they plan to make the pictures public throughout Tuesday morning. The repurposed Stardust spacecraft locked eyes with the Tempel 1 comet on Valentine's Day, coming within 112 miles about 8:39 p.m. and snapping a budgeted 72 images along the way. Its views were arriving on Earth about every 15 minutes. Tempel 1 is the subject of an ambitious experiment.

If the production values of the recent Milan menswear shows are any indication ? an indoor rainstorm at Burberry, John Varvatos' railroad track runway and Ermenegildo Zegna's green-screen "Live-D" presentation ? luxury brands are done hedging their bets and tightening their belts. They are back to selling the sizzle they hope will sell their steak to men who've been on a bread and water diet for the last several seasons. Below are a few of the highlights from the opening act of the 2011 fashion show circuit.

There are more than 7,000 miles between Los Angeles and Beirut but when it comes to beauty, distance is meaningless. In a sophisticated world of technology and travel, beauty trends in one international style capital can influence those in others around the globe. Here's what experts predict will be on-trend in five stylish cities this year, along with tips on how to adopt the looks here at home. Beirut Originally from Beirut, hairstylist Ouidad has seen the women of her country battle their naturally wavy hair.

This city's preferred civic image is that of a quiet village with pristine beaches, trendy shops and upscale homes on tree-lined streets. The state-owned Del Mar Fairgrounds, on the city's northern edge, is another matter. The entertainment complex is mostly known for the annual San Diego County Fair and Thoroughbred racing season. But there are also the gun shows, reptile shows, boat shows, horse shows, bingo, the gay rodeo, soccer matches, concerts and, soon, the largest dog show west of the Mississippi.

Business travel is roaring back after a two-year slump, and the airlines are welcoming it with a selection of new amenities, including bigger, more comfortable seats. But the luxuries typically come at a price. For example, Delta Air Lines announced plans to add a premium economy section ? "economy comfort" ? on all long-haul international flights by this summer. The airline will charge an extra $80 to $160 each way, depending on the route. The new seats will feature up to 4 more inches of legroom and 50% more recline than Delta's standard international economy-class seats.