The first lady was on Larry King Live Tuesday night discussing, among other things, her thoughts about Sarah Palin and the Tea Party movement.

"What's your read on the former governor of Alaska?" King asked.

"You know, I don't have a read. I try not to make, or set opinions about people that I haven't had any substantive interaction with. I mean, I know what you see on TV and when-"

"Does it irk you when she criticizes?"

Capt. Phil Harris, one of the signature personalities that made the reality series "The Deadliest Catch" such a gigantic breakout hit for the Discovery Channel, died Tuesday (February 9) at the age of 53. Harris died of complications from a stroke he suffered on January 29.

"Discovery mourns the loss of dear friend and colleague Captain Phil Harris," a statement from the channel said. "He was more than someone on our television screen. Phil was a devoted father and loyal friend to all who knew him.

Since Google is using its new Buzz social network in an attempt to take down Facebook, the #1 social network should return the favor: Facebook should tell Google to buzz-off. Permanently.

To protect itself from Google, Facebook content must never appear in any form as part of any Google product. Not ever, and Facebook should make the announcement today. (You can see our visual tour of Google Buzz here).

Tuesday night marked the beginning of the Ellen DeGeneres era on "American Idol." The evening also moved us one episode closer to the end of the Simon Cowell reign of caustic truth-telling. Some worry about this passing of the reality judge's torch, while others embrace it. You can count Sarah Silverman, another caustic truth-teller in her stand-up comedy, in the "Uh-oh, there goes 'Idol' " camp.

"I watch it for the singers and for Simon," she told MTV News. "I'm not really interested in laughs or other things or when they do funny videos around the Ford Focus. I just want to see the singers and then I want to see what Simon says."

A small earthquake in northern Illinois set off car alarms, knocked books off the shelves and jolted scores of people awake at 4 a.m. Wednesday, but otherwise caused no serious damage, officials said.

The United States Geological Survey reported that the earthquake, which had an estimated magnitude of 4.3, was centered near Virgil, about 50 miles northwest of Chicago, at a depth of about three miles. There were no immediate reports of aftershocks.

President Barack Obama and leading lawmakers from both parties met at the White House Tuesday to showcase potential areas of cooperation, especially on an initiative to spur hiring, but the gathering also highlighted divisions that have stalled much of the president's domestic agenda.

Mr. Obama reiterated his hopes for bipartisan compromise during a surprise appearance later in the White House briefing room, his first news conference since the summer.

(CNN) -- An early morning earthquake rattled northern Illinois on Wednesday, shaking an area about 50 miles west-northwest of downtown Chicago, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The magnitude 4.3 quake hit just before 4 a.m. CT (5 a.m. ET), with an epicenter about 3 miles underground. The USGS pinpointed the quake between the towns of Virgil and Sycamore.

Several callers to CNN said the quake shook their homes severely, but there were no immediate reports of major damage.

Hollywood week started with Ellen DeGeneres's first night as a judge. It was so strange to watch her turning moment by moment into Paula Abdul - giggling, slipping eye-catching bracelets onto her wrists, making strange disconnected comments.

That was just my sick fantasy.

In fact, she was the Ellen we already know: funny and sharp, but never too funny or too sharp.

Her first critical judgment on camera told you all you need to know. Skiiboski, the dude with the perplexing name, was more sudbued and polished than in auditions, but he still couldn't stop prowling the stage.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has arrested several people who were preparing to disrupt rallies on February 11 marking the 1979 Islamic revolution, police said on Wednesday, in a clear warning to opposition supporters planning new protests.

Opposition leaders have called on supporters to take to the streets on Thursday, raising the risk of renewed violence eight months after a disputed election plunged Iran into crisis.

DeGeneres replaced outgoing judge Paula Abdul

US critics have praised chat show host Ellen DeGeneres' debut as a judge on American Idol.

The 52-year-old joined Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi on the panel during the final Hollywood rounds of the competition.

The New York Times said she was "witty both in her embraces and her take-downs". The Los Angeles Times praised her "calm demeanour and deadpan wit".

Honda said today that it is voluntarily adding 378,758 vehicles to a previously announced recall to fix drivers-side airbags in 2001 and 2002 model year vehicles.

Models affected by the expanded recall include the 2001 and 2002 Accord, Civic, Odyssey CR-V and some and some 2002 Acura TLs. Today's announcement brings the total number of Honda vehicles recalled for the airbag issue to 826,424.

In those vehicles, Honda said the airbag inflators might deploy with too much force, which could cause the inflator casing to rupture and might cause injury or death.

Sports Illustrated babe Brooklyn Decker proved Tuesday night that she knows more about her namesake than just how to spell it.

The 22-year-old swimsuit cover girl was quizzed by the Daily News to see how much she knows about the borough where she has set up house with her tennis-playing hubby, Andy Roddick.

"Forgive me if I mess up. I've only lived there three weeks," said the blue-eyed beauty, who wore a skin-tight pink minidress.

Jay Leno left his ill-fated prime-time show Tuesday night with a good-natured shrug and a hearty "You're fired!" from Donald Trump.

Leno never acts bothered by much, and he seemed bothered not at all by the end of his 10 p.m. program – despite the fact that NBC moving him to that slot so Conan O'Brien could take over "The Tonight Show" is being widely described as one of the most embarrassing miscalculations in TV history.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama and GOP leaders agreed Tuesday that they had pinpointed a handful of areas – most of them related to job creation – where the two sides might be able to work together.

But as if to show talk of bipartisanship goes only so far, Senate Republicans subsequently voted to block Obama's choice of Craig Becker, a labor lawyer, for the National Labor Relations Board.

After years of research, professional infighting and maneuvering from various interest groups, the nation's psychiatrists Tuesday unveiled proposed changes to the manual used to diagnose and treat mental disorders around the world.

The draft document, released by the American Psychiatric Assn., for the first time calls for binge-eating and gambling to be considered disorders, opening the way for insurance coverage of these problems. But it refrains from suggesting a formal diagnosis for obesity, Internet addiction or sex addiction, as some professionals had proposed.

(Corrects 2nd paragraph to ...2 to 3 billion yen ..., not 20 to 30 billion yen)

TOKYO, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Honda Motor (7267.T) said on Wednesday it aims to sell at least 632,200 vehicles in China this year, up 10 percent from 2009, though the pace of growth will likely slow compared with a surge last year due to government incentives.

Yoichi Hojo, chief financial officer of Japan's No.2 carmaker, also told Reuters in an interview that the recall of 437,763 vehicles, including the Accord and Civic sedans, globally will likely cost it an estimated 2 to 3 billion yen ($22-33 million)

Iran believes a nuclear fuel exchange with the West is still possible, state television said on Wednesday, a day after the Islamic Republic's expansion of uranium enrichment drew a U.S. warning of more sanctions soon.

"The deal is still on the table," Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said on English-language Press TV.

But he appeared to reiterate Iran's demand for a simultaneous fuel swap on its soil - a likely non-starter for Western powers who want Tehran to send most of its low-enriched uranium abroad before it gets higher-grade material in return.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York State Senate has voted to expel a senator for the first time in almost a century, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

It said the Senate voted 53 to 8 late Tuesday night to immediately remove Senator Hiram Monserrate, a Democrat from Queens, found guilty of misdemeanor assault in October for dragging his girlfriend down the hallway of his apartment building.

The Democrats held the Senate by just two votes and Monserrate's removal leaves the fragile balance of power in the Senate divided between 31 Democrats and 30 Republicans, the Times said.

Washington (CNN) -- Civil rights songs were the soundtrack of the movement that helped bring President Obama to the White House. On Tuesday, Obama welcomed an array of artists to celebrate those songs.

An all-star lineup including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Natalie Cole, Smokey Robinson, the Blind Boys of Alabama, John Mellencamp, gospel singer Yolanda Adams and others performed some of the best-known numbers from what Obama called the "soundtrack" of the civil rights movement.

Hollywood Week's big news turned out a fizzle Tuesday night -- not because Ellen DeGeneres was bad, or offensive, or much of anything, as a judge, but because she seamlessly fit into the patter and often meaningless "critique" at the judges' table, the way a bottle of San Pellegrino fits in on a Beverly Hills brunch table. Quietly bubbly and refreshing enough, DeGeneres said nothing of consequence.