In the horse race that is "America's Got Talent," consider Pittsburgh's Jackie Evancho, at 10, a front-running filly. (Today)

2.4 million tickets were sold last year for the live transmissions (Today)

WASHINGTON -- Oprah Winfrey said her initial reaction to being told she was a 2010 Kennedy Center honoree could be summed up in two words: "Wowie gazowie." Merle Haggard? He compared being named an honoree to a "nice kick in the stomach." The center announced on Tuesday that Paul McCartney, the composer and lyricist Jerry Herman and the dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones, along with Ms. (Today)

An outsider looking in on Pittsburgh's hip-hop music scene today would find it bursting at the seams, poised to blast through Pennsylvania's borders to engulf an industry thirsty for new talent. (Yesterday)

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will play host to its principal guest conductor for three more years. Symphony officials will announce today that American maestro Leonard Slatkin, 66, has extended his contract with the orchestra through the 2013-14 season. (Yesterday)