Polanski says he relates to 'Oliver Twist' character

Polanski says he relatesto 'Oliver Twist' character
WARSAW, Poland -- Much like the penniless orphan in his new film "Oliver Twist," Roman Polanski says he knows that in life "the worst thing isn't a hard bed or hunger, but having no parents."
Polanski, who won an Oscar for 2002's "The Pianist," said he could identify with the young orphan turned pickpocket in the squalor of Victorian London in Charles Dickens' classic tale.
Like Oliver, he knows what it's like "to walk for kilometers without socks in boots with bloody feet," said Polanski, who escaped Poland's Krakow ghetto during World War II and wandered the countryside, living with various families until his father could claim him.
"I knew that the worst thing isn't a hard bed or hunger, but having no parents," the 72-year-old director said Thursday. His parents were sent to Nazi death camps, and his mother died at Auschwitz.
Polanski, whose screen credits also include "Rosemary's Baby," "Chinatown" and "Tess," left the United States in 1978 rather than face sentencing on child-sex charges. He lives in Paris with his wife and their two children.
"Oliver Twist" debuted last week in the Czech Republic, where it was filmed, and was to open Friday in the United States and Poland.
To Polanski, the tale is timeless.
"Of course the story's aged -- but the Bible has, too," he said.
Domestic diva planstrip to North Carolina
HIGH POINT, N.C. -- Martha Stewart, free from house arrest and with a little break from her two new TV series, is expected in town next month for a reception in her honor at the International Home Furnishings Market.
Bernhardt Furniture, the Lenoir-based manufacturer of Stewart's furniture collection, will hold the invitation-only party Oct. 19.
Stewart was convicted of lying to authorities about a stock deal. She served five months behind bars in West Virginia and nearly six additional months in home confinement.
She has been free of her electronic ankle bracelet since Sept. 1, and has launched "Martha," a syndicated daytime show, and a prime-time NBC reality show, "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart."
The 64-year-old domestic diva will also take time during her visit to High Point to promote additions to her furniture line. Bernhardt launched the Martha Stewart Signature collection in fall 2002, about the same time her legal troubles started.
During the past three years at the market, Stewart has held mostly private meetings with furniture manufacturers and retailers, except for a public appearance in 2003.
Grateful Dead's Weirto appear at MerleFest
WILKESBORO, N.C. -- Bob Weir, a guitar player and singer for the Grateful Dead, will make his first appearance at MerleFest 2006, the annual celebration of Americana music begun by bluegrass legend Doc Watson.
Weir will perform with a veteran Merlefest band, The Waybacks.
Among the other headliners are Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and Nickel Creek. Watson and his grandson, Richard Watson, also are scheduled to perform.
The 19th annual festival will be held April 27-30 on the campus of Wilkes Community College. It raises money for the Eddy Merle Watson Garden for the Senses, named for Watson's son and fellow musician, who was killed in a 1985 tractor accident.
Today's birthdays
Actor James Whitmore is 84. Former President Jimmy Carter is 81. Pianist Roger Williams is 81. Actor Tom Bosley is 78. Actress-singer Julie Andrews is 70. Actress Stella Stevens is 69. Rock musician Jerry Martini (Sly and the Family Stone) is 62. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Rod Carew is 60. Jazz musician Dave Holland is 59. Actor Stephen Collins is 58. Actor Randy Quaid is 55. Actress Yvette Freeman is 48. Singer Howard Hewett is 48. Singer Youssou N'Dour is 46. Actor Esai Morales is 43. Actor Christopher Titus is 41. Actress-model Cindy Margolis is 40. Rock singer-musician Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra) is 37. Singer Keith Duffy is 31. Actress Jurnee Smollett is 19. Actress Brie Larson is 16.