Lawrence.com

AIDS activist out of hospital

Pittsburgh � AIDS activist and author Larry Kramer has been discharged from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, two weeks after the HIV-positive patient underwent a liver transplant.

Kramer, 66, will remain in Pittsburgh for a few more weeks so doctors can monitor his condition until he's well enough to return home to New York, hospital officials said. The author and playwright suffered from end-stage liver failure caused by hepatitis B and underwent a 12-hour surgery on Dec. 21.

"He's doing extremely well," said hospital spokeswoman Lisa Rossi.

He left the hospital about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Kramer wrote the plays "The Normal Heart" and "The Destiny of Me," and books on AIDS and gay activism. His screenplay for the 1969 film "Women in Love" was nominated for an Academy Award.

3 arrested in thefts from actress

Chiloquin, Ore. � Three men were arrested on charges of stealing firearms and tools worth more than $20,000 from Kim Novak's rural home.

The actress' husband, Dr. Bob Malloy, reported the crime on Dec. 26.

Christian Alan Flogerzi, 23, of Sprague River; Jason Nathaniel Corbin, 22, of Klamath Falls; and the property's caretaker, Dean Smith, 31, were arrested on Tuesday. They were charged with burglary, theft and criminal conspiracy.

The three were being held on bail ranging from $85,000 for Smith to more than $100,000 for Flogerzi.

More arrests are expected, police said.

The men allegedly entered the couple's home through a paneled door, and also broke into a detached garage, police said. The stolen property was recovered.

Novak, the blonde bombshell who appeared in 1955's "Picnic" and the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock classic "Vertigo," last appeared on screen in 1991 in Mike Figgis' "Liebestraum."

The 68-year-old spent her childhood summers in Oregon with her father, and memories of those summers prompted her and her husband to build their Chiloquin home more than 20 years ago.

Bean glad to hang up black hat

New York � British actor Sean Bean is known to American audiences for the villains he's played, so he says it's nice to be able to show his sympathetic side in "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."

Bean plays the regally flawed human Boromir in the Peter Jackson-directed film, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy.

"Over here I'm sort of seen as the villain really," he told reporters recently. "This film has given (me an) opportunity to move away to more sympathetic roles."

He added, "I've really thoroughly enjoyed playing in 'Patriot Games,' 'GoldenEye' and 'Don't Say a Word.' They're very rewarding. But it's nice to let (people) see the other side of you."