Anchor Alexis Glick leaving Fox Business Network

Anchor exits Fox Business

Fox Business Network’s Alexis Glick, who was a big hire for the News Corp.-owned cable channel in 2006, announced Wednesday that she was leaving her job as anchor of “Opening Bell” and vice president of news.

“I’m about to embark on a new venture,” said Glick, 37, adding that Wednesday was her last day on the show.

A Fox Business Network spokeswoman confirmed the exit, and the network said it had no plans for an immediate replacement. Glick was one of the channel’s most visible personalities after Neil Cavuto, the network’s managing editor and reporter, and Liz Claman. She came to Fox Business in 2006 via Roger Ailes, the News Corp. executive over both Fox News and Fox Business. She had been a rising star at NBC, where she co-anchored the third hour of the “Today” show.

-- Joe Flint Boyle’s ‘Dream’ holds on to No. 1

Alicia Keys’ new album, “The Element of Freedom,” logged impressive first-week sales of 417,000 copies, enough to put her at No. 1 just about any other week of this year.

But she has to settle for a debut in the runner-up slot this week, as Susan Boyle’s “I Dreamed a Dream” continues at the top of the national sales chart for a fourth consecutive week.

Boyle’s collection posted a 14% sales increase over last week, logging 661,000 copies heading into the final days before Christmas, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

That puts the album’s four-week total at 2.4 million, placing her ahead of Michael Jackson’s “Number Ones” and behind Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” on the list of the biggest-selling albums of 2009.

Despite the gangbuster numbers at the top of the chart, overall music sales were down 12% last week compared with the same week last year, and year-to-date sales are down 13% compared with 2008.

-- Randy Lewis Charges for Amy Winehouse

Singer Amy Winehouse was charged Wednesday in connection with an assault at a theater outside London, police said.

The 26-year-old soul diva was arrested after she presented herself at a police station with her lawyer, the Thames Valley Police said in a statement.

She was charged with a public order offense and common assault under the name Amy Civil, after a Saturday incident at Milton Keynes Theatre, police said.

Winehouse was granted a divorce from her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, in July.

Police did not provide details on the incident, but British media have reported that the singer allegedly struggled with a member of the theater’s staff after heckling at a performance.

-- associated press Grammy show gives fans voice

Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, the Black Eyed Peas, Maxwell and Lady Antebellum, who have a collective 32 Grammy nominations for 2009 among them, will perform at the awards show, which is scheduled for Jan. 31 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

They’re the first acts confirmed to perform during the CBS telecast, which will include a fan-participation element in which anyone can upload a clip of themselves singing along with the Peas’ hit “I Gotta Feeling,” some of which will be incorporated into the group’s Grammy show performance.

Deadline for submission is Jan. 15, and videos can be uploaded to either of two sites created for the contest by CBS and the Grammys.

-- Randy Lewis Steven Tyler undergoes rehab

Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler has entered a rehabilitation facility to treat an addiction to painkillers that his doctor says he has taken to deal with a decade of injuries.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the singer said he hopes to quickly rejoin the band, an effort to quell recent reports that the group’s other members were considering hiring a replacement -- should he decide to take an extended break from his duties fronting the long-running hard-rock outfit.

“Over the past 10 years, Steven Tyler has suffered orthopedic injuries and has been in severe chronic pain, which will require further surgeries on his knees and feet,” said Dr. Brian McKeon, who has been treating Tyler at New England Baptist Hospital. “Steven’s pain has progressed. The balance between managing his pain and avoiding addiction is tenuous and difficult, and his bravery in persevering through rigorous touring is admirable.”

-- Randy Lewis Local stations raise the heat

It’ll be the battle of the Christmas Day yule logs in Los Angeles, with KCAL’s video of a burning log going head to head against a competing fireplace from KTLA Friday morning.

According to Variety, the stations will broadcast two very different music soundtracks with their yule-casts.

CBS-owned indie KCAL, which airs its log between 6 and 10 a.m., will continue its partnership with KOST-FM. The adult contemporary station plays all Christmas carols, 24 hours a day, during the holiday season.

Meanwhile, KLOS-FM will provide classic rock for the log video from KTLA -- owned by the Tribune Co., which also owns The Times -- from 4:30 to 10 a.m.

-- From a Times Staff Writer Finally

Hallyday released: After riveting France for some two weeks of hospitalization for back surgery, the country’s top rocker, Johnny Hallyday, has left Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in time to join his wife and two daughters for Christmas at their Los Angeles home.