NEW YORK – Wilmer Valderrama (search), who plays Fez on “That ’70s Show,” will host a trash-talking competition series, “Yo Momma,” (search) set to air on MTV next year. “Wilmer is wired into our audience. His humor, style and approachable personality make this a great fit for MTV (search),” Brian …

Last year, I received a substantial long-term capital gain. Could this make me subject to the AMT? There’s only one way to find out for sure: Fill out IRS Form 6251. We aren’t being flippant. When it comes to the AMT, there are no hard and fast rules as to …

NEW YORK – Joaquin Phoenix (search) denies tabloid reports that he had a breakdown while filming the upcoming Johnny Cash biopic and says he was merely acting, according to a magazine report. Phoenix banged his head on the bedpost while shooting a scene that recalled Cash’s brother’s death in “Walk …

NEW YORK – U.S. investors are getting ready to beat the heat after a feast of better-than-expected second-quarter earnings and strong outlooks. Still, lackluster July retail sales and crude’s move to new highs may be a nagging worry as Wall Street retreats for the summer. Second-quarter earnings growth expectations for …

ROME – As he lay dying, Pope John Paul II (search) was aware of the presence of the crowd in St. Peter’s Square (search) below his apartment window and calmly viewed death as a “passage from one room to another,” his longtime secretary said in an interview broadcast Friday night. …

CINCINNATI – Federated Department Stores Inc. (FD), owner of such nameplates as Bloomingdale’s (search) and Macy’s, said Wednesday its earnings nearly doubled in its second quarter, and the company sees sales growth picking up in the second half of the year. Net income for the quarter that ended July 30 …

LOS ANGELES – Federal investigators have found evidence that California prisons may be a breeding ground for Islamic terrorists. According to the FBI, Levar Washington (search), 25, being held for robbery charges, was found with jihadist materials and a list of potential targets in his apartment when he was taken …

WASHINGTON – The congressional hearing involving Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and former trainer Brian McNamee was postponed Wednesday until Feb. 13 so lawmakers can gather evidence and coordinate their investigation with the Justice Department. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform was informing witnesses that the Jan. 16 session …

WASHINGTON – Three Mexican police chiefs have requested political asylum in the U.S. as violence escalates in the Mexican drug wars and spills across the U.S. border, a top Homeland Security official told The Associated Press. In the past few months, the police officials have shown up at the U.S. …

DALLAS – An HIV-positive man convicted of spitting into the eye and mouth of a Dallas police officer has been sentenced to 35 years in prison. Because a jury found that Willie Campbell used his saliva as a deadly weapon, the 42-year-old will have to serve half his sentence before …