Commissioner John Wiley Price, who is black, interrupted him with a loud "Excuse me!" He then corrected his colleague, saying the office has become a "white hole."

That prompted Judge Thomas Jones, who is black, to demand an apology from Mayfield for his racially insensitive analogy.

Among strikers, a pecking order of sorts has emerged at the various picketing sites. The Fox studio lot (Beverly Hills-adjacent, next door to agent-heavy Century City and with two malls within walking distance) "is where the cool people go to strike. The agents are nearby, and if you want you can go to the mall," says [LA Weekly columnist and blogger Nikki] Finke, adding that in contrast the Paramount lot, several less than glamorous miles to the east, is considered "a wasteland." [TV and movie writer Eric] Abrams says he has been trying to hit up a different picketing site each day "to keep it interesting." So far he's noticed that one CBS studio site in particular attracts vocal types, shouting loudly at trucks as they pass through the studio gates. "It's great. It's almost militant," he says. But there are limits. When members of the Screen Actors Guild-i.e., actors and actresses-take to the picket lines in support of their writing brethren, things can get awkward. "They're really into performing, and so they love to chant. We writers are quieter types. We're not so comfortable shouting," Abrams says.

The Eagles beat Britney Spears for the top spot on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart this week.

Luciano Pavarotti, opera's biggest superstar of the late 20th century, died Thursday. He was 71. He was the son of a singing baker and became the king of the high C's.

Pavarotti, who had been diagnosed last year with pancreatic cancer and underwent treatment last month, died at his home in his native Modena at 5 a.m., his manager told The Associated Press in an e-mailed statement.

His wife, Nicoletta, four daughters and sister were among family and friends at his side, manager Terri Robson said.