Names and faces

NEW YORK (AP) -- The full-page ad in The New York Times carried a simple message: "Imagine all the people living life in peace."

The John Lennon lyric, carried on page 29 of Sunday's paper, was a message from his widow, Yoko Ono, in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, her spokesman confirmed Tuesday.

The eight-word quotation from Lennon's "Imagine" was unaccompanied by any photos or text. Ono decided not to sign the ad because "she felt it would be more effective if her name wasn't on it," explained spokesman Eliot Mintz.

"This is one of the ways she makes her feelings known," Mintz said. "The message is in the ad."

Leno to give free performance

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Jay Leno, host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" and a frequent Las Vegas headliner, will give a free performance Saturday at the MGM Grand hotel-casino.

"I talked to some friends in Las Vegas and they said the town is pretty empty," Leno told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Las Vegas has been good to me and I wanted to give something back. I thought it would be fun to do."

Leno announced his plans during Monday's taping of "The Tonight Show," saying it was a gesture to help boost business on the Las Vegas Strip, where visitor numbers have dropped since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Leno will perform in the 1,700-seat EFX Theatre. The performance is open only to Nevada residents or anyone with a Las Vegas hotel room key and an out-of-state driver's license.

Alba trained for role for a year

NEW YORK (AP) -- Jessica Alba trained for one year -- lifting weights and taking kung fu and gymnastics classes -- to prepare for her role as Max, a genetically engineered soldier, on the Fox series "Dark Angel."

"I got obsessed with it," the 5-foot-7, size 4 actress tells Glamour magazine in its October issue. "A lot of girls have eating disorders, and I did, too. I got too thin. ... Now I'm concentrating on being normal."

Meanwhile, Alba is still working hard to keep fit, despite the long hours shooting the series in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Welch: She's no sex symbol

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Raquel Welch, who recently celebrated her 61st birthday, says it's ridiculous to be called a sex symbol at her age.

"You can be a legitimate sex symbol up 'til the age of 35 and then after that you just can't take that seriously," says Welch, who parlayed her success in 1966's "One Million Years B.C." into a serious acting career.

That's why she jumped at the chance to spoof her image in "Tortilla Soup," also starring Hector Elizondo.

"As I was coming up to 40 I was looking for bread crumbs along the road of sex symboldom," she said. "And I couldn't find any that were very positive. Most of the American sex symbols have come to rather tragic endings."