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A round-up of news from the arts world:

The Kennedy Centre in Washington, DC, has announced this year's recipients of its lifetime achievement awards, presented at the 30th annual Kennedy Centre Honours in Decembre. Recipients include Diana Ross, Brian Wilson (founder of the Beach Boys), Martin Scorsese, Steve Martin, and Leon Fleischer (pianist and conductor). Mr Martin's response : "I am grateful to the Kennedy Center for finally alleviating in me years of covetousness and trophy envy."

In Germany, the writings of Karl May, a con-man who spent years in jail dreaming of the Wild West, are some of the most popular in the country's history. His books about Native Americans have sold over 100,000m copies in German and spawned dozens of powwows, clubs, trading cards, magazines and even films. In many ways, Mr May's character, who is an Apache warrier, has earned a place in the German subconscious as a national hero

Some of Broadway's biggest names are holding a fundraiser for presidential hopeful Barack Obama at the New Amsterdam Theatre on September 24th. "Barack on Broadway" will include readings from Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller along with a speech from Mr Obama. Those who pay the top price for tickets, $2,300, will meet the man at a private reception before the show.

"A Jihad for Love", a film about gay Muslim women and men living in Pakistan, Iraq, South Africa, Egypt and France, has premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Parvas Sharma, the Indian director of the film, who lives with his partner in New York, has said the film presents a different perspective of the Middle East than other films at the festival which are focused on war and terrorism. He has also vowed to make sure his film is seen throughout the Muslim world.

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