NEW YORK (AP) – Naomi Watts knew the role of Ann Darrow in “King Kong” was one that demanded a strong set of pipes.

Watts, who stars as Darrow in Peter Jackson’s big-budget remake of the 1933 classic, says her character’s screams are part of movie lore just as much as the big, plane-swatting ape.

“It’s funny, the whole scream thing, because you don’t really scream in real life,” Watts told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “If there’s truly anything scary, then you would almost swallow it. And if there’s a mouse nearby, you’d squeal: “Aaiiee!’

“Where does a scream come from? It’s really movies, I think.”

The 37-year-old actress said she didn’t practice her screams for “King Kong,” but did get some prior work in “The Ring” and its sequel. Her screen credits also include roles in “Mulholland Dr.” and “21 Grams.”

Though Watts certainly lets out a few choice cries, Jackson’s “King Kong” isn’t quite as filled with the head-flung-backward, throat-rattling shrieks that packed the original or the 1976 “King Kong.”

“In the other two versions, I think there’s a lot more screaming,” Watts said. “There are screams (in this version), but it’s not all the way through. I don’t know, maybe that’s reflective of the modern woman. Yeah, she’s a damsel in distress, but she’s tougher and that’s why she negotiates herself out of being killed.”

GAS CITY, Ind. (AP) – A museum chronicling the short life of “Rebel Without a Cause” star James Dean will close Dec. 31.

Owner David Loehr moved the James Dean Gallery to Gas City from Fairmount, where Dean attended high school, less than two years ago.

Although attendance had increased, it wasn’t enough to match the cost of maintaining the temperature-controlled building, Loehr said Monday.

“The operating expenses and upkeep and payments are just more than we can handle,” he said. “I’m just getting further into debt and I just can’t do it anymore.”

Dean, who was born in Marion in 1931, was killed in a car crash in Cholame, Calif., in 1955 at age 24. He also had roles in “East of Eden” and “Giant.”

Loehr opened the museum and gift shop in 1988 in a house near downtown Fairmount. After an electrical fire in early 2004, Loehr moved the gallery to the new 7,200-square-foot building near Interstate 69.

The James Dean Gallery contains a dozen pieces of wardrobe worn by Dean in his three major films, school papers, paintings by Dean, and original movie posters, books and magazines.

In a message posted on the gallery’s Web site, Loehr said: “James Dean has influenced so many actors, directors and musicians, we were hoping that someone would step forward with the necessary financial assistance to remain in operation.”

Loehr said he will put his collection into storage and continue to operate a separate gift shop in Fairmount.

A June festival in Marion marking the 50th anniversary of Dean’s death drew about 6,000 people instead of the 100,000 organizers had expected. The annual James Dean Fest in September went on as scheduled.

“The loss of any locally owned business is quite a hit for a community,” said Karen Niverson, director of the Marion-Grant County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “But I think the loss of the James Dean Gallery as a locally owned business is a harder hit, because it’s so integral to the very identity of our area.”

NEW YORK (AP) – NBC is stirring a new ingredient into its “Las Vegas” drama – a Wolfgang Puck restaurant.

The restaurant is the most recent addition to the set of “Las Vegas,” which already has a casino floor, lounge, club, sports book and reception area.

Puck and his restaurant will be featured beginning Jan. 9, the network said.

“Wolfgang Puck is the man who originally brought world-class cuisine to Las Vegas, revolutionizing dining in Sin City,” said executive producer Gary Scott Thompson in a statement Friday. “Wolfgang’s restaurant is the perfect dining destination for the characters of “Las Vegas.”‘

The Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group owns and operates six restaurants in Las Vegas, including Spago and Chinois (Forum Shops at Caesars), Trattoria del Lupo (Mandalay Bay), Postrio (Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian) and the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill (MGM Grand).

“Las Vegas” airs on Monday nights.

LAS VEGAS (AP) – Sting will headline next year’s Tiger Woods benefit concert.

The Grammy-winning singer will perform at Tiger Jam IX at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino April 29 in Las Vegas. Proceeds will go to local charities and the Tiger Woods Learning Center, a youth-education facility in Anaheim, Calif.

Tiger Jam, created in 1998 by the Tiger Woods Foundation, has raised more than $8 million.

“Sting is a music icon,” the 29-year-old pro golfer said in a recent statement. “I know his personal dedication to philanthropy combined with an amazing show will help us raise awareness and support for the students who attend the Tiger Woods Learning Center.”

The center is scheduled to open in early 2006.