LIUKIN, JOHNSON IN SAN DIEGO

Mark the date: Sept. 14. Gold medal gymnast Nastia Liukin, silver medalist Shawn Johnson and other U.S. stars will be performing at the Sports Arena, for a taped ABC-TV special that will be shown Oct. 12. Tickets, at $33, are on sale at Ticketmaster. The show is called “Frosted Pink With a Twist,” and is part of a campaign to raise awareness about cancers that affect women.

HOW DO YOU SAY 'BEIJING'?

NBC News anchor Brian Williams calls it Bay-jing. NBC's Bob Costas calls it Bay-zheeng. So which is right? Williams, according to experts in the Chinese language. “It's been annoying me for quite awhile, honestly,” said S. Robert Ramsey, a college professor and author of “The Language of China.”

BATMAN'S BRIGHT NIGHT?

It's been a good summer for one Batman. Will it be a good Olympics for another? U.S. hurdler Bershawn “Batman” Jackson acquired his nickname as a kid growing up in Miami because of his large ears and the ease with which he could fly over hurdles. He'll be in the semifinals of the men's 400 hurdles today. At 5 feet 7 and 154 pounds now, he's probably more like Robin.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We're like the Beatles over here.” U.S. men's basketball player Chris Paul, on the attention the team is getting in Beijing