Local girl Jacquelyn "Jackie" Dowsett, a member of the fabled Radio City Hall Rockettes, will be high-kicking her way through the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, airing at 9 a.m. today on NBC affiliate KHNL8.

Dowsett, a 1998 Punahou grad and an '02 Southern Methodist University alumna, is a six-year veteran of the Rockettes. She trained with John Landovksy at Hawaii State Ballet and was a member of Marcelo Pacleb's 24-VII Danceforce while in high school. Her parents are Terry and Nina Dowsett.

Dowsett has been all over the map lately, featured in this month's Dance Spirit magazine, dancing with Victor Garber in last week's "Eli Stone" on ABC, and soon to be seen in the Wayan Brothers' "Dance Flick" comedy and also in Robert Zemeckis' "A Christmas Carol" remake with Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman and Robin Wright Penn.

— Wayne Harada, Advertiser Staff Writer

MURAKAMI WILL OPEN L.A. STUDIO

Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, whose giant Buddha, bug-eyed monsters and magical mushrooms packed in huge crowds last year at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, is putting down roots in the city. A multifaceted artist who embraces painting and sculpture, film and mass-produced goods as part of a single enterprise, he is planning to open a Los Angeles animation studio next summer.

Murakami, headquartered in Tokyo and often called Japan's Andy Warhol, already has a studio in New York. But he has decided that Hollywood is the place to expand his filmmaking capabilities. The new studio will operate under the umbrella of Kaikai Kiki, his production and artist-management company.

"Animation and film have always been among my greatest influences, ever since I first saw 'Star Wars' and Hayao Miyazaki's films," Murakami said in a statement. "This studio represents a great step in the evolution of Kaikai Kiki and gives me a closer proximity to the community of artists with whom I hope to collaborate as I continue my explorations of animated and live-action film."

SPEARS HEADING FOR LONDON

LONDON — Pop singer Britney Spears is heading to London this week to perform live on "The X Factor" TV show.

She also is giving two concerts in London in June. A Spears representative announced those concerts yesterday and said they will be her only European stops on a world tour.

Spears is expected to sing "Womanizer" on television Saturday. The popular single was recorded for a soon-to-be-released album.

Famous singers often coach "X Factor" contestants during the show, but the representative says Spears will only be performing — not coaching.

REALITY COUPLE'S UNREAL MARRIAGE

LOS ANGELES — Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, the reality-TV couple whose on-again, off-again relationship has been chronicled by MTV's "The Hills" and celebrity magazines, appear on the Wednesday cover of Us Weekly with the headline "Heidi & Spencer Elope!"

But the couple acknowledged yesterday that their wedding ceremony near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico — featured in a photo spread in the magazine — was not legally binding.

"We had a beautiful ceremony here ... officiated by a minister and photographed by the hotel photographer. We've never been happier," said the couple in a statement provided by Us Weekly. "And, like other elopements that happen outside the country, we'll take care of the legal details when we get home."

They did not say when where they would seek to make their marriage official, which would likely require a separate ceremony in the U.S.