BOSTON — Film director Steven Spielberg and Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird were feted yesterday at Boston University with honorary degrees.

Spielberg has made classic movies such as "Jaws" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and recently directed "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

Bird, a basketball Hall of Famer who played for the Celtics for 13 seasons, is president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers.

Chinese filmmaker Zhang Zimou ("Raise the Red Lantern," "Curse of the Golden Flower"), who produced the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, also received an honorary degree but did not attend the commencement.

'SNL' ENDS 34TH SEASON WITH A BANG

NEW YORK — Amy Poehler returned to "Weekend Update" for the star-studded season finale of "Saturday Night Live."

After a season infused by politics and Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impression, "SNL" wrapped up its 34th season — one of its best-rated ever — with cameos galore.

Along with host Will Ferrell, making appearances were Tom Hanks, Anne Hathaway and Paul Rudd. Former castmembers Maya Rudolph and Norm MacDonald also stopped by.

Former "SNL" star Poehler left the show earlier in the season to launch her NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation." For one more time, she rejoined her "Weekend Update" co-host, Seth Meyers.

COUNTRY MUSIC'S PANTHEON EXPANDS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Roy Clark, Barbara Mandrell and Charlie McCoy were inducted yesterday into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

The hall's newest members were honored in a musical salute featuring Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, George Jones, Alison Krauss and more.

Clark is probably best known for co-hosting the long-running TV show "Hee Haw," but he also had top 10 hits with "Tips of My Fingers" and "Yesterday When I Was Young."

Mandrell's many hits include "Midnight Oil," "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed" and "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool."

McCoy is best known for his harmonica work and has recorded with many well-known artists.

'ANGELS & DEMONS' DEFEATS 'STAR TREK'

NEW YORK — "Angels & Demons" took the box office from "Star Trek" by earning $48 million in its first weekend of release.

The haul was far less than the earlier Dan Brown adaptation, "The Da Vinci Code" — which earned $77.1 million when it opened in 2006 — but still enough to topple the popular "Star Trek," according to studio estimates yesterday.

In its second weekend, "Star Trek" took in $43 million, a strong number after its $75.2 million opening last weekend, excluding its Thursday midnight screenings.