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WEST SALEM, Ill. -- Bricks shook loose and fell from buildings. Walls cracked. Books tumbled off shelves.

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake centered near this southern Illinois town struck before dawn Friday, shaking things up from Nebraska to Atlanta but doing little damage and seriously hurting no one. It was the kind of temblor that might be ignored in earthquake-savvy California.

But the quake rattled nerves across the Midwest as it rocked skyscrapers in Chicago, 230 miles north of here, and sent people scrambling for their TV sets in Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Louisville, Ky., where bricks toppled to the pavement.

''We thought it (the house) was falling on us, we really did,'' said 85-year-old Anna Mae Williams, who was shaken awake at 4:37 a.m. in tiny West Salem, six miles from the epicenter.

Dozens of aftershocks followed, including one with a magnitude of 4.6.

The quake is believed to have involved an extension of the New Madrid fault, a network of deep cracks in the earth's surface, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The fault is at the center of the nation's most active seismic zone east of the Rockies, something that's known to Midwest residents -- even if they forget it now and then.

The last severe earthquake in the region was a 5.0 magnitude quake that shook a nearby area in 2002.

Williams said she knew exactly what was happening because it reminded her of an earlier earthquake, back in 1968. Others had no idea what was going on.

Janet Clem of nearby Mt. Carmel thought a nearby power plant had exploded.

It was the realization that what she'd heard -- ''a heckuva rumble then a loud kaboom'' -- was in fact one of the most powerful earthquakes in Illinois history that had her so afraid.

''I'm terrified, I'm not going to lie to you,'' she said after the earthquake that collapsed her porch. ''I've never experienced anything like that and I don't want to experience it again.''

The earthquake was the talk of towns throughout much of the Midwest.

''I just saw my house just shake. Golly,'' said Mike Morrow of Mount Carmel, his eyes widening during an aftershock that hit as he was interviewed by a reporter.

Morrow's two-story apartment building was evacuated because of loose and falling bricks. The initial quake woke the 30-year-old and startled his pit bull.

''He was about as scared as I was,'' Morrow said. ''We both just froze.''

Though nowhere close to the power of the nation's most famous quakes -- including the devastating temblor that hit San Francisco exactly 102 years ago Friday -- it was enough to remind people of the risk that exists in the Midwest.

In 1811 and 1812, the New Madrid fault produced a series of earthquakes estimated at magnitude 7.0 or greater said to be felt as far away as Boston. They were centered in the Missouri town of New Madrid (pronounced MAD'-rid), 140 miles southeast of St. Louis.

Experts said that with the much higher population in the Midwest, another major quake along the New Madrid fault zone could destroy buildings, bridges, roads and other infrastructure, disrupt communications and isolate areas.

Road crews in Kentucky and Indiana were out early Friday, inspecting bridges and overpasses, and work crews took a close look at skyscraper construction sites in Chicago.

Early homeowner damage claims received by State Farm, the largest provider of earthquake coverage in the area, were mostly for cracks in drywall and foundations, spokeswoman Missy Lundberg said.

Many residents said they felt helpless.

''I tell you, it was scary,'' said Williams. ''There was no warning at all.''

David Behm of Philo, 10 miles south of Champaign, said he was awakened by the quake.

''Windows were rattling, and you could hear it,'' he said. ''The house was shaking inches. For people in central Illinois, this is a big deal. It's not like California.''

After months of rumors and speculation, the trades report a confirmed list of actors and directors on board for the Gotham-set anthology feature ''New York, I Love You''

Orlando Bloom, Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie, Ethan Hawke, and Kevin Bacon are reportedly among the group of actors and directors taking part in the anthology feature New York, I Love You. The project, a collection of 12 shorts shot in each of New York's five boroughs, is being compared to Paris, je t'aime, the French-language film that used a similar approach with Paris as the setting. Names have been swirling around the Internet for the past year, but on Wednesday (April 10), the trade papers reported a comprehensive listing of those involved, both in front of and behind the camera.

Hollywood Reporter reports that LaBeouf is starring with Christie in a segment, written by the late Anthony Minghella and directed by Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth: The Golden Age), about a woman who checks into a hotel somehow caught between worlds. There, she meets a young man and the two discover a connection and begin to understand their situation. The short is being described as similar to Minghella's feature Truly Madly Deeply. Natalie Portman is making her directorial debut with a short (she also stars in one), as is Scarlett Johansson, who is directing a segment that follows the journey of a lonely man and his vision of the city. Photos of Johansson lining up shots made the rounds in the blogosphere last month.

Variety reports that directors Bret Ratner, Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding), and Alan Hughes are among those sharing helming duties. In addition to Bacon, Hawke, Bloom, Christie, and LaBeouf, the other actors reportedly confirmed for the movie include: Carlos Acosta, Justin Bartha, Rachel Bilson, James Caan, Bradley Cooper, Chris Cooper, Drea de Matteo, Irrfan Khan, Cloris Leachman, Blake Lively, Emilie Ohana, Maggie Q, Shu Qi, Olivia Thirlby, Eli Wallach, Saul Williams, Robin Wright-Penn, Anton Yelchin, and Ugur Yucel.

The movie is said to be about halfway through a 10-week shoot. Domestic rights are still under negotiation.