B.B. King puts off surgery to perform in hometown

B.B. King puts off surgeryto perform in hometown
INDIANOLA, Miss. (AP) -- B.B. King has postponed his cataract surgery and will be performing as scheduled at his annual homecoming in Indianola in June.
King, 78, had issued a statement saying he would not be able to make the June 11 trip to the Mississippi Delta town because of the surgery, which has a lengthy recuperation.
Allan Hammond, interim director of the B.B. King Blues Museum and Foundation, said Monday that King would postpone his surgery so he could attend.
Floyd Lieberman, King's manager, has said the singer hadn't had his eyes examined in two years and learned from his doctor that he needs the surgery.
Bobby Short to cut back
NEW YORK -- Bobby Short, who's been fine-tuning his nightclub act at Manhattan's Cafe Carlyle for 36 years, will end his run come New Year's Eve.
The 76-year-old Short, who once told a reporter, "There's something rather vulgar, I suppose, about somebody 80 years old singing for a living," says he won't leave showbiz for good: "I'm not retiring. I intend to keep on working. But the drill of five nights a week for 20 weeks at a time is something that no longer appeals to me."
Short will still tour, but says he wants to do more leisurely things: "There's no shortage of things to do when I'm not working, and working deprives me of the many things I love to do."
Lil' Kim wants own trialin 2001 shooting case
NEW YORK -- Rapper Lil' Kim, charged with three other suspects in a radio station shooting in 2001, wants a separate trial, her lawyer said Monday.
Her lawyer, Mel Sachs, argued that the 29-year-old star, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, deserves her own trial because she is not accused of using a weapon, unlike two of her co-defendants.
Lil' Kim, who pleaded innocent to perjury charges and was released on $500,000 bail last week, did not speak at the pretrial hearing. Trial was set for Nov. 15.
"She's been singled out and used because of who she is in the music industry," Sachs told reporters outside court.
Prosecutors allege she lied to a grand jury about a 2001 shootout involving her entourage. Also charged were her manager, bodyguard and a friend. All have pleaded innocent.
Authorities say the shooting happened as Lil' Kim's entourage was leaving the radio station and the entourage of a rival rap group was arriving. One man in the other group's entourage was wounded.
Wyclef Jean collects carsfor 'the artistry of it'
LOS ANGELES -- Behind singer Wyclef Jean is the wheel story -- his stable of 37 rare and exotic automobiles.
"Some people collect Picassos, I collect cars," Jean said in a Celebrity Car cover story interview. "For me, the craftsmanship that goes into building vehicles like these is amazing. I love the artistry of it."
Jean, a former member of hip-hop group The Fugees, went solo with his album "Carnival" and continued with three follow-up albums. His Miami-area garage includes an Italian Pagani Zonda sports car, a bright pink 1957 Cadillac Eldorado, a McLaren F1, Ferarri 360 Spider F1 and a Humvee. All are customized to reflect his personality. "I want the cars to be personal to me and look a certain way," he said. The most unusual customization was the installation of a fish tank inside his 2003 Hummer H2. He loads it up with sharks for special occasions.
Today's Birthdays
Ice skater Werner Groebli ("Mr. Frick") is 89. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is 78. Actress-comedian-writer Elaine May is 72. Actor-turned-talk show host Charles Grodin is 69. Singer-musician Iggy Pop is 57. Singer-songwriter Paul Davis is 56. Actress Patti LuPone is 55. Actor Tony Danza is 53. Actress Andie MacDowell is 46. Rock singer Robert Smith (The Cure) is 45. Rock musician Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) is 45. Actor John Cameron Mitchell is 41. Rapper Michael Franti (Spearhead) is 36. Comedian Nicole Sullivan is 34.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.