Danes to welcome Viggo Mortensen

Danes to welcomeViggo Mortensen
COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Viggo Mortensen, who played King Aragorn in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, will be the main speaker at Denmark's annual Fourth of July celebration.
Mortensen, whose father emigrated to the United States, will speak at the annual Rebild festival in northern Denmark -- billed as the biggest Fourth of July party outside of the United States.
Born in New York City, Mortensen spent several summers in Denmark as a teenager and speaks some Danish.
"All Danes consider him to be nearly Danish," the organizers said in a statement Monday.
Mortensen will be joined by Etta Cameron, an 84-year-old American-born gospel and jazz singer who lives in the capital, Copenhagen.
Danes and descendants of emigrants have celebrated the U.S. Independence Day with barbecues, square dancing and country music outside Rebild, a village 155 miles northwest of Copenhagen, since 1912.
Victoria Beckham declares hubby's fidelity
LONDON -- David Beckham's wife says in a magazine interview that her husband has "always been faithful," despite the claims of two women who said they had affairs with him.
"Through all of this, I feel really sorry for David because it's his name that's been dragged through it, and he's done nothing wrong," Victoria Beckham tells the July issue of Marie Claire, which goes on sale Thursday in England.
"I really do believe that deep down that I have the most faithful husband I could hope for," the former Spice Girl was quoted as saying in excerpts of the interview released Monday by the magazine.
"He's always been faithful and nothing has changed at all. I can honestly say that I am really lucky to have him."
The Beckhams, who have two young sons, Brooklyn and Romeo, have said their marriage is sound.
In the interview, Beckham is asked whether her relationship with the wealthy, world-famous soccer player, who plays for Real Madrid, has become a marriage of convenience or a business arrangement.
"I couldn't live like that," she was quoted as saying. "I couldn't live a lie, and it would be unfair on our children. We are working on things together, but our marriage is absolutely not a business arrangement."
Santana to be honoredby Latin music academy
The Latin Recording Academy will fete rock legend Carlos Santana as its Person of the Year on Aug. 30, the academy announced Tuesday.
Santana, born in Mexico, pioneered the fusion of Latin rhythms into rock music in the '60s with his San Francisco-based band Santana. The group continued to have hits into the '70s, including such classic-rock staples as "Evil Ways," "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va," a cover of a Tito Puente song.
In 1999, Santana had a spectacular return to the top of the pop charts with "Supernatural," on which he collaborated with younger performers such as Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Rob Thomas. The album went multiplatinum and won nine Grammys.
"The Latin Recording Academy honors Carlos Santana as an extraordinary human being, musician and activist who has made a global impact on music and culture," said Gabriel Abaroa, president of the Latin Recording Academy, in a prepared statement.
The annual dinner will take place in Los Angeles two nights before the Latin Grammys. Past honorees have been Gilberto Gil, Vicente Fernandez, Julio Iglesias and Emilio Estefan. A portion of the night's proceeds go to MusiCares, the recording academy's charity.
Today's birthdays
Actor James Arness is 81. Actor Alec McCowen is 79. Sportscaster Brent Musberger is 65. Rock singer-musician Levon Helm (The Band) is 64. Country musician Gates Nichols (Confederate Railroad) is 60. Rock musician Garry Peterson (Guess Who) is 59. Singer Stevie Nicks is 56. Actor Philip Michael Thomas is 55. Actress Pam Grier is 55. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 55. Former astronaut Sally K. Ride is 53. Actress Margaret Colin is 47. Country singer-songwriter Dave Robbins (BlackHawk) is 45. Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait is 42. Singer Lenny Kravitz is 40. Actress Helena Bonham Carter is 38. Actor Joseph Fiennes is 34. Rhythm and blues singer Joey Kibble (Take 6) is 33. Actor-producer-writer Matt Stone is 33.