Man appeals to Oprah to get prison gig back

Man appeals to Oprahto get prison gig back
CHICAGO -- If you really want something, ask the woman who gave cars to her entire talk-show audience.
"SEND ME BACK TO PRISON! My final plea is to you Miss Winfrey," reads a billboard in suburban Chicago aimed at Oprah Winfrey, host of the syndicated "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
Christian musician and songwriter David Joseph paid for the ad. He says he spent years performing for federal inmates until funding dried up in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Joseph, who said he made $20,000 a year performing in 80 to 90 prisons, isn't necessarily asking Winfrey to write a check.
"My main desire is to tell my story on a taping of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show,"' he said. Joseph hopes that by telling his story, someone will be interested in picking up the tab.
Winfrey, already known for giving gifts to her studio audience, one-upped herself last month when she celebrated the premiere of her 19th season by giving a car to each of the 276 people at the show's taping.
Bullock wins lawsuitagainst home builder
AUSTIN, Texas -- Sandra Bullock was awarded about $7 million in damages when a jury agreed with her claim that a builder did shoddy work on her Lake Austin home.
The star of the "Speed" movies and romantic comedies such as "Miss Congeniality" has been locked in a legal battle with the builder of a lakefront home she has never moved into.
Travis County jurors had to consider 48 questions before reaching a verdict Thursday. Among the questions were whether a contract between builder Benny Daneshjou and Bullock was breached, whether labor and material costs were inflated, and whether Daneshjou violated federal racketeering laws.
Jurors answered most of those questions in Bullock's favor, awarding what her lawyers estimate will be about $7 million in damages, including lawyers' fees, the Austin American-Statesman reported on its Web site.
Bullock, who left for Los Angeles on Wednesday, wasn't present for the verdict.
Daneshjou's lawyers said their client plans to appeal.
Bluegrass band backsDolly Parton on tour
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- When Dolly Parton decided to launch her tour this fall, she invited a new and largely unknown bluegrass band to back her.
"It was big news for us because we're just getting started," said Jamie Johnson, a singer and guitar player for The Grascals, a six-piece group that will release its debut album Feb. 8. The album includes Parton singing on a remake of Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas."
The band, which also backs Parton on her upcoming album, opens her shows with their own 25-minute set, then joins her for performances of hits such as "Coat of Many Colors," "9 to 5" and "Here You Come Again," as well as her more recent bluegrass-flavored material.
While the opportunity is invaluable for a new group, it's also a challenge.
"We did have to step up a couple of notches and entertain," he said. "It's a full production with a big fancy stage. It's not like bluegrass where you just stand there. We had to do some extra things -- like smile from time to time."
Parton opened her Hello, I'm Dolly tour Thursday in Greenville, S.C., performs today in Atlanta, and Saturday and Sunday in Biloxi, Miss. The tour continues through this year and into 2005.
Today's birthdays
Economist John Kenneth Galbraith is 96. Historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. is 87. Singer Barry McGuire is 69. Actress Linda Lavin is 67. Actress-director Penny Marshall is 62. Rock musician Don Stevenson (Moby Grape) is 62. Musician Richard Carpenter is 58. Actor Victor Banerjee is 58. Tennis player Roscoe Tanner is 53. Singer Tito Jackson is 51. Actress Tanya Roberts is 49. Britain's Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, is 45. Chef Emeril Lagasse is 45.