Creator of 'Sopranos' honored by his native N.J.

Creator of 'Sopranos'honored by his native N.J.
PRINCETON TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- David Chase, creator of "The Sopranos," has received a first-of-its-kind filmmaking award from the governor.
Chase, a New Jersey native, was presented with the award Friday by acting Gov. Richard J. Codey during a reception at the governor's mansion.
The governor said Chase's "creative writing and rich character illustration have produced a show unlike anything else on television."
"The Sopranos," a serial drama that portrays the life of fictional New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, starts its sixth season on HBO in March.
Criticized by some Italian-American groups for advancing a stereotype, it has been lauded by millions of viewers, including television critics, for its originality and inventiveness.
Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., Chase was raised in New Jersey as the only child in an Italian-American family.
Several "Sopranos" cast members were on hand to help Chase celebrate: James Gandolfini, who plays Tony Soprano; Tony Sirico, who plays Paulie Walnuts; Dominic Chianese, who plays Uncle Junior Soprano, and Steve Schirripa, who plays Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri.
Estefan looks for artiststo film her screenplay
MEXICO CITY -- Latina diva Gloria Estefan has spent four years writing a screenplay that she hopes to turn into a movie starring Danny DeVito.
The script tells the story of a female American pop singer in the 1950s.
"The script is finished and is in the hands of several artists to see if somebody wants to film at the start of next year," Estefan said Thursday at the opening of a restaurant she established in Mexico City.
She did not say who might direct or produce the movie.
Working on screenplays has not stopped the Cuban-American songstress from making music. Next year, she plans to release a new Spanish-language album, which she said will have a similar sound to her record "Mi Tierra."
"I'm never going to stop making music. I couldn't," she said.
Miss Iceland is Miss World
SANYA, China -- Miss Iceland, a part-time police officer who wants to be a lawyer, was crowned Miss World 2005 on Saturday.
Unnur Birna Vilhjalmsdottir competed for the title in a field of 102 women in the pageant in Sanya, a southern China beach resort.
Miss Mexico Dafne Molina Lona was the first runner-up, and Miss Puerto Rico Ingrid Marie Rivera Santos was second runner-up.
Vilhjalmsdottir, 21, a part-time airport police officer, is studying anthropology and law. She was born in her country's capital, Reykjavik, and enjoys hiking, camping and playing the piano. She said her motto is, "You are what you do."
Notable death
Jean Parker, the lovely brunette star of "Sequoia," "Little Women," "The Ghost Goes West" and other hit films of the 1930s and '40s, died Nov. 30. She was 90.
Parker died of complications from a stroke at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital, her son, Robert Hanks, told the Los Angeles Times on Friday. He said she had lived at the retirement home since 1998.
The 5-foot-3-inch actress, whose given name was Louise Stephanie Zelinska, made her debut in 1932 as the Duchess Maria in "Rasputin and the Empress."
She went on to play ingenues in such other MGM films as "The Secret of Madame Blanche," "Operator 13" and "Gabriel over the White House."
Her most prestigious films were made by other studios: Frank Capra's "Lady for a Day," Rene Clair's "The Ghost Goes West" and "Little Women," the heralded film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's literary classic.
Today's birthdays
TV host Bob Barker is 82. Former New York City Mayor Edward Koch is 81. Singer Connie Francis is 67. Singer Dionne Warwick is 65. Gymnast-turned-actress Cathy Rigby is 53. Singer-musician Sheila E. is 46. Actress Jennifer Connelly is 35. Actress Madchen Amick is 35. Country singer Hank Williams III is 33.