Garry Trudeau accepts speech award lying down

Garry Trudeau acceptsspeech award lying down
ASPEN, Colo. -- Cartoonist Garry Trudeau didn't let a skiing accident -- and a broken collar bone -- get in the way of a good award. The "Doonesbury" creator suffered the mishap on Aspen's ski slopes Thursday, leaving U.S. Comedy Arts Festival organizers scrambling to find a way to proceed with Friday's show, in which Trudeau was given a Freedom of Speech Award. At Trudeau's suggestion, the award ceremony was revamped to work in his injury -- with emergency medical technicians carrying him in on a gurney. "He did it lying down, in the gurney, it worked out great," said the event's executive producer Pat Tourk Lee. The Freedom of Speech Award acknowledges artists who speak out on social issues despite challenges. Past recipients include Michael Moore, George Carlin and Dick Gregory.
British-born Seymourbecomes a U.S. citizen
LOS ANGELES -- Actress Jane Seymour waved a small U.S. flag and cheered after she and about 9,000 other immigrants became citizens. The British-born actress, best known for her TV series "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," said she's been living in the United States since 1976. "I've realized that I've been living here longer than in my home country. America has given me unbelievable opportunities," she said. "I realized that with the U.S. elections I wanted to vote and I couldn't. I felt the time had come to participate more fully." Seymour, 53, wore a cream-colored suit to Friday's ceremony at the downtown Los Angeles Convention Center. She sat between more than a dozen U.S. military personnel who also received their citizenship. Her sons, 9-year-old twins John and Kristopher, said they were excited to see their mom become a U.S. citizen. "She's not an alien anymore," John said.
A snag in Elliott's line
COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Missy Elliott's street wear collection hit a snag in Denmark -- its logo was a bit too similar to that of the country's queen. Clothing maker Adidas-Salomon AG withdrew the line from Danish stores after the royal court said the logo infringed on Queen Margrethe II's copyright. The shoes, bags and shirts in the collection carry a logo that consist of a crown on top of the words "Respect" and Missy Elliott's initials "M.E." The queen's logo consists of a crown on top of the letters "M-2-R," with the "R" standing for the Latin word for queen, Regina. Adidas spokeswoman Margaret Sap said the company agreed to remove the clothing from Danish stores, and that the similarity was a coincidence. "It came as a surprise to us, the logo merely had the crown to signal that Missy Elliott is the queen of hip-hop," Sap said.
Harrelson, Theron adjust
VIRGINIA, Minn. -- Woody Harrelson is taking ice skating lessons and Charlize Theron is doing her best to stay warm as they begin a new film here. "It's really beautiful, but I am from Africa, which is a very hot continent," Theron said of Minnesota. She said she enjoyed watching a recent snowfall "from the inside of a house." In the film, Theron plays a female miner who pursues a precedent-setting sexual harassment case. Harrelson is her hockey-playing lawyer, and he's taking skating lessons from a local high school coach. "Currently, I suck," Harrelson said.
Notable death
COLUMBUS -- Sally Wagner, a popular former radio newscaster, has died. She was 47. Wagner, who had suffered from colon cancer, died Thursday. She worked as a news reporter and anchorwoman at Columbus radio station WTVN for 16 years.
Today's birthdays
TV personality Hugh Downs is 84. Actress-singer Florence Henderson is 71. Country singer Razzy Bailey is 66. Jazz musician Maceo Parker is 62. Movie director Alan Parker is 61. Journalist Carl Bernstein is 61. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg, R-N.H., is 58. TV personality Pat O'Brien is 57. Magician Teller (Penn and Teller) is 57. Actor Ken Wahl is 48. Actress Meg Tilly is 45. Singer-producer Dwayne Wiggins is 44. Actor Enrico Colantoni is 42. Actor Zach Galligan is 41.. Tennis player Manuela Maleeva is 38. Rock musician Kevin Baldes (Lit) is 33. Rock singer Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty) is 33. Actor Freddie Highmore ("Finding Neverland")is 13.