Morissette is U.S. citizen

Morissette is U.S. citizen
LOS ANGELES -- Canadian Alanis Morissette is now an American citizen. The 30-year-old singer was among some 4,500 people who took the citizenship oath during a ceremony last week at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Morissette isn't turning her back on Canada -- she's maintaining dual citizenship. "I will never renounce my Canadian citizenship," Morissette said in a statement Wednesday. "I consider myself a Canadian-American. "There was a turning point during the ceremony where I felt connected to this country in a way that I didn't quite expect," she said. "America has been really great to me and I have felt welcomed since the day I came here."
Life distracts Day-Lewis
BERLIN -- Daniel Day-Lewis says he's become increasingly cautious about taking on new movies as he allows himself to be "distracted by life." The actor was at the Berlin International Film Festival on Tuesday to present "The Ballad of Jack and Rose," directed by his wife, Rebecca Miller. Day-Lewis' lead role is his first movie appearance since "Gangs of New York" three years ago. "It's not that my love for the work is diminished in any way," said Day-Lewis, 47. "I probably approach it with greater caution than I used to, and the test is a more severe one," he told reporters. "I always had a feeling that it was a job that you had to feel compelled to do." "I'm distracted by life for periods of time," the actor said. In "The Ballad of Jack and Rose," Day-Lewis plays Jack Slavin -- the last hippie living in a commune off the East Coast of the United States in the mid-1980s. Suffering from a degenerative illness, Jack struggles to cope with his only companion, 16-year-old daughter Rose (Camilla Belle).
Bob Newhart the book
NEW YORK -- Could a book be called deadpan or button-down? It could, if Bob Newhart's writing it. The 75-year-old comedian has agreed to write a memoir, scheduled for publication in fall 2006. Hyperion describes the book, not yet titled, as a work of humor that will be "organized thematically and will include stories and anecdotes from throughout Bob Newhart's life and career, as well as thoughts and observations on a multitude of topics." "He is a national treasure," Hyperion Editor-in-Chief Will Schwalbe said in a statement Tuesday. Newhart is best known as the star of the sitcoms "The Bob Newhart Show" and "Newhart." He also has appeared in numerous films, including "Catch-22" and "In & amp; Out."
Notable deaths
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Country singer Jewel "Sammi" Smith, known for her trademark ballad, "Help Me Make It Through The Night," and a knack for sharing everyday life in her music, died Saturday. She was 61. Smith died at home after a long-term illness. Smith won a Grammy for best country vocal performance-female in 1971 for "Help Me Make It Through The Night," which was written by Kris Kristofferson.
LONDON -- Otto Plaschkes, producer of films including "Georgy Girl" and "Hopscotch," has died at the age of 75, his family said Thursday.
Today's birthdays
Actor Jack Palance is 84. Former Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown is 83. Actor George Kennedy is 80. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va., is 78. Author Toni Morrison is 74. Movie director Milos Forman is 73. Singer Yoko Ono is 72. Singer Irma Thomas is 64. Singer Herman Santiago (Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers) is 64. Singer Dennis DeYoung is 58. Actress Sinead Cusack is 57. Producer-director-writer John Hughes is 55. Actress Cybill Shepherd is 55. Singer Juice Newton is 53. Singer Randy Crawford is 53. Rock musician Robbie Bachman is 52. Rock musician Larry Rust (Iron Butterfly) is 52. Actor John Travolta is 51. Game show host Vanna White is 48. Actress Greta Scacchi is 45. Actor Matt Dillon is 41. Rapper Dr. Dre is 40. Actress Molly Ringwald is 37. Actress Sarah Brown is 30. Singer-musician Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek) is 28. Actor Tyrone Burton is 26. Actor Shane Lyons is 17.