Doobie Brothers donate

Doobie Brothers donate
LOS ANGELES -- The Doobie Brothers will donate proceeds from their Doobie Red Wine to the National Veterans Foundation for the next five years in memory of late drummer Keith Knudsen, The Associated Press reports. Knudsen, who played with the band on a string of hits including "Taking It to the Streets" and "Black Water" and who is credited with pushing the band to regroup in 1987, died of pneumonia Feb. 8. He was 56. Since 1987, the band has given more than $1 million to the foundation. Doobie Red, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc from Sonoma County, is produced by Cohn's B.R. Cohn Winery in Glen Ellen, Calif. Doobie Red is packaged as a three-bottle collector's set featuring Doobie Brothers album and CD artwork.
CBS plans Rather special
NEW YORK -- CBS will look back at the career of news anchor Dan Rather with a prime-time special on the night he steps down from the "CBS Evening News." "Dan Rather: A Reporter Remembers" is set to air at 8 p.m. March 9. The one-hour special will retrace the arc of Rather's career as a newsman, from his days as a young reporter to his coverage of the Watergate-era White House and 24 years as anchor of CBS' nightly newscast. It will also include previously unseen footage from the archives of CBS News. Rather's final "Evening News" broadcast will also be March 9, 24 years to the day after he took over for Walter Cronkite. Bob Schieffer will take over as interim anchor the next night while CBS, stuck in third place in the nightly news ratings, considers changes in how its presents its newscast.
Tyler, wife are separating
LOS ANGELES -- Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler and his wife of 17 years, Teresa, are separating, the singer announced Sunday. Tyler, 56, asked the public to respect his family's privacy in a statement released through the band's publicist, Mitch Schneider. "Before the tabloid media makes more of this than it is, I am announcing that my wife Teresa and I are currently separated," Tyler said. "We're just a family trying to work through a difficult time. A little privacy and sensitivity -- for Teresa, my children and myself -- would be nice." The couple have two teenage children, Chelsea, 16, and Taj, 13. Tyler is also the father of model Mia Tyler, 26, from a previous marriage to Cyrinda Fox, and the actress Liv Tyler, 27, from a previous relationship.
Gilbert wants Academyto add stunt category
LOS ANGELES -- An Academy Award category honoring the crucial work of stunt coordinators should be added, the Screen Actors Guild said recently. "Through incredible skill and daring, stunt coordinators provide critical safety and artistic contributions that must be acknowledged," SAG President Melissa Gilbert. "Not only do they keep actors safe, they maintain the safety of every single person in the proximity of every stunt that is performed." All requests for new categories are reviewed by the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences but are rarely successful, said academy spokesman John Pavlik. The last new categories added were animated feature films in 2001 -- and makeup in 1981. "The subject of an award for stunt people has come up several times in the past decade and a half and has been rejected by the board each time," Pavlik said. Gilbert called the honor overdue and said SAG officials would work with the stunt community to continue lobbying the academy. The next meeting of the board of governors is in May.
Today's birthdays
Actor Sir John Mills is 97. Announcer Don Pardo is 87. Actor Paul Dooley is 77. Hollywood "ghost singer" Marni Nixon is 75. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., is 73. Movie director Jonathan Demme is 61. Actor John Ashton is 57. Actress Ellen Greene is 55. Actress Miou-Miou is 55. Actress Julie Walters is 55. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Julius Erving is 55. Actor Kyle MacLachlan is 46. "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin is 43. Actress-comedian Rachel Dratch is 39. Actress Jeri Ryan is 37. Actor Thomas Jane is 36. Actress-singer Lea Salonga is 34. Actor Jose Solano is 34. Tennis player Michael Chang is 33. Actress Drew Barrymore is 30. Actor Daniel E. Smith is 15.