'Idol' winner to do jingles

'Idol' winner to do jingles
OKLAHOMA CITY -- "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood k will sing classic jingles in a new television ad campaign for the Hershey Co. Underwood, a native of Checotah, will sing "sometimes you feel like a nut ... sometimes you don't" for Almond Joy and Mounds. She also will sing "give me a break" for Kit Kat and "Hershey's is ... the great American chocolate bar." Having Underwood sing the jingles gives a modern twist to the candy, Jay Cooper, Hershey's vice president of U.S. chocolate brands, said recently. Underwood, 22, also will be a spokeswoman for Skechers, a California sneaker maker, in an ad campaign.
I had Diaz's consent,photographer says
LOS ANGELES -- A lawyer for a photographer accused of threatening to sell topless photos of Cameron Diaz, taken before she was famous, opened his case with testimony that his client was conscientious about getting models to sign releases. John Rutter, 42, is charged with attempted grand theft, forgery and perjury. An extortion charge was dropped. Prosecutors allege Rutter forged Diaz's signature on a photo release form and attempted to sell pictures he took more than a decade ago back to her for $3.5 million. His former agent, Frank Moore, testified Tuesday that Rutter was vigilant about getting models to sign releases that were standard for his photo shoots. On cross-examination, however, Moore said he didn't know if Diaz actually signed a release. After the prosecution rested earlier in the day, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor denied a request by Rutter's lawyer, Mark Werksman, to dismiss the case. Diaz, 32, testified last week that she never signed a release for the 1992 photo shoot. Two forensic experts called by the prosecution testified the signature on the release appeared to be forged. Rutter is accused of offering the pictures to Diaz before her film "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" was released in 2003 and threatening to sell the images to the highest bidder if she declined to buy them. If convicted, Rutter could face up to six years in prison. A judge has issued a permanent injunction prohibiting him from distributing the photos.
Vanity Fair editor testifiesin Polanski libel lawsuit
LONDON -- A New York magazine editor has testified that Roman Polanski made "tasteless and vulgar" advances to a woman at a Manhattan restaurant shortly after the death of his wife, Sharon Tate. Testifying in Polanski's libel lawsuit against publisher Conde Nast, Lewis Lapham, editor of Harper's magazine, confirmed Wednesday that he was the source of an anecdote related in a 2002 article in Vanity Fair magazine. The article reported Polanski had tried to seduce a woman at Elaine's restaurant while he was traveling to Los Angeles for his wife's funeral. Tate, who was pregnant, was killed by followers of serial killer Charles Manson in August 1969. Polanski, who testified Monday by video link from Paris, called the story "an abominable lie" that "dishonors my memory of Sharon." Lapham, 70, told the jury in High Court that was with model Beatte Telle at Elaine's when Polanski sat at their table. "At one point he [Polanski] had his hand on her leg and said to her, 'I can put you in movies. I can make you the next Sharon Tate.' He meant it as a compliment. He was attempting to impress her, wanting to express his admiration for her looks," Lapham said. "I was impressed by the remark, not only because it was tasteless and vulgar, but because it was a clich & eacute;." Conde Nast accepts that the incident didn't happen before Tate's funeral, but says it was about two weeks later. The publisher maintains the article is substantially true. Polanski, 71, has lived in France since fleeing child-sex charges in the United States in 1978. He testified by video link because he was unwilling to come to Britain for fear of extradition.
'Star Trek' actor Doohan heads for final frontier
LOS ANGELES -- He made his name in Hollywood beaming his colleagues back to the safety of the Enterprise on "Star Trek." Now, actor James Doohan's family is hoping to beam him up to the "final frontier" that Doohan's character "Scotty" loved so dearly. The actor, who died Wednesday at age 85, had told relatives he wanted his ashes blasted into outer space, as was done for "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry. "He'll be there with his buddy, which is wonderful," said Doohan's agent and longtime friend, Steve Stevens. Doohan died at his home in Redmond, Wash., with his wife of 31 years, Wende, at his side. He had retired from public events last year, not long after announcing he had Alzheimer's disease. Houston-based Space Services Inc., which specializes in space memorials, plans to send a few grams of Doohan's ashes aboard a rocket later this year. Remains are sealed in an aluminum capsule that stays in orbit up to several hundred years before falling and vaporizing in the Earth's atmosphere, the company has said. It should be a fitting finale for an actor who, as the Starship Enterprise's frazzled chief engineer saved the Enterprise almost every week from blowing up, burning up or being overrun by renegade aliens when the warp drive, the phasers, the shields, the power cells or some other futuristic collection of doohickies failed.
Today's birthdays
Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., is 82. Singer Margaret Whiting is 81. Actor-comedian Orson Bean is 77. Actor Perry Lopez is 74. Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta is 73. Actress Louise Fletcher is 71. Director John Korty is 69. Rhythm-and-blues singer Chuck Jackson is 68. Actor Terence Stamp is 66. Game show host Alex Trebek is 65. Singer George Clinton is 64. Actor-singer Bobby Sherman is 62. Singer Estelle Bennett (The Ronettes) is 61. Movie writer-director Paul Schrader is 59. Actor Danny Glover is 58. Actor-comedian-director Albert Brooks is 58. Rock singer Don Henley is 58. Actor Willem Dafoe is 50. Rhythm-and-blues singer Keith Sweat is 44. Actress Joanna Going is 42. Actor Rob Estes is 42. Folk singer Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls) is 42. Actor John Leguizamo is 41. Actor-comedian David Spade is 41. Actor Patrick Labyorteaux is 40. Actress Irene Bedard is 38. Actor Rhys Ifans is 38. Rock musician Daniel Jones is 32. Singer Rufus Wainwright is 32. Actress Franka Potente is 31. Actress A.J. Cook is 27.