Los Angeles Zoo honors 'Golden Girl' Betty White

Los Angeles Zoo honors'Golden Girl' Betty White
LOS ANGELES -- The Happy Homemaker is now an animal ambassador. Betty White, whose many TV roles included domestic guru Sue Ann Nivens on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in the 1970s, was honored by the Los Angeles Zoo on Monday for her commitment to animals. The zoo made the Emmy-winning star an Ambassador to the Animals at a ceremony attended by about 50 people, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. A bronze plaque will be placed next to the zoo's gorilla exhibit, home to White's favorite animal. "Betty has such a big heart and a beautiful spirit. She is a 'Golden Girl' in every sense of the word," Villaraigosa said, referring to White's former TV series, "The Golden Girls," which ran from 1985-92. White, 84, joked that the honor would make her "tough to live with from now on." "I'm not sure what I'm going to do as ambassador except to love the animals as I have all my life," she said. White has served for more than three decades on the Morris Animal Foundation and the board of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, and has been a zoo commissioner for eight years. She also has written two animal-related books and received the Humane Award from the American Veterinary Medical Association. "She's the real deal," said Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Los Angeles.
Sarajevo lists Pavarottias an honorary citizen
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Sarajevo's authorities declared Luciano Pavarotti an honorary citizen because of his support for Bosnia during the war here, city officials announced Tuesday. "During the war he organized humanitarian concerts ... and established a music academy in Mostar," said Josip Jurisic, Sarajevo's deputy mayor. The award will be presented to the 70-year-old tenor in April, when he will hold a concert in Sarajevo. Pavarotti and U2 lead singer Bono were heavily involved in collecting humanitarian aid during Bosnia's 1992-95 war. After the war, Pavarotti financed and established the Pavarotti Music Center in the southern city of Mostar to offer Bosnia's artists the opportunity to develop their skills and experts to perform music therapy with children traumatized by the war.
Celine, Elton sing duetsto aid hurricane victims
LAS VEGAS -- Celine Dion and Elton John sang together for the first time at a benefit to raise money for Harrah's Entertainment Inc. workers affected by last year's hurricanes. The pair, who sang duets of "Sorry" and "Saturday Night" before a packed Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Monday night, also were joined by Jerry Seinfeld to raise $2.1 million for some 8,000 casino workers in the Gulf Coast region. The money came on top of $4.5 million the world's largest casino operator had collected for its staff, said Harrah's CEO Gary Loveman. "I'm just glad we can do a little something for those people's lives that will never be the same again for many, many years. God bless them," John said. About 4,100 people paid $100 to $1,000 each to watch the trio take turns on the stage.
Today's birthdays
Announcer Don Pardo is 88. Actor Paul Dooley is 78. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., is 74. Actor John Ashton is 58. Actress Ellen Greene is 56. Actress Julie Walters is 56. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Julius Erving is 56. Actor Kyle MacLachlan is 47. "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin is 44. Actress-comedian Rachel Dratch is 40. Actress Jeri Ryan is 38. Actress-singer Lea Salonga is 35. Actor Jose Solano is 35. Tennis player Michael Chang is 34. Actress Drew Barrymore is 31. Actress Liza Huber is 31. Actor Daniel E. Smith is 16.