The Stones will bring tour back to U.S.

The Stones will bringtour back to U.S.
NEW YORK -- The Rolling Stones will return to the U.S. and Canada this fall as part of their ongoing "A Bigger Bang" tour.
The Stones, now packing venues in Europe, will open the tour Sept. 20 in Boston's Gillette Stadium. Other stops include Chicago, Seattle, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Vancouver, British Columbia, with the final stop in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium on Nov. 18.
The Stones kicked off "A Bigger Bang" last August at Boston's Fenway Park.
They were forced to postpone the start of the European leg of the tour, which ends Sept. 3 in Denmark, after Keith Richards suffered a head injury in a fall from a tree while vacationing in Fiji in April.
Tickets go on sale Monday.
'N Sync's Lance Basscomes out of closet
NEW YORK -- Lance Bass, a band member of 'N Sync, says he's gay and in a "very stable" relationship with a reality show star.
Bass, who formed 'N Sync with Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick, tells People magazine on its Web site that he didn't earlier disclose his sexuality because he didn't want to affect the group's popularity.
"I knew that I was in this popular band and I had four other guys' careers in my hand, and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said [that I was gay], it would overpower everything," he tells People.
'N Sync is known for a string of hits including "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me." The band went on hiatus in 2002. Bass has also made headlines for undertaking astronaut training and failing to raise money for a trip into space.
Bass says he wondered if his coming out could prompt "the end of 'N Sync." He explains, "So I had that weight on me of like, 'Wow, if I ever let anyone know, it's bad.' So I just never did."
The singer says he's in a "very stable" relationship with 32-year-old actor Reichen Lehmkuhl, winner of season four of CBS' "Amazing Race."
As for why he's talking about this now, Bass says, "The main reason I wanted to speak my mind was that [the rumors] really were starting to affect my daily life. Now it feels like it's on my terms."
Don Knotts statueproject ends in failure
MOUNT AIRY, N.C. -- An effort to honor Don Knotts has ended with the destruction of an unfinished clay sculpture of the actor's most famous character, Deputy Barney Fife.
"I'm just tired and emotionally drained from the last few months. I put my heart and soul into the statue project and I'm just drained," said Tom Hellebrand, the project's prime backer. Hellebrand had commissioned the Fife statue after Knotts' death in February at 81.
Hellebrand asked for the statue to be destroyed. He also said he's selling his house and restaurant in Mount Airy because of the strain caused by three months of trying to find a home for the work.
Knotts starred as Fife on the '60s sitcom "The Andy Griffith Show." Hellebrand wanted the statue to stand in Mount Airy, which is Griffith's hometown and the model for the show's fictional Mayberry, N.C. The town already has a statue of Griffith in character as Sheriff Andy Taylor walking with his son, Opie, played by Ron Howard.
Work on the statue was halted after Paramount/CBS, which owns the rights to the TV show, withdrew its approval, saying it didn't have the authority to grant permission for a likeness of Knotts.
Knotts' widow, Francey, and Griffith supported a statue, but said if the monument were in Knotts' hometown of Morgantown, W.Va., it should be of Knotts, not of Fife.
Hellebrand then offered the half-finished work to anyone who could obtain the permission of CBS and the Knotts family to use it.
Now, he's severing his ties with most things Mayberry but will continue to live near Mount Airy.
He's selling the Mayberry Kountry Kitchen in Mount Airy, though Hellebrand hopes to find a dedicated Mayberry fan who will keep the restaurant's "The Andy Griffith Show" roots.
Today's birthdays
TV producer Norman Lear is 84. Sportscaster Irv Cross is 67. Singer Bobbie Gentry is 62. Olympic gold medal figure skater Peggy Fleming is 58. Singer Maureen McGovern is 57. Country musician Duncan Cameron (Sawyer Brown) is 50. Rock singer Juliana Hatfield is 39. Comedian Maya Rudolph is 34. Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn is 32. Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers is 29.