Wonder, Franklin to sing at riot observance

Wonder, Franklin to singat riot observance
DETROIT -- Stevie Wonder will sing at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions football team, as part of a 40-day observance of the 40th anniversary of Detroit's deadly 1967 riots.
"We've had enough. We've seen enough. It's time for change," Michael Fezzey, co-chair of the group planning the July 27, 2007, concert, told The Detroit News for a story published Friday. "The systems and structures in place aren't enough. What needs to happen is a change of heart. This is about making systematic change in our communities."
Gospel singer Kirk Franklin has also committed to perform, and organizers said they were seeking other big-name entertainers.
Five days of rioting in 1967 killed 43 people, injured hundreds and marked a key juncture in Detroit's five-decade decline from an industrial giant of about 2 million people to an impoverished city of about 900,000.
The riots accelerated white suburban flight from what then was a majority white city. Today, about 80 percent of Detroit residents are black.
Underwood returnsto her home turf
TULSA, Okla. -- "American Idol" Carrie Underwood returned to her home state to perform at the Country Fever Music Festival in Pryor.
"I have been to so many places, and seen so many things, but you don't know how it feels to be back home," the 23-year-old country singer told the crowd Thursday.
Wearing knee-high black boots, short black shorts and an off-the-shoulder striped top, Underwood opened with "Young and Beautiful," a peppy number about celebrating life while you're young and pretty enough to enjoy it.
She also performed her hits "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Don't Forget to Remember Me," and included Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine" midway through her set.
Underwood, a native of Checotah, was the winner of last year's "American Idol."
Today's birthdays
Author William Styron is 81. Actor Gene Wilder is 73. Actor Chad Everett is 69. Former auto racer Jackie Stewart is 67. Singer Joey Dee is 66. Actress Adrienne Barbeau is 61. Rock musician Frank Beard (ZZ Top) is 57. Rock singer Donnie Van Zant is 54. Actor Peter Bergman is 53. Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana is 50. Actor Hugh Laurie ("House") is 47. Rock musician Dan Lavery (Tonic) is 37. Actor Joshua Jackson is 28. Christian rock musician Ryan Shrout (Kutless) is 26. Actor Shia La Beouf ("Even Stevens") is 20.