Cleveland chef is finalist in Food Network show

Cleveland chef is finalist
in Food Network show

CLEVELAND — It promises to get very hot in the kitchen this weekend for the owner of two Cleveland restaurants. Michael Symon is one of only two chefs still standing in the Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef” competition, which began six weeks ago with eight contestants. He goes whisk-to-whisk against New Orleans restaurateur John Besh in Sunday night’s finale. Thirty-eight-year-old Symon is the executive chef at his Lola and Lolita restaurants in Cleveland. In a recent interview, he admitted to being partial to Brussels sprouts, saying he likes to use them in appetizers, salads or side dishes.

5 men arrested after raid
at Amy Winehouse’s home

LONDON — Police raided Amy Winehouse’s London home, using a crowbar to force open the door. The singer’s spokesman said she was not there at the time and that drugs were not involved. British media said the raid was related to the arrest of Winehouse’s husband and several other men on suspicion of trying to pervert the course of justice. Photographs in British newspapers on Friday showed police officers forcing open the home in Camden, north London. “The only thing I can tell you is that it has nothing to do with drugs and that Amy is fine and she has not been charged or arrested,” spokesman Shane O’Neill said. British media reported that the investigation concerned Winehouse’s husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, who is due to stand trial next week on charges of assaulting a barman. Police said four men — two aged 25, one 22 and one 19 — were arrested in connection with the investigation. The force would not confirm that Fielder-Civil, 25, was among them, but the Daily Mirror ran a picture of Winehouse kissing Fielder-Civil, who was in handcuffs. The newspaper said the pictures were taken as he was arrested Thursday. A fifth man, aged 36, was arrested Friday in central England. Last month Winehouse and Fielder-Civil were arrested in Norway and fined $715 for possession of marijuana.

Assistant admits role
in punk pioneer’s death

NEW YORK — The personal assistant to Linda Stein, the punk rock pioneer who later became known as “Realtor to the Stars,” admitted to authorities she was involved in her boss’ death, police said Friday. Formal charges were pending against Natavia Lowery, 26, said police spokesman Paul Browne. She “made statements implicating herself” in the killing, he said. Stein, 62, whose star-studded cadre of friends included Elton John and Madonna, was found lying in a pool of blood on Oct. 31. The slaying set off an intensive investigation, with dozens of people interviewed — including family, friends, former love interests and co-workers. Her daughter discovered the body. An autopsy determined that Stein died from blows to the head and neck. Stein was a pioneer in New York’s punk music scene, becoming a fixture at the legendary CBGB club in Manhattan and co-managing the influential punk band the Ramones. She was the ex-wife of Seymour Stein, the former president of Sire Records, the launching pad for the Ramones, Talking Heads and Madonna. Stein co-managed the Ramones during the band’s heyday and is credited with bringing the group to England. She was dubbed a broker to the stars in the years after she quit rock ’n’ roll for real estate, with celebrity friends and clients who included Madonna, Sting, Billy Joel, Steven Spielberg and Angelina Jolie.

Yoko Ono exhibits her art

SAO PAULO, Brazil — Yoko Ono — the world’s most famous unknown artist, as her late husband John Lennon called her — brought an exhibition with about 80 of her works to South America’s largest city. The 74-year-old Ono also will take part in a theatrical performance titled “A Night with Yoko,” organizers said. “When I’m invited to perform in other countries, I always have doubts on whether I should go,” Ono said on the Web site of the daily O Globo. “But after showing my work, I feel like I can affect people.” The exhibition, called “Yoko Ono, a Retrospective,” begins Saturday and will stay in Sao Paulo until Feb. 3. Some of the artworks are from the 1993 exhibition “Blood Objects,” including portrait frames, round glasses such as the ones used by Lennon and a blood-tainted T-shirt symbolizing urban violence.

Today’s birthdays

Actor Russell Johnson is 83. Film composer Ennio Morricone is 79. Actor Roy Scheider is 75. Blues singer Bobby Rush is 73. Actor Albert Hall is 70. Lyricist Tim Rice is 63. Actress Alaina Reed Hall is 61. Rock singer-musician Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) is 60. Actor Jack Scalia is 56. Movie director Roland Emmerich is 52. Actor Matt Craven is 51. Actor-comedian Sinbad is 51. Actress Mackenzie Phillips is 48. Author Neil Gaiman is 47. Actor-comedian Tommy Davidson is 44. Actor Michael Jai White is 43. Country singer Chris Cagle is 39. Actor-comedian Tracy Morgan is 39. Actress Ellen Pompeo (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 38. Rapper-producer Warren G is 37. Rock singer-musician Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World) is 32. Actress Brittany Murphy is 30. Rapper Eve is 29. Rock musician Chris Jannou (Silverchair) is 28. Actor Bryan Neal is 27. Actress Heather Matarazzo is 25. Country singer Miranda Lambert is 24.