Melissa Lawson wins NBC’s ‘Nashville Star’

Melissa Lawson wins NBC’s ‘Nashville Star’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Texas mother of five is the new “Nashville Star.” Melissa Lawson beat fellow finalist Gabe Garcia on Monday night for the title on the country music reality series. Shawn Mayer came in third.

The 32-year-old Lawson was overjoyed at winning, shouting “Oh my God!” She then performed her new single, “What If It All Goes Right.” The song is scheduled to be played on country radio Tuesday morning.

Lawson wins a record contract after performing in Nashville for 11 weeks. The series has launched the careers of Miranda Lambert, Buddy Jewel and Chris Young. It switched to NBC this year after five seasons on cable’s USA Network.

Iggy Pop, Stooges’ gear stolen after Montreal show

DETROIT — A rental truck containing Iggy Pop and the Stooges’ equipment was stolen after a concert in Montreal.

Stooges road manager Eric Fischer says the 15-foot truck stolen Monday contained all the group’s instruments and stage gear. He told the Detroit Free Press the lost items are worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Fischer says the Stooges will still make their scheduled gig today in Toronto using rented and donated equipment.

Freeman still in serious condition after car crash

JACKSON, Miss. — Morgan Freeman remained in serious condition Tuesday with a broken arm and elbow after rescuers used a jaws-of-life machine to free him and a passenger from their car after it crashed on a stretch of rural Mississippi Delta highway this weekend.

Freeman, 71, and Demaris Meyer, 48, of Memphis, Tenn., were taken to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis after the accident in Tallahatchie County on Sunday night.

Donna Lee, Freeman’s publicist, said the Oscar-winning actor, who underwent surgery late Monday, has a broken arm, broken elbow and minor shoulder damage “but is in good spirits.” Lee said Freeman is expected to make a full recovery.

Official: Mary Kate Olsen silent on Ledger OD

NEW YORK — Federal investigators want to question actress Mary Kate Olsen about how Heath Ledger got two painkillers that contributed to his accidental overdose death, but she’s not talking, a law enforcement official said Monday.

Olsen’s lawyer has twice refused requests to have her sit down with investigators probing Ledger’s death, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation has not been concluded.

The official confirmed a report that Olsen — a close friend of Ledger’s who learned about the 28-year-old actor’s death in a frantic phone call from a masseuse — wants a promise of immunity before she speaks to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Today’s birthdays

Jazz bassist Charlie Haden is 71. Actress Catherine Hicks (“Seventh Heaven”) is 57. Country singers Peggy and Patsy Lynn are 44. Actor Jeremy Ratchford (“Cold Case”) is 43. Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense”) is 38. Actress Soleil Moon Frye (“Sabrina The Teenage Witch,” “Punky Brewster”) is 32. Singer Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes is 27. Bassist Eric Roberts of Gym Class Heroes is 24.