Country singer marries former Alabama QB


June 17, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

Country singer marries former Alabama QB

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country star Sara Evans has married former University of Alabama quarterback Jay Barker. Lori Genes, the singer’s publicist at Sony BMG Nashville, told The Associated Press on Monday that Evans and Barker had married but didn’t provide details of the wedding. People magazine reported on its Web site that the outdoor ceremony took place Saturday on a farm in Franklin, Tennessee.

The 37-year-old singer filed for divorce from Craig Schelske in October 2006 after 13 years of marriage. Barker led Alabama to a national championship in 1992 and hosts a radio show in Birmingham.

Fire doesn’t close celebrity chef’s eatery

SAVANNAH, Ga. — A restaurant owned by well-known Southern chef Paula Deen reopened for lunch Monday after a late-night fire. Savannah Fire and Emergency Services Capt. Matt Stanley said firefighters responded to a blaze about 11 p.m. Sunday at The Lady Sons eatery. No injuries were reported. He said the blaze apparently started in a laundry bag full of linens and rags. Contacted by telephone Monday morning, Deen’s publicist, Nancy Assuncao, told The Associated Press the restaurant had reopened and planned to serve lunch.

Diocese bars ‘Da Vinci’ prequel filmmakers

ROME — Rome’s diocese said Monday it has barred the producers of “Angels Demons” from filming in two churches for the prequel to the “The Da Vinci Code,” the popular book and film that angered many Catholic leaders. Producers of the film, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, were turned down because the movie “does not conform to our views,” said Monsignor Marco Fibbi, a spokesman for the diocese.The Sony-produced film is scheduled for release in May 2009.

Today’s birthdays

Actor Peter Lupus (TV’s “Mission: Impossible”) is 76. Singer Barry Manilow is 62. Comedian Joe Piscopo is 57. Director Bobby Farrelly (“There’s Something About Mary”) is 50. Actor Thomas Haden Church (“Sideways,” “Wings,” “Ned and Stacy”) is 47. Actor-comedian Will Forte (“Saturday Night Live”) is 38.