Spears’ Vancouver concert halted for 30 minutes

Spears’ Vancouver concert halted for 30 minutes

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Britney Spears is apologizing to fans after smoky conditions at a concert in Vancouver, Canada, led to a 30-minute delay in her show.

According to a blog post on the show by The Vancouver Sun, Spears’ concert was halted for a half-hour. The Sun also reported that some audience members grew impatient waiting for the 27-year-old singer and her troupe to return to the stage.

Spears’ publicist, Holly Shakoor, issued a statement apologizing to fans. The statement said “crew members above the stage became ill due to a ventilation issue.”

Spears began her “Circus” tour of the United States, Canada and England on March 3 in New Orleans. Her father and attorneys are exploring the possibility of expanding the tour.

Hamm will have lunch with highest bidder on eBay

LOS ANGELES — Care to schedule a lunch meeting with Don Draper? Golden Globe-winning “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm is making himself available for lunch in Los Angeles to the winning bidder on eBay.

The online auction benefits the Adrienne Shelly Foundation, which supports the artistic achievements of female filmmakers with scholarships and grants.

Other meals with celebrities up for auction include Hamm’s “Mad Men” co-star John Slattery, Paul Rudd, Kevin Smith, Nathan Fillion, Patrick Duffy, David Schwimmer, Julianna Margulies and others. The auctions are scheduled to end Thursday.

Patriarch of gospel music family dies at 74

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — David “Pop” Winans Sr., the Grammy-nominated patriarch of the award-winning gospel music family, died Wednesday. He was 74.

A statement from a Los Angeles public relations company representing the family said he died at a Nashville hospice, where he had been since January after suffering a heart attack and stroke last October.

In 1999, Winans was nominated for a Grammy for his solo CD “Uncensored.” He and his wife, Delores, known as Mom Winans, were nominated for their CD “Mom & Pop Winans” in 1989. She was at his bedside when he died, the statement said.

He was the father of BeBe and CeCe Winans, known for their hits “Addictive Love” and “I’ll Take You There.” Four other children — Michael, Marvin, Carvin and Ronald — performed as The Winans, recording such songs as “Ain’t No Need to Worry” featuring Anita Baker.

In recent years, Mom and Pop Winans appeared regularly at Benny Hinn crusades and on The Trinity Broadcasting Network’s “Praise the Lord” program.

David Winans, a native of Detroit, began singing with a gospel quartet at age 18.

He later worked as a car salesman, taxi driver, custodian, barber and also was a preacher. After four of his children signed a recording contract, he was their manager for a while.

Today’s birthdays

Actor Harry Morgan (“Dragnet,” “MASH”) is 94. Actor Max von Sydow is 80. Actress Liz Sheridan (“Seinfeld”) is 80. Actor Omar Sharif is 77. Sportscaster John Madden is 73. Singer Bobbie Smith of The Spinners is 73. Sportscaster Don Meredith is 71. Reggae artist Bunny Wailer is 62. Actor Steven Seagal is 58. Singer Terre Roche of The Roches is 56. Actor Peter MacNicol (“Numb3rs,” “Ally McBeal”) is 55. Bassist Steven Gustafson of 10,000 Maniacs is 52. Singer-producer Babyface is 51. Musician Brian Setzer is 50. Rapper Afrika Bambaataa is 49. Singer Katrina Leskanich of Katrina and the Waves is 49. Drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander of Primus is 44. Comedian Orlando Jones is 41. Guitarist Mike Mushok of Staind is 40. Singer Kenny Lattimore is 39. Rapper Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest is 39. Blues singer Shemekia Copeland is 30. Actress Chyler Leigh (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 27. Actor Ryan Merriman (“The Pretender”) is 26. Singer-actress Mandy Moore is 25. Actor Haley Joel Osment (“The Sixth Sense”) is 21. Singer-actress AJ Michalka of Aly and AJ is 18.