Saturday, February 28, 2009
Page explains why he left Barenaked Ladies
TORONTO — Singer-guitarist Steven Page says he decided to leave the Barenaked Ladies because he felt that his contributions as a songwriter were being diminished.
A day after he announced on the band’s Web site that he was leaving the five-member group, Page said the Barenaked Ladies have so many songwriting voices, his was occasionally squeezed out.
“Frankly, the band itself was a five-way democracy and one of the great things about it is that it’s been about the five-way collaboration, but it’s also one of the things that’s made me decide to be a solo artist,” he said Thursday.
Hamilton will control his competitiveness
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Once a competitor, always a competitor.
Or so it seems for Olympic gold medal figure skater Scott Hamilton, who says he was afraid his competitive nature would get the best of him while taping the new season of NBC’s “The Celebrity Apprentice.”
The reality series pits 16 celebrities against each other as they do business tasks to raise money for a charity of their choice. Hamilton chose the Cleveland Clinic. Hamilton says his biggest fear was that he’d somehow get caught up in the game and misrepresent himself, his faith and his family. “The Celebrity Apprentice” premieres Sunday.
Today’s birthdays
Actor Charles Durning is 86. Actor Gavin MacLeod (“The Love Boat,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”) is 78. Actor-director-dancer Tommy Tune is 70. Actor Frank Bonner (“WKRP in Cincinnati”) is 67. Actress Bernadette Peters is 61. Comedian Gilbert Gottfried is 54. Actor John Turturro is 52. Singer Cindy Wilson of The B-52’s is 52. Actress Rae Dawn Chong is 48.