Councilman’s restaurant touts homegrown stars

October 10, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

CANTON — A city councilman trying to find new life for an empty building in his Ohio community has decided to open his own restaurant spotlighting homegrown celebrities.

Canton Councilman Thomas West says the dining spot will feature glass and wallpaper with likenesses of Grammy-winning singer Macy Gray, shock rocker Marilyn Manson and other famous people from the Northeast Ohio city.

The steaks-and-pasta place is expected to open by the end of October.

Marge Simpson to appear on Nov. Playboy cover

CHICAGO — Marge is about to do something Homer might not approve of.

Playboy magazine is turning over its cover to the matriarch of Springfield’s first family: Marge Simpson.

It’s a first for the magazine, which has had everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Cindy Crawford to the Girls of Hooters and even the likes of Jerry Seinfeld on the cover. But it’s never had a cartoon character before.

Marge and her pile of bright-blue hair are set to grace the cover of the November issue of Playboy. It will hit the newsstands Oct. 16.

Marge isn’t going to bare all, though, as the magazine says there will be only “implied nudity” in the three-page pictorial.

New CEO Scott Flanders says the idea is to attract readers in their 20s to a magazine where the average reader’s age is 35.

Today’s birthdays

Singer John Prine is 63. Actor-dancer Ben Vereen is 63. Singer David Lee Roth (Van Halen) is 55. Country singer Tanya Tucker is 51. Actress Julia Sweeney (“Saturday Night Live”) is 50. Actor Mario Lopez (“The Other Half,” “Saved By The Bell”) is 36. Singer Mya is 30.