Danza begins teaching

Danza begins teaching

PHILADELPHIA — Class is officially in session for Tony Danza in Philadelphia. The former “Who’s the Boss?” and “Taxi” star is filming an A&E reality show called “Teach.” He’s co-teaching an English class of 26 sophomores at Northeast High School with a credentialed teacher.

Danza spoke to parents at the school his first day Tuesday, reassuring them that he’s qualified to teach because he’s in the process of becoming certified and has spent months preparing.

‘Gulag’ is now required

MOSCOW — Russia has made a once-banned book recounting the brutality and despair of the Soviet Gulag required reading in the country’s schools, the Education Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. The ministry said excerpts of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s 1973 epic “The Gulag Archipelago” have been added to the curriculum for high-school students.

The decision announced Wednesday was taken because of “the vital historical and cultural heritage on the course of 20th-century domestic history” contained in Solzhenitsyn’s work, the ministry said. It is thought over a million Russians perished in the Gulag, a sprawling secret network of prison and labor camps.

Today’s birthdays

Singer Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night is 67. Singer Jose Feliciano is 64. Guitarist Joe Perry of Aerosmith is 59. Director Chris Columbus is 51. Actor Colin Firth is 49. Director Guy Ritchie is 41.