Group votes Toby Keith songwriter/artist of decade

Group votes Toby Keith songwriter/artist of decade

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — County music star Toby Keith has been voted songwriter/artist of the decade by the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

Keith will be honored Oct. 18 for his hits “Courtesy of the Red, White And Blue [The Angry American],” “Who’s Your Daddy?,” “As Good As I Once Was” and “God Love Her.”

In an award for a songwriter only, Craig Wiseman has been named songwriter of the decade for hits such as “The Good Stuff” by Kenny Chesney, “Believe” by Brooks & Dunn, “Summertime” by Kenny Chesney and “Live Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw.

Keith and Wiseman were chosen by their fellow songwriters. The 42-year-old, 5,000-member group bills itself as the world’s largest nonprofit songwriters’ trade organization.

Gallery in Denmark will exhibit works of Dylan

COPENHAGEN — Denmark’s National Gallery says it will exhibit some 100 works by Bob Dylan, including some of his newest acrylic paintings.

The museum says some 30 canvasses from Dylan’s forthcoming Brazil Series have never been put on exhibit before.

Museum spokesman Jakob Fibiger Andreasen says Dylan was interested in displaying his work at the museum that has a large collection of paintings by French artist Henri Matisse. Fibiger Andreasen says “there are clearly roots” to Matisse in Dylan’s works.

He said Wednesday that Dylan would also be displaying watercolors from The Drawn Blank Series.

The Copenhagen exhibition opens in September or October 2010.

Comedy Central brings comedy award show back

NEW YORK — Comedy Central says it is reviving the defunct American Comedy Awards.

The awards show took place for 15 years, the last time in 2001 and televised by Comedy Central. The network said Thursday it plans to bring the awards show back to life and is teaming with prominent awards show producer Don Mischer.

It will honor a year’s worth of best comedy writing and performance in film, television and over the Internet.

Comedy Central says it expects the first new American Comedy Awards to air near the end of next year, simultaneously on its network and corporate partners Spike TV and TV Land.

Today’s birthdays

Actress-comedian Anne Meara is 80. Actress Sophia Loren is 75. Bassist Chuck Panozzo (Styx) is 62. Jazz guitarist Peter White is 55. Actress Betsy Brantley (“Deep Impact”) is 54. Actor Gary Cole is 53. Bassist Randy Bradbury of Pennywise is 45. Actress Kristen Johnston (“3rd Rock From the Sun”) is 42. Singers Gunnar and Matthew Nelson of Nelson are 42. Bassist Ben Shepherd (Soundgarden) is 41. Drummer Rick Woolstenhulme of Lifehouse is 30. Rapper Yung Joc is 27.