newsmakers
newsmakers
Lady Gaga assumes ‘Twitter queen’ title
NEW YORK
Lady Gaga has surpassed Britney Spears as the most-followed person on Twitter — for now. She has more than 5.7 million followers. She overtook Spears over the weekend and posted a video late Saturday on YouTube. Gaga called her fans her “little monsters” as she thanked them for beginning “my reign as Twitter queen.”
Spears, Ashton Kutcher, Ellen DeGeneres and an account run by President Barack Obama’s political organization, Organizing for America, all have more than 5 million followers. The most-followed title often shifts rapidly, and fans frequently organize to boost their favorite’s tally.
Aniston to guest on ‘Cougar Town’
NEW YORK
Jennifer Aniston will pay a visit to old “friend” Courteney Cox on the season debut of ABC’s “Cougar Town” next month. ABC said Monday that Aniston will portray a therapist who is being seen by Cox’s character. It’s a one- episode visit, scheduled for Sept. 22.
The two actresses starred for many years on NBC’s “Friends.” Cox is in her second season of “Cougar Town,” where she plays a character hungry for younger men. Aniston is promoting her new movie, “The Switch.”
‘Howdy Doody Show’ writer dies at 85
WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich.
A family friend says “Howdy Doody Show” writer Edward Kean has died at age 85. Kean was the primary writer for the show and penned the theme song to which millions of American children sang along each week during the show’s run on NBC from 1947 to 1960. Family friend Del Reddy said Monday that Kean died Aug. 13 at a nursing-care facility in Oakland County’s West Bloomfield Township from complications of emphysema.
Reddy says the New York City native wrote the song “It’s Howdy Doody Time,” which was sung during the show’s opening. Kean is credited with creating the exclamation, “kowabunga,” made popular by one of the show’s characters and borrowed by Bart Simpson, the animated problem child on the long-running comedy “The Simpsons.”
Billionaire chooses site for art museum
LOS ANGELES
Billionaire Eli Broad has chosen to build a museum for his contemporary-art collection in downtown Los Angeles. Broad’s announcement Monday came minutes after a panel of local and state officials approved a plan to lease 2.5 acres of county-owned land to Broad. Under the deal, Broad will finance construction of the $80 million to $100 million museum and contribute $200 million toward its operation. He will pay $7.7 million over the course of the 99-year-lease.
Broad made his billions as co-founder of developer KB Home and through the sale of insurer SunAmerican. His 2,000-piece collection includes works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dali and Joan Miro. He also was considering building the museum in Santa Monica.
Young stars’ future worries Newton
WASHINGTON
Wayne Newton is worried that fame is coming too easily to today’s young stars.
In a recent interview in Washington, Newton says it’s pretty frightening to think that one day someone can be totally unheard of and the next they could be on the lips of practically everybody in the world.
He says that what they don’t realize is that fame goes as quickly as it comes.
He says young stars such as Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus don’t have time to hone their craft. Newton says stars need time to learn that every decision they make will either hamper or endear them for the rest of their life.
He says that he’s concerned because when the industry is finished with a star, it just looks for the next one.
Vindicator wire services
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