NEWSMAKERS

August 26, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

NEWSMAKERS

Judge orders strict rehab for Lohan

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.

A judge on Wednesday ordered Lindsay Lohan to undergo a rigorous outpatient rehab program that will require frequent counseling but will permit the actress to continue working. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elden S. Fox ordered the “Mean Girls” star to undergo psychotherapy and addiction-counseling sessions several times a week until November. He also ordered the 24-year-old to submit to random drug and alcohol testing at least twice a week and to continue living in the Los Angeles area.

He said Lohan could be sent back to jail for up to 30 days if she doesn’t comply or if she fails the drug and alcohol screenings. Fox laid out the terms of the actress’ early release from an inpatient rehab center during a 10 minute hearing, which Lohan did not attend. The judge said he ordered the actress’s release at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Another judge had ordered Lohan to spend 90 days in rehab after a 14-day jail stay for violating probation in a 2007 drug and drunken-driving case.

Susan Boyle to sing for pope during tour

LONDON

British singing sensation Susan Boyle said Wednesday she feels humbled and honored by the opportunity to sing for Pope Benedict XVI during his tour of Britain. The unlikely pop star who shot to global fame after she sang on the TV show “Britain’s Got Talent” will perform hymns and sing with an 800-strong choir at an open-air papal Mass in Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park on Sept. 16, the Roman Catholic Church said.

Boyle, 49, also will sing “I Dreamed A Dream” from “Les Miserables.” Her rendition of the song on the talent show has been viewed millions of times on the Internet. She told Scotland’s The Daily Record newspaper Wednesday that the invitation to sing for the pope is “my greatest dream come true.”

‘Wonderful World’ songwriter dies

OLDWICK, N.J.

George David Weiss, who helped write chart-topping pop hits including “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “What a Wonderful World,” has died. He was 89. He died Monday of natural causes at his home in Oldwick, N.J., his wife, Claire, said.

Many big-name artists recorded compositions written or co-written by Weiss. Among those compositions were “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” recorded by Elvis Presley; “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” recorded by the Tokens; “What a Wonderful World,” recorded by Louis Armstrong; “Surrender,” recorded by Perry Como, and “Oh! What It Seemed to Be” by Frank Sinatra.