Newsmakers

NEWSMAKERS

Underwood is top winner at ACA event

LAS VEGAS

When it comes to Las Vegas, Carrie Underwood is a sure bet.

Underwood won her second country-music artist-of-the-year award of 2010 in Sin City on Monday night. She earned it at the inaugural American Country Awards about eight months after she won the top honor at the Academy of Country Music Awards in April.

In both cases, fans determined the winner. And when it comes to fan support, Underwood has no match. Her fans vote early and often — a holdover from her time as “American Idol” champion — and she made sure to give a shoutout to her supporters after winning six awards.

Lady Antebellum took home four Fender Stratocasters given out as trophies, and Easton Corbin finished with three wins, including breakthrough artist of the year. The two acts were tied for the most nominations with seven.

Along with artist of the year, Underwood won album of the year for “Play On” and tour of the year.

Winfrey chooses Dickens classics

CHICAGO

Oprah Winfrey has chosen a pair of Charles Dickens classics, “A Tale of Two Cities” and “Great Expectations,” as the latest selections for her popular book club.

Winfrey said on Monday’s episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” she has never read Dickens before. She said, “It’s the best of times, readers” and called the books timeless classics.

The two novels are being issued in a single bound Penguin paperback edition, around 800 pages, with a list price of $20. The electronic version, also from Penguin, sells for $7.99. They also can be downloaded free through the newly launched Google bookstore.

According to Harpo Productions, Oprah’s Book Club has nearly 2 million online members. Her previous selection was Jonathan Franzen’s best-selling novel “Freedom.”

Museum’s statue transfer ends dispute

MALIBU, Calif.

Italy’s decade-old campaign to retrieve antiquities it says were illegally brought to California will end early next year.

The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles will return to Sicily a fifth-century B.C. statue of the goddess Aphrodite, the last of 40 artifacts it agreed to return as a result of Italy’s campaign.

Sebastiano Missineo, the minister of culture from Sicily, visited the Getty Villa in Malibu on Monday and viewed the statue. He also viewed the marble Agrigento Youth, loaned to the Getty in exchange for a custom earthquake base. He will tour the Villa’s conservation studios and the Getty Museum as well.

Neil Patrick Harris to host game awards

NEW YORK

Spike TV says Neil Patrick Harris will host this year’s Video Game Awards. The star of stage, video games and TV’s “How I Met Your Mother,” Harris will preside over the eighth annual celebration of gaming’s best, Spike TV announced Monday.

Also expected are comedian Dane Cook, “Thor: God of Thunder” video-game star Chris Hemsworth, pro skateboarder Tony Hawk and cast members from “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,” including Danny Devito, Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney.

The awards show airs live on Spike TV on Saturday at 8 p.m.

Johnny Cash outfit brings $50K at auction

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.

A one-day auction of Johnny Cash memorabilia turned out to be twice as lucrative as expected, with help from a bidding war on the embroidered blue jumpsuit he wore during a rehearsal at San Quentin state prison.

Sunday’s sale by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills was expected to bring in between $200,000 and $400,000. Darren Julien says the final total went over $700,000.

Cash was wearing the blue jumpsuit at a rehearsal in 1969 when he was photographed giving “the finger” to a concert photographer.

Julien says the suit was bought by a collector in Belgium after a bidding war raised the price to $50,000. A poster announcing Cash’s performance at the prison sold for $25,000.

Vindicator wire services