NEWSMAKERS

Ex-Sunshine Band member sentenced

NEWARK, Ohio

Telling a judge he was embarrassed, disgusted and ashamed, a former member of KC and the Sunshine Band has been sentenced in Ohio to seven years in prison for sex charges involving teen boys. Bassist and music producer Richard Finch entered pleas of no contest in Licking County Common Pleas Court on Monday to unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and several other charges.

His voice breaking, the 56-year-old Finch apologized to a judge and the teens, saying he had little memory of the activities because he was impaired by alcohol.

The multiple-Grammy-Award winner was arrested in March after police said a boy reported that he’d had sexual contact with Finch at the man’s home in Newark in central Ohio. They said Finch later admitted he’d had sexual contact with boys ranging in age from 13 to 17.

Finch told the judge he takes “responsibility 100 percent” for his conduct and that it was less than his character.

Discount ticket booth goes high-tech

NEW YORK

New York City’s TKTS booth just got really, really small. The nonprofit Theater Development Fund, which runs the theater district’s famed discount-ticket booths, has unveiled an iPhone app that tells users what shows are available in real time.

The app, which through March 1 will be available free at the Apple iTunes store, could cut down on lines at the three TKTS locations in Times Square, South Street Seaport and downtown Brooklyn.

This is the first app endorsed by the Fund, known for its half-price Broadway and off-Broadway ticket booths. An app for the Android system is being worked on.

Taylor Swift savors stylish perks of fame

NEW YORK

Don’t look for Taylor Swift in rumpled clothes and no makeup: She’s not interested in dressing down to go incognito.

Gowns, red lipstick, hairstylists, front-row runway seats — and, as icing, a CoverGirl model contract — are perks of her fame. She’s not going to run away from them, especially if her fans are watching.

“When I’m in Nashville, I feel like I can go natural and not really worry about it, but I generally love makeup and I love dress-up. That’s why award shows are so much fun for me,” Swift says. “I’d never wish away makeup and getting all dolled up.”

She owes it to her supporters to put on a good show, she says, and at 5’10”, she’d stand out in a crowd.

Swift, in a recent interview, says she still sees her adventures in the fashion world with very wide eyes. The 40-year anniversary runway show that Roberto Cavalli staged in September and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala Benefit in New York this past spring were highlights.

Fonda wants TV role, releases workout DVD

NEW YORK

Jane Fonda has something she’d like to work out: a television series.

“I have a sort of a vision of what it could be and that’s all that I’ll say,” Fonda said last week. “I think the best, edgiest writing is now on cable television. It’s pretty exciting.”

While the Oscar-winner hasn’t officially signed up for a TV show, she can be seen in new workout DVDs designed specifically for baby boomers.

“People who are of a certain age tend to be ignored by the fitness industry and being that I’m older and I’ve done a lot of research on what happens to a body when it gets older, I know that it’s essential that we stay active,” Fonda said.

The 72-year-old recently released “Jane Fonda: Prime Time Walkout” and “Jane Fonda: Prime Time Fit & Strong.”

Vindicator wire reports