newsmakers
newsmakers
Louis Prima gets a Hollywood star
LOS ANGELES
“King of Swing” Louis Prima has received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a centennial celebration that included dancing in the street to his big-band sounds. The influential band leader was honored at a Sunday ceremony on Vine Street attended by his son Louis Prima Jr., who continues the legacy of his father’s music, his daughter Lena Prima (who will be at the Greater Youngstown Italian Festival this weekend), celebrities, dignitaries and fans.
“Louis Prima was a great entertainer and presented a great show. But more than anything else, he brought happiness to his audiences,” said Bill Cosby in a congratulatory message read at the midday ceremony, which also included a concert of Prima’s music by Louis Prima Jr.’s big band, The Witnesses, as well as swing-dancing fans. Prima, who died in 1978, would have been 100 years old this year.
Obama to appear on ‘The View’ Thursday
NEW YORK
ABC’s “The View” has welcomed many notable guests, but none more prominent than President Barack Obama, who is scheduled to visit for Thursday’s edition. In making the announcement Monday, executive producers Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie said this marks the first time a sitting U.S. president has visited a daytime talk show.
They said the majority of the hour will be devoted to Obama’s appearance, which will touch on topics including jobs, the economy, the Gulf oil spill and family life inside the White House. It is scheduled to tape Wednesday.
Walters will make a special return to the studio for the occasion, joining co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd. Other than a brief segment broadcast from her home this month, Walters has been off the air since undergoing open-heart surgery in May and had not planned to be back until September.
The program airs weekdays on ABC at 11 a.m.
City council fears show’s negative focus
DETROIT
Members of the city council are concerned the content of an upcoming crime drama will feed negative stereotypes of Detroit’s crime legacy. The board wants producers of ABC’s “Detroit 1-8-7” to attend a meeting today.
Shot in Detroit, the drama set to air in September involves a documentary crew’s shadowing city homicide investigators.
The “1-8-7” in the title refers to the commonly known former California police code for homicide.
More than 700 people were murdered in 1974, earning Detroit the nickname “Murder City.” Detroit’s homicide rate still is among the highest in the country. Mayor Dave Bing’s office says it’s unrealistic for the city to micromanage the creative process of productions being filmed in Detroit.
‘Law & Order’ creator to write 2 novels
NEW YORK
The original “Law & Order” is off the air, but show creator Dick Wolf has more stories to tell: He plans to write novels. Wolf will write two thrillers, the first of which centers on a terrorist attack in New York. Neither book is yet titled, and no release dates have been set. An imprint of HarperCollins, William Morrow, made the announcement Monday.
“Law & Order” ended its run last season after 20 years, a longevity record it shares with the TV western “Gunsmoke.” Wolf is the creator and executive producer of “Law & Order: Los Angeles.” It debuts this fall as the newest member of the NBC crime-drama family.
‘House’ star Laurie to sing the blues
LONDON
Dr. Gregory House has long battled the blues. Now, the actor who plays the acerbic physician plans to play them. Warner Music Entertainment said Monday that British actor Hugh Laurie has signed a deal to record an album of New Orleans-inspired blues.
“I am drunk with excitement at this opportunity,” Laurie said in a statement. “I know the history of actors making music is a checkered one, but I promise no one will get hurt.”
Vindicator wire services
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