Flooding hits home of Grand Ole Opry

May 8, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry House stage, where country music stars have performed for decades, was under 2 feet of water when it was hit by flooding that tore through Tennessee. That’s according to Gaylord Entertainment CEO Colin Reed, who gave the first details about damage to the Opry house during a Friday conference call with investors.

For now, The Opry’s shows have been moved to other venues.

The Gaylord Opryland Resort, the hotel next to the Opry house, was hit with up to 10 feet of water. Its first floor, power plant and technical hub were flooded. The resort won’t be taking bookings from now through October so extensive repairs can be made.

Reed says the damage is likely to exceed the company’s $50 million insurance coverage.

Lady Gaga scam nets two arrests

MARTINSBURG, W.Va.

Two men face charges of scamming fans of Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert by selling tickets for a bogus concert in West Virginia.

Arrest warrants issued Thursday charge 45-year-old Sherman Luke Loy and 45-year-old Dean R. DeSana with one count each of obtaining money by false pretenses. Loy’s lawyer says the tickets started at $100.

According to a criminal complaint, the men claimed the concert would be April 24 at a park near Harpers Ferry. The concert never happened. Court records show 11 people filed police reports saying they paid for tickets but never received them. Police say ticket sales totaled more than $17,800. Loy and DeSana have denied the charges.

Jimmy Fallon: Let’s keep Emmys classy

NEW YORK

Jimmy Fallon says his goal for hosting this year’s Emmy Awards is to keep it classy. The 35-year-old host of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” was tapped by NBC to be master of ceremonies for the Aug. 29 show in Los Angeles honoring the best of prime-time television.

Fallon says he remembers watching the Emmys while growing up with his mother, who would dress up in a gown and give fake acceptance speeches. He wants to make watching the telecast an event for which people will host watch parties in their own homes.

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MADRID

A Spanish news network says former James Bond star Sean Connery will be questioned over a real estate deal. Cadena Ser and other media outlets say Connery and wife Micheline Roquebrune will be called to a court in coastal Marbella over matters related to the sale of an area estate. For 20 years Connery vacationed at his lavish property, Malibu, before selling it in 1998. After the sale, a block of 70 apartments was built on the spot.

Madrid and Marbella lawyers Diaz-Bastien & Truan — who media reports Friday said represented the Hollywood actor — told The Associated Press their offices were raided Wednesday by Treasury inspectors, but declined to confirm if Connery was a client.