NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

Singer Burke dies at Amsterdam airport

AMSTERDAM

Solomon Burke was born to the sound of music in an upstairs room of a Philadelphia church and went on to become one of the greatest soul singers of the 1960s, renowned as among music’s premier vocalists.

Yet his popularity never matched that of those he influenced, contemporaries including James Brown and Marvin Gaye, a reality he accepted with grace and some frustration, colleagues said.

Burke, 70, died early Sunday of natural causes at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, his family said in a statement on the singer’s website.

“This is a time of great sorrow for our entire family. We truly appreciate all of the support and well wishes from his friends and fans,” the statement said.

The family did not elaborate on the cause of death.

Schiphol Airport police spokesman Robert van Kapel confirmed that Burke died on a plane at Schiphol. He arrived early Sunday on a flight from Los Angeles and had been scheduled to perform a sellout show on Tuesday in a church converted into a concert hall in Amsterdam with local band De Dijk.

Leno opens recruiting office in Palin’s town

ANCHORAGE, Alaska

Late night talk show host Jay Leno dropped by Sarah Palin’s hometown to help open an Air Force Reserve recruiting office.

The host of “The Tonight Show” was in Alaska to perform a show Saturday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.

He also helped cut a ribbon for the opening of an Air Force Reserve recruiting office in Wasilla, the home of Palin, the former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential nominee.

KTUU-TV reports Leno shook hands with fans and inspected several vehicles driven to the event, including a small truck rebuilt to resemble a giant Radio Flyer red wagon.

Leno thanked new recruits who were sworn in during the grand opening.

‘Social Network’ repeats as No. 1 draw

LOS ANGELES

Movie fans have bookmarked the Facebook drama “The Social Network” as their weekend favorite.

David Fincher’s saga about personality clashes and legal feuds among the website’s founders took in $15.5 million to remain the No. 1 film for a second-straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Released by Sony, “The Social Network” raised its 10-day total to $46.1 million.

Debuting a close second with a so-so $14.6 million weekend was the Warner Bros. romance “Life as We Know It,” starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel as sparring guardians to an orphaned girl.

Disney’s horse-racing drama “Secretariat,” starring Diane Lane, also had a so-so debut, coming in at No. 3 with $12.6 million.

Opening a weak No. 5 with $7 million was Wes Craven’s serial killer thriller “My Soul to Take,” released by Rogue Pictures.

Associated Press