Monaco palace reveals guest list

July 1, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

MONACO

The rich and famous are converging on Monaco for the much-anticipated nuptials between Prince Albert II and former South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock.

It’s the first wedding of a reigning prince in the tiny Riviera principality since Philadelphia-born Hollywood icon Grace Kelly walked down the aisle with Albert’s father, Prince Rainier, more than 50 years ago.

The palace long kept the guest list for the two-day-long festivities today and Saturday under wraps, but on Thursday released brief biographies of the celebrity guests.

Top names included Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, U.S. soprano Renee Fleming and Bernard Arnault, the CEO of luxury giant LVMH — and the wealthiest man in France.

Italian designers Roberto Cavalli, whose yacht often plies the waters off the Cote d’Azur, and Giorgio Armani, the man behind Wittstock’s wedding dress, and a smattering of supermodels including Naomi Cambell and Karolina Kurkova also are expected.

Musicians call for Grammy boycott

NEW YORK

A coalition of musicians that has protested the Recording Academy’s decision to drop 31 categories from the Grammy Awards is stepping up the pressure, calling for a boycott of the Grammys’ telecast partner, CBS, and hiring a lawyer to explore legal action.

“We will ask people to stop watching CBS, boycott their sponsors and then write them,” said Bobby Sanabria, a Grammy-nominated Latin jazz musician and the leader of the coalition, in an interview Wednesday night. “We’re at a critical juncture.”

The changes have drawn complaints from the likes of Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon and Bill Cosby. They also have gotten attention from organizations such as the National Institute of Latino Policy, which issued a statement Thursday in support of Sanabria’s coalition.

Spider-Man creator eyes Chinese fans

HONG KONG

Stan Lee wants to see the likes of Spider-Man and the X-Men weaving between skyscrapers in Shanghai and battling enemies on the Great Wall.

The comic book legend has announced a joint venture with a Hong Kong investment company that aims to roll out a new superhero franchise targeted at Chinese and foreign audiences.

Lee’s POW! Entertainment said in a statement issued on its website this week that the new company, Magic Storm Entertainment, will announce its first film project later this summer.

“I have been eagerly awaiting this great opportunity — a chance to combine the best of American superhero epics with the best of Chinese and Asian classical filmmaking for a motion picture that would be excitedly received worldwide,” Lee said in the statement.

It did not say if the creator or co-creator of Marvel Comics characters such as Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, X-Men, The Fantastic Four and Iron Man will come up with new characters for the new movie or write a new story for his flagship characters, many of which already have been adapted for the big screen.

Associated Press