newsmakers

newsmakers

Land conservation at Blossom complete

CLEVELAND

A project to conserve as national park space nearly 600 acres at the summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra has been completed.

Officials plan a Monday event on completion of a final phase to add the Blossom Music Center acres to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The Cleveland Orchestra and its governing organization, the Musical Arts Association, own the 780-acre center and in 2007 began selling about 580 acres to the National Park Service.

Officials say the purchase, facilitated with the Ohio Trust for Public Land, has no effect on current center operations.

The project’s first phase involved the purchase of 233 acres funded by nearly $4 million from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The amount of the second-phase purchase was not immediately available.

Crystal returning to host the Oscars

LOS ANGELES

Billy Crystal is doing it again. The 63-year-old comedian and veteran Oscar host will host this season’s Academy Awards. This will be the ninth Oscar stint for Crystal, one of the most popular Oscar hosts of recent years. His last time was in 2004. Comedian Eddie Murphy had been chosen to host the Feb. 26, 2012, show, but he pulled out Wednesday.

‘The Early Show’ adds Rose and King

LOS ANGELES

Charlie Rose and Gayle King will be joining CBS’ “The Early Show” as hosts in what is being described as a complete makeover of the struggling early-morning news series.

Rose, who has an interview show on PBS, and King, who has a morning show on OWN, the network founded by her best friend, Oprah Winfrey, would join current co-hosts Jeff Glor and Erica Hill in a revamp of the show.

Vindicator wire services