newsmakers

newsmakers

Celebrities descend on Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS

Indiana — the place where Peyton Manning, Larry Bird, the Hoosiers and more have created the stuff of legend — undoubtedly is a sports mecca.

A celeb magnet, however? Not so much.

But that will change over the next few days as Madonna and an assortment of stars from film, music and TV arrive for four compact days of entertainment and partying tied to the Super Bowl.

“It doesn’t even matter what state or what city it’s going to be in; people are going to come and they’re going to party, and they will enjoy the game,” said rapper-turned-celeb-DJ D-Nice, who is spinning at the ESPN Next party hosted by Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and featuring a performance by chart-topping rapper Drake.

Alec Baldwin is hosting the “NFL Honors,” which will feature celebs such as Lenny Kravitz; Snoop Dogg, Nas and J. Cole are expected to perform separately at various parties; Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood are performing for “CMT Crossroads” on Super Bowl eve; and “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” is planning a broadcast after the Super Bowl with scheduled guests to include Taylor Lautner, Tracy Morgan, Tim Tebow and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. Playboy is having its annual Super Bowl party, as is Maxim, which has a superhero theme. Both promise curvaceous beauties and celebs.

Bruce Springsteen to play at Grammys

LOS ANGELES

The recording academy and Grammy producers have unveiled a flurry of Grammy performers this week, beginning Tuesday with a return to the stage for Adele and a Katy Perry announcement Wednesday. Thursday, the curtain was pulled back on one of the telecast’s rock ’n’ roll acts: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, who are gearing up for a new tour.

Springsteen isn’t nominated for any new works — “The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story” is, however, in the running for best boxed or special limited-edition package — and instead has a new album in “Wrecking Ball,” due March 6, to promote. The upcoming tour with the E Street Band will be the act’s first since the passing of his former band mate, the tenor saxophonist Clarence “Big Man” Clemons. Though the performance wasn’t announced as such, the Grammy telecast typically is loaded with high- concept medleys and pairings, and it wouldn’t be out of the realm of the ordinary to expect Springsteen’s appearance to include a tribute to his late collaborator.

Vindicator wire services