Thursday, May 30, 2013
newsmakers
Neil Patrick Harris to host Emmy Awards
LOS ANGELES
Neil Patrick Harris has been tapped to emcee the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards.
It will mark the second time the jack-of-all-trades actor, about to ride out his stint as lothario Barney on CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother,” has hosted the ceremony. He last anchored the event in 2009, when it aired on CBS.
“Neil is the quintessential host — engaging, entertaining and a true showman — with a passion for celebrating the medium we all love. We’re thrilled for him to return for CBS’ broadcast of the Emmy Awards,” Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, said in a statement.
We can only hope Harris can get a two-for-one deal on hosting tuxedos. He’s also heading up the upcoming Tony Awards ceremony, again, June 9.
G4 to relaunch as Esquire Network
LOS ANGELES
The geek-flavored G4 channel will become the Esquire Network in September.
NBC Universal announced Wednesday the rebranded channel’s Sept. 23 launch date. The channel is the namesake of Esquire magazine and is aiming to draw a similar audience of upscale males.
NBC Universal and Hearst Magazines are the partners behind the Esquire Network, which is an NBC Universal Cable Entertainment unit.
Esquire Network’s lineup will include original programming including cooking and travel shows and a series about professional horse-race handicappers and another about American breweries. It also will air reruns, including “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and “Parks and Recreation.”
The channel’s debut will include a two-hour special on Esquire magazine’s 80th anniversary, which falls in October.
‘O-o-h Child’ singer Clarence Burke dies
LOS ANGELES
Clarence Burke Jr., lead singer of the group the Five Stairsteps that sang the 1970 hit “O-o-h Child,” has died. He was 64.
His manager, Joe Marno, says Burke died Sunday in Marietta, Ga., where he lived. The cause of his death wasn’t disclosed.
Formed in Chicago in 1965, the Five Stairsteps included Burke and four siblings.
The group had several hits in the 1960s and ’70s, including “You Waited Too Long,” “World of Fantasy” and “Don’t Change Your Love.”
The Los Angeles Times says the group disbanded in the late 1970s, but the brothers briefly reformed as the Invisible Man’s Band and had a 1980 success with the dance single “All Night Thing.”
His family says that in recent years, Burke performed solo concerts and continued to record.
Comets bass player Marshall Lytle dies
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla.
Marshall Lytle, the original bass player for Bill Haley & His Comets, has died. He was 79.
Lytle’s niece said he died at his home in New Port Richey, Fla., on Saturday.
Lytle recorded hits such as “Rock Around the Clock” with Haley in the 1950s. The band was one of the first to make rock ’n’ roll music popular with a mainstream audience.
The North Carolina-born Lytle was known for his percussive bass style, slapping the strings as he played, and his lively performances. He sometimes would take the bass over his head or ride it like a surfboard.
Lytle and two other band members quit in 1955 over a money dispute and formed a new band called The Jodimars. He also later would join a Comets reunion band.
Vindicator wire services