Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

July 24, 2012

Royals making their presence known at London Olympics

From news service reports

LONDON — Attention Harry hunters: Britain's young royals will be out and about in force during the London Olympics.

The royals' Clarence House announced Monday what events Prince Charles, his wife, Camilla, Prince William and his wife, Kate, and Prince Harry will attend.

All five will be at Friday's opening ceremony, where 86-year-old Queen Elizabeth II will officially open the Olympics.

The queen Monday welcomed members of the International Olympic Ceremony at Buckingham Palace and was presented with a set of medals by the organization's president, Jacques Rogge.

"In the coming days, over 10,000 athletes from more than 200 nations will be undertaking their final preparations following years of dedication, hard work and personal sacrifice," the queen said at the reception. "We send our warm wishes to them all for a rewarding and enjoyable games."

Her grandsons William and Harry, along with Kate, are official ambassadors for the British Olympic team. They will all attend equestrian events – where the princes' cousin and the queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips is a competitor – and will hand out medals to the winners on Tuesday.

Kate, now known as the Duchess of Cambridge, will be watching gymnastics and synchronized swimming, William will see a Team GB (Great Britain) soccer match and Harry will be dropping by beach volleyball.

It's official: Carey joins 'American Idol' as judge

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Fox says Mariah Carey is joining "American Idol" as a new judge.

Fox entertainment chief Kevin Reilly announced her signing to a meeting of the Television Critics Association on Monday, and then put Carey on speaker phone to confirm the deal.

"I am so excited to be joining 'American Idol,' " she said. "This kind of all just happened really quickly."

Earlier this month, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez said they were leaving "American Idol" after two years as judges.

Carey had been courted by "Idol," and as one of music's best-selling singers she could bring the star power it needs to compete with rivals like "The X Factor," which recently added Britney Spears and Demi Lovato as judges.

Earlier Monday, veteran "Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said there's a slender possibility that Jennifer Lopez might return. His reasoning: Since she told "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest she was 99 percent sure she was leaving, that means there's a 1 percent chance she won't, Lythgoe said Monday.

He said he hoped that was the case, although Lythgoe also told a meeting of the Television Critics Association that he thought the show should be freshened each season with new judges.

Lopez's representative, Mark Young, said July 13 that she's leaving "American Idol," following rocker Steven Tyler out the door after two years. That leaves original judge Randy Jackson.

Comedian Rivers will work her magic

NEW ORLEANS — When comedian Joan Rivers thought her New York apartment was haunted about 15 years ago, she called on New Orleans voodoo priestess Sallie Ann Glassman to perform a "spiritual cleansing" of the brownstone.

Glassman said the pair became friends during that meeting, at which Glassman chased off the disturbing spirits in a night of rituals.

"Sallie Ann Glassman is my spiritual guide, my sounding board, my friend. Sallie arrived in New York -- white garb and paraphernalia in tow -- and after an unusual night, she not only cleaned out my apartment but all the apartments in my building," Rivers said. "It was unforgettable and extraordinary. Most importantly, it worked."

Next month, the comedian is heading to New Orleans to return the favor.

The sharp-tongued Rivers will host two stand-up shows benefiting Glassman's New Orleans Healing Center -- an incubator for about two dozen businesses and organizations focused on what Glassman describes as the "environmental, spiritual, economic, cultural, emotional and physical healing of New Orleans" after Hurricane Katrina.

 

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