Apollo starting Walk of Fame

NEW YORK – Smokey Robinson, Ella Fitzgerald and James Brown are among the music legends being honored on the Apollo Theater’s new Walk of Fame in New York City.

Workers on Monday began installing sidewalk plaques in front of the storied Harlem theater celebrating some of the artists who have performed there. Others include Little Richard, Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight and the Pips.

Robinson said he first performed at the Apollo with the Miracles in 1959, and he’s been back countless times since then.

He told The Associated Press that he always says if they tear down 125th Street and everything on it, “please leave the Apollo standing.”

The Apollo is celebrating its 75th anniversary. It is one of New York’s best-known performance venues.

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Musicians aid oil spill victims

NEW ORLEANS – Lenny Kravitz, Ani DiFranco and Mos Def are among the headliners for a benefit concert to support relief efforts for those affected by a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Kravitz, who lives part-time in New Orleans, was the first to sign up when asked by Rehage Entertainment president Steven Rehage to participate in Gulf Aid. Others participating are: Allen Toussaint, Zachary Richard, Jeremy Davenport and The Voice of the Wetlands Allstars, which features Dr. John and Cyril Neville.

Proceeds from the event — which has a $50 ticket price — will benefit fishermen and their families, whose livelihoods depend on the Gulf, and other organizations.

Walters to have heart valve replaced

NEW YORK – Barbara Walters said she will have surgery to replace a faulty heart valve later this week and take the summer off from “The View” to recuperate.

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The television legend made the announcement on the air Monday. She said she’s known about her condition for a while, and decided with her doctors that this is the best time to have the heart surgery done.

“Since the summer is coming up,” she said, “I can take a nice vacation.”

Walters, 80, is one of the best-known personalities in television news. She began on the “Today” show, was the first woman to anchor a network evening news program, then was one of the toughest competitors in the fierce game of landing sought-after interviews.

At a time others would be slowing down, she invented “The View” in 1997 and the daily talk show with a woman’s round-table is a staple on daytime TV. She said earlier this year she was giving up her annual interview special with actors that traditionally preceded the Academy Awards.

She said her condition would be a surprise to many friends. “But I thought it best not to talk about it too far in advance,” she said.

Walters said she had not felt any symptoms from the narrowing of the heart valve, which can worsen and restrict the flow of blood to the heart.

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Aspiring model in jail for burglarizing Orlando Bloom

LOS ANGELES – A reality starlet accused of burglarizing Orlando Bloom’s house pleaded no contest Monday to felony burglary and was sentenced to up to six months in county jail after reaching a deal with prosecutors.

Alexis Neiers, 18, an aspiring model who has been the subject of the E! Entertainment Television reality show “Pretty Wild,” entered the plea shortly before her trial was slated to begin. Bloom, star of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Lord of the Rings” film franchises, had been expected to testify.

As part of the deal, Neiers was sentenced to three years of formal probation and six months in county jail for the July break-in. She also agreed to stay away from Bloom and his home.

 

 


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