Buzz Briefs: DeGeneres, Lohan
Ellen Airs Pro-Gay Marriage PSA, But Takes Heat Over Lack Of Contribution
Ellen DeGeneres has made a public service announcement urging California voters to oppose a ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage.
DeGeneres married actress Portia de Rossi on Aug. 16, two months after the California Supreme Court ruling that legalizing gay marriage took effect. In recent days, the popular talk show host has been criticized in the gay press for not giving money to the campaign to defeat Proposition 8 or otherwise lending her star presence to the cause.
She still hasn't made a campaign contribution, but on Tuesday she posted a video on her show's Web site. She said when she got married it was the happiest day of her life.
DeGeneres' mother, Betty, has given $700 to help defeat the initiative.
Will Michael Lohan Be Knocked Out By A Techie?
He's taken his lumps in the tabloids; now he'll be ducking swings in the boxing ring.
Michael Lohan, the estranged father of Lindsay Lohan, will face Bob Venero, the president of Future Tech Enterprise, in an upcoming charity boxing match.
Organizers said Tuesday that Venero bid $30,000 to box Lohan.
Lohan last week put himself up to the highest bidder for the chance to fight him in the Nov. 24 match at the Hilton Long Island. Proceeds will go to charities including the Long Island Community Chest, which provides financial support to needy families.
Sponsors say actor Stephen Baldwin has agreed to be a judge.
In the past, Lohan has publicly feuded with his actress-daughter and her mother, Dina Lohan.
Neal Hefti, Composer Of "Batman" Theme, Dies
Neal Hefti, a Big Band trumpeter, arranger and composer of themes for the movie "The Odd Couple" and the "Batman" television series, has died. He was 85.
Hefti died Saturday at his home, said his son Paul Hefti.
Neal Hefti's notable achievements include the iconic theme of the 1960s superhero series "Batman," which became a Top 40 hit and won a Grammy Award in 1966 for best instrumental theme. He also composed music for "The Odd Couple," "Barefoot in the Park" and "Harlow," which featured his classic track "Girl Talk."
His son said the "Batman" theme was Neal Hefti's most difficult piece, taking him at least one month to compose the driving bass and explosive trumpet bursts.
"He threw away more music paper on this thing than any other song," Paul Hefti told The Associated Press. "It got down to the blues with a funny guitar hook, the lowest common denominator and a fun groove."
Neal Hefti was born Oct. 29, 1922, in Hastings, Neb., and played trumpet with local bands as a teenager to earn money.
As an adult, he worked with and arranged music for the greats of the Big Band era, including Count Basie, Woody Herman, Charlie Spivak and Harry James.
China OKs New Bond Movie For November Release
Chinese officials have cleared the latest James Bond movie for release in November, giving it one of the last slots in the country's annual quota of 20 revenue-sharing film imports, a film executive said Wednesday.
Chinese censors did not ask for any cuts to "Quantum of Solace," Sony Pictures Releasing International Vice President Li Chow told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
Sony plans to give the film a wide release on more than 1,000 screens on Nov. 5, days after its global rollout begins on Oct. 31, Li said. China has just over 3,500 screens.
Li said the 22nd installment in the Bond series, starring Daniel Craig, will be one of the last revenue-sharing movies China imports this year.
Among the other major Hollywood releases in China this year were "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," "Kung Fu Panda," "The Golden Compass," "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" and "10,000 BC."
Will "One Tree Hill" Stick Around For 7th Season?
The creator of the TV series "One Tree Hill" hopes the CW network will decide by the first of the year whether to bring back the series now that he's agreed to head a seventh season.
In a phone interview from Wilmington, where the series is based, Mark Schwahn said he told the network he would like to know if the show is returning before filming begins on the last four to five episodes. To do that, he would need to know by Jan. 1.
"They (the CW) doesn't owe me that, but I feel like they owe it to the fans," Schwahn said.
Mark Schwahn has signed three deals, including a one-year agreement with Warner Bros. TV to continue as executive producer for a possible seventh season. His other deals include a two-year deal with CBS Paramount Network TV to develop new projects and a deal with CBS Records to begin his own imprint.
The CBS television deal allows him to remain at the helm of "One Tree Hill" if a seventh season is negotiated with the actors, whose six-year contracts end after this season.
Singer Richard Carpenter Plans A Comeback
Richard Carpenter, of the Carpenters, says he is ready to make a comeback.
All he needs is a partner.
Carpenter, who with his sister Karen was one the most successful pop acts of the 1970s, announced on his 62nd birthday Wednesday in Tokyo that he is planning to get back into the music business.
"It's a different business. Music is a different world from when Karen and I were signed by Herb Alpert in 1969," he said. "But I feel I have some talent."
He said he will help to produce and perform on a tribute album of Carpenter covers due out late next year, then on a Christmas album and finally a solo collection of largely original material.
The Carpenters' phenomenal rise to the top of the pop world, with such hits as `Close To You' and `Yesterday Once More,"' came to an abrupt end in 1983, when Karen died of a heart attack at age 32 following complications from an eating disorder.
Carpenter said he will never get over his sister's death, which he called the saddest moment of his life.
He said he still prefers singing duets and is looking for a female vocalist partner for his upcoming projects.
"I'm looking for someone who has her great talent but does not - doesn't try to - sound like Karen," he said. "I've been looking for years."
Carpenter said his work continues to be along the lines of the soft rock albums that he and his sister produced.