Buzz Briefs: Mary J. Blige,Tyler Perry
BET Honors Tyler Perry, Mary J. Blige
Tyler Perry and Mary J. Blige are among the luminaries BET plans to celebrate at their second annual BET Honors.
The successful filmmaker and the R&B queen are set to join Magic Johnson, dance pioneer Judith Jamison, style guru B. Smith and South Carolina Congressman James E. Clyburn on Jan. 17.
The awards will air on the network BET, short for Black Entertainment Television, on Feb. 7. They are part of BET's festivities for the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama. BET is putting on its first inaugural ball that will air on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.
It's A Boy For Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber
It's another boy for Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber.
A representative for Watts tells People magazine the couple welcomed their second son on Saturday.
The Australian actress and her actor boyfriend are also parents to Alexander Pete Schreiber, born in July 2007.
They have been dating three years and co-starred in the 2006 drama "The Painted Veil."
Representatives for Watts and Schreiber did not immediately return phone and e-mail messages seeking further details.
Interactive ABBA Exhibition Goes On World Tour
Organizers say an interactive exhibition of ABBA's stage costumes, instruments and memorabilia will go on a five-year world tour starting in 2009.
Tour spokesman Magnus Danielsson could not give a detailed schedule of the tour, but said Monday it would likely include stops in Britain, Australia and the United States.
An ABBA museum has also been planned in Stockholm but has been delayed and is scheduled to open in 2011 or 2012.
ABBA is one of the world's most successful bands, with album sales of more than 370 million since the 1970s. The band's music also inspired the long-running Broadway musical "Mamma Mia!" and a recent movie adaptation starring Meryl Streep.
The band members have donated memorabilia to the projects.
McCartney: I Was The Politically Driven Beatle
Paul McCartney claims that he was the real politicized figure in The Beatles, not John Lennon, according to an interview published Sunday.
McCartney was quoted as saying it was he who first raised concerns over the Vietnam war within the group and advocated their anti-war stance.
Fans have long regarded Lennon, who wrote songs such as "Revolution" and - in later years - "Give Peace a Chance," as the group's authentic political voice.
But McCartney claimed that his meeting with philosopher Bertrand Russell in the mid-1960s sparked his own - and eventually Lennon's - curiosity about world affairs.
Diaz: Don't Count On Seeing Me In "Shrek" Musical
Cameron Diaz says she's a big fan of "Shrek the Musical" but has no desire to star in it.
The actress, who voices Princess Fiona in the "Shrek" film franchise, raved about the musical adaptation of the animated blockbuster at its Broadway opening Sunday night.
Asked whether she'd consider portraying Fiona on stage, she said: "No. Absolutely not. What they do up there ... is, to me, impossible. It's wonderful, though. They've done such a great job. They worked really hard, and it really pays off."
Tony-winning actress Sutton Foster plays Fiona in "Shrek the Musical," which began preview performances last month at the Broadway Theatre. Actor Brian d'Arcy James portrays the titular smelly green ogre who lives in a swamp and falls for Fiona.
Charlie Sheen's Daughters Unhurt In Car Crash
A spokesman for Charlie Sheen says the actor's two young daughters were involved in a collision on a highway in Malibu but were not injured.
Authorities say 4-year-old Sam and 3-year-old Lola were in a car driven by their nanny Friday. It was struck by a Honda Civic making a turn in front of them on the Pacific Coast Highway.
The Honda driver was taken to a hospital, but the extent of her injuries was not released.
Sheen's spokesman says the accident could have been worse, but the children were in car seats.
Sheen shares custody of the girls with ex-wife Denise Richards. He also has an older daughter with a former girlfriend and is expecting a fourth child with current wife Brooke Mueller.
Deaf "Extreme Makeover" Couple Gets Financial Aid
Several thousand dollars have rolled in for a deaf Michigan couple who feared they were going to lose the home whose renovation was viewed by millions on TV in 2004.
Judy and Larry Vardon say the money should help them avoid foreclosure on the Oakland County home that was refurbished to better accommodate their blind, autistic son. The family was featured on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
The Macomb Daily and The Daily Tribune reported Sunday that the couple didn't request money, but donations started coming after media outlets this month reported on their plight.
The Vardons said they were weighed down by a mortgage payment that almost doubled since the makeover, and by medical insurance that hasn't covered autism treatment for 16-year-old son Lance.
Aretha Performs After Missing Award Presentation
Organizers say Aretha Franklin has given a holiday benefit concert for members of the military after missing a Times Square award presentation hours earlier.
A spokesman for the concert organizers says the Queen of Soul went on as scheduled Sunday night at the Nokia Theatre, performing "New York, New York," a medley of military tunes and her classic "Respect."
It's unclear why Franklin didn't show up to receive the Torch of Freedom Award earlier Sunday in Times Square. Messages left with her publicist were not immediately returned.
The award was given by the Soldiers', Sailors', Marines', Coast Guard and Airmen's Club.
The evening concert was sponsored by the club and NewYork.com, an online compendium of entertainment and tourist information.
"The Phantom" Sequel To Be Filmed Down Under
Fans of the skintight purple suit rejoice: the Phantom is back.
An Australian production company on Monday announced it had secured the rights to "The Phantom Legacy," a follow-up to the 1996 film, "The Phantom," which starred Billy Zane as the masked hero who fights evil from his jungle headquarters.
The latest adaptation, which is expected to cost $87 million, will focus on "the Father/Son relationship, and what it means to be The Phantom," scriptwriter Tim Boyle said in a statement. "The film will be set in the present day and will deal with the concept of destiny."
The Phantom began as a daily newspaper comic strip by Lee Falk in 1936. The protagonist - alter ego Kit Walker - is the 21st in a family of men who have passed the task of fighting injustice onto their sons. The first Phantom took the job to avenge his father's death at the hands of pirates.
Victims Lash Out At Hollywood Private Eye
Former Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano faced sentencing Monday for crimes he committed while wiretapping the rich and famous.
The former private investigator is already in custody since being convicted of a total of 78 counts, including wiretapping, racketeering and wire fraud, in two separate trials earlier this year.
Federal prosecutors have recommended in court documents that Pellicano, 64, serve nearly 16 years in prison for running a criminal enterprise and for becoming a "high-priced thief who fraudulently obtained prominence through the harm that he wantonly inflicted on others."