Buzz Briefs: Rapper Jay-Z, Janet Jackson
Jay-Z To Represent The Nets At NBA Draft Lottery
Rapper Jay-Z goes from the stage to the basketball court.
Nets investor and music executive Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter will represent the Nets at the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday, May 20, at the studios of NBA Entertainment in Secaucus, N.J.
The televised event will air live on ESPN from 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons.
Carter joins 14 team representatives who will be seated on the stage when NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver announces the winning order of teams participating in the Draft Lottery. The NBA Draft will be held on June 26.
Photos: Celebrity Circuit
"This is very exciting and I hope my nickname 'Lucky Lefty' holds up," said Carter.
Janet Jackson On The Road Again
"I love all of that, all of that pressure, I really do," Jackson told The Associated Press on Monday as she gears up for a nationwide tour to kick off in September.
The tour, which opens in Vancouver, British Columbia on Sept. 20 and includes dates in New York and Washington, is Jackson's first in seven years. But the singer, who just turned 42 last week, said she hadn't planned on waiting for so long.
"I was supposed to go on tour with the last album," said Jackson, referring to the 2006 CD "20 Y.O." But the singer said her record label wanted her to wait for her latest CD, "Discipline."
Photos: 2008 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
"We were actually in full-blown tour rehearsals at that point ... learning numbers, getting everything together, set designs," she said. "I had to kind of shut everything down and go into the studio."
Jackson's shows have always been heavy on choreography and glitzy sets. She promised fans some surprises this time around.
"It will definitely be a big production, but it will definitely also be something that I've never done before -- that people have never seen from me before," she said.
While only a few dates have been announced for the Live Nation tour, Jackson expects to take the "Rock Witchu" tour (named, by the way, for a song on her new album, not for her brother Michael's famous hit) worldwide.
"It's been a while so I really want to make my rounds," she said. "I haven't been to "Australia in a very long time; I can't wait to go there. There are a lot of places where I really want to stop off at, and that's the idea, that's the goal with this tour."
Tickets go on sale June 7.
Kiefer Sutherland's Divorce Finalized
A Superior Court judge signed off on the divorce Friday, May 16, and the actor's ex will drop "Sutherland" from her name, according to court papers, People reported.
Sutherland, 41, filed for divorce from his wife of nearly eight years in 2004, citing irreconcilable differences.
Photos: Splits
Actor-Activist Martin Sheen Receives Honor At Notre Dame
The 67-year-old Sheen received the award during the school's commencement. The award is Notre Dame's top honor and is given annually to a Catholic "whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the church, and enriched the heritage of humanity."
"While acting is what I do for a living, activism is what I do to stay alive," Sheen told the crowd during the commencement ceremony at Notre Dame.
Sheen is best known for portraying fictional President Josiah Bartlet, a Notre Dame alumnus, on NBC's "The West Wing."
Provost Thomas Burish also presented Sheen with a Notre Dame jacket like the one he wore in the final episode of "The West Wing."
Sheen describes himself as a Catholic peace activist. He has been arrested for taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against various U.S. military policies, and has donated money and time to such causes as the alleviation of poverty and homelessness, human rights for migrant workers and environmental protection.
"Leatherheads" Actress Marian Seldes To Give Free Reading
Tony Award-winning actress Marian Seldes will be giving a free, public reading from Alexander Pushkin's classic novel in verse, "Eugene Onegin," a June 6 tribute on the 209th anniversary of the Russian author's birth.
The 79-year-old Seldes, winner of the 1967 Tony for her role in Edward Albee's "A Delicate Balance," will appear midday at Saint Peter's Church in Manhattan. Seldes has starred in many plays and films, and was recently seen in the George Clooney comedy "Leatherheads."
The reading is sponsored by TIPA (Toward International Peace through the Arts), a non-profit organization.