Faces & Names: White goes wild as new zoo chairwoman

Betty White’s Hollywood renaissance now extends to the animal kingdom.

The 88-year-old actress has been named chairwoman of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association.

In the announcement posted Wednesday on the association’s website, White said promoting animal well-being is the most important thing she does.

She has worked with the zoo for 46 years and was honored at June’s Beastly Ball by the association, a nonprofit that raises money for the zoo and its causes.

White has had a high-profile year that has included a buzzed-about hosting gig on “Saturday Night Live,” the new TV Land series “Hot in Cleveland” and a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors’ Guild.

de Rossi takes wife Degeneres’ name

Portia de Rossi has officially taken wife Ellen Degeneres’ last name.

A Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner granted De Rossi’s request to take the last name of her partner during a closed hearing Thursday. The television star will now legally be known as Portia Lee James DeGeneres.

The couple was married in August 2008. The 37-year-old Australian-born actress asked for the name change last month.

Neither woman attended the hearing. They married during the five-month window in which gay marriage was legal in California.

Art show by Stones’ Wood opens

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood says he’s pleased to see his art on the walls of an Ohio gallery instead of in his crowded studio.

Wood said in the studio his paintings, pen and pencil drawings and mixed-media drawings look “like postage stamps” compared to the display that opened at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown.

The Butler Institute said the exhibition is the first for Wood at a major American museum and runs through Nov. 21.

Youngstown’s The Vindicator newspaper reports the show is dominated by celebrity portraits, including those of Stones bandmates Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts.

Twain to have her autobiographical say

Shania Twain is ready to talk about her recent divorce — and she’ll do it in her autobiography.

Of course, Twain will discuss much more than her recent split with music producer Robert “Mutt” Lange. The country superstar announced Wednesday that her book will talk about her difficult childhood, including the death of her mother. She’ll also chart her rise to become one of the top-sellers in music.

Twain says recent struggles created a “sudden urgency to document my life before I ran out of time.”

Hasselhoff voted off ‘Dancing’

He was king of the beach on “Baywatch,” but David Hasselhoff didn’t fare so well on “Dancing With the Stars.”

The 58-year-old entertainer was the first celebrity voted off the new season of “Dancing With the Stars.” Hasselhoff and his professional partner, Kym Johnson, were ousted from the program Tuesday after performing just one dance.

They landed in last place on Monday’s episode for a cha-cha that judges roundly criticized.

Hasselhoff took the dismissal in stride, saying, “Hey, we tried,” when his name was called.

Meyers to host 2011 ESPY Awards

Seth Meyers is returning to the ESPY Awards as host next year.

The anchor of “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live” will handle the sports gig for the second consecutive year.

The show honoring the year’s best sports moments airs live on ESPN on July 13 from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

The comic hosted for the first time this year, working jokes about Tiger Woods’ sex scandal and LeBron James’ move from Cleveland to Miami into his routine.

Douglas attends ‘Wall Street’ premiere in New York

Michael Douglas has channeled the confidence of ruthless corporate raider Gordon Gekko while walking the red carpet at the New York City premiere of his latest film, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.”

The Academy Award-winning actor recently announced he’s being treated for throat cancer. He posed for photos Monday night with co-stars including Shia LaBeouf and Carey Mulligan and director Oliver Stone. He didn’t give interviews.

LaBeouf calls the 65-year-old Douglas a “wolf.” He notes Douglas showed no signs of weakness while making the “Wall Street” sequel, which opens Friday.

Stone says “It’s a struggle” and “it’s tough” but Douglas is “fighting.”

Stone also directed the original “Wall Street” in 1987. The movie featured Charlie Sheen as a stockbroker hungry for success. Douglas won an Oscar for playing Gekko.

Arrest warrant out for Lohan

A judge on Monday issued an arrest warrant for Lindsay Lohan after the actress acknowledged failing a drug test.

The 24-year-old actress could wind up back behind bars if she is found to have violated probation.

Superior Court Judge Elden Fox issued the bench warrant in Beverly Hills, but Lohan will remain free pending a Friday court hearing, according to officials from Los Angeles County Superior Court.

A message left with Lohan’s attorney was not immediately returned.

Lohan confirmed on her Twitter page last week that she failed a court-ordered drug and alcohol screening.

Lohan spent two weeks in jail this year after violating probation stemming from convictions involving her 2007 arrests for drug use and driving under the influence. She spent another 23 days undergoing rehabilitation at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Quaid, wife released after squatter arrests

Authorities say actor Randy Quaid and his wife have been released on bail after their weekend squatting arrests for moving into a home they reportedly sold years ago in California.

Santa Barbara County sheriff’s spokesman Drew Sugars said the Quaids were arrested Saturday after an alarm went off at the Montecito home and the couple was found living in a guest house.

The 59-year-old actor known for roles in “National Lampoon’s Vacation” movies and his wife, Evegena, were booked for investigation of felony residential burglary and misdemeanor entering a building without consent.

The Quaids were released on $50,000 bail early Sunday.

Grey tops ‘Dancing’ premiere

“Dirty Dancing” star Jennifer Grey was the top scorer at the season premiere of “Dancing With the Stars.”

The actress and her professional partner, Derek Hough, performed a

Viennese waltz that earned 24 points out of 30 and moved judge Carrie Ann Inaba to tears. Singer Brandy and Disney Channel star Kyle Massey tied for second place with 23 points.

Comedian Margaret Cho, reality star Mike “the Situation” Sorrentino and actor-singer David Hasselhoff tied for last place with 15 points each.

The first contestant of the new season will be dismissed during tonight’s show.

Other contestants in the hit ABC show’s 11th season are actress Florence Henderson; athletes Rick Fox and Kurt Warner; reality star Audrina Patridge; singer Michael Bolton; and political daughter Bristol Palin.

Local celebs take on Harlem Ambassadors for charity

Lade Majic with the Harlem Ambassadors makes Carl Crawford of the Duluth Superior Hot-Shots a Harlem Ambassador team member (pictured) during a celebrity game at the University of Wisconsin-Superior on Sunday afternoon. Crawford was quickly kicked off the team when he missed a free throw.

The local celebrity Duluth Superior Hot-Shots team included Mayor Don Ness, Deputy Police Chief Robin Roeser, County Commissioner Steve O’Neill, legislative candidate Carinda Horton and Dr. Sheri Bergeron.

The Harlem Ambassadors team tours to promote respect for others and to encourage young people to stay in school and off drugs. Proceeds from Sunday’s event will go to the Duluth Family Visitation Center, providing a safe, supporting environment and holding abusive parents accountable.

Quaid, wife living in their old house

Actor Randy Quaid and his wife are facing burglary charges in California after the owner of the couple’s old house reported they had been living there without permission.

A representative of the property owner called Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies Saturday afternoon to report that squatters had been staying in the guest house illegally. When deputies arrived at the house that evening, they found Randy and Evi Quaid, who said they had owned the property since the 1990s.

The property owner’s representative provided documents that showed his client had bought the home in 2007 from a man who had purchased it from the Quaids several years earlier. A contractor showed police more than $5,000 in damages to the guest house that he believed was caused by the Quaids.

Police arrested the Quaids on charges of felony residential burglary and entering a noncommercial building without consent, a misdemeanor. Police also charged Evi Quaid, 47, with resisting arrest.

Bail was set at $50,000 each. Messages left with Quaid’s attorney and agent were not immediately returned Sunday.

Hilton avoids felony drug conviction

Paris Hilton will serve a year of probation and avoid a felony conviction under the terms of a plea deal worked out with prosecutors following her arrest on drug charges in Las Vegas, Clark County District Attorney David Roger said Friday.

Hilton has agreed to plead guilty Monday to two misdemeanors stemming from the Aug. 27 arrest, Roger said.

She was arrested inside the Wynn resort, after police say a small plastic bag containing 0.8 grams of cocaine fell out of her Chanel purse as she reached for a tub of lip balm in front of a police lieutenant.

A plea agreement obtained by the Las Vegas

Review-Journal shows Hilton will plead guilty to drug possession and obstructing an officer to avoid two consecutive six month-sentences in the Clark County Detention Center.

Instead, Hilton will serve a year of probation, the newspaper reported. She also must complete a drug abuse program, pay a $2,000 fine and serve 200 hours of community service.

Lohan tweets that she failed drug test

Lindsay Lohan has confirmed on her Twitter page that she failed a court-

ordered drug and alcohol screening, and she said that if asked, she is ready to appear before the judge in her case and face the consequences for her actions.

In a series of messages posted late Friday, the actress said “Regrettably, I did in fact fail my most recent drug test.”

She also said, “Substance abuse is a disease, which unfortunately doesn’t go away over night. I am working hard to overcome it.” Lohan often posts updates with the account that’s verified by Twitter as belonging to the actress.

The test result could mean a probation violation and more jail time for the 24-year-old actress. In July, Lohan was sentenced to three months in jail followed by three months in rehab after violating probation stemming from a pair of drug and driving under the influence cases filed after two arrests in 2007.

Have an event that just happened that you’d like to share? Pictures, perhaps, or other goings-on from the Northland to Hollywoodland? Send them to facesandnames@duluthnews.com.

Tags: faces and names, arts and entertainment, michael douglas, randy quaid, paris hilton, lindsay lohan, shania twain, betty white, portia de rossi, ellen degeneres, ronnie wood, news