Faces & Names: Etheridge, partner announce separation

Etheridge, partner announce separation

Rocker Melissa Etheridge and her partner, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels Etheridge, have announced their separation.

In a statement Thursday, they asked for “consideration and respect for our family as we go through this difficult period.”

The two held a commitment ceremony in Malibu, Calif., in 2003. Tammy Etheridge, 35, gave birth to twins — a son, Miller, and a daughter, Johnnie Rose — in 2006. The couple used an anonymous donor from a sperm bank.

The 48-year-old singer shares custody of daughter Bailey Jean and son Beckett with former partner Julie Cypher. Musician David Crosby was the sperm donor for the children, who were delivered by Cypher.

Melissa Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004.

Archy people-walks away with ‘best commercial’ crown

Looking for a deal in the Northland Classifieds section, like Jadrien Jusczak of Moose Lake?

Or do you opt to make paper armaments and start a sword fight like Amber Todd of Grand Marais?

Nobody — or rather, no canine — is as savvy at finding uses for the newspaper as Archy the dog, the star of the winning commercial produced by Judy French of Two Harbors in the “How Do You Use the News Tribune?” TV commercial contest.

After a week or so of training, followed by six hours in front of a camera, Archy won the hearts and more than half the votes of DNTV viewers who watched him using the paper as a placemat for dinner, for paper-training his puppy, packing gifts for the mailman and advertising his people-

walking business. Thanks to him, French was named the contest’s winner, taking home a paper-mâché trophy designed by Duluth artist Mary Plaster, along with a six-month daily subscription to the Duluth News Tribune.

All five finalists will have their commercials aired on television on Fox 21 over the next month, and French’s commercial will be aired throughout the summer. You can view Archy’s spot this morning at www.duluthnews.tv and all the commercials by going to www.duluthnews

tribune.com/event/videos and searching for the April 9 edition of DNTV. Congrats to Archy and Judy!

Seventh time not the charm

Court filings show Larry King has filed for divorce from his seventh wife.

The host of CNN’s “Larry King Live” filed Wednesday in Los Angeles to end the couple’s nearly 13-year marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences.” He married Shawn Southwick in a hospital room in 1997 shortly before surgery to clear a clogged blood vessel.

He is seeking joint custody of the couple’s two sons, ages 11 and 9. Howard Rubenstein is a spokesman for King. He says King’s “major concern is the welfare of his children.”

Rubenstein said King would not comment further on the divorce.

The filing was first reported by celebrity Web site TMZ.com.

Walsh finalizes divorce in L.A.

Kate Walsh has finalized her divorce from her former film executive husband, Alex Young.

Court filings show a judge officially dissolved the couple’s marriage on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Young, a film producer who was a former film executive at 20th Century Fox, filed for divorce in December 2008. He and Walsh, who stars on ABC’s “Private Practice,” married in September 2007.

The couple had no children together. They cited “irreconcilable differences” for the breakup.

Young has production credits on several major upcoming releases, including “The A-Team,” ‘’Predators” and “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.”

Anderson owes $493K in taxes

California officials say former “Baywatch” star Pamela Anderson has failed to pay $493,000 in personal income tax. Anderson is on the annual list of delinquent taxpayers released by the California Franchise Tax Board.

The 42-year-old actress is currently competing on the television show “Dancing With the Stars.”

Anderson is among 250 individual and business taxpayers that owe more than $100,000 in back taxes. State records show a tax lien for $493,144 was filed against Anderson in April 2009.

Lopez welcomes O’Brien’s move to cable channel

George Lopez wants everyone to know he has not been “Leno-ed.”

Unlike the bitter acrimony that enveloped late night television earlier this year as Jay Leno reclaimed his old seat as host of NBC’s “Tonight Show,” Lopez welcomed Conan O’Brien to TBS, which in a surprise move announced Monday that the tall, red-headed comedian will launch his own late-night program in November.

In an ironic turn, O’Brien’s arrival to the cable channel’s late-night lineup means that Lopez has to push his still nascent 11 p.m. show, “Lopez Tonight,” to midnight. It was less than three months ago that O’Brien was dropped from NBC after he refused to move his show to a later time to accommodate Leno.

“I don’t feel like I’m moving for the ‘red man,’ ” Lopez said, laughing during a phone interview on Tuesday with the Los Angeles Times. “It’s a partnership that works. I don’t mind following Conan. I’ve only been at 11 for five months and it will be a year when Conan comes. ... I think it is an aggressive move that puts TBS, with Conan and I, above what is happening on late-night right now, which is a little bit stagnant now.”

LaBelle to get honorary degree from Temple

PHILADELPHIA — Veteran R&B singer Patti LaBelle is getting an honorary degree from Temple University in her hometown of Philadelphia.

The university will present LaBelle with the doctorate in humane letters at its May 13 commencement ceremony.

LaBelle’s singing career has spanned more than four decades and includes several hit records and two Grammy Awards. She has also written four books, two of which are cookbooks.

Temple President Ann Weaver Hart says in a statement Tuesday that the university is honoring LaBelle for “her professional excellence and her selfless service to others.”

Duluth artist will sign auction prints for Minnesota Ballet

Items up for bid at a Minnesota Ballet fundraiser next week include prints by famed Duluth artist Cheng-Khee Chee — and Chee himself will be on hand to sign prints that are purchased.

The ballet’s “Wine & Chees” fundraiser will be 5:30-8 p.m. April 21 at the Depot’s Great Hall. Participants will sample wines and beers, nibble on light hors d’oeuvres and bid on items including a spot in the ballet’s Celebrity Dance Challenge, dinner prepared by a chef in your home and, of course, a Chee print.

Hors d’oeuvres are provided by Bellisio’s Italian Restaurant, Lake Avenue Cafe, New Scenic Cafe, Nokomis Restaurant, Northland Country Club and Zeitgeist Arts Cafe.

Tickets, $25 before the event and $30 at the door, are available at the Minnesota Ballet ((218) 529-3742 or www.minnesotaballet.org), Jitters Coffee and Tea House, Waters of Superior, A Touch of Plasch and at Keyport Liquor in Superior.

Chee, an associate professor emeritus of the University of Minnesota Duluth, is an internationally known artist and signature member of the American Watercolor Society.

No joke: Visiting author once wrote for Phyllis Diller

The woman delivering this week’s Lunch with the History People lecture has a bigger claim to fame than the historical society circuit: She used to write jokes for Phyllis Diller.

Sharon Schulte said she pitched some one-liners when Diller was performing in the Twin Cities about 1963, and Diller liked them. Schulte sold Diller jokes at $5 apiece for the next few years.

“If I had 20 jokes on a page, she might buy eight,” said Schulte, of St. Cloud, Minn. “It was all done through the mail.”

When Diller landed her own

TV show, “The Pruitts of Southhampton,” she no longer needed at-home writers. But Schulte says by that time she had made enough writing jokes to buy herself a car.

Now Schulte has turned to more serious subjects. Her presentation Thursday is “Stories of Minnesota Children During World War II,” gleaned from her recent book, “The Children Remember.”

Her talk starts at noon in the Ruth Maney Room at the Depot, 506 W. Michigan St. Bring your own bag lunch.

“Being a professional joke writer was my claim to fame

40-plus years ago,” Schulte said. “Those jokes were for another time and don’t seem all that funny in this day and age.”

Conan O’Brien heading to late-night show on TBS

The late-night guessing game is over, with a startling twist: Conan O’Brien has chosen TBS as his future talk-show home.

Expected to debut in November, the as-yet-untitled show will return O’Brien to the air after an absence that began in January when he abruptly left NBC, his employer of 17 years.

O’Brien’s new program will air Mondays through Thursdays at

10 p.m. Central, which will shift “Lopez Tonight,” starring George Lopez, from 10 p.m. CDT to 11 p.m.

O’Brien’s show will originate from Los Angeles, where he moved from New York for his short-lived stint hosting “The Tonight Show.” For the second half of each show, he will face off against Jay Leno, who replaced him.

Sources say the five-year contract gives O’Brien ownership of the show. Upon the TBS announcement Monday, O’Brien quickly fired out a celebratory tweet.

“The good news: I will be doing a show on TBS starting in November! The bad news: I’ll be playing Rudy on the all new Cosby Show,” he posted on Twitter.

TBS said that talks with O’Brien accelerated last week after Lopez called O’Brien to ask him to come aboard.

The news laid to rest persistent reports that he was likely to score a show on the Fox network. The network reportedly ran into trouble in efforts to clear airtime for O’Brien.

Eubanks to leave 'Tonight Show'

"Tonight Show" bandleader Kevin Eubanks has made it official: He's leaving as Jay Leno's sideman in May after 18 years with the late-night host.

He told Leno during Monday's taping of "Tonight" in Burbank, Calif., that he was ready for a career change of pace, but he didn't announce specific plans. Eubanks called the NBC late-night show his "home" and said it had been "a wonderful experience" working there.

Eubanks, 52, whose duties included comic sidekick to Leno as well as guitarist, has been aboard since Leno took over "Tonight" in 1992. Eubanks became musical director when Branford Marsalis left in 1995.

In February, NBC said Eubanks had expressed interest in personal touring and recording.

His final day on "Tonight" is May 28. NBC did not immediately announce his replacement.

Vatican makes peace with the Beatles after 40 years

The Vatican has finally made peace with the Beatles, saying their drug use, “dissolute” lives and even the claim that the band was bigger than Jesus are all in the past — while their music lives on.

Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano paid tribute to the Fab Four in its weekend editions, with two articles and a front-page cartoon reproducing the crosswalk immortalized on the cover of the band’s album “Abbey Road.”

The tribute marked the 40th anniversary of the band’s breakup.

“It’s true, they took drugs; swept up by their success, they lived dissolute and uninhibited lives,” said the paper. “They even said they were more famous than Jesus,” it said, recalling John Lennon’s 1966 comment that outraged many Catholics and others.

“But, listening to their songs, all of this seems distant and meaningless,” L’Osservatore said. “Their beautiful melodies, which changed forever pop music and still give us emotions, live on like precious jewels.”

‘Titans’ clashes with ‘Date Night’

Steve Carell and Tina Fey are in a box-office clash with the gods of Mount Olympus.

No. 1 bragging rights for the weekend were too close to call Sunday, with 20th Century Fox estimating a $27.1 million debut for Carell and Fey’s comedy “Date Night” and Warner Bros. reporting the action tale “Clash of the Titans” at $26.9 million.

Rankings will be sorted out today when studios release final numbers, which can vary by $1 million or more for some films compared with Sunday estimates.

Warner executives said they tracked “Clash of the Titans” as No. 1 for a second straight weekend, with “Date Night” trailing by about $1 million.

Photo finishes are rare for the No. 1 spot at the box office, where one movie usually is the clear winner.

“Date Night” casts Carell and Fey as a married couple whose attempt to spice up their romantic life leads to misadventure after thugs mistake them for blackmailers.

“Clash of the Titans” features Sam Worthington as a warrior caught in a battle between men and the gods in ancient Greece. The movie raised its 10-day total to $110.5 million.

Running a close No. 3 was DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon,” which took in $25.4 million, lifting its 17-day total to $133.9 million.

Tina Fey, SNL reprise Palin

She’s back and wearing leather.

Tina Fey reprised her impression of Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live” while hosting the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday night. It was Fey’s first performance as the former Alaska governor since her iconic impressions during the 2008 presidential campaign when Palin was the Republican vice presidential candidate.

Fey appeared as Palin in a sketch introducing a mock “Sarah Palin Network,” satirizing Palin’s entry into media. Palin recently launched the program “Real American Stories” on Fox News Channel and will soon begin production on “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” an eight-part series for TLC.

Appearing as Palin in a leather jacket with an American flag pin, Fey introduced a lineup of shows like “Tea Party Wheel of Fortune” (the puzzle read “Obamar is a terrist”), “Are You Smarter than a Half-Term Governor?” and “30 Main Street,” a parody of her own “30 Rock.”

Other fake shows included “Hey Journalist, I Gotcha,” in which Palin re-edited interviews to make it look like her interviewers — like CBS’ Katie Couric — were “woefully unprepared.” Also touted was a spinoff starring husband Todd Palin (played on “SNL” by cast member Jason Sudeikis) as a renegade police officer transferred from Alaska to New York.

Is Liz ready to wed again?

Could Elizabeth Taylor be heading down the aisle for a ninth time?

According to Us Weekly, the 78-year-old Hollywood legend is engaged to manager Jason Winters, 49. However, while her rep confirms that La Liz is romantically linked to Winters, the rep would neither confirm nor deny the engagement.

“It’s no secret that they’ve been together forever and are in love, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they were engaged,” the source claimed. “Right now they are keeping it between them.”

Jason, a talent manager from Sterling Winters Management, reportedly recently landed the job as Janet Jackson’s new manager.

Gibson to donate movie sets

The governor of the Mexican Gulf Coast state of Veracruz said Mel Gibson will donate sets from the movie he’s filming to a future museum.

Gov. Fidel Herrera said several sets were built inside the Ignacio Allende prison in the port city of Veracruz and that the jail will be converted into a museum once Gibson is done filming.

In January, 1,500 inmates were transferred out of the prison to make room for Gibson’s film, which began production this week and is tentatively titled “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.”

Lauded winemaker plans Duluth visit

A lauded California winemaker will be in Duluth this week fora book signing of sorts using wine bottles instead of books.

Jake Bilbro, son of Marietta Cellars founder Chris Bilbro, will be signing bottles from 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at Cash Wise Liquor, 625 W. Central Entrance.

Bilbro also will guide shoppers in some wine tasting, according to assistant store manager Zachary Stofer. Marietta’s Old Vine Red is particularly popular at the store.

After the wine tasting and bottle signing, Bilbro will be participating in a dinner party at Bellisio’s in Canal Park, where Executive Chef Michael Morelli and his team will prepare a menu to match wines selected by Bilbro.

Contact Bellisio’s at (218) 727-4921 if you want to reserve a place at the table.

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Tags: arts and entertainment, faces and names, george lopez, conan o'brien, patti labelle, mel gibson, tina fey, steve carell, elizabeth taylor, conan obrien, john lennon, phyllis diller, sharon schulte, kevin eubanks, tonight show, jay leno, larry king, kate walsh, pamela anderson, melissa etheridge, tammy lynn michaels etheridge, beatles, conan, nbc, television