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Stars including MICKEY DOLENZ, JACK NICHOLSON and THE DOORS drummer JOHN DENSMORE paid tribute to Whisky-A-Go-Go club founder ELMER VALENTINE in Los Angeles on Monday (26Jan09) as the late nightlife king was honoured with his own street.
The celebrity group, which also included Lou Adler and The Mamas & The Papas star Michelle Phillips, gathered outside the famous Sunset Strip venue for the unveiling of the new street sign, which bears Valentine’s name.
Blues great John Mayall and Johnny Rivers performed as part of a tribute show at the venue the club boss turned into a music mecca.
At the tribute, Nicholson joked, "He was a guy who looked like all seven dwarves," while rocker Densmore explained he had never met a club boss or promoter who "cared more about musicians".
Valentine died in his sleep on 3 December (08).

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Actress KATE BECKINSALE refuses to learn how to drive because she loves sitting in the backs of cars.
The Underworld star doesn’t own a driver’s license and refuses to get behind the wheel - because that would take the fun out of car journeys.
She admits her actress mother would always strap her into the back seat of the family car and drive her for miles whenever Kate was upset as a teen - and she still finds it comforting to let someone else do the steering.
The actress tells Hollywood Life magazine, "I love to be driven… When I was a teenager and and I was miserable or things were difficult, my mom and I would pile into the car and she would drive me. I’ve always been really chilled by that." "(Now) I take cabs or friends drive."

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Hollywood action man JASON STATHAM will rev things up during the Super Bowl telecast in America on Sunday (01Feb09) - as the star of a new Audi ad.
The Transporter actor will be seen speeding around a closed inner city circuit in the new Audi A6 commercial.
Audi bosses have paid $6 million (£4.28 million) to air the 30-second ad during the big game.

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A screenwriter is suing the Disney bosses behind MILEY CYRUS’ hit show HANNAH MONTANA - insisting the teen series is based on a script he wrote in 1990.
Richard Fronduto filed a lawsuit at Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday (28Jan09) stating that he penned the idea for a show called The Secret Life of Sindi, which eventually became The Family Business.
Fronduto claims he pitched this script to Disney executives, who liked the idea so much they asked him to turn it into a two-hour pilot episode.
The papers reveal that Fronduto found numerous similarities between his discarded pilot episode and the Hannah Montana show - with both featuring a teenage girl who leads a double life as an ordinary teen and successful pop star. Both programmes also allegedly contained a ’single-dad’ character who acts as the teen’s manager.
Fronduto is asking for a "Created by" credit on all future publications and broadcasts of Hannah Montana, as well as damages.
Bosses at the Walt Disney Company were previously sued by another screenwriter, Buddy Sheffield, in 2007, who also claimed to have created the concept for the hit show.

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THE STREETS star MIKE SKINNER had to be treated by paramedics during a concert in Cambridge, England on Tuesday (27Jan09) night - after his crowdsurfing antics went awry.
The British rapper regularly enjoys jumping into the audience at his gigs, but has now been warned by medics to stop the dangerous activity before he does some real damage.
Skinner admits that his latest venture into the crowd opened up several old injuries and left him in agony.
He writes on his official internet blog, "People tend to tug me the f**k about and punch me and twist me up. It’s great fun at the time but kills like f**k after. Really. Pain like I have never experienced. So tonight I was in such a state that the St John Ambulance insisted on calling the paramedics.
"Apparently I’m all good but need to stop the regular violent tugging and punching - yes punching, people punch me, scratch me and tonight someone held onto my belt so hard that my hernia scar from many years ago opened up to a bright red colour. Looks like a wee organ might pop out of its purply-red, bloody gash. Nice.
"Seriously never known pain like it and I broke both my arms when I was younger, hardly noticing it. Some kind of tendinitis, cramping and general bodily bashing. "

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SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS’ pop band DANITY KANE is no more, according to DAWN RICHARD - one of the only two remaining members.
The group, put together by Combs for his reality TV series Making The Band, lost two singers, Aubrey O�Day and D. Woods, in October (08) after they were fired by the hip-hop mogul.
Richard, who remains along with Aundrea Fimbres, was stunned when Shannon Bex followed them out of the door by quiting the group last year (08).
The star claims the first she knew of Bex’s decision to quit was when she failed to turn up to filming on the show’s second season.
She says, "I thought we were all going to come back. I just know I got off the plane and found out I was the only one there and Drea came the next day. Puff (Combs) invited all the girls to come back on this season and they chose not to. Only two of us showed up." And Richard now claims the band is definitely over - leaving the final two remaining members to launch their own act.
She tells MTV.com, "As of right now, (Danity Kane doesn’t exist). It’s devastating for me.
"You’ll see me and Drea (Fimbres) try and pick up the pieces on our own - pieces that we didn’t even make. We didn’t even break it and we’re trying to sweep it up ourselves. It changes (our situation) completely. We’re sitting here trying to make sense of it now. It’s hard. We’re put in this position that we didn’t ask to be in and we’re being told to fix it." The second season of Making the Band will air in America on 12 February (09).

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POST MORTEM frontman JOHN MCCARTHY has died at the age of 40.
The news was announced by guitarist John Alexander on the band’s official MySpace.com internet blog on Wednesday (29Jan09).
No other details of McCarthy’s death were revealed as WENN went to press.
Alexander has paid tribute to his late colleague and revealed his deep shock at McCarthy’s sudden death.
He writes, "(McCarthy) was/is one of my oldest friends. An interesting character with many great stories to tell, he will be missed.
"We had just finished recording the music for a new Post Mortem record (John wrote most of the words for it.) The vocals were not done and John was planning on doing his vocals in February. His goal of making another Post Mortem record has ended. This band was everything to him. I think we’ll finish it up somehow and dedicate it to him." The Boston, Massachusetts-based metal band formed in 1982 and has been releasing their music for over 20 years.

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Soul legend SMOKEY ROBINSON will receive a special honour at the upcoming American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) Awards in Los Angeles.
The singer will be presented with the AMEE Award in Sound Recordings during the 2009 AFTRA Media and Entertainment Excellence Awards ceremony for his contribution to music.
Other honourees include former The Young and the Restless actress Jeanne Cooper and U.S. broadcaster Vin Scully.
Late voiceover legend Don LaFontaine, who died in September (08), will receive a posthumous tribute.
The AMEE prizes recognise members of AFTRA who have made a significant contribution to American culture.
The gala will take place in L.A. on 9 March (09).

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Irish rockers U2 are reportedly set to buy the legendary London studio where they recorded the final sessions for their new album NO LINE ON THE HORIZON.
The band began recording the new LP in February (08), working out of their own studio in Dublin, Ireland, with stints in both the south of France and New York.
The band wrapped up the album by spending several weeks in London’s Olympic Studios, which was recently put on the market by record label EMI.
The building is part of rock history with artists including Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones all recording hits there.
And now U2 are said to be preparing to put an offer in for the studio, to give them a base while they are in the U.K. and to save the venue from developers.
A source tells British newspaper The Sun, "They knuckled down and really responded well to the place�s atmosphere. They already have their own studios in Dublin but feel that Olympic could be a very wise investment.
�They�re totting up some figures at the moment. If the maths works out there�s every chance they�ll put an offer in.�

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Jazz singer HARRY CONNICK JR is anxious to meet up with BRAD PITT again, so he can personally thank the movie star for the help he’s giving the residents of New Orleans, Louisiana.
The pair was among the first celebrities who stepped up to offer aid and support in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged the city in 2005.
And Connick Jr., who was born and raised in New Orleans, has praised Pitt for organising his Make It Right campaign, which has continued to build homes for the displaced and devastated families in the area.
He tells OK! magazine, "I met him years ago, very briefly. I actually wrote him a letter to thank him for what he’s doing.
"I don’t know if he even got it. But if I ever see him again, I’ll thank him again, because the benefit to the city is unimaginable."

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MACY GRAY has slammed reports she’s jealous of U.S. President BARACK OBAMA’s wife and wants "to have his kids" -accusing a New York newspaper of taking her words out of context.
The singer counts herself among a long list of celebrities supporting the country’s new leader, who was inaugurated into office on 20 January (09) - but insists her words were twisted and turned into a "disrespectful" story.
Gray was quoted in the New York Posts Page Six column on Thursday (22Jan09) as saying: "I’m in love with Barack Obama… I wanna get married. Why am I not Michelle (Obama)? You know, why can’t I be her?" She explains to Usmagazine.com: "I portray a character in the Starz comedy series Head Case, which is a produced show about a wacky psychiatrist who is wackier than her patients. My character admits that she thinks Obama is hot. It is innocent and funny.
"The quotes printed by Page Six were taken completely out of context and needs to be recognised that it is dialogue from a scripted television program. It’s ridiculous. It’d be just like saying Ali Wentworth (who plays the psychiatrist in Head Case) is licensed to treat and diagnose real therapy patients.
"I respect and love our new president and his family just as you do and would never disrespect them in any way." Gray’s show is scheduled to air in March (09).

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MICK JAGGER has fuelled speculation he’s set to follow in pal DAVE STEWART’s fashionable footsteps after meeting colourful designer CHRISTIAN AUDIGIER in Los Angeles on Wednesday (28Jan09).
The rocker and a bodyguard were spotted entering Audigier’s office in Beverly Hills.
The designer teamed up with Stewart in 2008 to launch the Rock Fabulous clothing line at Audigier’s When I Move You Move trade show in Las Vegas (Aug09).

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SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE star DEV PATEL has gone public with his admiration for WILL SMITH in hope the blockbuster king will invite him to share screen time with him.
Patel admits he’s a huge fan of the Independence Day star - and once waited at a premiere for three hours just to get a photo with the actor.
And now he’s using interviews surrounding his Slumdog success to urge Smith to get in touch.
In a recent chat with U.S. news show Extra, the British star says, "Hello, Mr. Smith� Please let me do a film with you. I stumbled upon your premiere of Hancock in London and I waited three hours. I was dying to go to the toilet and I�ve got a picture of you on my phone.
"Itâ��d be great. Just a small role. Shake your hand or something… Thank you.â�� Patel also has big plans to work with Jim Carrey and Leonardo DiCaprio - someone his co-star Freida Pinto would love to work with.
She adds, "I’ve fantasised about him. I had a crush on him. Ever since Titanic… This is really embarrassing (but) I had a scrapbook with everything Leonardo in it… Heâ��s a really nice person. The crush is gone but the admiration is still there."

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Actress NAOMI WATTS is in no rush to wed her actor boyfriend LIEV SCHREIBER - insisting the pair don’t need a certificate to seal their union.
The couple, parents to two-month-old Samuel, and 18-month-old Alexander, prompted rumours they had become engaged last March (08) when Watts was photographed wearing a diamond on her left ring finger.
But the actress has put the rumours to rest, telling U.S. magazine OK! "Liev gave me this beautiful ring. We’re very much together. We just don’t have that certificate and that’s okay with both of us. Maybe one day we’ll just wake up and go, ‘Hey, let’s do this.’ And maybe not." The couple began dating in 2005.

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Animal lover JENNIFER ANISTON came to the rescue of a lost dog on Sunday (25Jan09) when she spotted the lonely pet near her California home.
The former Friends star - whose own Corgi-Terrier, Norman, was reportedly saved by a paparazzo from a recent car collision - hopped out of her vehicle when she noticed the lone husky running down a busy Beverly Hills road and managed to coax the pooch to the curb.
A witness, who saw the collarless dog escape its nearby home, thanked the actress and alerted its owners to the animal’s whereabouts.

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CLINT EASTWOOD’s classic action film MAGNUM FORCE is set to be given an unlikely musical makeover.
The Dirty Harry sequel, released in 1973, featured Eastwood as maverick cop Harry Callahan, and now cult singer/songwriter Robyn Hitchcock is planning to produce an off-Broadway musical based on the film.
He says, "It’s a film that seemed to be on all the time when I was on tour. By the fifth time (I saw it), I became addicted to it. It’s taken a very strange hold on my life."

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Oscars officials have missed out on making history this year (09) by refusing to rejig rules about co-directors landing nominations.
Film critic and blogger Jan Lisa Huttner insists Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire partner Loveleen Tandan, who is credited as a co-director, could have become the first woman of colour to land a Best Director nod - if Academy members had simply considered her.
Oscar rules state that only one person can be nominated for the Best Director prize, but Huttner, a founder of advocacy initiative Women in the Audience Supporting Women Artists Now (WITASWAN), is using Tandan’s case to push for a change in voting.
Huttner insists she’s not attacking Boyle, who is nominated for the Best Director prize at the Oscars on 22 February (09), but an outdated Academy stipulation, which fails to reward those involved in the filming process.
She raised the issue before the Golden Globe Awards earlier this month (Jan09), asking readers of her blog, TheHotPinkPen.com, to write to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and suggest Tandan should be rewarded for her co-directing efforts as a nominee and potential winner.
She wrote, "If Loveleen Tandan was Danny Boyle�s co-director then, why isn�t she his co-nominee now? I sincerely believe this question deserves an answer, but unless we all ask, we�ll never get one." And now Huttner hopes her campaign prompts Oscar bosses to reconsider their rules.
She explains, "In 80 years, only three women have ever been nominated for a Best Director Oscar - Lina Wertmueller, Jane Campion and Sofia Coppola - and only two men of colour - John Singleton and Ang Lee, who won for Brokeback Mountain.
"If Loveleen Tandan is co-nominated for her work on Slumdog Millionaire, then she will be the first woman of colour ever nominated for a Best Director Oscar, and if she wins, she will be the first woman ever accorded this great honour. In my review of Slumdog Millionaire, I call it ‘the first great film of the new flat world,’ so isn’t this the right Cinderella ending for this wonderful film?"

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MICKEY ROURKE’s upcoming wrestling smackdown is set to be a fiery affair because the fighter he’ll step in the ring with in Houston, Texas isn’t happy with the actor’s TV threats.
WWE wrestling star Chris Jericho took offence when Rourke announced his plans to take him on before the Screen Actor Guild Awards on Sunday (25Jan09), and the match sparked a war of words on CNN show Larry King Live on Tuesday (27Jan09) - when the fighter and the movie star faced off.
On the red carpet at the SAGs, Rourke told countless reporters of his plans to fight Jericho at the upcoming WrestleMania event in Texas, adding, "Chris Jericho, you better get in shape because I’m coming after your ass." But The Wrestler star’s fighting talk has irked the real wrestler, who told Rourke, "I don’t have respect for you… Be careful what you wish for, Mr. Rourke." A grinning Rourke countered, "I’m gonna take the high road, brother, and just wish you all the best."

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