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SIR PAUL McCARTNEY has been named the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year.
The rocker will pick up his latest humanitarian award during the Recording Academy’s 22nd annual benefit gala, which takes place during Grammy Week in February (12).
The honour is bestowed on stars in recognition of their creative accomplishments as well as their charitable work. Barbra Streisand was the 2011 Person of the Year.
MusicCares was established in 1989 by the Recording Academy. The charity provides help to musicians and music professionals in times of hardship.
In a statement released on Tuesday (13Sep11), McCartney writes, "I’ve been given a great gift - a life making music - and it’s my privilege to try to make the world a better place by giving back.
"For more than 20 years, MusiCares has helped so many music people in times of crisis - whether with emergency financial assistance or access to addiction recovery resources - and it is an honour to be recognised as the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year."

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Rapper/actor COMMON will never forget the day soul icon ERYKAH BADU broke his heart - she dumped him over the phone after falling for someone else.
The stars dated for two years before their split in 2002 and Common admits the break up hit him hard - because Badu was his first real love.
In an appearance on America’s The Wendy Williams Show, he recalls, "She handed it to me. I was in my hotel room on tour and… she called me and was like, ‘Hey, I don’t wanna be in this relationship no more. I’m liking somebody else (sic).’" Badu, who previously dated Outkast’s Andre 3000, went on to have a child with another rapper, The D.O.C., but Common refuses to hold the harsh let down against the On & On hitmaker - and insists they are now good friends.
He says, "That was my first love and my first heartbreak, but it taught me a lot of things, and when it happened I kinda really got into myself and really learned about myself and I was able to move on, and now me and E is real cool (sic)." Common also reveals he’s close to another ex-girlfriend after ending his on/off romance with tennis star Serena Williams for good earlier this year (11).
He adds, "We’re just friends now."

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Singer MYA will pound the pavement in New York this autumn (11) to help raise money for shelter animals.
Mya will join fellow athletes at the ING New York City Marathon in November (06Nov11) and run with Team Animal League to raise $200,000 (£125,000) for the dogs and cats of the North Shore Animal League America, the world’s largest no-kill rescue and adoption organisation.
And the Lady Marmalade hitmaker and one-time vegetarian can’t wait to complete the 26.2 mile (42.2 kilometres) trek for a good cause.
She says, "The Animal League’s mission, saving the lives of precious animals, is one that touches my heart. I am excited to join Team Animal League’s runners, each of whom treasures the beautiful and innocent shelter animals… and is equally committed to helping save as many lives as possible."

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Rocker BENJI MADDEN and R&B star/DJ SOLANGE KNOWLES are leading the tributes to tragic producer DJ MEHDI, who died on Tuesday (13Sep11).
The French artist, 34, was reportedly partying with pals on top of his home in Paris when the roof collapsed, killing Mehdi and leaving others seriously injured. His publicist has confirmed he died after an "accident".
The DJ, real name Mehdi Faveris-Essadi, made his name in the house and electro music scenes, working with the likes of Daft Punk and Asian Dub Foundation, before collaborating with a number of hip-hop stars.
Tributes have started to pour in for Mehdi from a host of famous names, who have all taken to their Twitter.com blogs to express their shock at his sudden passing.
His former collaborators, electrofunk duo Chromeo, write, "We lost our brother. No words", while Good Charlotte guitarist Madden states, "R.I.P. DJ Mehdi. Thoughts&prayers goin out to family&friends at Ed banger (records). Respect. Unreal man." Rapper Drake simply offers, "Damn…RIP MEHDI", and Knowles adds, "In disbelief. Just emailed him yesterday. May God Bless your soul and your family. Rest in peace Mehdi." Mehdi was married to French artist and model Fafi.

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Actor ARMIE HAMMER refused to shave his chest hair for his upcoming SNOW WHITE remake because he didn’t want to lose his "manhood".
The Social Network star plays Prince Andrew Alcott opposite Julia Roberts in the as-yet-untitled film, but he admits he clashed with production bosses on the movie set because he couldn’t stand the thought of going bare, which was required for his character.
He tells Details magazine, "Julia (Roberts) had a line about how smooth my chest is, and it’s not. So the producers were like, ‘OK, just shave him.’ And I was like, ‘Whoa. I spent 25 years earning this chest hair. I’m wearing purple tights and a codpiece, so, please, let me keep my manhood.’"

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Angolan beauty LEILA LOPES was crowned Miss Universe in Sao Paolo, Brazil on Monday night (12Sep11).
The 25 year old beat out 88 competitors to become one of only a few black women ever to land the title.
Olesia Stefanko of the Ukraine and Brazil’s Priscila Machado were runners-up.

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Russian Prime Minister VLADIMIR PUTIN stepped in to help director ALEXANDER SOKUROV finance his critically-acclaimed FAUST.
The Russian project, based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s play about a scholar who sells his soul to the devil, won over the jury at the Venice Film Festival in Italy and earned Sokurov the prestigious Golden Lion prize on Saturday (10Sep11), but the director admits Faust would never have been made if Putin had not offered his assistance following the global economic crisis of 2009.
The pair met to discuss the plans for the movie and Sokurov was shocked to receive an offer of $10.9 million (£6.8 million) from officials at the Fund for the Support of the Development of Mass Media just a month after their chat.
The filmmaker tells AFP, "The film would not have seen the light if Putin had not found the funding.
"I was astonished and never understood why Putin, who has never been a friend of mine, decided to support the film… (He) expressed only one wish: that the feature film, shot in German, should be a Russian production."

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Director ROMAN POLANSKI is mourning the death of his "oldest friend", Polish filmmaker JANUSZ MORGENSTERN, who passed away last week (ends09Sep11).
The producer and director died on 6 September (11) at the age of 89. Morgenstern made his name directing films Goodbye, See You Tomorrow (1960), Jowita (1967) and We Have to Kill this Love (1972).
His funeral was held in Warsaw on Monday (12Sep11) and Polanski was on hand to pay a touching tribute to his late pal, who he’d met while they were both students at the Lodz film school in Poland.
Speaking at the televised memorial, Polanski said, "For me, he was not a representative of the Polish film industry. He was simply my oldest friend. I just want to say to him: ‘Goodbye, my friend’." The Rosemary’s Baby director, who was born in France but raised in Poland, made the appearance just days after shunning an invitation to attend the Venice Film Festival in Italy, where his new movie Carnage had its world premiere earlier this month (Sep11).
His decision was reportedly based on the legal battle which ensued after he was arrested at the Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland in 2009. He subsequently fought extradition to the U.S. to face court proceedings linked to a 1977 sex case.
He was allowed to walk free following several months of jail time and house arrest at his Swiss chalet after the extradition bid fell apart.
Polanski was able to attend the funeral of Morgenstern because officials in both Poland and France have promised not to extradite him.

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Rocker BRETT ANDERSON cheated death in the infamous Great Storm which battered Britain in the 1980s, claiming 22 lives.
The Suede frontman grew up on the south coast of the U.K., which was the worst-hit area when hurricane-force gusts and devastating whirlwinds struck in October 1987.
Now he’s opened up about the terrifying night of horror, revealing he was inches from being killed when an enormous tree crashed through the roof of his former girlfriend’s home.
Anderson, who was aged 20 at the time, tells Britain’s Guardian, "During the Great Storm of 1987, I was staying in the spare room at my ex-girlfriend’s parents’ house when a huge oak tree crashed through the roof and stopped two-feet from my head.
"Luckily, I had closed the door which supported the trunk just enough to stop it from crushing my skull like a walnut." The storm was the worst to hit Britain in almost 300 years and caused huge devastation across the U.K.’s south coast and the northern part of France.

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THE CURE rocker ROBERT SMITH is frustrated at the fallout from the recent riots in Britain, insisting the unrest has paved the way for politicians to turn the country into a police state.
Court judges in the U.K. have been handing down savage sentences to those involved in the violence last month (Aug11) to reflect the scale of public anger at the looting and arson which made headlines around the world.
But Boys Don’t Cry singer Smith is adamant the rolling news reports of the riots made them seem more prevalent than they actually were - and he’s accused British Home Secretary Theresa May of exploiting the unrest to introduce tough new laws.
He tells British magazine Guide, "They keep showing the same images over and over, and it gives the impression it’s happening everywhere, all the time. Perspective has been lost.
"Suddenly you’ve got all these polls saying, ‘Give the police live ammunition.’ And I’m like, ‘Hold on! It’s not that bad, really’… (It’s) a dream come true for Theresa May… it just paves the way for the police to be armed, curfews to be put in. It’s like we’re all sliding inexorably towards this f**king police state, populated with roaming gangs, like a 2000AD comic."

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Soul singer ADELE is preparing to resume her U.K. tour on Tuesday night (13Sep11) after battling a nasty chest infection which forced her to cancel several dates.
The Chasing Pavements hitmaker axed the first four shows of her trek, which was set to commence on 04 September (11), as well as a planned performance at the Mercury Prize ceremony earlier this month (Sep11).
Adele had hoped to play her weekend gigs (10-11Sep11), but she again had to cancel at the last minute while she battled back to health.
Now the star is all set to begin the tour with her scheduled performance at De Montfort Hall in Leicester, England on Tuesday.
A message on the venue’s website reads, "After cancelling the start of her tour due to illness, Adele is now set to resume her touring commitments at De Montfort Hall tonight. The Leicester show will now mark the start of her UK tour."

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Legendary crooner BARRY MANILOW has been battling a serious heart disease for more than 15 years.
The singer has opened up about his health condition for the very first time, revealing he’s been secretly suffering from atrial fibrillation, more commonly known as AFib, which causes the heart to beat out of rhythm, sometimes causing permanent damage, stroke or heart failure.
The 68-year-old Grammy winner says, "When I first experienced AFib more than 15 years ago, it was really scary - it felt like a fish flopping around in my chest. I thought I knew about all the risks, but it turns out I didn’t, so I was really lucky I had such great doctors helping me manage it from the start." Now the Copacabana hitmaker has signed up to launch an educational campaign called Get Back In Rhythm, which urges Americans to learn about the symptoms and health risks of the disease.
He adds, "At first, I kept my AFib private because I didn’t want to acknowledge there was something wrong with my heart. But now I realise a lot of my fans and so many others could be affected, so I want to do all I can to help them take it seriously, understand all the risks of AFib and seek the best care.
"The bottom line is AFib needs more awareness. Patients need more education. No one should settle for a life out of rhythm."

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Hip-hop producer DJ MEHDI has died after reportedly falling from the roof of his home.
The French star, 34, who has worked with artists including Daft Punk, Asian Dub Foundation, and electrofunk duo Chromeo, was partying with pals on top of his property in Paris when the roof collapsed.
According to reports, several of his friends were seriously injured in the horror on Tuesday (13Sep111).
The musician, real name Mehdi Faveris-Essadi, leaves a wife, French artist and model Fafi.

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Funnyman DAVID WALLIAMS will be honoured with a ‘hero’ award by officials at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for saving a dog during his charity swim.
The Little Britain star raised more than $1.6 million (£1 million) for Britain’s Sport Relief this month (Sep11) by completing a gruelling endurance test along a 140-mile (225-kilometre) stretch of the River Thames in the U.K.
On Saturday (10Sep11) - day six of the challenge - Walliams spotted a Labrador struggling to stay afloat after jumping into the water, and he diverted from his intended course to save the drowning dog, named Vinnie.
Speaking after the drama, Walliams said, "I heard a splash and looked over to be met with the face of a sweet Labrador. I thought he was fine, but he started to really struggle." Now bosses at PETA have announced they will present the funnyman with the organisation’s Hero to Animals Award for his efforts.
A spokeswoman says, "David’s rescue of Vinnie shows that he is a hero to both people and animals! PETA hopes that his compassionate action will serve as an inspiration to others always to help animals in need."

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KIRSTIE ALLEY will make her catwalk modelling debut at this year’s (11) Fashion Week in New York.
The Cheers star, who shed 90 pounds (40.9 kilograms) in a major health overhaul during her recent stint on U.S. TV show Dancing With the Stars, will flaunt her new body on the runway for her designer pal Zang Toi’s show on Tuesday (13Sep11).
And Alley can’t wait to support her longtime friend by donning his clothes for all to see.
She tells Entertainment Tonight, "I’ve known Zang since 1993. I did the cover of Redbook (magazine) and I wanted something really beautiful… he just has the most beautiful clothes, period." But although she’s excited about the gig, the actress admits she’ll have to take on a much different attitude: "Models sort of more do (sic) what the designer wants them to do and actresses are sort of divas. So I’m going to have to be a model this week."

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Teen movie THE INBETWEENERS is still top at the U.K. box office, marking its fourth week in the number one spot.
The British comedy, a spin-off of the hit television series, took $3.4 million (£2.1 million) last week (ends11Sep11), holding off competition from Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis’ Friends With Benefits, which debuted in second place with $3 million (£1.9 million).
Jane Eyre, starring Michael Fassbender, came in at number three with $1.6 million (£1 million), while The Smurfs ($1.3 million/£817,306) and Rise of the Planet of the Apes ($1.1 million/£701,258) rounded out the top five.
The Inbetweeners has now racked up a total of $63 million (£39.4 million) in takings in the U.K.

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Funnyman DOUG STANHOPE is on the verge of quitting stand-up comedy - because he’s run out of subjects that anger him.
The controversial comedian found fame with his abrasive shows in which he graphically discusses sensitive issues and shocks audiences with his outrageous take on society.
But the self-confessed libertarian is considering hanging up his microphone at the age of 44 - because he’s finally found domestic bliss with author/musician Amy Bingaman and now struggles to find enough material to fuel his angry stage routines.
Stanhope tells Britain’s Guide magazine, "I’ve got a great relationship, a nice house, great dogs. We’re strongly debating quitting. I don’t want to create things to be angry about, I’d sooner start doing happy s**t."

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LETHAL WEAPON star DANNY GLOVER picked up the top honour at the 2011 Afro-Caribbean Arts Awards on Monday (12Sep11).
The actor was handed the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his career accomplishments and activist work for minority rights at the sixth annual ceremony in Paris’ Theatre du Chatelet.
The star-studded audience included Heroes star Jimmy Jean-Louis, reggae star Alpha Blondy and French actor Stany Coppet.
The awards show is to be broadcast on 18 September (11) on French TV.
It’s the actor’s second French honour this month (Sep11) - he also picked up a trophy in recognition of his contribution to American cinema at the Deauville American Film Festival.

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