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African-American opera pioneer CAMILLA WILLIAMS has died at the age of 92.
She passed away in Bloomington, Indiana on Sunday (29Jan12) after a long battle with cancer.
The soprano first began singing in church at the age of eight and she went on to become the first African-American female to perform with a major U.S. opera company in New York City in 1946.
Williams later stumbled upon international success by making the first compete recording of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and in 1963 she had the honour of belting out the Star Spangled Banner at the White House in Washington, D.C., ahead of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s iconic I Have a Dream speech.

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Emmy Award-winning director JOHN RICH has died at the age of 86.
He passed away after a brief illness at his Los Angeles home on Sunday (29Jan12).
Born in Rockaway Beach, New York, Rich studied at the University of Michigan and served in the Army Air Forces during World War II.
He went on to direct a number of popular U.S. TV shows throughout his career, among them The Brady Bunch, Mister Ed, Gilligan’s Island and The Jeffersons, and he won two Emmy Awards for episodes of All in the Family and The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Rich also directed Elvis Presley in hit movies Roustabout and Easy Come, Easy Go.
He later teamed up with Happy Days star Henry Winkler to produce the series MacGyver and eventually retired from the industry in 1999.

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SAM WORTHINGTON almost had a meltdown when he arrived on-set for gravity-defying thriller MAN ON A LEDGE - because his crippling fear of heights left him terrified.
The Avatar star plays a suicidal crook in the new movie, and the role required him to spend hours perched on a tiny ridge on a skyscraper high above Manhattan in New York.
And although a safety harness was used to ensure the actor was never in any danger as the cameras rolled, Worthington admits he began to regret taking the part when he arrived for the first day of the shoot.
He tells Seven magazine, "I had to man up and do it. I was lucky I didn’t burst into tears and go into a foetal position because that wouldn’t have been a very good start to the film. (I thought) ‘It’s called Man on a Ledge, d**khead! Get out of the window!’"

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Award-winning actress OCTAVIA SPENCER is aiming to lose 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) to achieve her ideal weight.
The Help star, who picked up a Screen Actors Guild Award on Sunday (29Jan12) for her role as a 1960s maid in the period drama, recently admitted her fuller figure is "not healthy" and she’s convinced she needs to change her lifestyle to ensure she enjoys a long future in Hollywood.
She said, "I am not healthy at this weight. Any time you have too much around the middle, then there is a problem. And when you reach a certain weight, you are less valuable." So Spencer, 41, has hired a personal trainer and has set herself a new weightloss goal.
She says, "I am working out with a trainer. I’m not trying to be a thin mint. I’m just trying to be healthy and look good for me. So another 15 pounds and I will be fine."

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DANNY DEVITO is set to make his debut in London’s West End playing a veteran comedian in THE SUNSHINE BOYS.
The pint-sized movie star will appear alongside British actor Richard Griffiths in the Neil Simon play, which first ran on Broadway in 1972.
The Sunshine Boys was then made into a film, starring Walter Matthau and George Burns - who won an Academy Award for his performance in the big-screen adaptation.
DeVito will star in The Sunshine Boys at the British capital’s Savoy Theatre from 27 April to 28 July (12).

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THE HELP was the toast of Hollywood on Sunday night (29Jan12) after landing the two top actress honours and the cast prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, who played maids in the period drama, picked up the night’s Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress accolades, respectively, while they were also among the stars who triumphed with the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture category.
The Artist’s Jean Dujardin beat George Clooney to the Best Actor award, while Christopher Plummer was named Best Supporting Actor for his role as a dying gay father in Beginners.
Meanwhile, Modern Family and Boardwalk Empire were the big TV winners, claiming the night’s Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series and Drama Series, respectively.
Individual TV awards also went to Kate Winslet, Alec Baldwin, Betty White, Paul Giamatti and Steve Buscemi, and Dick Van Dyke presented Mary Tyler Moore with the Screen Actors Guild’s highest honour - the 48th annual Life Achievement Award.
The complete list of recipients of the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards is:
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role - Jean Dujardin (The Artist) Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Viola Davis (The Help) Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role - Christopher Plummer (Beginners) Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role - Octavia Spencer ( The Help) Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - The Help Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture - Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries - Paul Giamatti (Too Big To Fail) Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries - Kate Winslet (Mildred Pierce) Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series - Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire) Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series - Jessica Lange (American Horror Story) Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series - Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series - Betty White (Hot in Cleveland) Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series - Boardwalk Empire Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Modern Family Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series - Game of Thrones Life Achievement Award - Mary Tyler Moore

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Bassist DICK KNISS has passed away at the age of 74.
He died of pulmonary disease in a hospital near his New York home on Wednesday (25Jan12), according to the Associated Press.
Kniss performed for five decades with folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary and was an original member of The John Denver Band. He co-wrote the group’s hit Sunshine on My Shoulders.
Born in Oregon, the musician performed with a number of jazz icons, including Herbie Hancock and Woody Herman, and he also played a variety of benefit shows during America’s 1960s civil rights movement.
Releasing a statement to honour his late pal, former Peter, Paul and Mary bandmate Peter Yarrow says, "He was a dear and beloved part of our closest family circle and his bass playing was always a great fourth voice in our music as well as, conceptually, an original and delightfully surprising new statement added to our vocal arrangements." A public viewing service is to be held in Saugerties on Sunday (29Jan12).

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Longtime EAGLES, CHRISTINA AGUILERA and SEAL manager IRVING AZOFF has been named the most powerful man in music in Billboard magazine’s first ever Power 100 list.
Azoff, the chairman of ticketing company and artist management group Live Nation, leads the countdown, which is dominated by industry executives.
The exceptions include new parents Jay-Z and Beyonce, who are ranked collectively at 13, U2 and their manager Paul McGuinness at 27 and top songwriter Lukasz ‘Dr. Luke’ Gottwald at 30.
Also making the list are Jon Bon Jovi, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Simon Cowell.

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SARAH JESSICA PARKER will replace DEMI MOORE as GLORIA STEINEM in the LINDA LOVELACE biopic, not her namesake WEEDS star.
Earlier this week, insiders claimed Mary Louise Parker had landed the role of the feminist icon in Lovelace, but filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman have confirmed to Entertainment Weekly magazine they’ve signed the Sex & The City star up for the part.
Amanda Seyfried leads the cast as the X-rated actress-turned-anti-porn activist.
Moore dropped out of the film on Tuesday (24Jan12) after she was hospitalised on Monday night (23Jan12).
The actress has subsequently checked in and out of a treatment centre, seeking help for exhaustion and to "improve her overall health".
Sarah Jessica Parker will begin filming on Monday (30Jan12).

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Folk icon RICHARD THOMPSON is quietly hoping to collaborate with YUSUF ISLAM.
Fans are often puzzled why the two Brits and Muslim converts have never hit the studio together - and Thompson insists the music world should never rule out the idea.
Promoting his first Blu-Ray concert movie Live at Celtic Connection, he tells WENN, "I would leave that door open. I would think that would be interesting.
"I’m a big fan of Yusuf’s from way back and I really enjoy his music. He’s a great writer, a great performer and a lovable human being. People really love him.
"But we rarely see each other. I live over here (in Los Angeles) and he lives over there (in Britain), and he was out of music for a really long time." Both Yusuf Islam, aka Cat Stevens, and Thompson converted to Islam in the mid-1970s.

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Hip-hop fans can now study BEYONCE thanks to a new course at America’s Rutgers University.
Lecturer Kevin Allred has signed up to teach Politicising Beyonce as part of the school’s Women’s and Gender Studies curriculum.
The class offers New Jersey students the chance to watch the pop star’s music videos and explore how the Single Ladies hitmaker’s image and music has impacted the world.
An overview of the course on the university’s website reads, "The performer’s music and career are used as lenses to explore American race, gender, and sexual politics… Course topics include the extent of Beyonce’s control over her own aesthetic, whether her often half-naked body is empowered or stereotypical, and her more racy performances as her alter ego, Sasha Fierce." The course includes class discussions, which "often lead to other vocalists, including Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Lady Gaga, and contemporary musicians who embrace the soul singing tradition like Adele and the late Amy Winehouse." Beyonce’s husband is also the subject of his own higher education course - Georgetown University is currently offering students the chance to take the Sociology of Hip-Hop: Jay-Z.

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Rocker STEVEN VAN ZANDT’s new TV comedy has become a big hit in Norway, the country where it’s set.
More than one million locals tuned in to watch the first episode of Lilyhammer on Thursday (26Jan12), which means one in five Norwegians saw the show about an FBI informer hiding from the Mafia in Scandinavia.
The show brought in the biggest ratings ever for Norwegian public broadcaster NRK1, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
DVD distribution company Netflix has bought the rights for the series in America and will stream all eight episodes of the first season next month (Feb12). A second series has already been commissioned.

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The latest European royal has been introduced to the media in Denmark - PRINCE JOACHIM and PRINCESS MARIE showed off their newborn in Copenhagen on Friday (27Jan12).
The baby girl, who is 10th in line to the Danish throne, was born on Tuesday (24Jan12).
The unnamed tot is the royal couple’s second child - their son Henrik was born in 2009.
Prince Joachim, 42, also has two older sons, Felix and Nikolai from his marriage to Alexandra Christina, the Countess of Frederiksborg.

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The DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE has been named Hat Person of the Year by the Headwear Association.
British royal Catherine Middleton takes the title from actor Johnny Depp, who won the honour last year (11).
Prince William’s wife beat Justin Timberlake for the crown.

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JENNIFER HUDSON’s fiance DAVID OTUNGA returned to his roots as a lawyer on Thursday (26Jan12) to represent a man who felt he had been wrongly terminated from his job.
The wrestler, who obtained his degree from Harvard Law School, has largely distanced himself from his former life as an attorney since entering the entertainment business and becoming a celebrated fighter.
But Otunga returned to the courtroom this week (begs23Jan12) and appeared before a judge on behalf of a man who was fired from his place of work and denied unemployment benefits.
Otunga’s legal skills have remained sharp - his client won the case against the New York State Department of Labor and was awarded compensation.
He is hoping his good luck streak will continue into the weekend (28-29Jan12) as he prepares to battle at the wrestling world’s Royal Rumble.
He tells TMZ.com, "If the outcome of the case is any indication of how I’ll do in the Royal Rumble this weekend, then it looks like I’ll be the winner."

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THE BIG BANG THEORY star SIMON HELBERG is to be a first-time father.
The 31 year old and his actress/writer wife Jocelyn Towne have announced they are expecting in the spring (12).
The couple wed in 2007.

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SAM WORTHINGTON jumped at the chance to star in a CLASH OF THE TITANS sequel as he was convinced he "wasn’t very good" in the first installment.
The Australian actor played mythical warrior hero Perseus in the 2010 movie, but admits he was less than impressed with his performance - and the criticism his buzzcut hairstyle attracted.
He tells Empire magazine, "I wanted to do a second Titans film because I personally think I wasn’t very good in the first one. I think I could’ve worked a lot harder on Clash. So I wanted the opportunity to get a second bite at the apple, and it is rare to get that kind of chance…
"I read a lot of reviews and everyone thought I looked like a f**king idiot. More was written about my f**king hair in this movie than anyone’s in the whole world - apart from maybe Jennifer Aniston when she had that haircut in Friends that the whole f**king world copied." Worthington grew his hair into a shaggy mane to redeem himself in the upcoming follow-up Wrath of the Titans, due in theatres later this year (12).
He explains, "In my own little world I felt like (longer hair) showed Perseus has grown up. In the first film, he’s a little boy with no responsibilities, then in the second one he’s a grown man - and a simple way to show that is to grow the hair out. Anyway, when the chance came round to do another Titans movie, I was more than ready for it."

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A choreographer on hit U.S. talent show SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE has been sentenced to serve 10 years behind bars for raping a former student and assaulting another.
Alex Da Silva was charged with multiple felonies relating to allegations he raped and sexually assaulted four women when he was arrested in 2009, but he was only convicted of one count of rape and one count of assault with intent to commit rape in court on Friday (27Jan12).
The jury was deadlocked on the remaining charges, which were subsequently dismissed, according to TMZ.com.
Da Silva was also ordered to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

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