Movie composer Francis Lai (“Love Story”) is 81
Actress-comedian Carol Burnett is 80
Guitarist-songwriter Duane Eddy is 75
Singer Maurice Williams of Maurice and the Zodiacs is 75
Singer Bobby Rydell is 71
Singer Gary Wright is 70
Actor Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”) is 55
Drummer Roger Taylor of Duran Duran is 53
Actress Joan Chen (“Twin Peaks”) is 52
Drummer Chris Mars of The Replacements is 52
Actor-singer Michael Damian is 51
Actor Jet Li (LEE) is 50
Guitarist Jimmy Stafford of Train is 49
Actor-comedian Kevin James (“The King of Queens”) is 48
Fiddler Joe Caverlee of Yankee Grey is 45
Singer T-Boz of TLC is 43
Country bassist Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts is 42
Country bassist Michael Jeffers of Pinmonkey is 41
Drummer Jose Pasillas of Incubus is 37
Actor Jason Earles (“Hannah Montana”) is 36
Actor Tom Welling (“Smallville”) is 36
Actor Pablo Schreiber (“Weeds”) is 35
Actor Nyambi Nyambi (“Mike and Molly”) is 34
Actress Jordana Brewster (“The Fast and The Furious”) is 33
Actress Marnette Patterson (“Something So Right”) is 33
Actor Channing Tatum (“Step Up”) is 33
Actor Aaron Weeks is 27.
Month: April 2013
April 26th Entertainment History
On April 26th, 1956, the first Godzilla movie, “Godzilla, King of the Monsters,” premiered in New York.
In 1969, Humble Pie was formed.
In 1977, the New York disco Studio 54 opened. It fast became the “in” place to be among the glitterati.
In 1982, singer Rod Stewart was mugged in Los Angeles in broad daylight. He was not hurt.
Also in 1982, Joe Strummer of The Clash disappeared for three weeks, forcing the band to cancel their tour of the UK. Strummer later explained that he had doubts about his career, so he went to Paris and had been “living like a bum.”
In 1984, jazz great Count Basie died of cancer at age 80. He’s best remembered for songs like “Jumpin’ At The Woodside” and “One O’Clock Jump.”
In 1991, “General Hospital” star Emily McLaughlin died of cancer.
In 1989, Lucille Ball died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at age 77.
In 1995, singer Bobby Brown was charged with aggravated assault and disorderly conduct following a nightclub fight in Orlando, Florida.
RIP Mr. Jones
George Jones, the peerless, hard-living country singer who recorded dozens of hits about good times and regrets and peaked with the heartbreaking classic “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” has died. He was 81.
Jones died Friday at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville after being hospitalized with fever and irregular blood pressure, according to his publicist Kirt Webster.
22-Year-Old Kearney Woman Charged with Felony Child Abuse
A 22-year-old Kearney woman has pleaded not guilty to two counts of felony child abuse.
Online court records say Brittney Schlund made the pleas on Tuesday in Buffalo County District Court.
Schlund and her boyfriend, 22-year-old Trey Tickle, were charged after Schlund’s 5-month-old daughter was hospitalized in January. Officials say the two reported the baby may have fallen out of her child swing, but doctors say the child’s injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome. Officials also say the baby tested positive for ingestion and exposure to methamphetamine.
Court records say Tickle pleaded not guilty on March 20 to four counts of felony child abuse and one felony count of drug possession.
Most Nebraska Government Offices Closed for Arbor Day
Those heading to state and local government offices on Friday will find most of them closed to observe Arbor Day.
The holiday is meant to encourage the planting and nurturing of trees. Many states around the country also recognize the holiday.
The tree-honoring occasion originated in Nebraska City in 1872, founded by Nebraska City native and U.S. Agriculture Secretary J. Sterling Morton. An estimated 1 million trees were planted that day.
Nebraska City residents will hold their 141st Arbor Day celebration Friday and will extend the festivities into Saturday and Sunday, with tree giveaways, a parade, races, home and garden and craft shows, a chili cook-off and commemorative tree plantings.
Boston Bomber Moved from Hospital to Federal Prison
The surviving Boston Marathon bombings suspect has been released from a civilian hospital and transferred to a federal medical detention center in central Massachusetts.
The U.S. Marshals Service said Friday that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center overnight and was taken to the Federal Medical Center Devens about 40 miles west of Boston.
The facility, on the decommissioned Fort Devens U.S. Army base, treats federal prisoners and detainees who require specialized long-term medical or mental health care.
The 19-year-old Tsarnaev is recovering from a gunshot wound to the throat and other injuries suffered during his attempted getaway.
The Massachusetts college student was charged with setting off the shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bombs that killed three people and wounded more than 260 at the marathon finish line April 15.
Rockies Fall to D-Backs
A pitcher’s duel in the desert saw the Colorado Rockies end up on the short end of a 3-2 score against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first game of a four-game series. Paul Goldschmidt’s two-run homer off Rockies starter Jorge de la Rosa in the fourth inning was the decisive blow. De la Rosa allowed three runs in six strong innings of work. Troy Tulowitzki had the lone RBI for the Rockies. The teams play game two of their series tonight. ESPN Radio 1410 has the action with the pregame show at 8:05 and first pitch at 8:40.
Huskers Open TD Ameritrade Classic Against Host Jays
The Husker baseball team will play four games in the next three days as part of the inaugural TD Ameritrade Classic in Omaha. The tournament opens with the marquee game between two in-state rivals as the Huskers face Creighton tonight at 6:35 in their first meeting of the season. On Saturday, the Big Red will play a pair of games against 24th-ranked Oklahoma State. The Huskers round out the event Sunday with a game against Rutgers.
No. 16 Huskers in Home Showdown With No. 9 Wolverines
It’s a pivotal weekend at Bowlin Stadium as 16th-ranked Nebraska faces 9th-ranked Michigan in a three game Big Ten series. The Wolverines enter the weekend on a nation-leading 22-game winning streak. They are in first place in the Big Ten with a perfect 16-0 league record. The Huskers are 12-4 in conference play. Tonight’s game gets underway at 6 PM. Saturday the two teams play at 1 PM, and the series concludes on Sunday at 11:30 AM.
Broncos Take Defensive Tackle in Round One
The Denver Broncos selected North Carolina defensive tackle Sylvester Williams with their first round pick, the 28th pick overall on the first night of the NFL Draft. The 6’3”, 313-pounder racked up 20.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in his career. He’s the first defensive tackle drafted in the first round by the Broncos since they took Trevor Pryce in 1997. Tonight, on the second night of the Draft, the Broncos hold the 58th overall pick in the second round, and the 90th overall pick in the third round.