News

Gary Smith, the Emmy-Award-winning producer behind numerous television specials and live events, died Saturday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 90.

Born in 1935, Smith studied scenic design at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University) before beginning his career as an art director at CBS in 1956. He made the leap to producer while working on “The Judy Garland Show” in 1963 and, two years later, produced NBC’s “Hullabaloo” a variety series that showcased early performances from The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, The Who, Simon & Garfunkel and Sonny & Cher.

Smith’s influence on music television blossomed throughout the 1960s, as he produced the first television specials for Paul McCartney and Bette Midler and the final television performances of Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby. Other musical acts that he’d produce specials for included Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti, Neil Diamond, Tony Bennett, Dolly Parton, Sammy Davis Jr., Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé, Woody Allen,...

Gary Smith, the eight-time Emmy winner who produced six Tony Awards broadcasts, four Emmy telecasts and TV specials for the likes of Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand and Burt Bacharach, died Saturday in Los Angeles, a publicist announced. He was 90.

As one-half of the production team Smith-Hemion — formed with fellow producer Dwight Hemion in the early 1970s — Smith “brought artistry, innovation and elegance to an era of TV that celebrated variety, spectacle and unforgettable moments. From intimate musical performances to historic national celebrations, he left an indelible mark on audiences across generations.”

Smith produced the first TV specials for Paul McCartney (1973’s James Paul McCartney) and Bette Midler (1977’s Ol’ Red Hair Is Back) and guided the final TV performances of Presley (Elvis in Concert) and Bing Crosby (Merrie Olde Christmas), both in 1977.

He served as an executive producer of AFI Life Achievement Award tributes to Streisand and Tom Hanks, and...

Gary Smith, the prolific producer of awards shows and TV specials for such performers as Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti, Neil Diamond, Tony Bennett, Dolly Parton, Sammy Davis Jr., Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé, and many others, died Friday, July 18, in Los Angeles. He was 90.

His death was announced by a spokesperson for his family.

Nominated for 30 primetime Emmy Awards (and winner of eight), Smith was and business partner Dwight Hemion formed the production team Smith-Hemion Productions in the early 1960s and developed an approach that was noted for bringing artistry, innovation, and elegance to the world of variety and music specials. The partnership ended in 2001.

Smith produced the first television specials for Paul McCartney and Bette Midler, and the final television performances of Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby. His collaborations with Barbra Streisand led to many of her most iconic televised events, including her acclaimed 1973 special Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments.

Al Hassan, who had a 40-year-plus career as a road manager for the likes of Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé, Tony Danza and Jim Stafford, died April 12 in Washington, his family announced. He was 87.

Hassan’s job took him across the U.S. and to Canada, Africa, Asia and Europe as he also supported Leif Garrett, Susan Anton and Nana Mouskouri, among many other entertainers.

The fifth of six children, Albert LeRoy Hassan was born on Dec. 2, 1936, and raised in the steel town of New Castle, Pennsylvania. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served for three years, then graduated from the University of Maryland with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in theater.

In college, Hassan worked with football coach Tom Nugent and was involved in the effort to recruit Joe Namath, a star high school quarterback and fellow Pennsylvanian from Beaver Falls. Namath did sign with...

Steve Lawrence, the Fifties and Sixties crooner, actor, and comedian who teamed with his wife Eydie Gormé to form the duo Steve and Eydie, has died at the age of 88.

Lawrence died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles from complications from Alzheimer’s disease, a spokesperson for the family told Variety; Lawrence was forced to retire from touring after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2019.

“My Dad was an inspiration to so many people,” his son David Lawrence said in a statement. “But, to me, he was just this charming,...

Steve Lawrence, the singer who teamed with his wife Eydie Gormé to form one of the most popular nightclub and concert duos of their generation, died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease today. He was 88.

His son, the composer and performer David Lawrence, said in a press statement, “My Dad was an inspiration to so many people. But, to me, he was just this charming, handsome, hysterically funny guy who sang a lot. Sometimes alone and sometimes with his insanely talented wife. I am so lucky to have had him as a father and so proud to be his son. My hope is that his contributions to the entertainment industry will be remembered for many years to come.”

Popularly know as Steve and Eydie, the couple achieved nationwide recognition in the mid-1950s after appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Steve Allen. They continued performing together until Gormé’s retirement...

Steve Lawrence, a king among easy-listening crooners who rocketed to fame in the ’50s and ’60s as half of the duo Steve and Eydie, died Thursday at age 88. Lawrence died at home in Los Angeles, and the cause of death was complications from Alzheimer’s disease, according to a spokesperson for the family, Susan DuBow.

Lawrence’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis had finally put an end to his touring career in 2019, after a run in the public eye that spanned six and a half decades.

Lawrence was preceded in death in 2013 by his wife, Eydie Gormé, with whom he enjoyed nearly unparalleled success as a performing couple during their heyday as touring artists and TV stars in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. The couple had continued to tour together through 2009.

His colleagues began to weigh in Thursday. “Steve was one of my favorite guests on my variety show,” Carol Burnett said,...

Steve Lawrence, the charismatic Grammy- and Emmy-winning crooner who delighted audiences for decades in nightclubs, on concert stages and in film and television appearances, died Thursday. He was 88.

Lawrence, who partnered in a popular act with his wife of 55 years, the late Eydie Gormé, died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease, a publicidst announced.

With his boyish good looks, silky voice and breezy personality, Lawrence broke into show business when he won a talent competition on Arthur Godfrey’s CBS show and signed with King Records as a teenager. The singer chose to stay old school and resist the allure of rock ‘n’ roll.

“It didn’t attract me as much,” Lawrence once said. “I grew up in a time period when music was written by Irving Berlin and Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin and Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart and Sammy Cahn and Julie Stein.

Cynthia Weil, who teamed with husband Barry Mann to write such pop classics as “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “On Broadway,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” and dozens of other hits for the likes of the Drifters, the Ronettes, Dolly Parton and B.J. Thomas, died Thursday. She was 82.

Weil’s daughter, Dr. Jenn Mann, said via publicist Sarah Schlief: “My mother, Cynthia Weil, was the greatest mother, grandmother and wife our family could ever ask for. She was my best friend, confidante and my partner in crime and an idol and trailblazer for women in music.”

Weil and Mann, who were married for 62 years, were among the most important songwriters in the early days of rock ‘n’ roll. They won a pair of Grammys and were Oscar-nominated for Best Song for “Somewhere Out There,” the Linda Ronstadt-James Ingram duet from An American Tail. The couple would share...

Alan Copeland, the songwriter, Grammy-winning arranger and ultra-smooth vocalist known for his many years with The Modernaires and performances on Your Hit Parade and The Red Skelton Hour, has died. He was 96.

Copeland died Dec. 28 in an assisted living facility in Sonora, California, his friend Bob Lehmann told The Hollywood Reporter.

As recently as this fall, Copeland was still singing and playing keyboards in a quartet called Now You Hazz Jazz. “It was his dream to play in a small group until the last curtain, that’s how he termed it,” said Lehmann, the drummer.

Copeland wrote or co-wrote songs including “Make Love to Me” — Jo Stafford’s version made it to No. 1 on the Billboard chart in 1954 — “Too Young to Know,” “High Society,” “This Must Be the Place, “Darling, Darling, Darling” and “While the Vesper Bells Were Ringing.”

After taking arranging lessons from Henry Mancini, he arranged vocals for...

This is for Tim. This is so everybody will remember him. I can tell just by the mail I’ve gotten in the last couple of days that he had a huge fan base that loved him, and they wrote me because they knew I was close to him.

Tim grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and his father thought that he was handy around the house. But he wasn’t. He decided to put in a doorbell. But he accidentally wired it in such a way that it rang all the time. It only stopped ringing when someone was at the door. So it would be ringing all day, and when it finally went silent, Tim’s dad would say, “I’ll get it.” Tim told me that story. Anyone who grew up in that house had to be a comedian. That’s the kind of life he had.

Steve Lawrence is opening up about the death of his longtime friend and show business colleague, Jerry Lewis.

“He was one of a kind. There are only a handful of people you can say are that unique and I don’t think we’ll never see the likes of him again,” Lawrence, 82, tells People.

“He’s in the same class as people like Frank Sinatra, Don Rickles and Clark Gable, people whose popularity transcends decades. Their popularity stays the same even as the world and business changes around them.”

Lewis, whose manic style of comedy amused audiences for over eight decades,...

John McLaughlin, the conservative talk-show host and pop-culture lightning rod who helmed the long-running roundtable TV show The McLaughlin Group, has died. He was 89.

The McLaughlin Group Facebook page reported the news. "Earlier this morning, a beloved friend and mentor, Dr. John McLaughlin, passed away peacefully at the age of 89," the statement read. "As a former Jesuit priest, teacher, pundit and news host, John touched many lives. For 34 years, The McLaughlin Group informed millions of Americans. Now he has said bye bye for the last time, to rejoin his beloved dog,...

Omar Sharif in 'Doctor Zhivago.' Egyptian star Omar Sharif, 'The Karate Kid' producer Jerry Weintraub: Brief career recaps A little late in the game – and following the longish Theodore Bikel article posted yesterday – below are brief career recaps of a couple of film veterans who died in July 2015: actor Omar Sharif and producer Jerry Weintraub. A follow-up post will offer an overview of the career of peplum (sword-and-sandal movie) actor Jacques Sernas, whose passing earlier this month has been all but ignored by the myopic English-language media. Omar Sharif: Film career beginnings in North Africa The death of Egyptian film actor Omar Sharif at age 83 following a heart attack on July 10 would have been ignored by the English-language media (especially in the U.S.) as well had Sharif remained a star within the Arabic-speaking world. After all, an "international" star is only worth remembering...

The veteran Hollywood publicist died yesterday at his home in St. Augustine, Fl. Mack Newberry was 89. A protege of Lee Solters, he spent more than a decade at Solters Roskin Friedman in Los Angeles, working with clients including Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Donny and Marie Osmond, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme and Marty Pasetta, who directed Oscar telecasts from 1972-88. Newberry also managed publicity for the Grammy Awards in the pre-cable/Internet years and was West Coast PR rep for the Tonys. He worked as a unit publicist for such films as Doctor Detroit, China Moon, My Girl, Straight Talk […]...

Mack Newberry, a veteran publicist who represented numerous music and TV stars and helped manage PR efforts for the Grammys, has died in St. Augustine, Fla. He was 89. Newberry spent more than a decade at PR firm Solters Roskin Friedman, Los Angeles, where he handled publicity for such clients as Dolly Parton, Carol Burnett, Donny and Marie Osmond, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, John Denver and Rita Moreno. Newberry worked as a unit publicist on a variety of films, including My Girl and Straight Talk, and such TV series as Steven Spielberg's seaQuest. He was part of a small team that handled

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Ken Greengrass, a producer and longtime Friars Club member who was instrumental in putting the famed organization's once-private and profane celebrity roasts on television, died April 10 in New York after a brief illness. He was 87. Greengrass also worked as a personal manager during his career, with clients that included Diahann Carroll, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, Florence Henderson, Art Garfunkel, jazz musician John Pizzarelli, the country music supergroup The Highwaymen and Sesame Street actor Bob McGrath. Photos: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2014 A native of the Bronx, Greengrass was a member of the Friars Club for more

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It's not every 78-year-old who releases a new album for Valentine's Day - or has his friends Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood backing him up. But, where showbiz is concerned, Steve Lawrence isn't just any 78-year-old. "To my knowledge, it's over 50-something, and my first in 10 years, at least," the familiar voice, calculating the number of albums he's released since his first in 1953, tells People from the home in Las Vegas he and his late wife Eydie Gorme shared since 1980. Titled When You Come Back to Me Again, after the Garth Brooks song on the lead track, the new album contains 10 songs and,...

Daft Punk, Lorde, Bruno Mars, Kacey Musgraves and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were just a few of the big winners during the 56th annual Grammy Awards telecast, hosted by LL Cool J and broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. LL declared that "music has the power to bring us together like nothing else in this world" before he urged everyone to "make some beautiful noise!" Read on for the recap!

For the List of Winners Click Here.

The Winners

The Grammys are all about the music, with most awards handed out before the event. During the telecast, Daft Punk's Random Access Memories won Album of the Year, while the Robot Duo's Get Lucky featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers nabbed Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were named Best New Artist; the 17-year-old Lorde landed Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for Royals; Unorthodox...

What a tragedy! One of the most beautiful singers in history revealed on Aug. 23 that she is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, and as a result will never be able to use her amazing singing voice again.

Linda Ronstadt, 67, will always be remembered as the unbelievably talented pop singer who crooned hits like “Hurt So Bad” and “You’re No Good,” but unfortunately, her singing days are over due to a debilitating disease.

Linda Ronstadt: Parkinson’s Disease Stole My Voice

The songstress revealed on Aug. 23 that she was suffering from Parkinson’s disease in an interview with Aarp magazine. Linda said that she had just been diagnosed eight months ago, but had been experiencing symptoms for nearly eight years.

She and her doctors had been attributing her ailments to a tick bite, until she was finally properly diagnosed earlier this year.

And those ailments — hand tremors and difficulty...

Eydie Gormé—a singing star from the early days of television, and the last years before rock asserted its dominance over the pop music scene—has died at 84. Although she had a few hits on her own, in the public’s mind, “Eydie” was inseparable from “Steve”—Steve Lawrence, her singing partner and husband of 55 years, whom she met when both were regulars performers on Steve Allen’s era of The Tonight Show. Gormé was born Edith Gormezano, the daughter of Sicilian and Turkish immigrants living in the Bronx. Both her parents were Sephardic Jews who spoke both ...

Eydie Gormé, who died on Saturday at 84, was the beneficiary of two mid-century inventions: the television variety show and the Great American Songbook. Both were actually gentrified updates of earlier pop culture. TV variety reworked brash, bumptious vaudeville for the electronic age; the Great American Songbook was the fifties invention of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and other great singers, who set the pop hits and show tunes of the twenties, thirties, and forties to lush, swinging big band arrangements, put on tuxes and ball gowns, and codified a body of durable American song standards — musical holy writ. Gormé met her husband and musical partner, Steve Lawrence, when both were working on The Tonight Show with Steve Allen. They sang together, onstage, on record, and, frequently, in front of television cameras, for nearly half a century.In the sixties and seventies, Steve and Eydie’s act was familiar to millions. They...

Washington, Aug 12: Eydie Gorme, of the famous 'Eydie and Steve', died of undisclosed illness at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas on Saturday. She was 84.

The popular singer, who was born in the Bronx, New York in 1928, began her music career in 1950, recording with the Tommy Tucker Orchestra and Don Brown, Contactmusic reported.

In 1953, Gorme was invited to appear on 'The Tonight Show Starring Steve Allen.'

She later appeared alongside singer Steve Lawrence, who later became her hubby and the couple, billed as 'Eydie and Steve', appeared on the show throughout the 50s.

Lawrence still performs while Gorme retired in 2009 at the age of 80.

She is survived by her husband Steve and their son David..

Eydie Gorme, who died on Saturday at the age of 84 in Las Vegas after a long illness, will be remembered musically for much more than her best-selling 1963 dance single "Blame It on the Bossa Nova." The Grammy-winning singer was a staple of late-night and variety TV programs in the 1950s  and '60s with her husband, singer Steve Lawrence. "I fell in love with her the moment I saw her and even more the first time I heard her sing," he said in a statement. See photos: Notable Hollywood Deaths of...

So sad. The legendary female half of Steve & Eydie passed away in Las Vegas on August 10 after suffering from a brief illness.

Eydie Gorme, who warmed so many hearts across the world performing as one part of Steve & Eydie and later enjoying success as a solo performer, died after a brief illness on August 10, according to her publicist. She was 84 years old.

Eydie Gorme Passes Away At 84

Eydie, who gained popularity in the ’50s singing on the The Tonight Show with Steve Lawrence, who later became her husband, is likely best remembered in the English-speaking world for her Grammy-nominated hit “Blame It on the Bossa Nova.” In Spanish-speaking circles, Eydie’s major hit was “Amor.”

Her longtime partner Steve, in both music and love, was by Eydie’s side in Las Vegas when she passed away, along with her son and other family members.

“Eydie has been my partner on...

Los Angeles — Eydie Gorme, a popular nightclub and television singer as a solo act and as a team with her husband, Steve Lawrence, has died. She was 84.

Gorme, who also had a huge solo hit in 1963 with "Blame it on the Bossa Nova," died Saturday at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas following a brief, undisclosed illness, said her publicist, Howard Bragman.

Gorme was a successful band singer and nightclub entertainer when she was invited to join the cast of Steve Allen's local New York television show in 1953.

She sang solos and also did duets and comedy skits with Lawrence, a rising young singer who had joined the show a year earlier. When the program became NBC's "Tonight Show" in 1954, the young couple went with it.

They married in Las Vegas in 1957 and later performed for audiences there. Lawrence, the couple's son David and other loved ones were by her side when she died,...

Las Vegas, Aug 11: Singer Eydie Gorme has died following an undisclosed illness. She was 84.

Gorme died at the Sunrise Hospital here Saturday, said her publicist Howard Bragman, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

Her husband Steve Lawrence, son David and others were by her side when she passed away, Bragman said.

Gorme was best known for her nightclub and TV work and her collaborations with husband Lawrence. Some of her hit singles include "Blame it on the Bossa Nova", "Yes, my darling daughter" and "What I did for love".

She is survived by husband, son and a granddaughter. Michael, her other son with Lawrence,.

Eydie Gorme -- one of the great voices of the '60s -- has died. She was 84 years old."Legendary singer and performer Eydie Gorme passed away peacefully today at Sunrise Hospital following a brief illness," her rep Howard Bragman said in a statement on Saturday. "She was surrounded by her husband, son and other loved ones at the time of her death." Eydie's longtime husband and singing partner Steve Lawrence added: "Eydie has been my partner on stage and in life for more than 55 years. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her and even more the first time I heard her sing. While my personal loss is unimaginable, the world has lost one of the greatest pop vocalists of all time."Born Edith Garmezano in 1928, Eydie began recording music in 1952. She got her big break when she and Steve were booked on "The Tonight Show.

Iconic nightclub singer and vocalist Eydie Gorme, best known for her Grammy-nominated 1963 hit, “Blame it on the Bossa Nova,” died Saturday in Las Vegas following a brief illness. She was 84.

Gorme and her husband, Steve Lawrence, met in 1953 when Gorme joined the cast of a local New York TV show hosted by Steve Allen. The duo, who married in 1957, became one of the most enduring vocal teams in pop music history. Lawrence, their son David, and others close to the family were with her at the time of her death, according to Foxnews.com.

In a statement, Lawrence said: “Eydie...

Singer Eydie Gormé, who performed solo and alongside her husband Steve Lawrence entertaining audiences in the '60s, passed away in Las Vegas on Saturday.  She was 84-years-old.  "Eydie has been my partner on stage and in life for more than 55 years. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her and even more the first time I heard her sing," says Mr. Lawrence in a statement released to E! News. "While my personal loss is unimaginable, the world has lost one of the greatest pop vocalists of all time." In addition to performing with her husband, Gormé had a huge solo hit with her Grammy-nominated 1963 jam, "Blame It on the Bossa Nova." The band and nightclub...

Famed singer, actress and Broadway star Eydie Gorm has died at age 84. Spokesperson Howard Bragman said 'Legendary singer and performer Eydie Gorme passed away peacefully today at Sunrise Hospital following a brief illness. She was surrounded by her husband, son and other loved ones at the time of her death.'In his own statement, Steve Lawrence said 'Eydie has been my partner on stage and in life for more than 55 years. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her and even more the first time I heard her sing. While my personal loss is unimaginable, the world has lost one of the greatest pop vocalists of all time.'...

Eydie Gorme, a popular nightclub and television singer as a solo act and as a team with her husband, Steve Lawrence, has died. She was 84. Gorme, who also had a huge solo hit in 1963 with "Blame it on the Bossa Nova," died Saturday at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas following a brief, undisclosed illness, said her publicist, Howard Bragman. Gorme was a successful band singer and nightclub entertainer when she was invited to join the cast of Steve Allen's local New York television show in 1953. She sang solos and also did duets and comedy skits with Lawrence,

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The singer and classic TV performer has died at the age of 84. Eydie Gorme passed away on today in Las Vegas after a short undisclosed illness. A well known nightclub performer in New York, Gorme joined Steve Allen’s local TV show in 1953. She soon was partnered with another singer on the show Steve Lawrence and the duo moved upward with Allen in 1954 when his show became NBC’s Tonight Show in 1954. The couple married on December 29, 1957. The next year, The Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme Show debuted on NBC and lasted one season. Still, both solo and with Lawrence, the Grammy winner would show up on the small screen often over the next three decades. Gorme appeared on the Gary Moore Show, What’s My Line?, Password All-Stars, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Bob Hope Show, the Carol Burnett Show among other. As well as a big music hit...

Concert and recording superstar Eydie Gormé, who - performing everything from ballads to bossa nova with singing partner and husband Steve Lawrence - made an indelible impression on American audiences during the swingin' '60s, died Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas, her spokesman, Howard Bragman, tells People. She was 84. "Legendary singer and performer Eydie Gorme passed away peacefully today at Sunrise Hospital following a brief illness," Bragman said in a statement. "She was surrounded by her husband, son and other loved ones at the time of her death." In his own statement, Steve Lawrence said: "Eydie has been my partner...

Eydie Gorme, a popular solo singer who also performed with her husband Steve Lawrence, died at the age of 84 on Saturday, Aug. 10, the Associated Press reports. Her publicist, Howard Bragman, tells the AP that she died at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, Nev., following an "undisclosed illness." The singer, who got a Grammy nomination for her hit song "Blame it on the Bossa Nova," was part of Steve Allen's local New York show in 1953. She met Lawrence there and the pair went on to perform [...]...

Aug. 12: Actor George Hamilton is 73. Actress Jennifer Warren is 71. Singer-guitarist Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits is 63. Singer Kid Creole is 62. Actor Sam J. Jones ("Flash Gordon") is 58. Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny is 58. Actor Bruce Greenwood ("Thirteen Days") is 56. Country singer Danny Shirley (Confederate Railroad) is 56. Guitarist Roy Hay of Culture Club is 51. Rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot is 49. Actor Peter Krause is 47. Actor Michael Ian Black ("Ed") is 41. Actress Rebecca Gayheart is 41. Actor Casey Affleck is 37. Actress Maggie Lawson ("Psych") is 32. Actress Imani Hakim ("Everybody Hates Chris") is 19.

Aug. 13: Actor Pat Harrington is 83. Actor Kevin Tighe is 68. Actress Gretchen Corbett ("The Rockford Files") is 65. Actor Danny Bonaduce is 53. Actress Dawnn Lewis ("A Different World," "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper") is 51. Actor John Slattery is 50. Actress Debi Mazar is 48. Actress Quinn Cummings ("Family") is 45. Country singer Andy Griggs is 39. Drummer Mike Melancon of Emerson Drive is 34. Actress Kathryn Fiore ("Reno 911!") is 33. Singer James Morrison is 28.

Aug.

By Roger Friedman

HollywoodNews.com: It seems like Rihanna, aka Robyn Fenty, has gotten past being beaten to a pulp by Chris Brown. She asked him to add some lyrics to a remix of a “Song” she calls “Birthday Cake.” I’ll give you the link. At about 1:14, Mr. Brown informs Rihanna that “God, I want to f— you right now/I’ve been really missing your body.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypgXMcQNpdM

The use of the word “God” may have a religious meaning. It’s unclear.

This couple will be remembered as the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell of modern pop, nor Carole King and James Taylor, or Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. The hip hop duo has been written about extensively in the tabloids as being back together romantically. In fact, it’s unclear, if they’ve ever been apart. Brown won a Grammy Award...

The 1939 classic film "The Wizard of Oz" is celebrating its 70th anniversary with the formation of a foundation that aims to provide audiences the unique opportunity to study the compositions of Harold Arlen, the composer of the film's signature song "Over the Rainbow."

The Harold Arlen Foundation aims to preserve and strengthen the life of the American Pop Standard by educating, inspiring, and enriching the community with his music.

It already delivers its free music outreach program to public junior and high schools in Las Vegas. "Over the Rainbow: The Master Class" is being taught by Sam Arlen and recording artist George Bugatti, who will deliver the jazz music classes to thousands of school children within the Clark County School District this fall.

Supporting the cause are Haf board members Hugh Hefner, Gloria Vanderbilt, John Pizzarelli, Hal David, Robert Osbourne, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme and Tom Gregory.