WASHINGTON - Early rock ‘n’ roll guitar legend Bo Diddley died near Jacksonville, Florida, Monday, 2 June, of heart failure. He was 79 years old. One of the most well loved of the early rockers, Bo took the blues and folk music of his native Mississippi and combined them with Latin American and African rhythms to come up […]

WASHINGTON - Legendary Hollywood actor and political activist Charlton Heston has died at the age of 84.
Charlton Heston was a Hollywood icon. His square jaw, broad shoulders and resonant voice served him well in big-budget historical movies in the 1950’s and ’60’s.
He portrayed a series of heroic figures: Andrew Jackson, El Cid, John the Baptist, […]

LOS ANGELES - Hollywood writers have voted to end a three-month strike that crippled film and television production. Hollywood is breathing a sigh of relief after the worst labor dispute in decades.
The writers walked off the job November 5. Tuesday, Patric Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America West, said they will end the […]

WASHINGTON - Hailed as one of the century’s greatest tenors, Luciano Pavarotti died Thursday at his home in Modena, Italy, at the age of 71. He was considered one of the last in the line of classic Italian tenors, with musical ties to Enrico Caruso, the famous opera star of the early 1900’s. Pavarotti earned […]

WASHINGTON - The jazz world is mourning the loss of one of its greatest drummers, Max Roach. Among the so-called “architects” of the be-bop movement, Roach died in his sleep on August 16 at a hospital in New York. He was 83.
The sound of modern jazz would probably not be the same had Max Roach […]

HOLLYWOOD - After hosting the United States gameshow The Price Is Right, Bob Barker has decided to call it quits and retire from being the gameshow’s 35 year-long host. Barker plans to end the show in June of 2007.
“I will be 83 years old on Dec. 12…. and I’ve decided to retire while I’m still […]

MerleFest 2007 Announces Stellar Line-Up
Ticket Sales Begin on November 14, 2006
WILKESBORO, N.C. — Ticket sales for MerleFest 2007, the Americana Music Celebration Presented by Lowe’s, will begin on Tuesday, November 14, 2006 at 2:00 PM EST. Wilkes Community College will present MerleFest 2007, the 20th annual festival in celebration of the music of the […]

Movie Focuses on Story Behind Famous WWII Photo 
HOLLYWOOD - The flag-raising on Iwo Jima is an icon: a photograph instantly recognizable and forever associated with World War II. A new film by Oscar-winner Clint Eastwood tells the stories of the men in that image and what happened to them afterward. Alan Silverman has a look […]

Sean Connery Honored at Rome’s First Film Festival 
ROME - Scottish actor Sean Connery is in Rome to take part in the city’s first international film festival. He received the festival’s inaugural lifetime achievement award at an opening concert conducted by Italian maestro Riccardo Muti. 
For Rome, the festival seems like a return to the era of […]

WASHINGTON - For ABC, the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks will be marked with a new kind of controversy over alleged political motives in a new miniseries, slated to be aired on prime-time slots this coming Monday and Tuesday.
Titled The Path to 9/11, the 5-hour film is slated to be aired over […]

CAIRNS - Steve Irwin, the environmentalist and star of The Crocodile Hunter, died Monday after an accident with a stingray near Cairns, Australia, according to local Australian media. He was 44.
Irwin was filming an underwater documentary for his daughter’s television show, by Port Douglas, Queensland around 11 a.m. Eastern Australian Time (0100 UTC) when he […]

One of the last stars of Hollywood’s golden era, actor Glenn Ford, has died.Ford’s film career started in 1937 but his first memorable starring appearance was in 1946 in the film noir classic “Gilda,” with Rita Hayworth.
He made his reputation in “tough guy” roles in such films as “The Big Heat,” but went on to […]

SOMERVILLE, Mass. - Farm Aid today announced artist additions to the lineup at its annual benefit concert. Artists representing a variety of genres are slated to join Farm Aid president and founder Willie Nelson and board members Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews on Sept. 30 at the Tweeter Center at the Waterfront in […]

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The American Screenwriters Association (ASA) announced today four bold initiatives to pioneer how people can become screenwriters and change the way future generations will be entertained. “If someone has an idea for a movie, or has been writing for years and needs a big break, our initiatives are the keys to […]

San Angelo intern unearths history in Washington
By Jared A. Taylor
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
WASHINGTON – When she arrived at the Library of Congress in June, Amanda Mueller had no idea what she’d find.
After spending 10 weeks poring though more than 7,000 documents, Mueller discovered some lost pieces showcasing America’s creativity.
A San Angelo, Texas, native, Mueller said […]

WASHINGTON - Following are the president’s remarks at the Celebration of Black Music Month at the White House:
Glad you’re here. Thank you all. Welcome to the White House, and thank you for joining us as we celebrate Black Music Month.
I wish Laura were here, but she’s got a good excuse. She’s in New Orleans. She […]

WASHINGTON - Blues legend B.B. King will commemorate “Black Music Month,” as designated by Presidential proclamation, with a performance at the White House on Monday, June 26.
He’ll be joined by Patti Austin and Irvin Mayfield.
A number of guests, including President George W. Bush, will gather on the South Lawn for the event.
In a previous proclamation, […]