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In the news
By Times staff writer Virgin won't pay for Aaliyah's funeralVirgin Records is reneging on a verbal agreement to pay the costs of preparation and transport of the bodies of R&B singer Aaliyah and eight members of her entourage who died in a small-plane crash last year, Time magazine reports in its Aug. 19 issue. Butlers' Funeral Homes and Crematorium in Nassau, the Bahamas, is out $68,000. "Virgin has indicated to us that they will not honor the agreement," funeral home director Loretta Turner told Time. Robert Spragg, attorney for Aaliyah's parents, Michael and Diane Haughton, said the Haughtons were also told by Virgin executives they would be reimbursed for funeral expenses, but have received nothing. The Haughtons are suing Virgin and others over the crash. The record label, a division of EMI, has been in financial straits since Aaliyah's death, and the executives who allegedly made the promises, former EMI chief executive Ken Berry and his wife, former Virgin vice chairman Nancy Berry, have left the company. Widespread Panic guitarist diesMichael "Mikey" Houser, guitarist and singer for the rock band Widespread Panic, died Saturday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 40. Houser released a statement last month explaining his illness and saying he would not participate in its summer tour. His death was reported in the Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald and on the band's Web site Sunday. Houser began playing in 1982 with the band's vocalist, John Bell, while attended the University of Georgia. The band formed three years later with bass player Dave Schools, percussionist Domingo Ortiz and keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann. The family is encouraging people to make contributions to the Michael Houser Music Fund, a program at Athens Academy. Country stars earn high honorPorter Wagoner and Bill Carlisle will be joining country music's most elite club -- the Country Music Hall of Fame. They got the word from the Dixie Chicks on Saturday during the Grand Ole Opry radio show. "You guys are going to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame," Dixie Chick Martie Maguire told them on the air. "What an honor." The Nov. 6 induction will be part of the Country Music Association Awards, broadcast live on CBS. Hall of fame members are selected by a committee of the CMA, a trade organization. "I want you to know that I feel very honored tonight, said the 93-year-old Carlisle. "Thank you, thank you." Carlisle's hits include Too Old to Cut the Mustard and Is Zat You, Myrtle. Wagoner, 74, had a syndicated variety show for 20 years ending in 1981. His hits include A Satisfied Mind and The Carroll County Accident. He helped Dolly Parton get her start and the two had hit duets, including Please Don't Stop Loving Me. 'XXX' spies top spot over weekendIn a big weekend for espionage, a tattooed secret agent, two underage spies and a shagadelic sleuth from the past took three of the top five spots at the box office. XXX, an extreme reworking of the Bond genre, starring Vin Diesel, finished on top with $46-million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams was third with $17-million, and Austin Powers in Goldmember, remained groovy with audiences, finishing fourth with an estimated $13-million for a three-week total of $167.8-million. Signs, the Mel Gibson frightener about aliens and crop circles, dropped into second place with $30-million, for a two-week total of $118-million. Helping the strong showing for XXX was its PG-13 rating and the fact that it was an original film in a summer full of sequels, said Tom Sherak, a partner at Revolution Studios, which released the film in conjunction with Sony Pictures.
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From the wire |
