B’day surprise for ageless Day
She’s actually 95
LOS ANGELES, April 3, (AP): To Doris Day’s many admirers, the pert and fresh-faced charmer who starred in “Pillow Talk” and “Move Over Darling” is ageless.
But Day turns 95 on Monday — which is a birthday surprise to even the star herself, who has long pegged her age to a 1924 birthdate that would make her 93. Media outlets have variously reported her as between 93 and 95.
A copy of Day’s birth certificate, obtained by The Associated Press from Ohio’s Office of Vital Statistics, settles the issue: Doris Mary Kappelhoff, her pre-fame name, was born on April 3, 1922, making her 95. Her parents were Alma and William Kappelhoff of Cincinnati.
“I’ve always said that age is just a number and I have never paid much attention to birthdays, but it’s great to finally know how old I really am!” Day said in a statement Sunday.
She’s in excellent company with other vibrant Hollywood standouts lucky enough to reach that milestone year, including Betty White, a close friend, and Carl Reiner.
“There has long been speculation and rumors about Doris’ age and we get this question a lot, looks like we finally have the answer,” said Day’s spokesman, Charley Cullen Walters. “The story I have heard the most is that at one point Doris was up for a role when quite young and her age may have been miswritten on the audition form. We don’t know if that’s correct, but if so it could’ve simply stuck for all these years.”
He said Day and White had long joked about White being two years older.
“Now we know that they are actually just a couple months apart, and turns out it’s an even bigger exciting landmark than we thought,” Walters said. White was born in January 1922.
ask her to marry him.
She said yes. (AP)
NEW YORK:
Facebook and Mozilla are
On previous birthdays, Day has said she doesn’t care about her age but rather using the occasion to highlight her favorite cause: animals.
A longtime supporter of animal welfare, Day founded the nonprofit Doris Day Animal Foundation in 1978 to provide grants to projects that rescue, care for and protect animals. Among the wide-ranging recipients: a group that helps seniors and others with pet care needs; one that provides trained service dogs for veterans and others; Iowa Parrot Rescue, and Misfit Acres, a Minnesota horse sanctuary.
Mission
Day, who lives in Carmel, California, has effectively parlayed her fame for her mission. This year, she’s seeking to bring younger people on board with a social media campaign that asks people to post a photo or video of their pet with the hashtag #DorisBirthdayWish and the tag @ddaf_org for her foundation. The best of the submissions will be combined into a digital birthday card for her.
Famous friends and admirers are among those saluting Day online. Country music star Reba McEntire tweeted that she was donating to the foundation and invited her Twitter followers to do the same.
Day, who started out as a big band singer, made her film debut in 1948 with “Romance On the High Seas” before starring in a string of smashhit 1950s and ‘60s rom-coms. She remained a pop star as well, with hits including “Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera)” and “Secret Love.”
“Pillow Talk” earned her an Academy Award nomination, and she won critical acclaim for dramatic turns in “Midnight Lace” and “Love Me or Leave Me.” But Oscar gold, including the lifetime achievement award that her career justifies, hasn’t come to her.
Yet Day, who once dismissed her
among the companies and organizations launching a $14 million fund to promote news literacy and increase trust in journalism.
The nonprofit, called the News Integrity “goody two shoes” image as “so boring,” isn’t necessarily predictable: Walters said she has been offered the honorary award several times and politely declined. She always concludes, he said, in a “classic Doris tone — ‘Never say never!’”
Also: POUGHKEEPSIE, New York:
A concert venue owned by recording star Daryl Hall is suing a New York town, saying that measures taken to reduce the occupancy of the site would force the business to close.
The Poughkeepsie Journal reports the dispute comes amid negotiations to build an outdoor stage at Daryl’s House, a venue owned by the Hall and Oates musician.
A lawsuit filed in March seeks to prevent the town of Pawling from lowering the venue’s maximum occupancy from 318 standees to 198.
The lawsuit comes in response to notice given in early March that says the venue’s headcount was over capacity.
“Live From Daryl’s House” is a music program that films at the Hudson Valley venue. Performers last year included Kenny Loggins, Wyclef Jean, Cheap Trick and Elle King.
LOS ANGELES:
Michael Jackson’s son, Prince, is showing off a tattoo tribute to the late King of Pop.
Prince Jackson posted a video of the new ink on Instagram on Friday. It shows Michael Jackson in a signature black-and-red outfit striking a dance pose. His up-raised arms are laced with angel wings. Prince Jackson calls the tattoo “incredible and beautiful.” He says it took nine hours to complete.
He and younger sister Paris also revealed a set of companion tattoos last month, with each sporting one half of the yin and yang symbol on their legs.
Initiative, will be based at the City University of New York. It will run as an independent project of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.
Others contributing to the fund include Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and the Ford Foundation.
Recent polls show the public’s trust in the news industry at a low.
False news and misinformation, often masquerading as trustworthy news and spreading on social media, has gained a lot of attention since the 2016 US presidential election. Companies like Facebook are trying to address the issue. (AP)
LOS ANGELES:
China’s theatrical box office showed no sign of recovery in the first quarter of the year. A weak March followed an up and down first two months.
Box office revenue for March was RMB3.37 billion ($88 million) according to data from Ent Group. That was a 9% lower than March 2016 when the reported total was $539 million (RMB3.72 billion.) Admissions were 101 million compared with 109 million in the equivalent month last year.
(Data had shown January gaining on last year, and February declining. But with the Chinese New Year holidays having shifted from February last year into January this time, such month-by-month comparisons were distorted.) (RTRS)