Judd death alters Hall of Fame event
Ray Charles and The Judds joined the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday in a ceremony filled with tears, music and laughter, just a day after Naomi Judd died unexpectedly.
The loss of Naomi Judd altered the normally celebratory ceremony, but the music played on, as the genre’s singers and musicians mourned the country legend while also celebrating the four inductees: The Judds, Ray Charles, Eddie Bayers and Pete Drake. Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill and many more performed the inductees’ hit songs.
Naomi and Wynonna Judd were among the most popular duos of the 1980s. On the eve of her induction, the family said in a statement that Naomi Judd died at age 76 due to “the disease of mental illness.”
Daughters Wynonna and Ashley Judd accepted the induction amid tears.
“I’m sorry that she couldn’t hang on until today,” Ashley Judd said of her mother to the crowd while crying. Wynonna Judd talked about the family gathering as they said goodbye to her, and she and Ashley Judd recited Psalm 23.
“Though my heart is broken I will continue to sing,” Wynonna Judd said.
Charles’ induction showcased his genredefying country releases, which demonstrated country music’s commercial appeal. The singer and piano player grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry and in 1962 released “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music,” which became one of the best selling country releases of his era.
Bayers, a drummer in Nashville for decades who worked on 300 platinum records, is a member of the Grand Ole Opry band and
the first drummer to join the institution.
Drake, who died in 1988, was a pedal steel guitar player and a member of Nashville’s A-team of skilled session musicians. He is the first pedal steel guitar player to become part of the Hall of Fame.
Murray says behavior led to film’s pause:
Bill Murray on Saturday acknowledged that his behavior on set led to a complaint from a woman and the suspension of filming on his latest movie.
The actor, in his first comments about the shutdown of “Being Mortal,” described the incident as a “difference of opinion,” but declined to provide specifics on what transpired, or who it involved.
“I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn’t taken that way,” he told CNBC during an interview. “The movie studio wanted to do the right thing so they wanted to check it all out, investigate it, and so they stopped the production.”
Murray said he and the unnamed woman are talking it through and “trying to make peace with each other.”
The comedian, 71, suggested the changing
nature of what’s considered appropriate humor was a factor. “It’s been quite an education for me,” he said.
Jolie makes surprise Ukraine visit:
Actor and U.N. humanitarian Angelina Jolie made a surprise visit to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Saturday, the Lviv regional governor said on Telegram.
According to Maksym Kozytskyy, Jolie — who has been a UNHCR Special Envoy for Refugees since 2011 — had come to speak with displaced people who have found refuge in Lviv, including children undergoing treatment for injuries suffered in the missile strike on the Kramatorsk railway station in April.
He said Jolie also visited a boarding school, spoke with students and took photos with them.
May 3 birthdays: Singer Frankie Valli is 88. Sportscaster Greg Gumbel is 76. Singer Christopher Cross is 71. Actor Bobby Cannavale is 52. TV personality Willie Geist is 47. Actor Christina Hendricks is
47. Actor Dule Hill is 47. Singer Eric Church is 45. Dancer Cheryl Burke is
38. Actor Zoe De Grand Maison is 27.