Estate to release rare Prince album
On July 30, the Prince Estate and Sony’s Legacy Recordings will release Prince’s “Welcome 2 America” album, which was recorded in 2010 but never released.
According to the announcement, the album is “a powerful creative statement that documents Prince’s concerns, hopes, and visions for a shifting society, presciently foreshadowing an era of political division, disinformation, and a renewed fight for racial justice.” “60 Minutes” correspondent Jon Wertheim got a preview of the album as well as the story behind it for a report airing Sunday on CBS.
Shortly after completing the “Welcome 2 America” album, Prince embarked on a tour of the same name that included multiple performances in several U.S. cities.
Burton backs ‘Jeopardy!’ host petition:
LeVar Burton, the former host of “Reading Rainbow” on PBS, appears to be lobbying to fill late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek’s shoes.
On Monday, Burton tweeted his implicit support for a petition posted on Change.org by linking to it. “Leaving this here in the event the powers that be are listening...” he wrote, clearly game to take a turn as the show’s guest host.
Signatures were pouring in, and as of Wednesday evening, the petition had more than 185,000 of the 200,000 being sought.
Parton mentor Owens dies:
Country songwriter Bill Owens, 85, who was a mentor and early songwriting partner to his niece Dolly Parton and helped start her career in country music, has died.
Parton’s publicist confirmed his death on Wednesday, and Parton wrote a lengthy eulogy
for her uncle, saying, “I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t been there.”
Owens also wrote songs recorded by Loretta Lynn, Porter Wagoner, Ricky Skaggs and Kris Kristofferson.
Ricci, Heerdegen settle custody battle:
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has signed off on a custody arrangement for actor Christina Ricci and filmmaker James Heerdegen’s son, Frederick “Freddie” Heerdegen. Ricci will have sole legal custody of the 6-year-old, while Heerdegen will have visitation rights, according to court documents. It’s not clear if the full custody judgment was tied to the restraining order Ricci was granted against Heerdegen in January.
Actor Olkewicz dies:
Actor Walter Olkewicz, 72, who had a recurring
gig on “Twin Peaks” and appeared on series such as “ER” and “Seinfeld,” died Tuesday. The actor’s death was confirmed by son Zak Olkewicz, who said his father battled health problems for two decades.
Olkewicz portrayed the Roadhouse bartender Jacques Renault during the original run of “Twin Peaks” and returned for its reboot. Known as a character actor, Olkewicz went on hiatus after suffering infections from knee surgeries, his son said.
April 9 birthdays: Actor Michael Learned is 82. Actor Dennis Quaid is 67. Host Joe Scarborough is 58. Actor Cynthia Nixon is 55. TV cook Sunny Anderson is 46. Singer Jesse McCartney is 34. Singer Jazmine Sullivan is 34. Actor Kristen Stewart is 31. Actor Elle Fanning is 23. Musician Lil Nas X is 22. Singer Jackie Evancho is 21.