Wonder, Common team for telethon
Stevie Wonder and Common will perform together for the seventh Stand Up To Cancer telethon, with Anthony Anderson, Sofia Vergara and husband-and-wife Ken Jeong and Tran Ho as hosts.
Brittany Howard also will perform on the hourlong special Aug. 21, with Matthew McConaughey, Chandra Wilson, Kate del Castillo, Jennifer Garner, MJ Rodriquez, Tony Hale, Jaime Camil and Max Greenfield among the celebrities helping to raise money for cancer research.
Reese Witherspoon and her husband, Jim Toth, are serving as executive producers.
The event, which is held every other year, will be carried simultaneously and commercial-free on 60-plus U.S. and Canadian broadcast, cable and streaming outlets, including ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. Families who have been affected by the disease will share their stories.
Supporters upset Burton isn’t new ‘Jeopardy!’ host:
Sony Pictures Television named Mike Richards and Mayim Bialik the respective hosts of “Jeopardy!” and its spinoffs Wednesday at the end of a monthslong search to replace the late Alex Trebek. Supporters of overwhelming fan favorite LeVar Burton — who recently guest hosted the quiz show and has openly campaigned to become the new face of the ABC program — met this week’s big news with outrage and disappointment on social media. Some even vowed to boycott the series in disapproval of the final picks and in solidarity with the actor.
Leading up to his stint as guest host, more than 257,000 fans signed an online petition nominating Burton to succeed Trebek.
Last week when rumors began circulating that “Jeopardy!” executive producer Richards was in final talks to host the show permanently, Burton released a positive statement on social media. “I have said many times over these past weeks that no matter the outcome, I’ve won,” he tweeted Aug. 5.
Burton has yet to respond to Wednesday’s casting announcement.
Plant, Krauss reunite for album:
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have reunited for another album more than a dozen years after their collaboration “Raising Sand” became a critical and commercial hit, earning six Grammy Awards.
The 12-track “Raise the Roof ” will be out Nov. 19 and is a collection of covers like its predecessor. It was completed in Nashville just weeks before the 2020 lockdown.
Plant and Krauss will tour together in 2022.
Bennett cancels tour:
Singer Tony Bennett has canceled his fall 2021 tour dates. Consisting of rescheduled prepandemic shows, the tour was slated to begin in September. The news is not a total surprise as Bennett’s two shows with Lady Gaga last week had been billed “One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga” and announced as the singer’s last New York City public performances. Bennett’s family also disclosed earlier this year that he is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Aug. 13 birthdays: Actor Kevin Tighe is 77. Singer Kathleen Battle is 73. Actor Danny Bonaduce is 62. Actor Dawnn Lewis is 60. Actor John Slattery is 59. Actor Debi Mazar is 57. Actor Quinn Cummings is
54. Actor Kathryn Fiore is
42. Actor Sebastian Stan is
39. Actor Eme Ikwuakor is 37. Actor Lennon Stella is 22.