Kermit, Miss Piggy boosting Big Apple
Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy are Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s newest allies in his mission to attract more visitors to New York City.
The Muppets joined Bloomberg on Friday as he announced that Jim Henson’s lovable creations are the city’s official “Family Ambassadors.”
The whole gang will encourage families to travel to the Big Apple. They’ll highlight the city’s family-friendly restaurants, parks and other attractions.
Kermit told reporters that he plans to hang out in the pond in Central Park. But Miss Piggy said she prefers shopping at Tiffany’s.
Bloomberg was also joined by Gonzo the Great and Pepe the King Prawn.
Franchitti proud of Judd
Four-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti applauded wife Ashley Judd on Friday for standing up to accusations she’s had plastic surgery.
“I had read something about these comments on her face, and I got really (mad) and I said to her ‘This is outrageous. This has gone too far,’ ” he told the Associated Press. “But that’s all I did. My reaction to it got her thinking, and then she did everything else. She’s the one who had the courage to go out there and I am really proud of her for doing it.”
Judd on Monday released an essay that decried the speculation about her appearance. She said the puffiness in her face was caused by steroids she was taking to treat a sinus infection.
“The conversation was pointedly nasty, gendered, and misogynistic and embodies what all girls and women in our culture, to a greater or lesser degree, endure every day,” Judd wrote, stressing the issue is about “the assault on (women’s) body image.”
Tom Petty’s, band’s guitars stolen
Five guitars belonging to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have been stolen from a Southern California soundstage where the band has been rehearsing for an upcoming tour.
The band offered a “no questions asked” $7,500 reward for information leading to the return of the instruments.
The stolen guitars include Petty’s blond 1967 12-string Rickenbacker and his Gibson SGTVJunior, Mike Campbell’s blue Dusenberg, Ron Blair’s Fender Broadcaster and Scott Thurston’s 1967 Epiphone Sheridan.
The birthday bunch
Singer Bobby Vinton is 77. Actress Ellen Barkin is 58. Bassist Jason Scheff (Chicago) is 50. Singer Jimmy Osmond is 49. Singer David Pirner (Soul Asylum) is 48. Actor-comedian Martin Lawrence is 47. Actor Jon Cryer is 47. Actor Peter Billingsley (“A Christmas Story”) is 41. Actor Lukas Haas is 36.