White House to honor pop songwriting duo
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will honor songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David, a duo whose pop melodies and lyrics regularly hit the charts in the 1960s and early 1970s despite competition from more socially revolutionary performers.
Bacharach and David on Wednesday will receive the 2012 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Obama has honored Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder with the prize.
Performers at the White House will include Sheryl Crow, Lyle Lovett and Diana Krall.
The music of Bacharach and David has had longevity, with their songs covered by several artists. But it was Dionne Warwick who gave their music staying power. She recorded more than 60 Bacharach-David arrangements, with 19 reaching the top 40 list, including the hit “Walk on By.”
Beyonce wins journalism honor
Beyonce is accustomed to getting awards for writing songs, but now she’s earned one for writing a magazine piece.
The New York chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists will award Beyonce the first-place prize in arts and entertainment in its magazine category for a story she wrote for Essence magazine.
The first-person piece was titled “Eat, Play, Love” and appeared in the magazine’s July 2011 issue. In it, the Grammy winner talks about how taking a break from music changed her life.
The singer will receive the journalism honor at the association’s Scholarship and Awards Banquet on May 15 in New York.
Kardashian wants divorce soon
Kim Kardashian’s attorney says the television personality wants her divorce to move forward, but lawyers for her estranged husband say they’re still pursuing an annulment.
Kardashian’s attorney Laura Wasser told a judge Friday that she thinks Kris Humphries’ hurt feelings and media attention on the divorce are slowing the case. She noted the case has lasted longer than the couple’s 72-day marriage.
Wasser said the case is simple but could get expensive for the NBA player if he continues to pursue his claims that the marriage was a fraud. She said that if the case goes to trial, she’ll ask Humphries to pay legal fees.
Humphries’ attorney Marshall Waller said he needs to take depositions of several people before deciding how the case will proceed.
The birthday bunch
Actress Pat Carroll is 85. Saxophonist Ace Cannon is 78. Comedian-actor Michael Palin is 69. Rock singer Ian McCulloch (Echo and the Bunnymen) is 53. Rhythm and blues singer Raheem DeVaughn is 37. Soul singer Adele is 24. Rhythm-and-blues singer Chris Brown is 23.