People: No Woodward book this election season
A publishing fixture will be missing from this fall’s election season: A new Bob Woodward book.
Simon & Schuster spokeswoman Julia Prosser said Thursday no new Woodward book is expected this year. Woodward’s best-selling, insider White House accounts had appeared regularly for more than a decade in the fall of even-numbered years – major election years – and often made campaign news. Prosser said Woodward is writing a new book but declined to offer details.
Woodward’s previous books include four on George W. Bush’s administration, “Bush at War,” “Plan of Attack,” “State of Denial” and “The War Within,” and two on Barack Obama’s administration, “Obama’s Wars” and “The Price of Politics.”
Woodward, currently teaching at Yale University, will be involved in a book project this summer. To mark the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s resignation, he and former Washington Post colleague Carl Bernstein co-wrote an afterword for a reissue of their classic “All the President’s Men,” based on their Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting of the Watergate scandal.
Fergie promotes women’s program
Singer Fergie says the number of women who are abused by their partners “is totally unacceptable” and should be protected by existing laws that are often not enforced.
The Black Eyed Peas singer was at the State Department on Thursday to announce a new Justice Institute on Gender-Based Violence initiative to launch training programs in India, Nepal, South Africa and Mexico.
The training will bring together law enforcement, service providers and advocacy groups to ensure that abused women can rely on laws that too often are not understood by local authorities or ignored.
Avon Products Inc. is funding the four training centers for $650,000. Fergie is a global ambassador for the Avon Foundation for Women.
Crystal, Gad to explore new TV turf
Billy Crystal has agreed to star in a new television series in which he’s paired with Josh Gad in a story about two comics in a generational clash.
The series is called “The Comedians.” It’s set to air on the FX network next year. FX said it has ordered 13 episodes.
“The Comedians” is based on a format popular in Sweden and will look at a late-night television show on which egos and generations collide. The pilot episode was directed by Larry Charles, who worked on “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
Crystal has been well known for movie roles, a “Saturday Night Live” stint and repeated turns as Academy Awards host. But his last role in a regular TV series was on the 1970s ABC sitcom “Soap.”
The birthday bunch
Actor Timothy Dalton is 68. Singer Eddie Money is 65. Actor Gary Oldman is 56. Actor Matthew Broderick is 52. Comedian-talk show host Rosie O’Donnell is 52. Rapper-TV personality Kevin Federline is 36.