Billboard ropes itself a Reba
Billboard has named Reba McEntire its first “Woman of the Year.”
The award coincides with the magazine’s second annual Women in Music issue, coming early next month.
Billboard Group editorial director Tamara Conniff says McEntire was chosen for the honor because of her wide success in music, television, movies and publishing, calling her “an inspiration to women everywhere.”
Says McEntire, 53: “Although my career has taken me to TV, film and Broadway, music is and always will be my first love. I am touched to be embraced in such a warm way.”
She has a new album of duets coming out today that pairs her with the likes of Justin Timberlake, Don Henley, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny Chesney, Carole King and Faith Hill.
McEntire grew up on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma, where her father was a champion calf roper.
She struggled through the late ‘70s to build a singing career in Nashville, scoring her first major hit in 1980 with “(You Lift Me Up) to Heaven.” Her other No. 1 hits include “Little Rock” and “What Am I Gonna Do About You.”
Dress reversal
Carol Channing‘s signature dress – a shimmery number she wore in the stage production of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” – has been recovered after being stolen from a Hollywood hotel as the 86-year-old actress checked in last week.
A man found an abandoned bag containing the dress at a Hollywood park and turned it over to authorities, a police spokesman said.
Earning from his stripes
Peter Fonda is auctioning off some of his memorabilia from “Easy Rider,” including the American flag from the back of the jacket he wore throughout the groundbreaking 1969 film.
Other items up for auction Oct. 6 will include a Department of Defense pin that adorned the jacket and Fonda’s gold record for the movie’s soundtrack album.
Brotherly love
Will Ferrell is auctioning a cameo spot in his new movie, “Step Brothers,” to raise money for a cancer foundation run by an old USC fraternity brother.
Craig Pollard, a two-time survivor of Hodgkin’s disease, started Cancer for College to provide college scholarships to current and former cancer patients.
The opening bid for the movie appearance is $5,000. Bidding will close Sept. 26.
Grading her on the curves?
Shakira may get high marks in singing and swiveling her hips, but what about history?
For the past month, the 30-year-old Colombian pop star has been taking a class at UCLA titled “Introduction to Western Civilization: Ancient Civilizations from Prehistory to Circa A.D. 843.”
“I was really impressed with how intelligent she was,” said course lecturer Robert Cleve.
The birthday bunch
Singer Jimmie Rodgers is 74. Actor Robert Blake is 74. Actor Fred Willard is 68. Singer-actor Frankie Avalon is 67. Actor James Gandolfini is 46. Actress Jada Pinkett Smith is 36. Actor James Marsden is 34. Rapper Xzibit is 33. Actors Taylor and Brandon Porter (“Party of Five”) are 14.