Couric sympathetic to Curry’s plight
Katie Couric feels bad for Ann Curry.
The former co-host of NBC’s “Today” show was in Indianapolis on Tuesday to take a drive around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Danica Patrick. The feature will air sometime after Couric’s syndicated talk show, called “Katie,” debuts in September.
When Couric left “Today” to go to CBS, Curry was passed over for the top job for Meredith Vieira. And Curry was recently replaced as a co-host by Savannah Guthrie after about a year on the job.
Couric said: “I felt bad for Ann and I felt bad for the whole team on the show. Transitions like that are really tough. But I know she’ll go on and do great things.”
Oprah to be honored at ball
Oprah Winfrey is getting a tribute from Alicia Keys.
Keys announced Tuesday that her organization, Keep a Child Alive, will honor Winfrey at its Black Ball event on Nov. 1.
Keys said in a statement that the media mogul is “a personal inspiration to me because her philanthropic work truly comes from the heart.”
Winfrey’s humanitarian efforts include building schools in South Africa.
Keep a Child Alive was founded in 2003. It assists those affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. Keys said this year’s Black Ball will pay “special tribute to the empowerment of women – the heartbeat, soul, and backbone of the AIDS movement.”
The ninth annual event will take place at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom. Past honorees include former President Bill Clinton, Sir Richard Branson and Bono.
Real arrest made near movie set
Boston police say an officer working at the set of the Sandra Bullock police buddy movie “The Heat” has helped chase down a man suspected in a fatal stabbing.
Police say one man was killed and two others were injured after an argument about a block from the movie, filming in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood.
Police say the dispute began Tuesday afternoon at a Social Security Administration office and continued in a parking lot outside. The victims are believed to range in age from 17 to 21. The survivors’ injuries aren’t considered life-threatening. Police are investigating the relationships among the four men.
The birthday bunch
Actor Tab Hunter is 81. Ventriloquist Jay Johnson (“Soap”) is 63. Actor Bruce McGill (“Animal House”) is 62. Guitarist Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) is 53. Actor Justin Chambers (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 42. Rapper Lil Kim is 37. Singer Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) is 36.