Don’t plan to bid on will.i.am’s torch
Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am has carried the Olympic flame in Britain, trotting through the western English city of Taunton to the cheers of thousands.
The 37-year-old star was a surprise addition to the torch relay Monday and performed a short moonwalk as the crowd roared. He said he was thinking “Me and Michael,” a reference to the late Michael Jackson, who made the dance move famous.
The star, whose real name is William Adams, said he’s known for about a year that he’d carry the torch but was told not to tweet about it. But when it all started, he held his phone in the air, asking residents to follow him on Twitter.
Unlike others, his torch will not be going up for sale. Will.i.am said, “I don’t eBay.”
Daredevil to (grudgingly) wear tether
Daredevil Nik Wallenda said he’s not happy about it but he’ll probably be tethered to the tightrope that he plans to walk over Niagara Falls next month.
Wallenda said Monday that ABC is adamant about making him wear the safety device out of concern for viewers who tune in to the network’s three-hour, prime-time special on June 15.
He said he’s upset by the condition because he’s never worn a tether during a performance and it will give him another thing to contend with as he walks through the mist and wind over the waterfall.
ABC spokesman Jeffrey Schneider said the network has said all along that safety measures would be in place during the live broadcast.
Wallenda is a seventh-generation member of the famous daredevil family the Great Wallendas.
Illness postpones George Jones shows
Country music star George Jones is in the hospital again with a respiratory infection.
A spokesman says the 80-year-old singer was hospitalized Monday afternoon in Nashville, Tenn., and that concert dates through June will be rescheduled where possible.
Jones spent about a week in the hospital in March, also forcing a round of postponements.
The “White Lightning” singer was due to return to the stage this weekend at the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Jones will miss about seven shows in Georgia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Arizona and Nevada.
The Country Music Hall of Fame member is widely considered the greatest male voice in country music history.
The birthday bunch
Actor Michael Constantine (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding,”) is 85. Actress Barbara Parkins (“Peyton Place”) is 70. Singer Morrissey is 53. Actress Ann Cusack is 51. Model Naomi Campbell is 42. Actress Anna Belknap (“CSI: NY”) is 40. Actor Sean Gunn (“Gilmore Girls”) is 38. Actress Ginnifer Goodwin (“Once Upon a Time”) is 34.