Stewart taking break from ‘Daily’ duties
Stewart
Comedy Central says Jon Stewart will take a break from “The Daily Show” starting in June to direct and produce his first feature film.
The network said Tuesday that correspondent-writer John Oliver will host the fake news show for the eight weeks of original episodes scheduled during Stewart’s hiatus. Stewart is expected back in the anchor chair shortly after Labor Day, Sept. 2.
The film, titled “Rosewater,” was written by Stewart and is based on a book by Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari. London resident Bahari was falsely accused of being a spy and imprisoned by the Iranian government in 2009 while covering Iran’s presidential election.
Bieber apologizes to fans and parents
Justin Bieber apologized Tuesday to his young fans – and their outraged, overtired parents – after they accused him of taking the stage inconsiderately late for a concert in London. The singer insisted he had only been 40 minutes behind schedule, and blamed “technical issues.”
But, he added in a tweet to his 35 million followers: “There is no excuse for that and I apologize for anyone we upset. However it was great show and I’m proud of that.”
Concertgoers said the teenage star appeared onstage at the 02 Arena on Monday just before 10:30 p.m., almost two hours after the anticipated start time. Some in the audience said they faced a choice between leaving early and missing the last trains home.
The venue apologized on its Twitter feed “to all the Justin Bieber fans for the lateness of his show tonight.” But it said the subway was still running when the show ended at 11:47 p.m., and extra boats and taxis were brought in to help people leave the riverside venue. The 02 said Bieber had actually been about 50 minutes late.
Jepsen won’t perform for Boy Scouts
Carly Rae Jepsen is canceling her performance at the national Boy Scouts of America Jamboree because of the organization’s exclusion of gays. Jepsen, the Canadian pop singer best known for the inescapable hit “Call Me Maybe,” made the announcement Tuesday on Twitter.
“I always have and will continue to support the LGBT community on a global level,” she wrote.
Rock band Train also has taken a stand, but pursued a different tack in a post on its website Friday. The group asked the BSA to reconsider its policy rather than immediately pull out of the July gathering in West Virginia. The event is expected to draw more than 45,000 scouts and adults.
The birthday bunch
Opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is 69. Singer Mary Wilson (The Supremes) is 69. Rock singer-musician David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) is 67. Actor-director Rob Reiner is 66. Actor Tom Arnold is 54. Actress Connie Britton is 46. Rock musician Chris Broderick (Megadeth) is 43.