People: New portrait marks Elizabeth’s birthday
A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by renowned British photographer David Bailey has been unveiled to mark the monarch’s 88th birthday.
The black-and-white photograph, taken at Buckingham Palace in March, shows the queen smiling broadly. Bailey described his subject as a “very strong woman” with “very kind eyes with a mischievous glint.”
The portrait, unveiled Sunday for the queen’s birthday today, was commissioned for a government campaign to promote Britain’s heritage and tourism to potential visitors abroad.
Prince, Warner Bros. reach accord
Prince now owns the rights to the music he recorded on Warner Bros. Records after years of disputes and battles with the record label.
Warner Bros. announced Friday it had reached an agreement with the pop icon, who was signed to the label from 1978 to the mid-1990s, during which time he released key projects like “Purple Rain,” “1999,” “Diamonds and Pearls” and “Around the World in a Day.” Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Prince’s new partnership will include the release of “previously unheard material” from his nearly two-decade tenure on the label. A 30th-anniversary edition of “Purple Rain” will be released this summer.
Prince, 55, said in a statement that he’s “pleased with the results of the negotiations” and looks “forward to a fruitful working relationship.”
Miss America backs prom inviter
Miss America is asking a Pennsylvania school district to reconsider the punishment of a senior who asked her to prom during the question-and-answer portion of an assembly.
The York Dispatch reported Sunday that Nina Davuluri posted a statement on the Miss America Organization’s Facebook page saying she contacted Central York High School to ask officials to rethink the three-day in-school suspension issued to 18-year-old Patrick Farves.
Davuluri said her travel schedule will prevent her from attending the dance with Farves.
School officials knew Farves intended to ask her to prom and warned him not to do it. Fellow students cheered afterward, but Farves was suspended for misbehaving.
He apologized for disrupting Thursday’s event. Davuluri was there to talk about the importance of science, technology, engineering and math studies.
The birthday bunch
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is 88. Actress-comedian-writer Elaine May is 82. Actor Charles Grodin is 79. Singer-musician Iggy Pop is 67. Actress Patti LuPone is 65. Actor Tony Danza is 63. Actress Andie MacDowell is 56. Rock singer Robert Smith (The Cure) is 55. Actor James McAvoy is 35. Actor Christoph Sanders is 26.