Saturday, 31 May 2008
Guitar great Jeff Healey dies, 41
Healey, who was 41, had battled cancer throughout his life and died on Sunday in Toronto.
As an infant Healey lost his eyesight due to retino blastoma, a rare form of cancer.
He began playing the guitar when he was three-years-old and developed a style of playing the guitar across his lap while seated.
Discovered by the legendary guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan in a Toronto bar at 15, Healey put together his first band at 17 and later found fame with his trio The Jeff Healey Band.
The trio's debut, 'See the Light', was Grammy-nominated and gave them a US hit with the track 'Angel Eyes'.
Healey explored early jazz on his later albums but had completed work on his first rock and blues album in eight years, 'Mess of Blues'. It was due for release in Europe on 20 March.
He is survived by his wife and two children.
Thursday, 29 May 2008
Actor Heath Ledger found dead in New York
Police say he was found in his home in SoHo by a housekeeper. The cause of his death is as yet unknown but policespokesperson, Paul Browne, said that they are investigating the possibility of a drugs overdose.
The 28-year-old star of Brokeback Mountain has a daughter with Michelle Williams, his co-star on that film. The couple reportedly split-up last year.
Phillippe addresses marriage rumours
The 33-year-old star told W magazine that the end of his seven-year marriage left him in "the darkest, saddest place" that he had ever been in.
The actor said: "There were a good four or five months of not being able to get out of bed. It was the worst time in my life."
He continued: "You get through it. It's a process that's not easy, but I get less and less sad about it every day."
Speaking about the reason for the couple's break-up, he said that the situation was "far more complicated and far less interesting than it's made out to be".
He said: "To look and search for these salacious reasons, to pin it on a person, or a moment in someone's life, it's not realistic."
Phillippe also denied rumours that actress Abbie Cornish was responsible for the break-up of his marriage.
"It was unfair for her to be called the names that she was, because it wasn't about that.
"I don't think an outside person can ever cause a divorce. I had difficulties in my relationship, and in my marriage, long before I ever met her," the actor said.
Winehouse visits clinic after video expos�
The star is said to have visited a clinic in north-west London with her father for a two-hour appointment.
The visit comes as the Metropolitan Police confirmed it would investigate a video obtained by The Sun that appeared to show her inhaling fumes from a crack pipe, taking other drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine and admitting to downing six Valium.
The disturbing images were said to have been filmed during a party at Winehouse's east London home in the early hours of last Friday, hours before she attended a court hearing for husband Blake Fielder-Civil.
He is awaiting trial on charges of assault and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
The 24-year-old's father Mitch told The Sun: "Your video of Amy taking drugs may well be the best thing that has ever happened to her.
"For all the hurt and pain, it may finally be the thing to focus her mind and convince her to get the help she needs to quit for good."
Winehouse's spokesman told reporters the appointment at the clinic was a regular weekly session which formed part of her continuing treatment for drug addiction.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Officers will be viewing the footage when we receive it from the media.
"We will then assess the footage to ascertain whether any action needs to be taken. As always we thank the media for their co-operation."
In The Sun's video the singer appears to be having a 19-minute drugs binge in which she snorts powdered ecstasy and cocaine before heading to her bedroom, where she inhales crack cocaine in front of her wedding photo.
Looking dishevelled and wearing a grubby black vest, she is left barely able to talk.
When friends ask her to go out with them, she is heard to reply: "I'd be useless to you because I've had about six Valium."
Sean Combs - Combs Kanye Changed My Life
SEAN COMBS has credited hip-hop star KANYE WEST with changing his life - insisting the rapper's recent tour left him feeling inspired.
The Bad Boy Records boss has posted a film on video-sharing website YouTube, attributing his new-found hunger for hip-hop to West's impassioned performance on his ongoing Glow in the Dark tour.
Combs says, "The other night, I go to the Kanye West concert ? (I had) nothing by high expectations. (West's) concert changed my life. I ain't gonna lie. I was so impressed and inspired. It was beautiful man - and I fell in love with hip-hop again.
"I want to say thank you, Kanye, for giving me that."
West is currently headlining the U.S. leg of his tour with support from N.E.R.D., Lupe Fiasco and Rihanna.
The tour has attracted a huge celebrity following with stars including Ryan Phillippe and Jamie Foxx, newlyweds Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz and Gwen Stefani with husband Gavin Rossdale, who were all spotted in attendance at the Los Angeles concert last month (Apr08).
See Also
Ashlee Simpson takes hubby Pete Wentz's name - Tabloid Hell
The pop star and Fall Out Boy bassist were married in a secret ceremony earlier this month, as previously reported.
Wentz said he left the decision completely up to his new wife. "These decisions with Ashlee and her name are all completely up to Ashlee," he told People. "I want her to do these kinds of things the way she wants to do them."
Simpson said she decided to follow tradition. "I think that that's something that a woman should do when they're marrying a man. It's a tradition that I think is a great tradition."
The singer intends to go by the name Ashlee Wentz in her private life, and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz professionally.
The couple have yet to confirm rumours that they are expecting their first child.
--By our Los Angeles staff.
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