J.K. Rowling |
HOLLYWOOD - Top Story
Harry Potter fans have seen the movie, but they'll have to wait at least another six years before the wizard brings his magic to the stage.
A spokeswoman for author J.K. Rowling's agent Christopher Little told Reuters on Thursday that there were regular inquiries from all over the world about the stage rights but they were all met with a polite but firm refusal. "The dramatization rights are not yet licensed and are subject to a contractual holdback until 2007,'' she said. Rowling has written four novels about the boy wizard and plans to write another three in the near future. The Potter books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, topping adult bestseller lists.
Honored
Actor Gregory Peck, the honorary chairman of The Literary Odyssey Dinners, has helped raise $350,000 to teach adults to read, the Associated Press reports. The dinners, which cost $300 to $2,500 per plate, took place Nov. 3 in Santa Barbara and Nov. 5 in Los Angeles County. Philanthropist Eli Broad, who was in attendance, donated $200,000 of the money to adult literacy programs through the Los Angeles Public Library and its 67 branches. The program is run by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, a nonprofit fund-raising group run by 250 women.
In Courts
Singer Van Morrison has won an apology from the Irish tabloid newspaper, Independent Star, over an allegation he had an affair with American singer Linda Gail Lewis, BBCNews.com reports. Morrison also received an undisclosed sum in damages from the tabloid. "The terms of the settlement were agreed between the parties, but an apology from the publisher was read out in court,'' a spokeswoman for the High Court in Belfast told BBCNews.com on Thursday.
In General
The Irish rock band U2's album, The Joshua Tree, is the greatest album of all time, according to more than 250,000 of the fans who voted via phone, e-mail and on the Internet on the VH1 Web site over a period of 9 months. Michael Jackson's Thriller followed at No. 2 and Oasis' What's the Story Morning Glory captured in third place. The Beatles' Revolver album came in at No. 8. Other artists in the top 10 include Meat Loaf, Nirvana, Radiohead and Stevie Wonder. VH1's 100 Greatest Album chart will be broadcast on Nov. 24 on the cable music channel. Madonna doesn't always have the final say on her wardbrobe. The singer says she often asks her hubby, Guy Ritchie, if he thinks her outfits are too skimpy. "He doesn't like it when I wear see-through shirts. Because he doesn't want anyone to see my raspberries,'' Madonna, 43, said in an interview on British Broadcasting Corp. radio. "He doesn't want me to dress like an old slapper.'' So does Madonna always wear what hubby wants her to wear? " Sometimes," she says. She insists that she should be allowed to dress the way she wants, but "I have to pick and choose my battles.'' Former "Baby Spice" singer Emma Bunton told the British pop magazine Smash Hits that the four members of the Spice Girls have been discussing going on the road together next year. ``We've talked about touring again and it's something we'd really like to do but we have to give each other space to do our solo stuff,'' Bunton told the magazine. ``It'll probably be at least another year before it happens. It'll be an amazing show, with solo stuff, Spice stuff, a really good show.''