Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

Depp rates 'Sexiest Man' title, again

New York -- Get lost, Hugh Jackman. This year's "Sexiest Man Alive" is once again Johnny Depp.

Depp nudged aside Jackman to get the coveted endorsement from People magazine Wednesday. It's the 46-year-old actor's second time as "Sexiest Man Alive." He also won in 2003.

Kate Coyne, senior editor at People, said on CBS' "Early Show" that Depp has achieved an almost "iconic status in terms of sexiness."

Palin kicks off book tour

Grand Rapids, Mich. College students ditched class, employees skipped work, and some huddled in the cold overnight just to make sure they got an orange wristband Wednesday that would let them meet Sarah Palin.

Thousands gathered outside a Barnes & Noble and chanted "Palin! Palin! Palin!" for the kickoff of the former Republican vice presidential candidate's "Going Rogue" book tour, which has taken on the feel of a political pep rally.

Country music played as Palin's tour bus, painted to resemble the cover of her book, pulled up to the Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids.

"I just can't tell you how good it is to be back in Michigan," the former Alaska governor told the crowd.

Swift to give greetings

Cleveland Fresh off her triumph at the Country Music Association Awards, Taylor Swift has netted a deal to create a line of greeting cards.

American Greetings Corp. CEO Zev Weiss says Swift's abilities as a storyteller and songwriter make her a natural for writing cards that will appeal to all ages.

The Cleveland-based company said Tuesday that cards, gift wrap, stationery, online greetings and other related products overseen by Swift will begin appearing in the spring.

Richie ill with pneumonia

Los Angeles Nicole Richie has been admitted to a Los Angeles hospital and is being treated for pneumonia. Her representative says she's doing well.

Publicist Nicole Perna said Wednesday the 28-year-old actress checked herself into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Webber back in hospital

London Andrew Lloyd Webber has been readmitted to a hospital after developing an infection following surgery for prostate cancer.

A statement on the composer's Web site Wednesday said he had come down with a postoperative chronic infection that needed immediate treatment.

Artist Kriesberg dies

New York American painter Irving Kriesberg has died in New York City. He combined intense abstract colors with human and animal elements.

His son, Matthias, tells The New York Times his father died Nov. 11 of complications from Parkinson's disease. He was 90.

Kriesberg's works appear in major museums, including New York's Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington.

Birthdays today

Talk show host Larry King, 76

Talk show host Dick Cavett, 73

Media mogul Ted Turner, 71

Fashion designer Calvin Klein, 67

Sportscaster Ahmad Rashad, 60

Actress Kathleen Quinlan, 55

Actress Allison Janney, 50

Drummer Matt Sorum, 49

Actress Meg Ryan, 48

Actress Jodie Foster, 47

Country singer Billy Currington, 36