'Purple People Eater' Singer Wooley Dies
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Sheb Wooley, a veteran actor in westerns like "High Noon" who also recorded the No. 1 pop ditty "Purple People Eater," has died, his wife said. He was 82.
Wooley suffered from leukemia beginning in 1996 and was hospitalized Monday at Skyline Medical Center in Nashville. He had just paid respects to American music legend Johnny Cash on Sunday, said his wife Linda.
"It was just his time to go," she said.
Wooley, who died Tuesday, appeared in more than 60 movies, acted in some 50 television shows and recorded pop and country songs.
On the big screen, Wooley appeared in mostly westerns beginning in 1950. His credits included "High Noon" (as a whiskey-drinking killer), "The Outlaw Josey Wales," "The War Wagon," "Distant Drums," "Man Without a Star," "Giant" and "Hoosiers."
"The Purple People Eater," about an unidentified flying object, sold 3 million copies in 1958 as a No. 1 pop record.
The song had people across the country singing:
"It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater."
In a 1982 Associated Press interview, Wooley recalled the era.
"The space age was upon us. Everyone was thinking about rockets and wondering if maybe we would find people up there. I still wonder if we will. People (heard the song) and imagined some kind of beings."
He also was in a movie of that name released in 1988, starring Ned Beatty and Shelley Winters.
On TV, Wooley starred as scout Pete Nolan on "Rawhide," a western that helped launch the career of Clint Eastwood.
"We called him 'mumbles,'" Wooley once said about Eastwood. "He didn't speak his words very loud. The sound man was always saying, 'Kid, speak up!' But he mumbled his way to a fortune."
As recently as 1990, Wooley made a guest appearance on "Murder She Wrote." Other TV credits included "The Lone Ranger" and "Death Valley Days."
He recorded a string of hit records from 1958 through the 1960s, mostly country humor songs, including "Don't Go Near the Eskimos" and "Talk Back Blubbering Lips." Some were recorded under his alter ego, Ben Colder. He was voted comedian of the year by the Country Music Association in 1968.
He also wrote the theme song of the long-running TV show "Hee Haw."
Born Shelby F. Wooley in Erick, Okla., he spent his early years on his father's farm. As a teenager, he did some rodeo riding that helped him find jobs later in movie westerns. A genuine cowboy, he participated in a six-day cattle drive in Montana in 1989.
In high school, he formed a band and later had a network radio show for three years. He signed with MGM Records before making his way into movies.
Funeral services will be at "high noon" Monday, at his request, at First Baptist Church in nearby Hendersonville.
Rimes Readies 'Greatest' CD, DVD Set
"LeAnn Rimes Greatest Hits (To Be Continued)" will include 15 favorites from the just-turned-21 singer, as well as a pair of new songs. Due the same day will be a DVD version of the album, with videos, concert and behind-the scenes footage and home movies.
"Turning 21 is one of those rare moments that you can take to look back on your progress and look forward to the future at the same time," Rimes says in a statement. "This collection gives me the opportunity to take that look musically and share it with my fans."
One of the new songs, "The Weight of Love," was recently recorded in Nashville with fellow country artist Keith Urban, who contributes guitar to the cut. The second new song is not yet complete.
Among the "Greatest Hits" filling the collection are "Blue," "I Need You" and "Can't Fight the Moonlight." Also featured are newer songs "Life Goes On" and "We Can."
Following a short break to finish the new songs, Rimes' U.S. tour continues Friday (Sept. 19) in Merrillville, Ind. Together with Urban, she'll kick off a tour down under Oct. 17 in Auckland, New Zealand, and will be back on U.S. soil for a Nov. 1 show in Honolulu. She'll also appear on the Nov. 5 episode of the CBS primetime news series "48 Hours."
With a performance schedule that stretches into the fall, the release of a Rimes holiday album that was expected this year has been postponed.
Rimes' latest Curb album, 2002's "Twisted Angel," debuted at No. 3 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and No. 12 on The Billboard 200. The set has sold 384,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Britney Makes 'Music' With Madonna
As if their open-mouth kiss on the MTV Video Music Awards wasn't enough, Britney Spears and Madonna have teamed up on the first single from Spears' new album, according to her Jive Records Web site. "Me Against the Music," which Spears debuted earlier this month at the NFL kick-off concert in Washington, D.C., will be submitted Sept. 30 to U.S. radio outlets for airplay consideration. A video for the cut premieres Oct. 13 on MTV.
Spears' album, "Get in the Zone," will arrive Nov. 18 and may include contributions from P. Diddy, R. Kelly and the production team the Matrix, among others. Another new song, "Breathe on Me," was performed live during a surprise mini-concert in Las Vegas last weekend.
Billboard.com has learned Spears will tour North American arenas next year, although details have yet to be announced.
"Get in the Zone" will be the follow-up to Spears' 2001 album "Britney," which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 4.2 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Three New Novelists Among Booker Nominees
LONDON - Three first-time novelists have made the shortlist of nominees for this year's Booker Prize for fiction, leaving some famous writers out of the running.
"Brick Lane" by Monica Ali, "Vernon God Little" by D.B.C. Pierre, and "Astonishing Splashes of Colour" by Clare Morrall, are all the authors' first published novels.
The three other contenders for Britain's most prestigious literary award, announced by judges on Tuesday, are Margaret Atwood for "Oryx and Crake," Zoe Heller for "Notes on a Scandal" and "The Good Doctor" by South African writer Damon Galgut.
John Carey, chairman of the judges, said this year's list was notable for the number of debut novelists and the lack of star names such as Martin Amis and J.M. Coetzee, whose books — "Yellow Dog" and "Elizabeth Costello" respectively — didn't make it to the finals.
"This has been David's year, not Goliath's," Carey said. "None of the big names who started out as favorites are here except for Atwood. ... It's happened that the big names this year didn't produce big books."
The winner of the prize, to be announced Oct. 14, will receive $80,000.
Old, New Acts Highlight AMA Nominations
LOS ANGELES - Veteran performers, including Fleetwood Mac, Celine Dion and Cher, mixed with youngsters Beyonce and Avril Lavigne on the list of nominees for the 31st annual American Music Awards.
Dion received two nominations Tuesday, for favorite female pop-rock artist and favorite adult contemporary artist, where she's up against Cher and Norah Jones.
Jones, whose folksy, sensuous voice earned her five Grammys earlier this year, is also vying for favorite pop-rock album for her platinum debut "Come Away With Me."
No clear favorites emerged Tuesday, with two nominations each going to R. Kelly, Luther Vandross, Ashanti and Beyonce in the soul-R&B category, Shania Twain in the country category and Sean Paul and Missy Elliott in the rap-hip hop category.
Rapper Eminem also received two nods for favorite male rapper and for the soundtrack to his semi-autobiographical film "8 Mile."
The 20 awards will be presented during a ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Nov. 16, aired on ABC. Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel is the emcee.
The nominations are based on sales figures and radio play. Winners are selected by a survey of about 20,000 listeners. The nominees:
Pop-Rock:
- Male Artist: Clay Aiken, Kid Rock, John Mayer, Justin Timberlake.
- Female Artist: Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Lopez.
- Band, Duo or Group: Fleetwood Mac, matchbox twenty, 3 Doors Down.
- Album: "Fallen," Evanescence; "Come Away With Me," Norah Jones; "Cocky," Kid Rock; "Justified," Justin Timberlake.
Soul-R&B:
- Male Artist: Ginuwine, Jaheim, R. Kelly, Luther Vandross.
- Female Artist: Aaliyah, Ashanti, Beyonce.
- Band, Duo or Group: B2K, Dru Hill, The Isley Brothers.
- Album: "Chapter II," Ashanti; "Dangerously In Love," Beyonce; "Chocolate Factory," R. Kelly; "Dance With My Father," Luther Vandross.
Country:
- Male Artist: Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw.
- Female Artist: Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Shania Twain.
- Band, Duo or Group: Alabama, Brooks & Dunn, Dixie Chicks.
- Album: "Unleashed," Toby Keith; "Tim McGraw & The Dancehall Doctors," Tim McGraw; "Melt," Rascal Flatts; "Up!" Shania Twain.
Rap-Hip Hop:
- Male Artist: Eminem, 50 Cent, Nelly, Sean Paul.
- Female Artist: Missy Elliott, Eve, Lil' Kim.
- Band, Duo or Group: Black Eyed Peas, Bone Crusher, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz.
- Album: "Under Construction," Missy Elliott; "Get Rich Or Die Tryin,'" 50 Cent; "Dutty Rock," Sean Paul; "8 Mile," Soundtrack.
Adult Contemporary:
- Artist: Cher, Celine Dion, Norah Jones.
Latin Music:
- Artist: Kumbia Kings, Ricky Martin, Luis Miguel.
Alternative Music:
- Artist: Coldplay, Linkin Park, Metallica.
Contemporary Inspirational:
- Artist: Steven Curtis Chapman, MercyMe, Third Day.
'8 Simple Rules' to Go on Despite Ritter's Death
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - ABC said on Tuesday it was reshaping its hit comedy show "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" following the sudden death of main star John Ritter, and taking the TV family through the loss of a beloved father.
Saying it was entering "uncharted waters" for prime-time network television, ABC executives said all those associated with the show, including Ritter's widow Amy Yasbeck, wanted to continue.
But since there was no question of replacing Ritter as the stay-at-home TV dad with two troublesome teenage daughters, the network decided to write real life into the storyline.
"Future episodes will take viewers into the Hennessy household as they experience the loss of a beloved father and construct a new life," Lloyd Braun, chairman of the ABC Entertainment Television Group, told reporters.
Ritter, 54, collapsed in Burbank last Thursday while filming the fourth episode of the upcoming second season of the show. He died in hospital of a previously undetected heart ailment.
His death not only robbed American audiences of a favorite TV star but left the ailing ABC network facing a tough choice days before launching its new prime-time lineup in which "8 Simple Rules" was considered a linchpin.
The show proved to be ABC's highest-rated comedy in 2002, placing a respectable 43 among nearly 190 prime time shows. It helped the network, which trails CBS, FOX and NBC in ratings, reestablish itself as the home of family-friendly comedies.
ABC had been widely expected to shelve the series given the central part played by Ritter's character in the comedic father-daughter dynamic.
But executives said they would go ahead on Sept. 23. as scheduled with airing the three new episodes of "8 Simple Rules," and then air repeats while the writers and cast worked on the comedy show's sudden transformation into tragedy.
"We are going some place that no other show has gone, but it feels right," said Susan Lyne, president ABC Entertainment.
"We don't pretend to have a roadmap here; as in life, we will take it an episode at a time and find laughs where they feel natural and right," Lyne said.
ABC said it had not yet figured out how Ritter's TV character would die, nor many other details of how what started as a laugh-a-minute sitcom would continue to win ratings as a large as life tragedy.
Few TV sitcoms have found a formula for success after the death or departure of key actors. CBS tried writing in the death of the character played by comedian Redd Foxx in "The Royal Family" after the actor's own death a month after the show premiered in 1991, but the series did not catch on.
ABC admitted that a ratings-friendly transition of "8 Simple Rules" would be unprecedented for network television but executives declined to specify how long they would give the series to succeed.
"We are committed to returning this show and having it continue as a dominant show on our network but we all realize this is uncharted territory," Braun said.