Today's Buzz stories
From staff and wire reports |
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Cruise, Winfrey at Nobels
OSLO, Norway (AP) -- Tom Cruise and Oprah Winfrey will continue the tradition of bringing a superstar shine to dark December nights in Norway when the pair hosts the annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert.
The Saturday concert, held to honor Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai, will also feature musical artists such as Joss Stone, Andrea Bocelli, Diana Krall, Cyndi Lauper and Patti LaBelle.
The 64-year-old Maathai, Kenya's deputy environment minister, was honored as founder of the Green Belt Movement, which has sought to empower women, improve the environment and fight corruption in Africa for almost 30 years.
Winfrey said it was a "great pleasure" to celebrate "the first African woman recipient of one of the most meaningful awards of our time."
"Wangari Maathai is a true inspiration because she uses her life to benefit others, from fervently fighting for women's rights to literally turning the earth to improve living conditions in Africa," Winfrey said.
Cruise said he was "exceptionally proud" to pay tribute to Maathai.
"Wangari is a real example of what one person, determined to help her fellow man, can accomplish," he said. "She has demonstrated that change in conditions can occur simply by one's willingness to roll up their sleeves and do something about it."
The Nobel concert, which will be carried live in more than 100 countries, will be broadcast in the United States Dec. 23 on E! Entertainment Television.
'Survivor' votes off Julie
NEW YORK (AP) -- There are four people left on CBS' "Survivor: Vanuatu -- Islands of Fire," and Julie Berry isn't one of them.
The 23-year-old trucker hat-wearing youth mentor was the 14th person voted out of the game after attempting to sway lone male player Chris Daugherty to abandon his previous alliance and cast his vote against Twila Tanner.
On Thursday's episode, Daugherty told Berry, "What I'm comparing this to is my friendship with you." But that friendship, which Berry said was mostly left on the cutting room floor, didn't amount to his vote.
"It's worthless to talk about now," Berry told The Associated Press Friday. "He was like my big brother. He annoyed me, but I got along really well with him. You truly connect with people. I considered our friendship to be unique and strong, but, in comparison, it wasn't as important as a million dollars."
The jury will chose the $1 million winner during a live two-hour finale Sunday.
Berry describes her time on Vanuatu as "spicy" and "sexual in a way." Her antics included going nude on the beach, snuggling with tribe mates and coaxing Tanner and 40-year-old drill sergeant Lea "Sarge" Masters to sunbathe in the buff, which she said was easy to do because they were both "itching for some fun."
Besides Tanner and Daugherty, the other "Survivor" finalists are Eliza Orlins and Scout Lee Cloud, whom Berry doesn't think deserve their "final four" slots.
"Eliza got (to the final four) as people's pawns, not as a prominent player," Berry told the AP. "Scout is strictly there because she can't do anything."
Willis donates land
HAILEY, Idaho (AP) -- Bruce Willis stole the show at the Friedman Airport Authority meeting this week, offering to donate a portion of land he owns at the eastern end of Camas County to help build a new airport.
Willis' property along Highway 20 is part of one of three sites being considered. The offer was unexpected, airport authority Chairwoman Mary Ann Mix said.
The actor, whose screen credits include the "Die Hard" movies, "Pulp Fiction" and "The Sixth Sense," pitched his plan at a meeting Tuesday.
Mix said the room erupted in applause when Willis announced his intended donation, saying he was concerned with the safety conditions at the present airport.
"Bruce is a fabulously decent man -- always very concerned about what's good for his community," Mix said.
Willis owns part of the proposed site on the Camas Prairie, she said, though it wasn't clear exactly what he was offering.
Alicia Keys, guest host
NEW YORK (AP) -- "Live With Regis and Alicia"?
Alicia Keys will join Regis Philbin as guest host December 22 on "Live With Regis and Kelly" while the daytime talk show's co-host, Kelly Ripa, is on vacation.
On Tuesday, Keys was nominated for eight Grammy Awards, including album of the year for "The Diary of Alicia Keys." Her 2001 debut album, "Songs in A Minor," won the R&B singer five Grammys.
Keys, 23, recently published "Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics."
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
