Keys' honors Winfrey
NEW YORK - Oprah Winfrey is getting a tribute from Alicia Keys, above left with Winfrey.
Keys announced Tuesday her organization Keep a Child Alive will honor Winfrey at its Black Ball event Nov. 1.
Key says in a statement the media mogul is "a personal inspiration to me because her philanthropic work truly comes from the heart."
Winfrey's humanitarian efforts include the building of schools in South Africa.
Keep a Child Alive was founded in 2003 and assists HIV/AIDS victims in Africa and India. Keys says this year's Black Ball will pay "special tribute to the empowerment of women - the heartbeat, soul, and backbone of the AIDS movement."
The ninth annual event takes place at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. Past honorees include former President Bill Clinton, Sir Richard Branson and Bono.
Peter O'Toole retires
LOS ANGELES - Peter O'Toole is retiring from show business, saying he no longer has the heart for it and it's time to "chuck in the sponge."
O'Toole, who turns 80 on Aug. 2, said in a statement Tuesday his career on stage and screen fulfilled him emotionally and financially and put him in the company of fine people.
But the eight-time Oscar nominee says the time is right to quit and he's bidding the actor's life a dry-eyed farewell.
O'Toole shot to screen stardom 50 years ago in the title role of "Lawrence of Arabia," which brought him his first Oscar nomination. Among actors, he holds the record for Oscar futility, never winning on any of his eight nominations.
He received an honorary Oscar in 2003, though.
'Jersey Shore' wraps filming
SEASIDE HEIGHTS- A group hug signaled the end of filming for the sixth season of MTV's "Jersey Shore" reality series.
The cast gathered outside their Seaside Heights home and wrapped their arms around each other as the July Fourth holiday week celebration came to end.
Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Jenny "JWoww" Farley, Deena Nicole Cortese, Vinny Guadagnino, Paul "Pauly D" DelVecchio, Samantha Giancola and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro then loaded their luggage and drove off.
MTV says Season 6 will feature Cortese's arrest after she was dancing in the streets. She pleaded guilty to failing to use the sidewalk.
Deal for 'Grey' author spouse
NEW YORK - Let "Fifty Shades of Grey" author E.L. James write about sex. Her husband has a thriller for young adults coming out in the U.S. this fall.
Random House Inc. imprint Delacorte Press announced Monday it will release Niall Leonard's "Crusher" on Sept. 11. Last month, Leonard reached an agreement with Random House in the U.K. to publish his book in England, also on Sept. 11.
Leonard is a TV screenwriter whose credits include "Wire in the Blood." His novel is the first of three planned books. It tells of a teen dropout seeking his father's killer.
James has been the world's hottest writer for months. Vintage Books says since the spring her erotic "Fifty Shades" trilogy has sold nearly 20 million copies in the U.S. alone.
Young Buck's items auctioned
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Rapper Young Buck's jewelry, recording equipment and other seized possessions will be auctioned by the Internal Revenue Service July 26.
The agency said the sale will be held in Nashville and a preview of the merchandise is scheduled for July 25. The items can also be seen online at treasury.gov/auctions/irs/
natn_anti_6125.htm
In December, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in Nashville converted the bankruptcy of David Darnell Brown - the rapper's legal name - from a Chapter 11 reorganization to a Chapter 7 liquidation. The trustee administering his estate said she planned to sell the trademarked "Young Buck" name along with other assets seized for non-payment.
Creditors submitted claims totaling $11.5 million, including $10 million that the label G-Unit Records said Buck owed them over a contract dispute.
