Grammys plan New Orleans tribute
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- The Grammy Awards will pay tribute to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans with a musical lineup featuring some of the music industry's top stars.
Big Easy natives Allen Toussaint, Dr. John and Irma Thomas will be joined in the tribute Wednesday night by Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Bonne Raitt, U2 guitarist the Edge and Sam Moore, Billboard.com reported.
Recording Academy of Arts & Sciences President Neil Portnow said the 48th annual Grammy Awards "wouldn't be complete if we didn't take this unique opportunity to pay homage to a region with such rich musical history and culture," Billboard said.
He also noted many Academy members were directly affected by Hurricane Katrina.
The Grammy Awards ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Stewart family adds a daughter
NEW YORK, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Comedy Central's "Daily Show" fake news anchor Jon Stewart and his wife, Tracey, welcomed a new daughter during the weekend, it was announced Tuesday.
Maggie Rose Stewart was born Saturday afternoon in New York at 6 pounds, 9 ounces, Stewart's rep told People magazine.
"Mom, dad, baby and big brother are all doing great," Comedy Central posted on its Web site.
"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" plugged in a re-run Monday night to give the new dad an extra night with his expanded family, but he was expected to be back at his desk for a fresh show Tuesday.
Stewart, 43, and Tracey, 38, had their first child, Nathan Thomas, in July 2004.
A little water doesn't stop Danza show
NEW YORK, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- When Tony Danza's New York TV studio flooded, the syndicated talk host decided to go ahead as scheduled -- with candles and without an audience.
"This isn't a sweeps stunt," Danza explained to viewers Monday. "This is real. I do have a remote control so when I think I'm funny (and) deserve applause I hit this button, and when I think I'm funny (and deserve laughs), I hit this button."
A weekend heater malfunction coupled with heat from the studio lights boosted the temperature in the studio over 160 degrees, which set off the sprinkler system and left 3 inches of water where the studio audience would normally sit, the New York Daily News reported Tuesday.
The cold, empty, starkly-lit studio didn't seem to bother NBC's "Surface" star Lake Bell, who walked on stage for her interview carrying a candle, the Daily News said.
"I'm sorry about the inconvenience," Danza apologized to his guest. "It's kinda cold. ... But it's nice to have you here."
Williams apologizes for lawmaker confusion
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams has apologized to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn., for getting their names wrong.
During the NBC coverage of President Bush's State of the Union address last week, Williams misidentified Obama as Ford, The Hill reported Tuesday.
"I made a silly and honest mistake, and knowing both men I knew instantly what I had done," Williams told The Hill. "I obviously should have corrected it, but the proper time never arose."
Williams said he wrote letters to both men apologizing for his mistake.
The NBC anchor hardly set a precedent, however, The Hill noted.
After last year's State of the Union address, a reporter asked Obama's office why the Illinois Democrat hugged President Bush. Unfortunately, the hugger was Ford.
