Kirk Douglas rallies 'Generation Y'
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Actor Kirk Douglas issued a news release from Los Angeles on his 90th birthday Saturday declaring in large-capped letters, "THE WORLD IS IN A MESS."
The message is addressed to American youth and read: "Let's face it: THE WORLD IS IN A MESS and you are inheriting it. Generation Y, you are on the cusp. You are the group facing many problems: abject poverty, global warming, genocide, AIDS and suicide bombers to name a few."
Douglas went on to declare that older generations "have done very little to solve these problems" and it was up to the up-and-coming group to handle it.
"Generation Y" is a term that ostensibly describes the population of people born immediately after "Generation X"; however, there is no consensus as to the exact range of birth years.
The Hollywood icon reminded the younger generation that he was the father of actor Michael Douglas; the father-in-law of actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and told them to "Google" him if they needed more information on him.
'Celebrity Jeopardy' raises $1 million
CULVER CITY, Calif., Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Stars who were contestants on "Celebrity Jeopardy!" raised $1 million for various U.S. charities this holiday season.
More than 30 agencies will benefit from the largesse of the celebrity contestants who tested their knowledge over a two-week run last month, King World said in a news release Saturday.
Television star Neil Patrick Harris won $50,000 that was donated to Food on Foot, a group that helps newly employed people with their living expenses so that they can get settled and off the streets.
Other beneficiaries included the Butler Child Advocacy Center, Trevor Project, Dream Foundation and the Poly Prep September 11 Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Carlin sees never-ending joke supply
TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Comedian George Carlin is off and running on a new U.S. tour that includes more than an hour of all-new material culled from today's headlines.
In an interview with the Tampa Tribune before Saturday night's appearance in Clearwater, Fla., Carlin said he had a batch of new wisecracks and stingers regarding politics, consumerism and big business.
"People don't really have that many choices," he said. "Two political parties and a handful of banks ... it all diminishes our number of choices."
"But, jelly beans -- 28 flavors," he added.
The 69-year-old Carlin has been at it for more than 50 years, the Trib said, but still has a full schedule. He plans to tape his 14th special for HBO in the near future and this fall released his new book "Three Times Carlin: An Orgy of George."
'Idol' performer Yamin upgrades teeth
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Dec. 9 (UPI) -- "American Idol" third-place winner Elliott Yamin has a new set of choppers to go along with his new songwriting deal, thanks to a California dentist.
Yamin received some $50,000 in porcelain veneers and other dental work during 20 hours in the dental chair of Dr. Davie Frey of Beverly Hills, who provided his expertise gratis, and found that the painful efforts were well worth it to put the beatific smile on his face.
Frey suggested that the changes to his mouth would help Yamin's muscle function and that alone could increase the volume of his voice.
"So if anything, he could become an even better singer," Frey told People magazine in its latest issue.
Yamin admitted that he was "long overdue for a dentist appointment." He also thought that if his teeth were better aligned, he could stop thinking about the mess his mouth was in and better express his emotions on stage.
The songwriting deal with Sony's publishing division should prove lucrative and there's a "soulful-sounding" debut album due early next year, People said Saturday.
