Shins top Billboard album chart
NEW YORK, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Pretty Ricky and the Shins' "Late Night Special" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard U.S. album chart Wednesday, selling 132,000 copies.
It had been several weeks since any album topped 100,000 in sales and it was the first time the Shins had risen above No. 86.
In the second spot on the Billboard 200 was the Shins' "Wincing the Night Away," followed by Daughtry's self-titled RCA debut, which had held the No. 1 spot the previous week.
Fourth on the Billboard chart was the "2007 Grammy Nominees," which did much better than last year's compilation disk. John Mellancamp's "Freedom's Road" was in fifth place, followed by the "Dreamgirls" soundtrack, Akon's "Konvicted" and Robin Thicke's "The Evolution of Robin Thicke."
'Golden Girls' turn down dirty penguin pic
NEW YORK, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. comedian Bob Saget says stars of the classic TV show "The Golden Girls" turned down roles in his raunchy mock documentary, "Farce of the Penguins."
A spoof of the Oscar-winning documentary, "March of the Penguins," Saget's new R-rated DVD is narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and features stock footage of the arctic birds.
Using the voices of Lewis Black, Tracy Morgan, Norm Macdonald, Whoopi Goldberg, Christina Applegate and Mario Cantone, as well as his former "Full House" co-stars -- John Stamos, Jodie Sweetin and Lori Loughlin -- Saget offers his warped take on what penguins "really" think on those long treks to the mating grounds.
Although many of his comedian friends leaped at the chance to participate, actresses Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Bea Arthur all declined.
"It was just too dirty," Saget told UPI. "They were all delighted to get the offer and then they read (the script) and said, 'I can't do this!"
Veteran comedienne Phyllis Diller also said, "no."
"She talks like that way off camera. ... But she wants to be remembered how she is and not be a dirty comedian, which I respect."
Brandy subject of lawsuit in fatal crash
LOS ANGLES, Calif., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- The parents of the woman killed in a car Los Angeles highway accident involving singer Brandy filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against her.
The suit, filed by Ahmed Aboudihaj and Zohra Labridi, alleged that Brandy Norwood was "driving recklessly" when her vehicle struck the car their daughter was driving in the chain reaction crash in December, People magazine said.
Brandy rear-ended 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj, a mother of two, on the highway, touching off the four-car accident on Dec. 30, police said. The woman died in a hospital the next day.
California Highway Patrol investigators on Monday recommended that the former "Moesha" star be charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, which is being reviewed by the Los Angeles city attorney's office. If charged and convicted, Brandy, 27, faces up to a year in county jail.
"The accident was a terrible tragedy and Brandy's heart goes out to Awatef Aboudihaj's family," Brandy's representative said in a statement. "But for legal reasons we cannot comment on this lawsuit."
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday.
Multifaceted writer Sidney Sheldon dies
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Sidney Sheldon, the best-selling author who won an Oscar and a Tony and created popular TV shows, died of pneumonia in a Rancho Mirage, Calif., hospital.
Sheldon, 89, understood popular tastes, which fed a string of romantic and suspense-filled books that made him a perennial best-seller, The Los Angeles Times said. His novels usually centered on glamour and intrigue, which helped define them as easy-to-read page-turners.
His writing talent went beyond books. His script for "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer" won him a 1948 Academy Award for original screenplay. Sheldon was also a screenwriter for the musicals "Easter Parade" and "The Barkleys of Broadway."
Sheldon wrote half a dozen plays for Broadway. His biggest was the musical "Redhead," which earned him a Tony for co-writing the book.
He wrote for the small screen, writing episodes for two hit comedies he created -- "The Patty Duke Show" and "I Dream of Jeannie." He also created the glamorous, globe-trotting "Hart to Hart."
Sheldon, who died Tuesday, is survived by his wife, Alexandra Kostoff, a daughter, two grandchildren and a brother.
