Guitarists gather for Les Paul tribute
CLEVELAND, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- A wealth of notable guitar players will gather in Cleveland this weekend to pay tribute to pioneering player and inventor Les Paul.
Paul is being honored as part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's 13th Annual American Music Masters Series. A tribute was scheduled for Saturday with guitarists such as ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Toto's Steve Lukather, Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora, Duane Eddy and Guns N' Roses/Velvet Revolver veteran Slash set to perform.
"He's an amazing individual," Slash says of Paul, whose innovations include multitrack recordings and many guitar effects, as well as a popular guitar model that carries his name. "I have this feeling of gratitude and debt to him for having provided me with these convenience he invented on a regular basis."
Slash and Sambora are among the players who joined Paul on the album "Les Paul and Friends: A Tribute to a Legend," which was released in September.
Jennifer Hudson thanks fans for support
CHICAGO, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. singer-actress Jennifer Hudson thanks her fans on her MySpace page for the support they've shown her since three family members were killed last month.
Hudson's mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew were shot and killed in Chicago. Her sister's estranged husband has been called a person of interest in the triple homicide and is being held on an alleged parole violation. He has not been charged with the slayings.
"I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. My sister and I take great comfort and strength from your love and concern," Hudson wrote in a message dated Thursday, Usmagazine reported.
Hudson, who won an Oscar for her work in the movie musical "Dreamgirls," has been keeping a low profile as she grieves for her dead family members.
E! News said the "Secret Life of Bees" star will still be featured as planned in Gap's new holiday ad campaign. The photos showing Hudson smiling and wearing a bright red sweater were taken in July.
Gap reportedly gave Hudson the chance to back out of the campaign out of consideration for the ordeal she is going through, but Hudson told the clothing chain to go ahead.
"She said she wanted to be a part of it and that we should move forward," E! quoted Gap spokeswoman Olive Doyne as saying.
Cyrus backpedals on Obama invite
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Billy Ray Cyrus says he may have spoken too soon when he said U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's daughters may appear on TV's "Hannah Montana."
Cyrus, who stars on the popular show alongside his daughter Miley, was widely quoted as saying Obama's daughters -- Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7 -- had been invited to be guest stars on "Hannah Montana" and would probably be on an episode in April.
However, sources in Obama's camp later said the girls had no plans to appear on the series.
"Oh, to tell you the truth now, this thing got a lot bigger, a lot quicker than I ever planned," Usmagazine.com said Billy Ray Cyrus told reporters at the CMA Awards in Nashville Wednesday. "It's a double-edge sword for me because, first of all, I have a great deal of respect for President-elect Obama ... I just mentioned about them being on the show, and it snowballed."
Cyrus went on to say he would understand if Obama didn't want his girls to go on television.
"As a daddy, I'll say to him what I say to any daddy, you may not want your daughter to get into show business," Cyrus said. "But if the girls want to be on the show, and him and his wife think it's a good idea, I always say, everything in life, what's meant to be will happen."
Daniel Craig marvels at Bond box office
NEW YORK, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- British actor Daniel Craig, who has starred in many acclaimed arthouse films, says he is amazed by how well his James Bond movies do at the box office.
The "Munich," "Sylvia" and "Infamous" actor starred as secret agent 007 in the enormous 2006 hit "Casino Royale," as well as its sequel "Quantum of Solace," which is already a blockbuster in the United Kingdom, where it opened two weeks ago. It opened in the United States Friday.
"It's great," Craig told UPI in New York Thursday about the numbers "Quantum" is racking up in England. "I don't really have any sort of benchmark. I've done one Bond movie that has been very successful and now I've done another Bond movie that's appearing to be very successful. Before that, when I did movies, box office was never really at the top of the agenda. Getting people to go and see it was probably the agenda, but not the numbers."
The success of his Bond movies has been "amazing," Craig said. "Obviously, I couldn't be happier because it might mean we might get to make another one."
Craig also said he was pleased the filmmakers decided to make "Quantum" a sequel to "Royale," instead of a stand-alone adventure because he felt there was still more story there to tell.
