People

RANDY TRAVIS ON THE CHARTS AGAIN

Singer-songwriter Randy Travis is back with a new CD that puts him on the Billboard charts for the first time in four years. "Three Wooden Crosses" entered the listing at the No. 10 position. CMT says that much of Travis's early works were released by Warner Bros., but Travis has lately been recording for DreamWorks. His biggest recent hit was in '98 when he rode "Wisdom of a Boy, Spirit of a Man" to the No. 2 spot on the charts. An earlier effort, "Rise and Shine," released last year, is still seeing strong album sales.

STARS SALUTE BOB HOPE'S HOLLYWOOD STAR

A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honoring Bob Hope has been rededicated. According to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, curators of the sidewalk honors, Hope was unable to attend, but a bevy of famous entertainers was on hand. Kelsey Grammer spoke, as did Dennis Miller. Hope's daughter Linda represented the family. Longtime friends Eva Marie Saint, Cindy Williams and Phyllis Diller attended the rededication ceremonies. The hoopla is among the first of hundreds of tributes planned for this year as Bob Hope officially celebrates his 100th birthday. (As we have mentioned in the past, there are indications that he's actually 102 this year.)

RADIOHEAD ANNOUNCES MORE CONCERTS

The rock group Radiohead says its increasing its concert dates in Europe for later this year. According to Billboard magazine, the group has decided to embark on what can be called Phase Two of touring for the coming months. As we reported earlier, Radiohead plans an extensive tour of venues in the United Kingdom this summer, including stops in Ireland. It also has some stops on the continent planned. The latest information on Radiohead's tour, a project that could begin in the fall, is not in finalized form. There are indications, though, that the venues will all be indoors -- not a bad idea for that time of year in England. The group does plan a single North American visit this year. It will play at a festival on Long Island on June 7.

SAMPLES OF 'SIR PAUL FLU' ON SALE

A Briton who claims that he got sick on the same flu that hit Sir Paul McCartney is offering a sample of the "bug" at auction. He claims that he became ill on the same strain of flu that caused McCartney to cancel a recent concert. So, since he just happens to have saved some "tissue" from that bout of illness, he thinks the public might be interested and has put the material on the eBay auction site. But, according to CNN, the world is not flocking to his door to purchase any remnants of the ailment. The man, Ian Mears, promises to send a sealable bag to the highest bidder -- after he coughs into it. It would seem that the timing of his sale might be bad, considering the world's attention to the spread of the SARS virus right now. In recent days Mears has received only a few bids, most in the $2 range.

LET'S HEAR IT FOR LORETTA

Country megastar Loretta Lynn, "The Coal Miner's Daughter," will perform with the new duo White Stripes in New York soon. According to her publicist, Lynn will join Jack and Meg White, a brother and sister act that has close ties to the singer. As a matter of fact, on its debut album ("White Blood Cells") the pair dedicated a number to Lynn. It also sang a classic Lynn hit ("Rated X") in a CD designed for European sales. When Loretta first heard the Whites perform, she invited the Tennessee duo to her estate for a home-cooked meal. The planned Big Apple show with Lynn and White Stripes is already sold out. It's slated for this coming weekend at the Hammerstein Ballroom.

GUNS N' ROSES TO BE REBORN

Three of the original members of Guns N' Roses are teaming to form a new group. But, according to a Web site run by former Roses guitarist Slash, the group hasn't gotten off the ground yet. Slash says he's still looking for the right lead singer. "The Project," the name given to the new collaboration, is asking would-be stars to put their talents into wave files and to send them in via the Internet. Meanwhile, the Web site says that a person has to be really good, considering the names already in the hopper. The lead singer for the Stone Temple Pilots, Scott Weiland, is being considered by Slash as his group's new frontman. But there are published reports that Weiland is again battling personal and addiction problems and might not be the best choice. The Pilots are taking a break, possibly because of Weiland's problems. Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach has also expressed an interest in joining in "The Project."

UPI DAILY SURVEY QUESTION NO. 568

Here's another of those questions that require you to do a good deed first, then report on the results. First, go clean out your refrigerator, then answer the following: "How many items did you throw out? Anything interesting?" Put UPI-CLEAN in the subject line and send to [email protected] via the Internet.

RESULTS OF QUESTION NO. 563

Last week we asked: "Do you ever listen to stations whose content is not acceptable to children?" Our random dip into the e-mail inbox revealed that the responses we drew were from a pretty conservative lot. Not a single respondent noted that they listened to anything on the radio that they would not want to share with children.

TOMORROW: Is that really the fact? GBA.