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CAROLE KING: U.S. singer-songwriter Carole King has been named the 2013 recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington announced Thursday King will be presented with the award at a ceremony this spring.
King, 70, is known for her hits "You've Got a Friend," "So Far Away," "[You Make Me Feel Like] a Natural Woman" and "I Feel the Earth Move."
"Carole King has been one of the most influential songwriters of our time," Billington said in a statement. "For more than five decades, she has written for and been recorded by many different types of artists for a wide range of audiences, communicating with beauty and dignity the universal human emotions of love, joy, pain and loss. Her body of work reflects the spirit of the Gershwin Prize with its originality, longevity and diversity of appeal."
"I was so pleased when the venerable Library of Congress began honoring writers of popular songs with the Gershwin Prize. I'm proud to be the fifth such honoree and the first woman among such distinguished company. I look forward to performing in the nation's capital," King said.
The previous winners of the prize are Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, and Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
THE SPICE GIRLS: The Spice Girls and their manager Simon Fuller celebrated the premiere of the new jukebox musical "Viva Forever!" in London's West End this week.
Also attending the show's debut Tuesday were David Beckham, Michael Caine, Joan Collins, Twiggy, Dawn French, Roland Mouret and Graham Norton.
"Viva Forever!" is based on the songs of the Spice Girls with a book by Jennifer Saunders. It was produced by Judy Craymer.
"The Spice Girls songs have never sounded so good. They inspired a young generation of music fans in the late 90's and now thanks to Judy Craymer and Jennifer Saunders the spirit behind the Spice Girls lives again," Fuller said in a statement.
A synopsis described the show as "an original story of our time, a heart-warmingly, funny tale of friendship in the face of fame and fortune that tells the story of a family thrown into chaos, as Viva and her three best friends get swept up in the mania of a TV talent show where stars are born and dreams are shattered."
GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS: "The Big Bang Theory," "Episodes," "Girls," "Modern Family" and "Smash" were nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series in Los Angeles Thursday.
Up for Best TV Drama are "Breaking Bad," "Boardwalk Empire," "Downton Abbey," "Homeland" and "The Newsroom."
Shortlisted for Best Miniseries or Television Movie are "Game Change," "The Girl," "Hatfields & McCoys," "The Hour" and "Political Animals."
In the running for Best Actress in a Drama are Connie Britton for "Nashville," Glenn Close for "Damages," Claire Danes for "Homeland," Michelle Dockery for "Downton Abbey" and Juliana Margulies for "The Good Wife."
Nominated for Best Actor in Drama are Bryan Cranston for "Breaking Bad," Jon Hamm for "Mad Men," Damien Lewis for "Homeland," Steve Buscemi for "Boardwalk Empire" and Jeff Daniels for "The Newsroom."
The picks for Best Actor in a Comedy are Don Cheadle for "House of Lies," Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock," Louis C.K. for "Louie," Matt LeBlanc for "Episodes" and Jim Parsons for "The Big Bang Theory."
Competing for the Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy are Zooey Deschanel for "New Girl," Julia-Louis Dreyfus for "Veep," Lena Dunham for "Girls," Tina Fey for "30 Rock" and Amy Poehler for "Parks and Recreation."
The nominees for Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie are Nicole Kidman for "Hemingway & Gelhorn," Jessica Lange for "American Horror Story," Sienna Miller for "The Girl," Julianne Moore for "Game Change" and Sigourney Weaver for "Political Animals."
Up for Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie are Kevin Costner for "Hatfields & McCoys," Benedict Cumberbatch for "Sherlock," Woody Harrelson for "Game Change," Toby Jones for "The Girl" and Clive Owen for "Hemingway & Gelhorn."
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress are Hayden Panettiere for "Nashville," Archie Punjabi for "The Good Wife," Sarah Paulson for "American Horror Story," Maggie Smith for "Downton Abbey" and Sofia Vergara for "Modern Family."
Vying for the Best Supporting Actor are Max Greenfield for "New Girl," Ed Harris for "Game Change," Danny Huston for "Magic City," Mandy Patinkin for "Homeland" and Eric Stonestreet for "Modern Family."
Led by "Game Change," the most-honored program with five nominations, HBO was tops in TV with 17 nominations, as many as ABC (five), CBS (four), NBC (four) and Fox (four) combined. Showtime was second with seven nominations.
The winners of the Golden Globes will be announced at a Jan. 13 ceremony in Los Angeles.
GEORGE WENDT: Actor George Wendt has joined the cast of Richard Greenberg's new Broadway play, "Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's," producers said Thursday.
Wendt, 64, is best known for his work on the sitcom "Cheers." He will play Joe Bell in the new stage adaption of Capote's classic novella.
Directed by Sean Mathias, it will star Emilia Clarke as Holly Golightly and Cory Michael Smith as Fred.
The play will begin performances at Cort Theatre March 4. It will officially open March 20.
