Oprah’s funeral absence is raising grave concerns
Oprah Winfrey is “furious” at allegations that her absence at the funeral for Ebony and Jet magazines founder John H. Johnson was a snub of the pioneering black publisher. A column published Thursday in the Chicago Defender, a major black daily newspaper, questioned why Winfrey didn’t attend Johnson’s Aug. 15 funeral in her hometown of Chicago.
Johnson died of heart failure Aug. 8 at the age of 87.
In the column, Executive Editor Roland Martin referred to Winfrey’s “apparent snub of the man who single-handedly made it possible for people like Oprah to launch their own magazines and media companies.”
In another column Friday, Martin recounted a tense phone conversation he had with Winfrey.
“I am furious at the allegations because it’s just not true,” she told him.
Winfrey said she was in Hawaii when Johnson died and was unable to make it back for the services. She also said she plans to pay tribute to Johnson on her TV show when she returns from her summer hiatus.
Now, if he can just reverse the charges …
Russell Crowe has reached a settlement with a Manhattan hotel employee who claimed the actor threw a phone at him.
Angry that he wasn’t able to call home to Australia, the Academy Award winner allegedly struck concierge Nestor Estrada in the face with the malfunctioning phone. He still faces criminal assault charges.
Crowe publicly apologized on David Letterman‘s show, calling it “possibly the most shameful situation that I’ve ever gotten myself in in my life, and I’ve done some pretty dumb things in my life.”
Just looking for an old friend
A man who allegedly walked into Jennifer Aniston‘s home and said he was looking for the actress was arrested Thursday for investigation of trespassing.
David Hesterbey, 48, was arrested by deputies who found him walking along the beach near Aniston’s home.
He was believed to have entered the home through an unlocked door. When confronted by Aniston employees, he fled, jumping a fence and running toward the beach.
Get her a piece of that racket
Tennis star Serena Williams, who already has her own fashion company, is adding cosmetics to her game.
Williams announced Thursday she has signed on to be the next “guest creator” for Flirt! cosmetics.
“I’ve always been a beauty junkie,” she says. “I’ve tried every product. I’m addicted to products. I can’t go into the mall without buying everything. I said to my manager, ‘I should get a beauty deal. I’m going to go broke buying all these products.”
You can have it for a song
Internet shoppers will get a chance to add an unusual item to their wardrobe: the flamboyant swan dress worn by Bjork to the 2001 Oscars ceremony.
The dress features a ruffled feather skirt and an imitation swan’s neck that the singer draped around her own neck, with the bird’s head resting on her breast.
It’s among some 150 celebrity fashion items that will be auctioned beginning Sept. 18 on eBay, with proceeds going to international aid agency Oxfam. Also up for bid: Yoko Ono‘s sunglasses and a pair of Stella McCartney‘s thigh-high fake leather boots.
The birthday bunch
Actor Tommy Sands is 68. Musician Daryl Dragon (The Captain and Tennille) is 63. Actress Tuesday Weld is 62. Actress Barbara Bach is 58. Ex-porn star Harry Reems (“Deep Throat”) is 58. Actor Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman) is 53. Gospel singer Yolanda Adams is 43. Actress Sarah Chalke is 29. Singer Mario is 19.