Oprah Winfrey relaunching her book club
Just in time for summer, Oprah Winfrey's book club is back.
Oprah's Book Club 2.0, a joint project of Winfrey's OWN network and her O magazine, is to begin today, Winfrey announced Friday. The new version of her book club that was beloved by fans of her former syndicated talk show will launch with "Wild," Cheryl Strayed's memoir about her 1,100-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail in California and Washington state.
Besides the traditional paper version, special e-editions will be made available that include Winfrey's comments and a reader's guide, according to the Associated Press.
An interview with Strayed will air July 22 on OWN's "Super Soul Sunday" and on Oprah Radio.
Readers also will be able to share opinions through Facebook and Twitter and Winfrey's website.
For more, go to www.oprah.com.
R.I. beauty wins Miss USA
A 20-year-old cellist from Rhode Island won the Miss USA crown and will represent the U.S. in this year's Miss Universe pageant.
The Associated Press reported Olivia Culpo topped a field of 51 beauty queens Sunday to take the title at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. She strutted across the stage in a purple bikini and a purple evening gown with sparkly belt.
She answered a question about transgender contestants by saying it would be fair for a man who became a woman to be named Miss Universe.
The pageant had three competitions: swimsuit, evening gown and interview question. Midway through the contest, pop band Cobra Starship performed as the beauty queens modeled their string bikinis.
Miss USA 2011 Alyssa Campanella from California crowned Culpo her successor at the end of the night.
'Housewives' star Joosten dies
Kathryn Joosten, 72, the veteran character actress best known as nosy neighbor Karen McCluskey on "De! sperate Housewives" and the president's secretary on "The West Wing," died Saturday.
Her publicist Nadine Jolson said Joosten had battled lung cancer for the past 11 years before she passed away at her home in Los Angeles, the Associated Press reports.
Joosten won two Emmy awards for her portrayal of McCluskey before the show closed its eight-year run on ABC last month. Plans for a memorial service were pending as of Sunday.
'Grey's' honored by GLAAD
After featuring a lesbian wedding last season, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" was recognized Saturday as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's outstanding drama series of the year.
"Grey's" creator Shonda Rhimes ("Private Practice" and "Scandal") also was honored by GLAAD with its Golden Gate Award during a ceremony in San Francisco, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The award is presented annually to outstanding media professionals who, through their work, have increased the visibility and understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
Rhimes' "Grey's" bested fellow drama series nominees "Degrassi" (TeenNick), "Pretty Little Liars" (ABC Family), "Shameless" (Showtime) and "Torchwood: Miracle Day" (Starz).
The third and final ceremony completing GLAAD's 2012 Media Awards was hosted by Dianna Agron ("Glee"). NBC's "Days of Our Lives" was named outstanding daily drama, and special honors were presented to Facebook and Wells Fargo.
For the full list of winners, go to www.glaad.org/.
Local artist Bey found dead
Mike Khoury, owner of record label Entropy Stereo, confirmed with Names+Faces that avant-garde saxophonist and Detroit native Faruq Z. Bey, 70, was discovered dead Saturday inside his Detroit home.
Khoury said that an official cause of death wasn't immediately known, but Bey had been battling emphysema recently. Khoury added that! friends of the "very private" leader of the group Griot Galaxy became concerned late last week after attempts to contact the musician and author failed.
"The man was a giant of the avant-garde jazz scene and will be deeply missed," Khoury said.
Bey was to play as part of the Don Was Detroit All-Star Revue at this year's 20th edition of the Concert of Colors, scheduled July 12-15.
For more on the festival, go to www.concertofcolors.com.
Weekend box office
1. " Snow White and the Huntsman," $56.3 million.
2. " Men in Black III," $29.3 million.
3. " The Avengers," $20.3 million.
4. " Battleship," $4.8 million.
5. " The Dictator," $4.7 million.
6. " The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," $4.6 million.
7. " What to Expect When You're Expecting," $4.4 million.
8. " Dark Shadows," $3.9, million.
9. " Chernobyl Diaries," $3 million.
10. " For Greater Glory," $1.8 million.
COMPILED BY B.J. HAMMERSTEIN, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER. CONTACT HIM AT 313-223-4528 OR BJHAMMERSTEIN@FREEPRESS.COM.
More Details: Fast takes
1. Barrymore ties the knot
Drew Barrymore, 37, married art dealer Will Kopelman on Saturday at her Montecito, Calif., home, www.people.com reports. Barrymore, who filmed 2009's "Whip It" in Michigan, is pregnant with the couple's first child. She has been married twice before.
2. Andy Samberg out at 'SNL'
After completing a seven-season run last month on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," Andy Samberg's publicist Carrie Byalick confirmed Friday that the f! unny fel la won't be back as a regular cast member when the show kicks off its new season this fall. Kristen Wiig also ended her "SNL" run last month.
3. Jason Alexander apologizes
Former "Seinfeld" star Jason Alexander published an apology Sunday through Twitter following his May 25 visit to CBS's "Late Late Show" where he said he considered cricket to be a "gay" sport. Alexander said that he was sorry that his comment plays into "hurtful assumptions and diminishments" about people.
More Details: Not good, not bad