Bill Murray fires up Letterman's 30th anniversary show

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Bill Murray was so fired up about David Letterman's 30th anniversary of the "Late Show" Tuesday that he nearly started a blaze lighting a cupcake in honor of the big day.

Murray, who was Letterman's first guest on "Late Night With David Letterman" on February 1, 1982, brought out a gift-wrapped box, which, when Letterman lifted it, revealed a cupcake with 30 candles.

The "Groundhog Day" star, wearing a football uniform he'd sported to kick field goals outside the Ed Sullivan Theater with Letterman and fellow guest Regis Philbin earlier in the show, told Letterman he made it himself, though the Crumbs bakery wrapper gave him away.

Murray then proceeded to light all 30 candles with matches and a lighter, which sparked up a blaze that nearly spread out of control when he accidentally dropped lit matches on the floor.

You can check out the video clip here to see why kids -- or comedians approaching retirement age -- should not play with matches:

http://www.thewrap.com/tv/column-post/bill-murray-gives-letterman-cupcake-his-30th-late-night-anniversary-video-34986

(Editing by Chris Michaud)

Country music great Haggard recovering from pneumonia

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) - Country singer Merle Haggard, who was admitted to a Georgia hospital last week after illness forced him to cancel a show, was recovering from a host of health issues discovered while he was being treated for pneumonia, his spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Haggard was admitted to hospital on January 17, when illness forced him to cancel a show in Macon, Georgia, just moments before taking the stage. He later said that being hospitalized "probably saved my life."

The 74-year-old singer, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, is recovering from double-pneumonia but was also being treated for a number of serious ailments that doctors discovered while he was hospitalized.

Haggard's pneumonia is "almost completely clear, while he is recovering from three stomach ulcers, the removal of eight polyps from his colon and diverticulitis in his esophagus," which were discovered by the Macon medical staff, according to his Los Angeles-based spokesperson Tresa Redburn.

"He will be back up and running in 30 days," said Redburn, adding that Haggard would be in the hospital for "at least a few more days."

"Thanks to the wonderful people all over the world that prayed their special prayers," Redburn quoted Haggard as saying.

"I'm a new man. Another special thanks to the folks of Macon, Georgia, for their kindness, their intelligence and probably saving my life," he said.

Haggard had to cancel the remainder of his January tour and was planning on beginning his performance schedule again in late February.

With influences ranging from Lefty Frizzell to Bob Wills to Jimmie Rodgers, Haggard is an architect of country music's so-called "Bakersfield Sound." He is best known for songs like "Mama Tried," "Okie from Muskogee" and "The Fightin' Side of Me."

(Reporting By Tim Ghianni; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Simon Cowell to launch DJ talent show

LONDON (Reuters) - TV personality and music producer Simon Cowell is launching a new talent competition to find the world's best DJs.

Already known to television audiences in Britain and the United States as the acerbic judge on hit talent shows like "American Idol", "The X Factor" and "Britain's Got Talent", the 52-year-old is looking to expand his empire.

"DJ's are the new rock stars, it feels like the right time to make this show," he said in a statement.

The new format will be co-produced by SYCO, Cowell's joint venture with Sony Music, and Overbrook Entertainment, a U.S. entertainment company founded by Hollywood star Will Smith.

Sony Pictures Television will also be a partner in the venture, which has been in development for more than a year. Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith has been involved for Overbrook.

The three parties said they would announce their broadcast partners in Britain and the United States soon.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; editing by Patricia Reaney)

Demi Moore seeks help for exhaustion, health issues

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Demi Moore is seeking professional help to treat "exhaustion" and "overall health" issues, her spokeswoman said on Tuesday, following her split late last year from husband of six years, Ashton Kutcher.

"Because of the stresses in her life right now, Demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health. She looks forward to getting well and is grateful for the support of her family and friends," Moore's spokeswoman said in a statement to Reuters.

The statement follows media reports that Moore was rushed to hospital on Monday night after paramedics were called to her Los Angeles home. Celebrity news website TMZ.com cited substance abuse as the cause, but that could not be confirmed.

Moore's representatives declined any further comment beyond the written statement.

"Ghost" star Moore, 49, filed for divorce from 33-year-old "Two and A Half Men" actor Kutcher in November 2011, after a San Diego woman went public about a brief fling she had with Kutcher.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

A Minute With: Mary Tyler Moore on a life of achievement

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mary Tyler Moore, has worn many hats during her long and celebrated career. But the hat she may be best remembered for is the iconic tam she tossed in the air during the opening sequence of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," in the 1970s.

Her portrayal of the thirty-something, independent, career woman, Mary Richards, served as a role model to a generation of women and earned 29 Emmys for the show.

On Sunday, Moore, 75, will be given a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Reuters spoke to the actress about her career and what Elvis was really like.

Q: Your television career spans over five decades starting with your 1955 appearance as the "Happy Hotpoint Appliance Elf," in a commercial. What does receiving the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award mean to you?

A: "Receiving a lifetime achievement award from anybody who wants to single me out as deserving of it is a wonderful honor. It pleases me to know that it would make my Dad awfully happy, I know that."

Q: You worked on Elvis Presley's final feature film "Change of Habit," in 1969. So what was Elvis really like?

A: "He was a supreme gentlemen; a Southern gentlemen. He was very willing to do what the director wanted and to play off me and other people in the cast, as was I in return. It was a thoroughly wonderful experience."

Q: Your TV husband, Dick Van Dyke, is presenting you with the lifetime award. Is he as funny off screen as he is on?

A: "Very much so. He's a man of quick humor and thoughtful ponderance. And he was my biggest fan. He would encourage me because it was the first time I had done any real comedy. And I said to Dick, 'I'm so nervous,' and he said, 'Mary, you just do what your instinct tells you and don't be afraid of moments where you think you'll look like a blubbering idiot. Just do it to the best of your ability and you're going to be fine'."

Q: What would Mary Richards be doing today?

A: "I think she would be married and the mother of two or three children and also a business woman, and triumphing at that."

Q: What path do you think your life would have taken if you hadn't become an entertainer?

A: "I always wanted to be a dancer. That is what I really wanted in my life. I will go to my grave having received so many awards thinking of myself as a failed dancer rather than a successful actress."

Q: Do you have a favorite episode of The Dick Van Dyke or The Mary Tyler Moore show?

A: "Of course, there's the "Chuckles" episode where Mary can't stop laughing during the funeral service. A groundbreaking episode from "The Dick Van Dyke Show," was when Rob and Laura are convinced that there was a mix-up at the hospital and they were given the wrong baby when their son Richard was born. So after inviting the other couple who they believe have their son over to discuss the dilemma, the doorbell rings, and there stands this couple, a man and woman, both black, carrying a three day old baby. And we had no idea how this would be received, especially since we had a live audience there and no one had ever portrayed black people that were middle class at this time in television."

Q: How do you think TV has changed since "The Mary Tyler Moore Show?"

A: "Carol Burnett and I were just speaking about this very topic in between rehearsals for Betty White's 90th birthday party. We both agreed that if we had the opportunity to do our shows today, it wouldn't have been possible because of the outrageous costs of producing those shows and the union demands. It just would have not have happened. We both thought that was a real tragedy."

(Editing by Jill Serjeant and Patricia Reaney)

Paul McCartney's wife resigns from New York transit board

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nancy Shevell, the American heiress married to former Beatle Paul McCartney, on Wednesday resigned from the board of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority where she served since 2001.

"In my 30-year professional career, this has been a highlight for me," Shevell told the board which oversees the New York area's bridges, tunnels and mass transit systems.

"Thank you so much. I am so very emotional and sad right now," she added. She did not give a reason for her decision to step aside.

Shevell, 52, told reporters that she and her husband, 70, one of the two remaining ex-Beatles, would divide their time between New York and London.

Shevell became McCartney's third wife on October 9, 2011. The independently wealthy Shevell, the daughter of a successful trucking company owner, was previously married and has a son.

McCartney's work schedule, meanwhile, remains busy as ever with his newest album "Kisses on the Bottom" due for release on February 7 and a performance planned for the London Olympics this summer.

(Editing By Barbara Goldberg and Paul Thomasch)

John Travolta's stolen vintage Mercedes recovered in pieces

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - John Travolta's vintage Mercedes-Benz, stolen from a Los Angeles suburb, has been recovered in pieces and two men have been arrested, police said on Wednesday.

Travolta's convertible 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280-SL vanished from the street in Santa Monica while the "Pulp Fiction" star was visiting a nearby Jaguar dealership in September.

Michael Green, 58, and D.L. Rayford, 52, were taken into custody in December by members of a law enforcement task force investigating a sophisticated car-theft ring, Santa Monica police Sergeant Richard Lewis said.

"Through the collaborative efforts of investigators ... two individuals were identified as suspects relating to the theft of Mr. Travolta's Mercedes, and were arrested by investigators from the task force," Lewis said.

Lewis said leads developed following the theft led investigators to a "chop shop," where stolen vehicles were found, including parts of the actor's car.

"It was not recovered in whole, it was chopped," Lewis said. "We have numerous pieces recovered but not the entire car."

He said the arrests were not announced earlier to avoid compromising a larger investigation into the car theft ring.

Both Green and Rayford were charged with grand theft auto, a Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman said.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)