The News Of …

Kitty Wells (the “Queen of Country Music” who opened the door to a host of female country music headliners) died on Monday at her home in Nashville of complications from a stroke. She was 92.
Among those mourning her passing was Loretta Lynn, whose own rise to popularity came after Wells, who paved the way for strong female voices in country music. “Kitty Wells will always be the greatest female country singer of all times” – said Lynn in a statement released on her web site.
“She was my hero. If I had never heard of Kitty Wells, I don’t think I would have been a singer myself. I wanted to sound just like her, but as far as I am concerned, no one will ever be as great as Kitty Wells.
“She truly is the Queen of Country Music.”

Kitty Wells.

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Stephen R. Covey, a former Brigham Young University business professor who blended personal self-help and management theory in a massive bestseller (“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”) died Monday at a hospital in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He was 79.
The cause was complications from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident, said Debra Lund, a spokeswoman for the Utah-based FranklinCovey leadership training and consulting company he co-founded.
In April, Covey lost control of his bike while riding down a hill in Provo, Utah. He was hospitalized for two months with a head injury, cracked ribs and a partly collapsed lung but “never fully recovered” – Lund said Monday.
Covey became a household name when “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” was published in 1989. On bestseller lists for four years, it has sold in excess of 20 million copies in 40 languages and spawned a multimillion-dollar business empire that markets audiotapes, training seminars and organizing aids aimed at improving personal productivity and professional success.
“His timing was perfect. He really caught the wave … as people were becoming increasingly fascinated with leadership. He addressed ordinary people’s desire to succeed through leadership and management” – said Barbara Kellerman, a lecturer on leadership at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Stephen Covey.

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Celeste Holm, a versatile, bright-eyed blonde who soared to Broadway fame in “Oklahoma!” and won an Oscar in “Gentleman’s Agreement” but whose last years were filled with financial difficulty and estrangement from her sons, died Sunday – a relative said. She was 95.
Holm had been hospitalized about two weeks ago with dehydration after a fire in actor Robert De Niro’s apartment in the same Manhattan building. She had asked her husband on Friday to bring her home, and she spent her final days with her husband (Frank Basile) and other relatives and close friends by her side, said Amy Phillips, a great-niece of Holm’s who answered the phone at Holm’s apartment on Sunday.
Holm died around 3:30 a.m. at her longtime apartment on Central Park West – Phillips said.
“I think she wanted to be here, in her home, among her things, with people who loved her” – she said.

Celeste Holm.

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Sylvester Stallone’s son (36-year-old Sage Stallone) has died.
Sage, who starred alongside Stallone in Rocky 5, was found dead in his Los Angeles home Friday afternoon.
“Sylvester Stallone is devastated and grief-stricken over the sudden loss of his son Sage Stallone” – Sylvester’s rep said in a statement to E! News. “His compassion and thoughts are with Sage’s mother, Sasha (Czack). Sage was a very talented and wonderful young man, his loss will be felt forever.”
Police, who responded to a welfare check at the home around 2:15 p.m., said there were no signs of forced entry at the home, nor any apparent foul play, and that there did not appear to be any criminal activity involved.
Details regarding the filmmaker’s death are still unclear, but Sage’s attorney George Braunstein told People his housekeeper first found him dead.
“We are in the initial stages of our investigation. We have no information to report at this time” – Chief Coroner Craig Harvey said.

Sage Stallone.

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Kristin Chenoweth has been released from hospital after being injured on the set of “The Good Wife”.
The 43-year-old actress – who plays a political reporter in the fourth season of the CBS drama – is now recovering at home after being treated at Bellevue Hospital after being hit by a piece of lighting equipment that the wind had blown out of place while shooting a scene.
Kristin received treatment at the scene before being rushed to hospital after she was struck by the lighting silk on Kent Avenue in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, and she was thought to have hit her head on the ground when she fell.
Her representative said in a statement: “Kristin has been released from the hospital and is home recovering. She thanks everyone for their prayers and well wishes.”
Following the incident, “Will and Grace” actor Sean Hayes (who starred opposite the blonde beauty in Broadway production “Promises, Promises” in 2010) took to his twitter account to wish the 43-year-old star a “speedy recovery”.
He tweeted – “Sending out my love and wishes for a speedy recovery to my former leading lady, @KChenoweth.”
Kristin has previously starred in “The West Wing”, “Glee”, “Four Christmases”, “The Pink Panther” and “Pushing Daisies”.

Kristin Chenoweth.

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It’s a night dedicated to the athletes.
Most of sport’s biggest names got dressed up to acknowledge their peers for various accomplishments at the 20th annual ESPY Awards.
Don’t worry if you missed it, we’ve got the highlights and complete winners list for you right here…
Best Opening Montage – Get ready for a roller-coaster of emotions. From watching UFC fighters getting kicked in the face, snowboarders face planting and football players flipping into a touchdown to seeing a teary Peyton Manning say farewell to the Colts and remembering legendary sport coaches, the opening of this year’s ESPY Awards was very touching and entertaining. Kudos.
Worst Attempt at Getting Us Jealous – The L.A. Dodgers’ Matt Kemp walked out, looking ridiculously handsome, with two beautiful ladies on his side—Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere—to announce the winner of Best Female Athlete. Nice try, Kemp. We’re not bitter, not at all. But seriously, stop it.

ESPY Awards.

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Pablo Sandoval and Melky Cabrera turned the All-Star game into a Giant blowout.
Flashing their bright orange spikes and booming bats, the San Francisco sluggers keyed a five-run blitz against Justin Verlander in the first inning that sent the National League to an 8-0 romp over the American League on Tuesday night.
Cabrera homered and won the MVP award, and Giants teammate Matt Cain started a strong pitching performance for the NL in its most-lopsided All-Star victory. Cain combined with Stephen Strasburg, R.A. Dickey, Aroldis Chapman and the rest of a lights-out staff on a six-hitter.
“San Francisco Giants show” – Matt Kemp of the rival Dodgers said during the game.
Ryan Braun (an All-Star again after his drug suspension was overturned last winter) doubled, tripled and made a fine catch in the outfield to help give the NL its first three-game winning streak in two decades.
Chipper Jones singled in his final All-Star at-bat at age 40 as the NL, under retired manager Tony La Russa, once again claimed home-field advantage in the World Series.
Teen sensation Bryce Harper had a shaky All-Star debut. Fellow rookie Mike Trout (only 20) showed off his dynamic skills.

All-Star Game 2012.

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Prince Fielder made a splash at the All-Star Home Run Derby. Eight of them.
The Detroit slugger joined Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players to win multiple titles, thrilling the crowd at Kauffman Stadium with several shots into the right-field fountain and beating Toronto’s Jose Bautista 12-7 in the final Monday night.
“Just being mentioned with him is real special” – said Fielder, who spent time at Griffey’s house when he was a kid. “My dad would let me go over and play video games all day. He always took care of me when I was a kid.”
On a night when the Yankees’ Robinson Cano was repeatedly booed and went homerless, Fielder put on the most powerful display among baseball’s big boppers. Winner at St. Louis’ Busch Stadium three years ago, Fielder had a total of 28 home runs over three rounds to cap the main event on the eve of the All-Star game. He hit the four longest drives of the night, including a pair at 476 feet.
“They were far” – he said. “That’s not easy to hit it out there.”
While the ball stayed out of McCovey Cove during the 2007 Derby at San Francisco’s AT&T Park and the right-field swimming pool last year at Chase Field in Phoenix, there was plenty of aquatic activity in Kansas City, second only to Rome for most fountains in cities around the world.

Prince Fielder.

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Film and television actor Ernest Borgnine, who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a lovelorn butcher in 1955′s “Marty,” has died at age 95 – his manager said Sunday.
The thick-set, gap-toothed Borgnine built a reputation for playing heavies in early films like “From Here to Eternity” and “Bad Day at Black Rock.” But he turned that reputation on its head as the shy, homely title character in “Marty,” taking home the Oscar for best actor – one of four awards the film claimed.
His manager, Lynda Bensky, said Borgnine died of kidney failure Sunday afternoon. His wife, Tova, and children were at his side at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, she said.
“It’s a very sad day” – Bensky said. “The industry has lost someone great, the caliber of which we will never see again. A true icon. But more importantly, the world has lost a sage and loving man who taught us all how to ‘grow young.’ His infectious smile and chuckle made the world a happier place.”

Ernest Borgnine.

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Serena Williams left no doubt she is back to her old dominant self again.
Williams was twice crowned a champion at Wimbledon on Saturday. The first time came when she won her fifth Wimbledon women’s singles title with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Agnieszka Radwanska. Then (later in the day) Williams teamed with her older sister Venus to capture the women’s doubles title with a victory over Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-5, 6-4.
For the sixth seeded Williams, that is her 14th career grand slam singles title. It is also her 13th major doubles crown with Venus. Both sisters have five singles titles at the All England Club now. Serena or Venus has been the women’s singles winner at Wimbledon 10 out of the last 13 years.
It is an incredible journey back to the top for Williams. A series of health problems kept her in and out of hospitals and away from professional tennis for 10 months. When she came back, Williams had trouble regaining her form. A fourth round loss at Wimbledon in 2011 sent her tumbling down to a no. 175 world ranking.
For lesser players – such a tumble would spell the end of their career. Williams embraced the challenge of working hard to return to the top.

Serena Williams.

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