Sideshow: Kate seeking the right cause
Newly minted royal Kate Middleton is on the hunt - for her own charity gig. St. James's Palace confirmed that Kate, now known as Catherine, duchess of Cambridge, is spending the next few months exploring the charitable sector as she mulls what to make of her position at the top of British society. She follows a family tradition championed by the late Princess Diana, her mother-in-law.
Newly minted royal
Kate Middleton
is on the hunt - for her own charity gig. St. James's Palace confirmed that Kate, now known as Catherine, duchess of Cambridge, is spending the next few months exploring the charitable sector as she mulls what to make of her position at the top of British society. She follows a family tradition championed by the late
Princess Diana
, her mother-in-law.
The idea is "to get to know a number of charitable and other causes better, so she can make well-informed decisions about her future role," her spokesman said, declining to elaborate. "The duchess plans to meet a wide range of people and make private visits." He spoke on condition of anonymity, required by palace policy.
Nashville to repave the past
Country music's most famous alley - a gritty monument to the earthy sounds all around it - is getting a face-lift. The block-long alley is between the historic Ryman Auditorium and Nashville's raucous honky-tonks where well-fortified patrons are urged to "holler and swaller." Now it's a place often littered with gray trash cans and cardboard boxes piled atop one another. The makeover will cost Nashville $300,000 and is expected to take up to six months.
The alley is a treasure because legendary musicians such as Hank Williams once walked there. Grand Ole Opry performers used to walk out the Opry's side door, cross the alley, and slip in the back door at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Nashville's legendary honky-tonk.
'Lion King' tops box office
The Lion King
, Walt Disney Co.'s 3-D re-release of its 1994 animated hit, opened as the top film in U.S. and Canadian theaters, generating $29.3 million in ticket sales.
The thriller Drive was third in its debut, taking in $11 million. Drive stars Ryan Gosling as an expert driver who performs movie stunts during the day while moonlighting as a getaway driver for robbers. Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, and Bryan Cranston costar.
Finishing second was Contagion, about a global epidemic. It dropped from first place and had $14.5 million in sales in its second weekend.
Lovato: Thanks for the love
Singer
Demi Lovato
thanked her fans at a concert for supporting her after she entered rehab last year, and told young girls to seek help if they are dealing with similar problems.
"A year ago today . . . I was not in a good place," Lovato, 19, said at her concert Saturday night. "I needed help, and I want anybody in this audience to know that if you're struggling with one of the issues that I dealt with or a different issue, that you can get help, that you can recover and it's possible if you just tell someone."
Lovato entered a treatment facility for three months last year to deal with "emotional and physical issues." The singer-actress said that as an 8-year-old who faced bullying, she had an eating disorder and later started cutting her wrists to vent her despair.
She performed a show at New York's Hammerstein ballroom, just days ahead of the release of her third album, Unbroken. "I want to thank you guys for being there for me every single day I was away," she said.