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Colbert Is Celebrity Of Year (And So Can You!)

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 21, 2007

Stephen Colbert was voted AP Celebrity of the Year by newspaper editors and broadcast producers who said he had the biggest impact on pop culture in 2007.

He finished just a nudge above J.K. Rowling, who wrote the final book in her enormously popular "Harry Potter" series. Finishing third was Al Gore, whose year included an Oscar, an Emmy, a Nobel Peace Prize and the global concert Live Earth.

Voting was otherwise spread out across many entertainers, including pop star Britney Spears, "Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus, rapper Kanye West, comedy director and producer Judd Apatow and country singer Kenny Chesney.

In 2007, the mock pundit on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" exceeded the influence of most real pundits, orchestrating an ill-fated (and Doritos-sponsored) run for president and topping the best-seller lists with his book "I Am America (And So Can You!)."

Procedures Violated In Gibson Arrest

A sheriff's supervisor considered withholding details about Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic rant from an arrest report but was eventually overruled by a captain, a department watchdog said Thursday.

Gibson was arrested July 28, 2006, on a misdemeanor drunken driving charge in Malibu, Calif. He later pleaded no contest and was given three years' probation, fined and required to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

The report also says three Los Angeles County sheriff's employees violated policy in the actor-director's arrest.

Sheriff's personnel neglected to take Gibson's palm print upon his release, follow proper procedures before driving him to a tow yard to retrieve his car and sign a certain department form, the report said. The employees - two sergeants and a jailer - have since been disciplined for the minor procedural violations, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said. One received a one-day suspension; the other two received a written reprimand.

Clinton Donates His Saxophone To Museum

Former President Clinton has donated the saxophone he played at his inauguration to the American Jazz Museum, in Kansas City, Mo.

The attraction is part of the historic 18th and Vine district, where musicians often play into the early morning at an old union hall called the Mutual Musicians Foundation.

The saxophone is expected to be handed over in a public ceremony today.

Stewart, Colbert Say Shows Will Go On

"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" will resume production Jan. 7 without their striking writers, the Comedy Central network announced Thursday.

Both shows were shuttered after the writers strike began seven weeks ago. Stephen Colbert and Stewart are the latest late-night hosts to announce their return to the air while the ongoing writers strike continues to devastate much television and film production. Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel have all recently said that they will resume their programs on Jan. 2.

Today's Birthdays

Talk show host Phil Donahue is 72. Actress Jane Fonda is 70. Actor Samuel L. Jackson is 59. Actor-comedian Ray Romano is 50. Actor-comedian Andy Dick is 42. Actor Kiefer Sutherland is 41. Country singer Brad Warren of The Warren Brothers is 39. Actress Julie Delpy is 38.

Source: The Associated Press

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