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Turner Gets Invite To Join Grand Ole Opry's Elite

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 1, 2007

Hank Williams. Patsy Cline. Alan Jackson. Martina McBride. And now, Josh Turner.

They're all members of the Grand Ole Opry, the nation's longest continuously running radio show. Turner was invited to join Saturday in Nashville, Tenn., and had no trouble accepting.

During 'Opry Live,' Turner presented Roy Clark with a plaque commemorating his 20 years as an Opry member. Clark then pulled an envelope attached to the back of the plaque and said, 'Well, actually this is for you, Josh. It reads: How would you like to formally become a member of the Grand Ole Opry?'

Said Turner: 'I made my Opry debut back in 2001. I never knew this could happen so early.'

He will be formally inducted Oct. 27 by Vince Gill.

When Turner made his first showing at the Opry, he hadn't yet had a song released on country radio. Even so, he earned a standing ovation for 'Long Black Train,' which became his breakthrough hit, and a second standing ovation after an encore.

Turner's debut album sold more than a million copies. His follow-up, 'Your Man,' also went double platinum with the hit singles 'Your Man' and 'Would You Go With Me?'

'Rush Hour' No Rush For Star Jackie Chan
'Rush Hour' put Jackie Chan in Hollywood's major leagues, but the Hong Kong star isn't a fan of his successful action comedy franchise.

Chan said when he made the first installment of the 'Rush Hour' series in 1998 he only wanted to test the U.S. market and didn't have high hopes.

'When we finished filming, I felt very disappointed because it was a movie I didn't appreciate and I did not like the action scenes involved. I felt the style of action was too Americanized and I didn't understand the American humor,' Chan said in a blog entry on his Web site seen Sunday.

The actor said he made the sequel because he was offered an 'irresistible' amount of money to do it and made the recently released third installment to satisfy fans of the series.

Chan said 'Rush Hour 3' was no different from the first two installments for him.

'Nothing particularly exciting stood out that made this movie special for me ... I spent four months making this film and I still don't fully understand the humor,' he said, adding the comedic scenes may be lost on Asian audiences.

Chan's comments came even though the 'Rush Hour' series, which revolves around the racial humor stemming from the pairing of a Chinese (Chan) and a black (Chris Tucker) police officer, helped the action star cross over to mainstream American audiences.

Grill Fight Looms For Holyfield, Foreman

Evander Holyfield once defeated George Foreman in a battle for the world heavyweight boxing title. Now he is seeking to oust his former foe from another arena: the grilling world.

Holyfield, of Atlanta, is preparing to unveil the Evander Holyfield Real Deal Grill, a direct competitor to Foreman's famous Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine, which has reportedly earned $100 million in sales since 1995.

'I've got a George Foreman grill. It's a good grill,' Holyfield, 44, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 'But don't you think the latest grill is supposed to be the best grill?'

Manufacturer CirTran Corp., based in Utah, approached Holyfield about promoting the $99 grill after he appeared on the TV show 'Dancing With the Stars' in 2005. Holyfield dons an apron in a 30-minute commercial that began airing last week describing his product's culinary and health benefits.

Today's Birthdays

Former President Jimmy Carter is 83. Actress-singer Julie Andrews is 72. Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew is 62. Actor Randy Quaid is 57. Actor Esai Morales is 45. Rock singer-musician Kevin Griffin is 39. Actress Jurnee Smollett is 21.

Source: The Associated Press

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