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No Joke: Comedian To Get Humor Prize

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 2, 2009

Bill Cosby will be awarded the nation's top humor prize from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for his groundbreaking career.

The center announced Wednesday that Cosby, 71, will be honored in the fall with the 12th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Some of the biggest names in comedy will salute Cosby on stage in Washington on Oct. 26.

Cosby said in a statement accepting the award that his mother read Twain's famous stories to him as a child, including "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."

"I would like to apologize to Mr. Twain for falling asleep hundreds of times, but he should understand that I was only four," Cosby said.

Corkrey Is Cut From 'American Idol'

The spotlight has been turned off of Megan Corkrey on "American Idol." The tattooed 22-year-old single mother from Sandy, Utah, who crooned Bob Marley's "Turn Your Lights Down Low," received the least number of viewer votes on the popular Fox singing competition Wednesday - and the show's judges didn't bother to consider saving her.

Joining Corkrey as the bottom three voter-getters this week were 16-year-old high school student Allison Iraheta from Los Angeles and 21-year-old college student Anoop Desai from Chapel Hill, N.C.

Corkrey had been supported by VoteForTheWorst.com, a subversive "Idol" fan site which encourages viewers to vote for bad - but entertaining - singers.

Oprah's School Disciplines Students

Seven students have been punished for violating the code of conduct at Oprah Winfrey's school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa.

A representative for Winfrey says four students were recently expelled and three suspended at her Leadership Academy for Girls outside Johannesburg.

Publicist Don Halcombe declined to say Wednesday what led to the violations because there are minors involved.

In a statement issued by her production company HARPO, Winfrey says she's disappointed that "several of our students chose to disregard the school's rules." She says it is "disheartening" when any student has to be suspended or expelled.

Today's Birthdays

Singer Leon Russell is 67. Jazz musician Larry Coryell is 66. Actress Linda Hunt is 64. Singer Emmylou Harris is 62. Rock musician Dave Robinson (The Cars) is 56. Country singer Buddy Jewell is 48. Actor Christopher Meloni is 48. Singer Keren Woodward (Bananarama) is 48. Rock musician Greg Camp is 42. Rock musician Tony Fredianelli (Third Eye Blind) is 40. Actress Roselyn Sanchez is 36. Rock musician Jesse Carmichael (Maroon 5) is 30. Actor Jesse Plemons is 21.