‘Dream wedding’ …
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Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have set a wedding date, and to hear the talk show host tell it, the ceremony is going to be a doozy.
DeGeneres, who won her fourth consecutive Daytime Emmy for talk show host, told reporters that she and de Rossi are planning their “dream wedding.”
“Yes, we have set a wedding date,” said DeGeneres. “How do I feel about it? I obviously feel like it’s long overdue. I think someday people will look back on this like women not having the right to vote and segregation and anything else that seems ridiculous that we don’t all have the same rights.”
While the day is on the calendar, DeGeneres didn’t say when or where it would take place.
DeGeneres said she plans to fly the de Rossi family in from Australia and that “incredible people” would sing at the ceremony.
“Planning a wedding is very stressful,” said DeGeneres. “It’s crazy. My gardener is now invited.”
Wilson signs up …
The Newport Folk Festival is picking up good vibrations.
Brian Wilson, a founding member of the Beach Boys, is joining the festival’s lineup. He’ll headline an evening performance Aug. 1 at
the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The festival continues Aug. 2 and 3 at Fort Adams State Park.
Wilson is the latest big-name act added to the festival, which already includes Jimmy Buffett, Trey Anastasio, the Black Crowes and reggae artists Stephen and Damian Marley.
The festival is under new management and has branched out beyond more traditional folk this year. Organizers are hoping their roster of popular performers can produce a sellout.
The festival marks its 50th anniversary next summer.
A healthy mind-set …
Having weathered the highs and lows of eating disorders, Brittany Snow has shelved her personal trainer and sworn off dieting.
“Done with the trainer. I canceled my trainer,” Snow, 22, told People. “I refuse to do the whole diet, fitness, style thing anymore.” Asked how she’s staying healthy, the “Prom Night” star says, “I think more than anything, the thing I’ve learned in being here is that everything else doesn’t matter as long as you’re taking care of yourself and you’re having fun. Just hanging out with my friends and trying to take care of myself, I think that’s the biggest thing.”
Snow told People in 2007 that she had been diagnosed with anorexia, exercise bulimia, depression and body dysmorphic disorder as a teenager — and had dipped to 85 pounds at one point.
British bash …
Nelson Mandela is in London for a week of events to celebrate his 90th birthday.
The former South African president’s plane landed at Heathrow Airport on Monday morning.
He is due to attend an outdoor concert in his honor in Hyde Park on Friday. Performers include Queen, Annie Lennox, Leona Lewis and the Soweto Gospel Choir.
Proceeds from the concert will go to the 46664 charity, the AIDS charity named for the number Mandela wore while imprisoned by South Africa’s apartheid authorities.
Mandela also is due to meet prominent supporters, including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former U. S. President Bill Clinton and talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
Mandela, who turns 90 on July 18, has visited London many times, and has expressed gratitude to the city for the constant vigil that was held outside the South African Embassy during the apartheid years.
