DETROIT (Reuters) - Singer Bobby Rogers, a founding member of the hit-making Motown group the Miracles along with Smokey Robinson, died on Sunday in suburban Detroit after a lengthy illness, family members and associates said. He was 73.
Rogers was a tenor in the original Motown lineup of the group that also included Robinson as the lead singer, bass vocalist Warren 'Pete' Moore, baritone Ronnie White and the quintet's lone female vocalist, Claudette Rogers.
Claudette Rogers, who became Claudette Robinson after marrying the group's star in 1963 and left the group a year later, was Bobby Rogers' first cousin. She and Smokey Robinson later divorced.
'My cousin, Robert 'Bobby' Rogers, who was like a brother to me, lost his battle and succumbed,' she said in a statement issued through the Detroit-based Motown Alumni Association.
'He had a sparkling personality that was loved by everyone,' she told the Detroit Free Press newspaper. 'People always commented on the tall one with the glasses.'
Smokey Robinson, born hours apart from Rogers in the same Detroit hospital on February 19, 1940, saluted his former compatriot in his own statement, saying: 'Another soldier in my life has fallen.'
'Bobby Rogers was my brother and a really good friend,' he said. 'I am really going to miss him. I loved him very much.'
Billy Wilson, president of the Motown Alumni Association, said Rogers died at his home in Southfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
The Miracles grew out of an earlier quintet of high school performers called the Five Chimes that formed in the mid-1950s and changed its name to the Matadors after several roster changes capped by Claudette Rogers' admission to the group.
Introduced to Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., the group changed its name to the Miracles and became one of the first acts signed to his Tamla Records imprint and went on to record Motown's first million-selling hit single, 'Shop Around.'
The group, which later changed its name again to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, ultimately released 30 singles that charted in the Top 40, including such Motown classics as 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me,' 'Going to a Go-Go,' 'I Second That Emotion,' 'Tears of a Clown' and 'Tracks of My Tears.'
One of Rogers' most notable vocal contributions with the group was his two-part harmony with Robinson on 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me,' which was later covered by the Beatles. Rogers' voice also is heard in the background of the Marvin Gaye track 'What's Going On,' uttering the phrase: 'It's just a groovy party, man, I can dig it.'
He shared songwriting credits with Robinson on a number of songs recorded by the Miracles, such as 'Going to a Go-Go,' and other groups, including the Temptations hit 'The Way You Do the Things You Do' and 'First I Look at the Purse' by the Contours.
Rogers was inducted with other members of the Miracles into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, about 25 years after the controversial solo induction of Robinson.
Miracles vocalist Ronnie White died in 1995.
(Additional reporting by Patricia Reaney in New York; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Eric Beech)
Monday, March 4, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Bobby Rogers, co-founder of the Miracles, dies at 73
(Reuters) - Bobby Rogers, a founding member of the Miracles singing group with Smokey Robinson, died on Sunday at his home in suburban Detroit after a lengthy illness, the Detroit Free Press newspaper said.
Rogers, 73, a member of the Motown group that was formed in the mid-1950s with Robinson, Ronnie White and Pete Moore, was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
'He had a sparkling personality that was loved by everyone,' Claudette Robinson, Rogers' first cousin, told the newspaper. 'People always commented on the tall one with the glasses.'
Rogers died at his home in Southfield, Michigan.
The Miracles had a string of hits including 'The Tears of a Clown,' 'Going to a Go-Go,' 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me' and 'Tracks of My Tears.'
Ronnie White died in 1995.
Funeral arrangements for Rogers have not been set, according to the newspaper.
(Reporting by Patricia Reaney in New York; Editing by Eric Beech)
Rogers, 73, a member of the Motown group that was formed in the mid-1950s with Robinson, Ronnie White and Pete Moore, was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
'He had a sparkling personality that was loved by everyone,' Claudette Robinson, Rogers' first cousin, told the newspaper. 'People always commented on the tall one with the glasses.'
Rogers died at his home in Southfield, Michigan.
The Miracles had a string of hits including 'The Tears of a Clown,' 'Going to a Go-Go,' 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me' and 'Tracks of My Tears.'
Ronnie White died in 1995.
Funeral arrangements for Rogers have not been set, according to the newspaper.
(Reporting by Patricia Reaney in New York; Editing by Eric Beech)
Ex-NBA star Rodman says North Korea's Kim wants Obama to call
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dennis Rodman, the former NBA star known more for his body piercings and tattoos than international diplomacy skills, said on Sunday he returned from North Korea with a message from its leader Kim Jong-un for President Barack Obama - 'call me.'
Rodman appeared on ABC's 'This Week' program a few days after an unlikely meeting with Kim in the North Korea capital Pyongyang, where Rodman was working on a documentary about basketball.
With the international community concerned about North Korea's nuclear weapons program and continued belligerence, Kim and Rodman attended a game, where they were seen laughing and talking, and had dinner together.
'He wants Obama to do one thing - call him,' Rodman said. 'He said, 'If you can, Dennis - I don't want (to) do war. I don't want to do war.' He said that to me.'
Rodman said he told Kim, who followed his father and grandfather as leader of the totalitarian nation in December 2011, that his love of basketball could serve as a foundation of a relationship with the U.S. president, who also is a basketball fan and plays regularly.
'(Kim) loves basketball. And I said the same thing. I said, 'Obama loves basketball.' Let's start there,' Rodman said.
The U.S. government has disavowed any connection with Rodman's trip.
Last week, Rodman spoke warmly of Kim, 30, and described him as 'an awesome kid.'
On 'This Week,' he defended his new friendship with a man considered a violator of human rights and a threat to world peace by saying, 'I'm not apologizing for him. You know, he's a good guy to me. Guess what? He's my friend. I don't condone what he does ... (but) as a person to person - he's my friend.'
When pressed on North Korea's human rights record, Rodman said, 'But as far as what he does, you deal with it.'
Rodman, appearing in the interview wearing a jacket covered with images of U.S. dollars, a baseball cap and big sunglasses, dismissed Kim's comments about wanting to destroy the United States as rhetoric stemming from his father.
He called him a strong and 'very humble' man who 'loves power, he loves control.'
Rodman said he intends to return to North Korea someday.
Rodman played on five NBA championship teams during his basketball career, which ran from 1986 to 2000. He played for five teams and in his peak years he was the league's top rebounder and one of its best defenders. He was chosen for the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Rodman's basketball skills were matched by his flamboyance - party lifestyle, multi-colored hair, blankets of tattoos, piercings in his ears, nose, lips and eyebrows and showing up in a wedding gown, complete with veil, to promote his autobiography.
(Editing by Will Dunham)
Rodman appeared on ABC's 'This Week' program a few days after an unlikely meeting with Kim in the North Korea capital Pyongyang, where Rodman was working on a documentary about basketball.
With the international community concerned about North Korea's nuclear weapons program and continued belligerence, Kim and Rodman attended a game, where they were seen laughing and talking, and had dinner together.
'He wants Obama to do one thing - call him,' Rodman said. 'He said, 'If you can, Dennis - I don't want (to) do war. I don't want to do war.' He said that to me.'
Rodman said he told Kim, who followed his father and grandfather as leader of the totalitarian nation in December 2011, that his love of basketball could serve as a foundation of a relationship with the U.S. president, who also is a basketball fan and plays regularly.
'(Kim) loves basketball. And I said the same thing. I said, 'Obama loves basketball.' Let's start there,' Rodman said.
The U.S. government has disavowed any connection with Rodman's trip.
Last week, Rodman spoke warmly of Kim, 30, and described him as 'an awesome kid.'
On 'This Week,' he defended his new friendship with a man considered a violator of human rights and a threat to world peace by saying, 'I'm not apologizing for him. You know, he's a good guy to me. Guess what? He's my friend. I don't condone what he does ... (but) as a person to person - he's my friend.'
When pressed on North Korea's human rights record, Rodman said, 'But as far as what he does, you deal with it.'
Rodman, appearing in the interview wearing a jacket covered with images of U.S. dollars, a baseball cap and big sunglasses, dismissed Kim's comments about wanting to destroy the United States as rhetoric stemming from his father.
He called him a strong and 'very humble' man who 'loves power, he loves control.'
Rodman said he intends to return to North Korea someday.
Rodman played on five NBA championship teams during his basketball career, which ran from 1986 to 2000. He played for five teams and in his peak years he was the league's top rebounder and one of its best defenders. He was chosen for the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Rodman's basketball skills were matched by his flamboyance - party lifestyle, multi-colored hair, blankets of tattoos, piercings in his ears, nose, lips and eyebrows and showing up in a wedding gown, complete with veil, to promote his autobiography.
(Editing by Will Dunham)
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Schwarzenegger flexes muscles again in bodybuilding world
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Arnold Schwarzenegger is going back to his bodybuilding roots.
The action movie star turned politician will become group executive editor for the magazines Flex, and Muscle & Fitness, writing monthly columns in the publications and their online websites, American Media said on Friday.
The 'Terminator' star, who began his Hollywood career as a bodybuilder and went on to win five Mr. Universe titles, held the same position at the magazines before he was elected California governor in 2003.
'Bodybuilding has always been part of my life, and I know Muscle & Fitness and Flex will continue to motivate others - as it did me - to lift weights and lead a healthy lifestyle (and) promote the sport of bodybuilding,' Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
Schwarzenegger's relationship with the two magazines goes back to 1968, when he was just 21, and he has appeared on their covers more than 60 times.
Schwarzenegger, 65, has taken a diverse path since stepping down as California governor in January 2011, returning to movies in films like 'The Last Stand' and 'The Expendables 2,' writing an autobiography, and launching an eponymous global policy think tank at the University of Southern California's Los Angeles campus.
Muscle & Fitness and Flex are part of American Media Inc, whose other titles include the National Enquirer tabloid, and celebrity magazine OK!
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Eric Walsh)
The action movie star turned politician will become group executive editor for the magazines Flex, and Muscle & Fitness, writing monthly columns in the publications and their online websites, American Media said on Friday.
The 'Terminator' star, who began his Hollywood career as a bodybuilder and went on to win five Mr. Universe titles, held the same position at the magazines before he was elected California governor in 2003.
'Bodybuilding has always been part of my life, and I know Muscle & Fitness and Flex will continue to motivate others - as it did me - to lift weights and lead a healthy lifestyle (and) promote the sport of bodybuilding,' Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
Schwarzenegger's relationship with the two magazines goes back to 1968, when he was just 21, and he has appeared on their covers more than 60 times.
Schwarzenegger, 65, has taken a diverse path since stepping down as California governor in January 2011, returning to movies in films like 'The Last Stand' and 'The Expendables 2,' writing an autobiography, and launching an eponymous global policy think tank at the University of Southern California's Los Angeles campus.
Muscle & Fitness and Flex are part of American Media Inc, whose other titles include the National Enquirer tabloid, and celebrity magazine OK!
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Eric Walsh)
Friday, March 1, 2013
Richard Burton immortalized in Hollywood next to Taylor
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British actor Richard Burton finally received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next to that of his two-time wife, Elizabeth Taylor, on Friday, nearly 30 years after his death.
Welsh-born Burton, who died in 1984, received the career honor as part of the 50th anniversary of ancient Egypt movie drama 'Cleopatra,' in which he and co-star Taylor began their storied and tumultuous love affair.
The couple's adopted daughter, Maria Burton, accepted the honor of the iconic terrazzo and brass star along Hollywood Boulevard in the historical heart of the U.S. film industry.
Burton was nominated for an Oscar seven times between 1953 and 1978 but never won the prize.
Actor and fellow Welshman Michael Sheen spoke at the unveiling and recalled the awe he felt when Burton and Taylor, one of Hollywood's most famous couples, visited the village where Sheen grew up.
'The same beach that I built my boyhood sand castles (on) and learned to failingly swim - it was that same beach, that one legendary day, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor descended from the heavens, like gods from Olympus, in a helicopter ... and landed on those sands,' Sheen said.
'They stepped out swathed in luxurious fur coats - it was the '70s - and walked among us for too short a time,' he added.
Burton, whose star is the 2,941th installed, starred in 11 films with Taylor, including 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' in 1966 and 'The Taming of the Shrew' in 1967.
The couple's scandalous love affair during 1964's 'Cleopatra' was made into a U.S. television movie 'Liz & Dick,' starring Lindsay Lohan, last year.
Burton and Taylor wed for the first time in 1964 and divorced in 1974. They remarried the following year, but that marriage lasted just nine months.
Burton, who was born Richard Jenkins, was married five times and died in 1984 from a cerebral hemorrhage at age 58. Taylor, who married eight times, died in 2011 at age 79.
(Reporting by Alan Devall; Writing by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Sandra Maler)
Welsh-born Burton, who died in 1984, received the career honor as part of the 50th anniversary of ancient Egypt movie drama 'Cleopatra,' in which he and co-star Taylor began their storied and tumultuous love affair.
The couple's adopted daughter, Maria Burton, accepted the honor of the iconic terrazzo and brass star along Hollywood Boulevard in the historical heart of the U.S. film industry.
Burton was nominated for an Oscar seven times between 1953 and 1978 but never won the prize.
Actor and fellow Welshman Michael Sheen spoke at the unveiling and recalled the awe he felt when Burton and Taylor, one of Hollywood's most famous couples, visited the village where Sheen grew up.
'The same beach that I built my boyhood sand castles (on) and learned to failingly swim - it was that same beach, that one legendary day, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor descended from the heavens, like gods from Olympus, in a helicopter ... and landed on those sands,' Sheen said.
'They stepped out swathed in luxurious fur coats - it was the '70s - and walked among us for too short a time,' he added.
Burton, whose star is the 2,941th installed, starred in 11 films with Taylor, including 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' in 1966 and 'The Taming of the Shrew' in 1967.
The couple's scandalous love affair during 1964's 'Cleopatra' was made into a U.S. television movie 'Liz & Dick,' starring Lindsay Lohan, last year.
Burton and Taylor wed for the first time in 1964 and divorced in 1974. They remarried the following year, but that marriage lasted just nine months.
Burton, who was born Richard Jenkins, was married five times and died in 1984 from a cerebral hemorrhage at age 58. Taylor, who married eight times, died in 2011 at age 79.
(Reporting by Alan Devall; Writing by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Sandra Maler)
Actress Jennifer Lawrence's "Silver Linings" clothes fetch $12,000
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Clothing worn by Jennifer Lawrence in her Oscar-winning role as an outspoken young widow in 'Silver Linings Playbook' beat expectations by taking in about $12,000 at auction.
The wool, full-length winter coat worn by Lawrence in the Oscar-nominated comedy topped all items, selling for $4,652 in the three-day online auction, Los Angeles auction house Nate D. Sanders said on Friday.
The memorabilia dealer had expected the items to fetch between $500 and $1,500 each following the 22-year-old's Best Actress win at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
Lawrence also won awards from the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild in January for her 'Silver Linings Playbook' performance.
The custom-tailored white pants Lawrence wore during the film's climactic ballroom dance scene with co-star Bradley Cooper went for $3,493, and a package of a teal sports bra and blue long-sleeved shirt sold for $3,175.
A black tank top from Lawrence's wardrobe, but not worn in the film, fetched $624.
Movie studios often hand off costumes to auction houses, where even small outfits can bring in high prices from fans and collectors.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Xavier Briand)
The wool, full-length winter coat worn by Lawrence in the Oscar-nominated comedy topped all items, selling for $4,652 in the three-day online auction, Los Angeles auction house Nate D. Sanders said on Friday.
The memorabilia dealer had expected the items to fetch between $500 and $1,500 each following the 22-year-old's Best Actress win at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
Lawrence also won awards from the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild in January for her 'Silver Linings Playbook' performance.
The custom-tailored white pants Lawrence wore during the film's climactic ballroom dance scene with co-star Bradley Cooper went for $3,493, and a package of a teal sports bra and blue long-sleeved shirt sold for $3,175.
A black tank top from Lawrence's wardrobe, but not worn in the film, fetched $624.
Movie studios often hand off costumes to auction houses, where even small outfits can bring in high prices from fans and collectors.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Xavier Briand)
Dennis Rodman calls North Korean leader "an awesome kid"
BEIJING (Reuters) - Former NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman emerged from four days in North Korea on Friday, calling the leader of the reclusive country 'an awesome kid'.
Rodman, known for his tattoos, body piercings and flamboyance, was in North Korea to film a sports documentary, and watched a basketball game alongside the country's leader, Kim Jong-un.
Kim 'is like his grandfather and his father, who are great leaders, he is an awesome kid, very honest and loves his wife so much', Rodman told the Chinese government news agency Xinhua before leaving the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, on Friday.
Kim, 30, is the grandson of Kim Il-sung, who founded North Korea, and the son of Kim Jong-il. Both ruled the country with an iron fist.
Kim has maintained his father's drive to secure nuclear arms for his impoverished country, with North Korea last month conducting its third nuclear test, drawing the condemnation of world powers and the United Nations.
At Thursday's basketball game, Rodman and Kim laughed and conversed in English, and later had an 'amicable' dinner, Xinhua quoted the former Chicago Bulls player as saying. Kim attended secondary school in Switzerland, but his language abilities remain a mystery.
North Korea routinely denounces U.S. 'hostility' and no peace treaty was signed after a truce ended the 1950-53 Korean War. But Xinhua said Kim told Rodman over dinner that he hoped further sports exchanges would promote 'mutual understanding between peoples of the two countries'.
Asked how his visit might help, Rodman told the agency: 'About the relationship, no one man can do anything. His country and his people love him. I love him, he is an awesome guy.'
Before meeting Kim, Rodman appeared to have mixed up the two Koreas, suggesting he might meet South Korean rapper Psy during his trip to the North.
Rodman came to North Korea to shoot footage for a show to air on the U.S. television network HBO, a producer travelling with the group said.
Arriving at Beijing airport, Rodman brushed past reporters without speaking.
(Reporting by Terril Yue Jones; Editing by Ron Popeski)
Rodman, known for his tattoos, body piercings and flamboyance, was in North Korea to film a sports documentary, and watched a basketball game alongside the country's leader, Kim Jong-un.
Kim 'is like his grandfather and his father, who are great leaders, he is an awesome kid, very honest and loves his wife so much', Rodman told the Chinese government news agency Xinhua before leaving the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, on Friday.
Kim, 30, is the grandson of Kim Il-sung, who founded North Korea, and the son of Kim Jong-il. Both ruled the country with an iron fist.
Kim has maintained his father's drive to secure nuclear arms for his impoverished country, with North Korea last month conducting its third nuclear test, drawing the condemnation of world powers and the United Nations.
At Thursday's basketball game, Rodman and Kim laughed and conversed in English, and later had an 'amicable' dinner, Xinhua quoted the former Chicago Bulls player as saying. Kim attended secondary school in Switzerland, but his language abilities remain a mystery.
North Korea routinely denounces U.S. 'hostility' and no peace treaty was signed after a truce ended the 1950-53 Korean War. But Xinhua said Kim told Rodman over dinner that he hoped further sports exchanges would promote 'mutual understanding between peoples of the two countries'.
Asked how his visit might help, Rodman told the agency: 'About the relationship, no one man can do anything. His country and his people love him. I love him, he is an awesome guy.'
Before meeting Kim, Rodman appeared to have mixed up the two Koreas, suggesting he might meet South Korean rapper Psy during his trip to the North.
Rodman came to North Korea to shoot footage for a show to air on the U.S. television network HBO, a producer travelling with the group said.
Arriving at Beijing airport, Rodman brushed past reporters without speaking.
(Reporting by Terril Yue Jones; Editing by Ron Popeski)
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