ENTERTAINMENT By Myrna Hughes
Melissa Etheridge diagnosed with cancer
LOS ANGELES, California - Singer Melissa Etheridge has been diagnosed with breast cancer and has cancelled upcoming tour dates to undergo treatment, her publicist said Thursday. Etheridge, 43, will undergo surgery and a "speedy and complete recovery" is expected by her doctor, publicist Marcel Pariseau said in a statement. The cancer was detected early and Etheridge has been receiving treatment, Pariseau said. "I am fortunate to be under a wonderful doctor's care and thankful that this was caught early," Etheridge said in the statement. "I am looking forward to a quick and full recovery." Etheridge and actress Tammy Lynn Michaels held a commitment ceremony in September 2003. The musician, who lives in Los Angeles, shares custody of a daughter and son with former partner Julie Cypher, who had the children through artificial insemination using a sperm donation from rocker David Crosby. Etheridge's latest album, Lucky, was released in February. Refunds for tickets to her upcoming shows will be available where they were bought; the entertainer's website says she had been scheduled to play 11 dates in seven cities this month.
Giller Prize short list
TORONTO, Canada- The splashiest celebration of the fall book season in Canada was launched Thursday with the announcement of the Giller Prize short list. The most acclaimed writer on the list this year is a previous winner, Alice Munro for her collection of short stories Runaway. Shauna Singh Baldwin was nominated for The Tiger Claw, while Wayson Choy made the cut for All That Matters.
The list is rounded out by Pauline Holdstock for Beyond Measure, Paul Quarrington for Galveston and Miriam Toews for A Complicated Kindness. Mary Walsh will host the gala event Nov. 11, which will be televised. The guest list for the cocktail shmooz and dinner usually reads like a who's who of Canadian literary, political and entertainment luminaries. This year's jury panel comprises authors Charlotte Gray, Alistair MacLeod and M.J. Vassanji. Vassanji won the Giller in 1994 -- the first year the award was handed out -- and repeated the feat last year. Other past winners have included Mordecai Richler, Rohinton Mistry, Michael Ondaatje and Richard B. Wright. The $25,000 prize was created by Toronto businessman Jack Rabinovitch in honour of his late wife Doris Giller, a literary journalist. Over the last decade, the Giller has grown in stature and has become the most talked about event in Canadian publishing
Alice Munro.
Stella McCartney
Designer Stella McCartney pregnant
LONDON, UK- Fashion designer Stella McCartney, daughter of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, has announced that she is expecting her first child. McCartney made the announcement Thursday at the launch of her new spring/summer collection during Paris Fashion Week. A spokesman for the designer confirmed she was three and a half months pregnant. The designer told The Daily Telegraph newspaper she did not know whether the baby would be a boy or a girl. "I want it to be a natural thing," she was quoted as saying. "I want it to be a surprise." McCartney, 33, married former publisher Alasdhair Willis in August 2003. The baby will be the third grandchild for the former Beatle -- his eldest daughter, Mary, has two boys. Sir Paul's wife, Heather Mills McCartney, gave birth to a daughter, Beatrice, last year.
Jenny Sinclair's new CD "One More Time": A delightful musical accomplishment
London, UK- Jenny Sinclair' CD "One More Time", a tribute to the legendary Carpenters was released recently in England.