LOS ANGELES - A funeral will be held Sunday for clarinetist and jazz great Artie Shaw.
Shaw died Dec. 30 of a complication related to diabetes. He was 94.
The funeral will be in the chapel at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, Shaw's personal assistant, Larry Rose, said Thursday.
Red Buttons and Shaw's orchestra director Dick Johnson are expected to be among those attending the public service.
Shaw epitomized the Big Band era with hits such as "Begin the Beguine" and "Stardust" before abandoning the music world for writing and other pursuits.
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LOS ANGELES - Arthur Widmer, a pioneer in film technology, will receive an award of commendation for lifetime achievement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Widmer will be honored at the scientific and technical Academy Awards dinner Feb. 12 in Pasadena. The dinner precedes the Oscar ceremony two weeks later.
"Art's pioneering work has had a profound impact on the film industry," Richard Edlund, who heads the academy's scientific and technical awards committee, said in a statement Thursday. "In fact, many of the films we hold dear would not have been possible without his contributions to image-compositing technology."
In the late 1940s, Widmer worked on development of new film for movie production at Eastman Kodak. He later worked at Warner Bros. and Universal, where he helped develop ultraviolet and "blue-screen" compositing processes used in visual effects.
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On the Net:
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NEW YORK - MTV has renewed "The Real World" for five more seasons, which means the reality show will stay on the air until at least 2008.
"The Real World," now airing its 15th outing in Philadelphia, brings together seven strangers between the ages of 18 and 24 to live in a swanky loft or house and films them around the clock, at home and on the town.
"We're very gratified by it," Jon Murray, creator and executive producer of "The Real World" and president of Bunim-Murray Productions, said Wednesday. "We love doing 'The Real World.' It has continued to be a favorite with MTV's audiences and remains fresh and stimulating."
However, the spin-off "Road Rules" might be hitting the road. MTV confirmed that no decision has been made on its renewal, although the music network has ordered two more seasons of "The Real World/Road Rules Challenge."
"'Road Rules' has always been sort of the stepchild of 'The Real World,'" said Murray. "It usually gets renewed based on the strength of its ratings. It's been consistent in its delivery, but it doesn't get the same press attention that it deserves."
Murray said there are still many destinations "Road Rules," which crams six 18- to 24-year-olds in a recreational vehicle, has yet to visit.
"They were focused first on the big 'Real World' deal," said Murray of MTV's decision. "They're aware we need to keep the challenges fresh. We need new cast members."
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On the Net:
http://www.mtv.com/onair/realworld/
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PARIS - From Paris to Beijing, Hong Kong to London and beyond, musicians are beating the drum - literally - for victims of the Asian tsunami with special concerts and songs.
In Britain, longtime DJ Mike Read said he lined up Band Aid veteran Boy George and pop musician Cliff Richard to record a benefit version of Read's "Grief Never Grows Old."
Avril Lavigne, Sum 41 and Sarah McLachlan are among Canadian artists lined up for charity concerts in Calgary and Vancouver at the end of the month.
Proceeds from an annual benefit concert hosted by German President Horst Koehler at the Berlin Philharmonic will go for victims of the tsunami, his office said Thursday.
In Paris, tickets went on sale for an additional day of concerts at a popular music festival this month, with funds destined for the Red Cross.
Over the weekend, rising pop star Tue West and trendy rappers Jokeren and Nik & Jay were to hit airwaves for a daylong telethon in Denmark.
In Norway, dozens of benefit concerts are planned. In Stavanger, groups scheduled a free show Thursday, with cash to be raised through the sale of a single titled, "The Time Is Now."
"It's about solidarity with people," Norwegian bluesman Reidar Larsen told reporters Thursday. "If you have the chance to help people in need, most will turn out, whether auto mechanics or artists."
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HONG KONG - Chow Yun-Fat, star of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Anna and the King," is helping raise funds for tsunami survivors in South Asia by auctioning off a photograph he took.
The minimum price for the signed black-and-white picture of a branch laden with what appears to be tomatoes was set at $3,600, the Apple Daily newspaper, the auction organizer, reported Thursday.
Other Hong Kong celebrities donating items to the online auction included "Kung Fu Hustle" star Stephen Chow, Leon Lai, Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung and Cecilia Cheung.
It also was reported Thursday that New York Yankees star Hideki Matsui had given almost $500,000 through the Japanese Red Cross Society.
Matsui handed the donation to Fumio Hirata, head of the local Red Cross chapter and mayor of Neagari, Matsui's hometown in northwestern Japan.
"Watching the news every day, I thought that this must be the worst disaster in history. I'd like to do what little I can to help," Hirata quoted the popular baseball star as saying.
The concept of charity is not deeply ingrained in Japanese society, where family networks take precedence over social philanthropy. Public donations by celebrities are a recent phenomenon.
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