The musician and star of The Voice, 37, is in the running in three categories, including Best Pop Vocal Album, at Sunday’s Grammy Awards (CBS, 8 p.m. ET).

Who are your fashion influences?
I’m inspired by Kiss, Alice Cooper, Sly Stone, and Elton John—people who have great showmanship. I just like to shake things up and breathe some fresh air back into music.

Who’s your biggest competition on The Voice this season?
I don’t really look at my fellow coaches as competition because we’re all completely different. I’d love to trade places with Christina [Aguilera] to see what it feels like to sing as brilliantly as she does. Blake [Shelton] is down-to-earth, charming, witty, charismatic. I’ve grown very fond of him. And Adam [Levine] and I are friends, too. He’s just supercool.

What is your Twitter philosophy?
Sometimes less is more! I make sure that it’s significant and filled with a sense of humor. I’m a people person, so it comes easily to me. It’s my passion.

Find out what Blake Shelton had to say about Cee Lo in our exclusive interview!

Bollywood’s biggest star Amitabh Bachchan is recovering from abdominal surgery in a Mumbai hospital.

The actor has a history of stomach ailments following an intestinal injury he suffered while filming a movie in 1982.

His son Abhishek Bachchan says Saturday’s surgery went well and his father is resting.

He tweeted thanks to Bachchan’s fans for their prayers and get well wishes.

Affectionately known as “Big B,” Bachchan has acted in around 180 films in a career spanning four decades in Bollywood, the home of India’s prolific movie industry.

Photo: Beyonce Makes First Post-Baby Appearance

A: Though the singer and new mom, 30, studied Spanish in school, she doesn’t speak it. “It’s actually way easier for me to sing in another language than speak because it has a melody to it,” she said in 2007, when she released a version of her album B’day that featured six tunes in Spanish. She learns foreign-language songs phonetically, practicing sentence by sentence.

A: The 50-year-old country star and runner-up on The Celebrity ­Apprentice, whose Songs & Stories tour kicks off in March, says the construction of his family’s new home (their last one burned down in June) may be documented for TV. “It’s something my wife wants to do,” he says.

Marlene Dietrich is having a moment. The runways of New York Fashion Week are paying homage to the late star’s sultry, glamorous but sometimes slightly mannish style.

On the second of eight days of previews for next season, Friday’s newness largely came from this old-school Hollywood star.

Dietrich’s “balance of smoldering femininity and masculine garb was the starting point for the mood,” explained Peter Som in his notes for editors, stylists and retailers. His collection was filled with modest-yet body-conscious silhouettes. A top look was the peek-a-boo effect of slim sheaths and pencil skirts covered with a glossy organza that often extended the hemline or covered the arms.

“She, like Katharine Hepburn, wore pants but still looked like a woman. She wore menswear and androgynous style with a sexiness,” said Catherine Moellering, executive vice president of The Tobe Report, a trend-tracking service.

Jason Wu said in a pre-show interview that he aimed to interpret different elements of historical Chinese fashion through the lens of Dietrich’s 1932 film “Shanghai Express.”

“I don’t need to say any more about Marlene Dietrich, or that time and place. It all has such strong features,” Wu said.

Dietrich also was an inspiration for Tadashi Shoji, who previewed his looks Thursday. And Rag & Bone, showing Friday, took inspiration from Asian culture, while Yigal Azrouel used tailoring to give structure to the looser silhouette that also seems to be emerging this week as a trend.

Here are some of the looks shown Friday.

JASON WU

Jason Wu has been considered a strong up-and-comer since Michelle Obama wore a gown by the then-barely known designer to the presidential inaugural balls in 2008. A Target deal put a limited collection in stores earlier this month, and Wu’s confidence was evident in a dramatic show that was also highly personal, with Chinese-influenced styles inspired partly by a trip 18 months ago to Taiwan, where he grew up.

The runway show had studded fortress doors, billowing smoke and a theatrical finale. The clothes tapped into Chinese military uniforms with Mao jackets, grommets, strong shoulders and capes, with the best look in the show opener: a green coat with attached cape and black lace. Tassels, embroideries and brocades drew on ornate costumes worn by empresses, with references to 1930s and ’40s Hollywood, where traditional Chinese dress was reinterpreted in movies like Marlene Dietrich’s “Shanghai Express.”

The result? Puffy jackets in glitzy brocade.

The lingering look from this collection, though, is likely the finale: a black wool jacket with epaulets and mink trim covered in crystal embroidery paired with a black skirt etched with fabric through a process known as devore.

PETER SOM

Peter Som’s fall collection had below-the-knee hemlines, covered sleeves and wrap-style coats. It felt very modern and sexy — never dowdy — thanks to Som’s creative use of sheer fabrics, especially a glossy organza that topped pencil skirts and slim sheaths. He showed awareness of a woman’s body while never clinging to it. He used architectural shapes and clean lines to draw attention to the waist and a woman’s curves, but that added layer — whether it was the organza or a peplum — gave her a little freedom.

“Masculine and feminine, hard and soft, textured and smooth,” he described in his notes at the show held at Milk Studios, New York Fashion Week’s main rival location to the Lincoln Center tents. Som said he “wanted to convey a sense of strength and beauty” inspired by Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn.

Luxury has become a signature of Som, but this season he did it more with soft leathers, cozy cashmere and silk instead of exotic furs and feathers. There were a few fox coats that were colored as if they were lipstick graffiti.

Otherwise, though, the palette was very uptown: winter white, camel, emerald green and plum.

KATE SPADE NEW YORK

Kate Spade New York offered a playful shoutout to Paris with styles in maraschino red, aqua and forest green, huge polka dots and graphic prints.

Creative director Deborah Lloyd matched the walls at the brand’s show in a black dress adorned with French script reading “Toutes les filles sont folles,” or “All the girls are crazy.” She perched her models on columns in a downtown space, inspired by gardens near the Palais-Royal in Paris and the columns in its famous courtyard. “The last time I was there, all these cute girls were being statues on columns,” she said.

She went oh so French with a cobalt blue button-up swing coat adorned with a large matching bow at the neck, and a column skirt with large dots in two shades of blue and a girlie bow at the waist.

Lloyd carried a dreamy, watercolor flower pattern from a full, pleated jumper into tops and cardigans. Her “joie de vivre” embracing Paris and the fashionable women who live there also showed up in a pattern adorned with colored drawings of the women themselves, including one holding a lit cigarette.

“There’s definitely a French, flirtatious feeling to this collection,” Lloyd said.

RAG & BONE

British-born Rag & Bone designers David Neville and Marcus Wainwright started with English mainstays, including tweeds, tails and jackets fit for military officers. But a recent trip to India also got them thinking about former British colonies and the traditional dress in those mostly Asian places, they explained backstage before the show.

On the runway there were folded skirts — a particularly nice one done in walnut-colored leather — that was paired with a polo-neck T-shirt and a high-neck, below-the-hip raj jacket, and draped, low-slung dhoti pants with a striped wool biker tailcoat.

The tapestry-style brocade outfits, jazzed up with flashes of silver and copper, were dressier than garments typical of Rag & Bone.

YIGAL AZROUEL

One of the dominant looks emerging this fashion week that Yigal Azrouel did well was the idea of a looser silhouette while still giving structure with tailoring. There was definitely nothing frilly or flouncy in his pieces, which were seasonal with what he called a bit of “cold minimalism.”

He favored cashmere and silk, with hints of leather and fur, with a standout winter-white wool hooded pullover top paired with skinny trousers, and a lovely light tan gabardine dress with architectural lines. A cable-knit sweater dress seemed perfect for the chilly weather evoked by the line.

He embraced the use of soft, supple leather, another emerging must-have item, and a mostly neutral color palette with pops of emerald green and shades of purple and burgundy.

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Follow AP coverage of New York Fashion Week at http://twitter.com/ap_fashion

Brad Goreski has new clients who include Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, a new TV show and a new gig styling for Kate Spade New York.

What he doesn’t have is any interest in rehashing a feud with his former boss Rachel Zoe, who accused him of ditching her right before the Oscars and trying to steal her clients when he struck out on his own in 2010.

“How am I dealing with it? I have no comment about it. That’s how I’m putting it to rest. I wish her all the best,” Goreski said Friday at the Kate Spade presentation during New York Fashion Week.

He has denied both accusations in the past. Otherwise, life is really, really good for the Bravo star of “It’s a Brad, Brad World.”

The show premiered last month. It takes on Goreski’s life in Los Angeles with his partner of 10 years, TV writer Gary Janetti, as he moves from storing glamorous clothes for clients in his garage into a comfy work space of his own. And the tears. He cries a lot.

On TV, Goreski bemoans his short client list, but he said business has picked up off-screen with jobs for Rapace, Christina Ricci, Rashida Jones and Abigail Spencer.

“Times have changed, luckily,” said the 34-year-old from Ontario.

Goreski hinted “something so magical happens between Gary and myself” as the show’s first season comes to a close. He was mum about the details.

Janetti appears not so terribly comfortable at times on the show. Has he settled into his role as a co-star?

“He’s a very private person and has been his whole life,” Goreski said. “Opening up our lives and our home and all the inner workings of our private life is something a little daunting, but it’s very true to who we really are every single day.”

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The annual pre-Grammy Clive Davis gala is so hot this year that even Diddy is getting calls from celebrities who are trying to get on the bill — and in the seats.

Diddy will introduce Davis at the event Saturday, one day before the Grammy Awards.

Davis got a call from Diddy on Friday, and Diddy told him, “Everybody is trying to get me to call you.”

The music mogul’s pre-Grammy party is always white-hot. It has featured performances from top acts like Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Carlos Santana.

This year, The Kinks will take the stage to play a medley of their hits, with the help of Jackson Browne and Elvis Costello. Davis says Mumford & Sons are hoping they arrive in time to get in on the performance.

Spokesman Joseph Armillas says Bruns died Wednesday in Los Angeles of natural causes.

Bruns appeared on two seasons of “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” playing Mary’s father on the soap-opera parody. He also spent three years with Jackie Gleason on his comedy-variety show in the mid-1960s.

Born in Pipestone, Minn., Bruns attended Yale University’s drama school, then began his career in New York on the stage and as a prolific actor in TV commercials.

He later went to Los Angeles, appearing in more than 40 feature films, including “Flashdance,” ”The Stunt Man” and “My Favorite Year.”

Bruns is survived by his wife, actress Laurie Franks.

Will.i.am said he hoped to raise $1 million for his charity that benefits needy students at a concert Thursday night. Instead, he raised $5 million.

He hosted an event that featured performances from Stevie Wonder and Ne-Yo at the Hollywood Palladium for his i.am angel foundation, established in 2009.

The Black Eyed Peas leader said he was inspired by the 2010 documentary “Waiting for Superman,” about U.S. public education. He said that “Superman is not coming to save no neighborhood or no education system.”

“They might as well call that movie ‘Waiting for William.’ That’s the reason why I’m doing what I am doing because that movie hits straight to heart because my mom went to one of those schools,” he said.

Will.i.am also talked politics: He said President Barack Obama is not a “magic man,” and that people shouldn’t expect him to solve the country’s problems with “some freakin’ plan.”

“We can sit and point fingers and say Obama’s not doing his job, but you’re supposed to do your job,” said will.i.am, who has supported Obama in the past.

Thursday night’s event, dubbed “TRANS4MATION EXPERIENCE,” was the first annual celebration for will.i.am’s foundation. Videos played in the background highlighted students struggling to get an education from various neighborhoods, including Boyle Heights, where will.i.am grew up. One message on the screen read: “It’s time to bring good to the hood.”

Will.i.am performed with the Black Eyed Peas, though Fergie was absent. The night’s top guest was Wonder, who played the harmonica and the keys and sang classics like “My Cherie Amor” and “Superstition.” The veteran singer said he was delighted to support will.i.am.

“How do you show your true friendship?” Wonder asked. “You put actions behind your words.”

Ne-Yo followed after Wonder, saying loudly to laughs from the crowd: “I want to know who wants to put me after Stevie Wonder. What the (expletive)?”

Other performers included K’Naan and Flo Rida.

Breck died Monday in Vancouver, British Columbia, after a long illness, his wife, Diane, announced on the website The Big Valley Writing Desk.

A native of Haverhill, Mass., Breck was also a regular on the TV Westerns “Maverick” and “Black Saddle.” He had guest roles on series from the 1950s through the early 2000s including “Perry Mason,” ”The Virginian” and “Fantasy Island.”

His film appearances include “Thunder Road,” ”I Want to Live!” and “Benji.”

Breck was best known for his role as hot-tempered rancher Nick Barkley on “The Big Valley,” which aired from 1965 to 1969.

He and his wife were longtime Vancouver residents.

“If I don’t win after four years in a row, I’m going to be the Susan Lucci of the Best Comedy Album category,” she says.

The comedian is not above creative campaigning either. She made her Broadway debut last year in Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony in her bid to win theater’s prestigious award.

At 51, she not only shocks with her off color comments (no one is safe from her witty barbs!) but with her recent spate of on-air strip teases. She made Anderson Cooper blush during their CNN New Year’s Eve celebration when she undressed down to her bra and repeated the feat a few weeks later for David Letterman.

She talks to PARADE about her remarkably toned body and what to expect from her new Bravo nighttime talk show, Kathy.

How did you get those abs?
“I work out five days a week and I just started eating better because I am 51 now and my body can’t take the junk food like it used to. The ice cream and potato chips were fun but it can’t handle it anymore. There was something about turning 50 that made me not give a heck anymore. It was a great, liberating thing that made me think if I ate better and exercised, I might feel better. I’m going to show up at the Grammys and put Miley Cyrus to shame with my rocking body.”

Will this be your year to finally win?
“I would love to win, it’s no secret, but I think voters tend to look at the list and think, ‘OK, whose year is it?’ I don’t know if it’s my year. I’m really thrilled to be starting a new talk show in April. I don’t want to act like if I don’t win it won’t matter because I am a bitter, bitter sore loser who will sob in my mother’s muumuu. It feels like my year to me, but it may not feel like that to everybody! I am thrilled to be working, to have put out a comedy CD for the fourth year in a row, and I hope that means something to the voters. I’m also excited to just go to the Grammys. I can’t get in if I don’t get nominated. They would just stop me at the door.”

Which group has won the most awards? Take the Grammy History Quiz!

Anyone you’re excited to meet?
“I have some secret celebrity friends that will kind of act like they know me. Like Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters. You never know who you’ll be next to. Last year, I was at Clive Davis’ party and I thought I had the greatest table. It was Jane Fonda, Angelica Houston, Jackie Collins, and one of the Jonas Brothers. I was in heaven. It’s kind of great. The worlds of comedy and music often collide through charity events or TV specials. Everyone needs a singer and everyone needs a joke.”

Do musicians have a better sense of humor?
“Yes! A lot of music people are secret comedy fanatics. I’ve had everybody like Slash from Guns & Roses or Bruno Mars — unlikely rock or hip-hop people — come up to me and quote one of my specials or mention how they liked it when I made fun of someone.”

Did My Life on the D-List end because, well, you are no longer on the D-List?
“That’s what Bravo said to me, which was nice and I appreciated it. They’ve been talking to me about a talk show for a number of years. But I kept saying there was more D-List left in me. But after we pretty much travelled the world with that show — Iraq, Bora Bora, everywhere — it was time. I’ll still do two stand up specials, maybe try to do another CD for next year. I’m a busy girl, I love it.”

Photos: Comedians Who Took a Serious Turn

Do you have a dream guest list?
“It’s actually not going to be completely celebrity-driven, if at all. I have to be free to say whatever it is I have to say. If I am going to have a guest, I certainly don’t want them saying, ‘Well, I am friends with Gwyneth Paltrow so don’t say anything about her tonight.’ Or, ‘Well, you made fun of my friend last week so now I’m going to cancel.’ I just don’t roll that way. I like the model of having people on the show — anyone from my mom or friends — who I think are funny. If celebrities want to come on and have a sense of humor, fantastic. But I don’t think I have to be chasing down people.”

Are there any topics that are untouchable?
“No, that’s the problem. I can’t seem to filter myself ever. I used to say when I first started, the unspoken rule was ‘no cancer, no AIDS.’ But then I started going to hospices and I found that when people are in those kinds of dire situations, they want to hear the joke that is too far. So it’s kind of on the table depending on what the room wants or needs. That’s what I always try to find out from the audience. Everyone is different and I try to take their temperature. But I don’t believe in taking anything off the table. I still enjoy a good walk out. I always have.”

Who makes you laugh?
“I really like the women that have come before me like Mary Tyler Moore, Phyllis Diller, and Joan Rivers. And I also like my own contemporaries. I love Margaret Cho, Tina Fey, Chelsea Handler, Whitney Cummings, Sarah Silverman — I never get tired of seeing those girls. I’m a pretty easy comedy fan. Louis C.K., I saw Tracy Morgan recently. I’m a pretty easy laugher.”

Will you and Chelsea Handler feud now that you both have evening shows?
“It would have to be faux feud. My Twitter followers love when I do her show. It’s time, in this economy, for a little more bitterness, a little more snark.”

What’s the biggest misconception about you?
“I like the idea that there are even conceptions or misconceptions about me at all and I hate to take any of them away. Maybe that I am taller than 5’3? I am 5’3 but when people meet me in person they always say ‘Oh, you’re so little’ or ‘Oh, you’re so short.’ And I say, ‘Well, I am still an inch taller than Paula Abdul.’”

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San Francisco is honoring legendary crooner Tony Bennett, whose famous song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” was recorded 50 years ago.

Mayor Ed Lee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Nancy Pelosi are among those expected to attend a ceremony for Bennett in the City Hall Rotunda at noon on Tuesday, Valentine’s Day.

The event will include renditions of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” by the San Francisco Boys and Girls Choruses and the San Francisco Symphony among others.

The song will also be broadcast at noon over the public address system in Union Square and Hallidie Plaza.

The event will conclude with a sing along of the song.

“Actually, I couldn’t be happier because M&M’s is my favorite candy of all time, so that was just the kicker!” the actress says.

Williams, 48, talked to Parade.com about her sweet new role and dished on the final season of Desperate Housewives and how she plans to stay in touch with her co-stars.

On bringing Ms. Brown to life.
“The character description said they wanted her to be like Wilhelmina [Williams' character on the now-cancelled Ugly Betty], and I said, ‘Hmm, I created the role, so I think I could probably do this!’ It was a perfect combination. And to know that it was going to debut during the Super Bowl was a pretty big deal.”

Did she watch her ad during the big game?
“Oh yea! I couldn’t hear a thing, but I visually saw it! I was at a party with about 70 people there, but I heard that it got great reaction. People started tweeting me and my email and phone started blowing up with people saying, ‘Is that you?’ It was nice.”

16 Stars’ Surprising TV Ads

On playing divas like Wilhelmina Slater [Ugly Betty] and Renee Perry [Desperate Housewives].
“It’s one of those alter ego things for me. It just seems natural. I spent four years as Wilhelmina and I thoroughly embodied that whole concept for so long. It’s easy to switch into that mode of someone being highly-skilled, having no patience or tolerance for mediocrity, and being a true leader.”

On the upcoming series finale of Desperate Housewives.
“Unfortunately, that show’s going too, but at least we had a forewarning. They’ve been doing it for eight years, I’m just happy to be able to jump on the last two. It’s been wonderful. We still have another seven episodes to shoot, so we don’t finish until the end of April. The mood on set hasn’t been too sad because we still have a tremendous amount of work to do, but I’m sure after eight years it’s going to get kind of teary toward the end.”

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On what’s in store for the women on Wisteria Lane.
“I don’t know. We rarely know what’s going to happen from episode to episode. I don’t know whether it’s intentional, but we get scripts sometimes the night before we shoot. It might be a good idea because then nothing ever gets leaked. All I know is that I hope I remain on the lane and stay alive! That’s my wish.”

On staying in touch with her Desperate co-stars.
“Hopefully we’ll continue to be friends. The same thing happened with Ugly Betty. Tomorrow, I’m actually off to see Michael Urie star in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and then I’m having lunch in between shows with Judith Light, and America Ferrera and I texted last week. We’re all still connected and I think the same thing will happen with the Desperate Housewives girls. I’ve been to Felicity Huffman‘s house for game night, and I’ve been to Teri Hatcher‘s house the past two years for her annual Halloween party. When you spend a lot of hours with people that you enjoy and work with you become friends and I hope that lasts.”

On her plans post-Desperate Housewives.
“I’ve got at holding deal with ABC, so we’ll see what new projects they might have that could be right for me. I’ll also try to sneak in some theater in between and work on a new album. I’ve got a book coming out April 17, which I wrote with my mother, so I’m sure I’ll be busy with that as well.”

Vanessa Williams: Desperate Housewives Role Was ‘Totally Unexpected’

On her new album.
“I literally just was in the studio last night putting down some ideas, so we’re in the very beginning stages. I can’t tell you whether it’s going to be musical theater or jazz or R&B, but we’re coming up with a concept now. I’m just excited to be back in the studio.”

On what the mother of four likes to do on her days off.
“I’m literally driving my 11-year-old to school and bringing snacks to soccer games and going to her swim meets, so there’s not much down time. But if I was away on vacation, my first stop would probably be to a spa to get a nice massage and relax!”

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Music mogul Russell Simmons wants New York’s governor to pull the plug on milk from cows.

The hip-hop impresario writes in a letter to Andrew Cuomo that milk should no longer be the state’s official beverage.

Simmons, a vegan who has taken on several animal rights causes with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, says milk from cows is less healthy than milk from rice, almonds or soy.

He tells The Associated Press he knows dairy is big business in New York but says other industries could spring up in its place.

Simmons and Cuomo go way back. They’re both from Queens, and they worked together a decade ago to help soften New York’s strict drug laws.

Cuomo’s office didn’t immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment.

A chance to kiss the buff, shirtless Richard Gere of the early ’80s? Sold, for $20,000!

It wasn’t exactly a time machine that was auctioned off at the annual amfAR AIDS charity gala kicking off New York Fashion Week on Wednesday evening. Rather, it was a black-and-white portrait of Gere by famed photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who himself died of AIDS in 1989. Displaying the photo from the stage, cookbook author and TV personality Padma Lakshmi kissed it a few times to demonstrate its appeal.

The gala, held in the cavernous event space at Cipriani Wall Street, is a staple event on the fringes of New York Fashion Week. This year, it was hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker, and featured performances by Brooklyn rapper Theophilius London, R&B singer Janelle Monae, and opera singer Michelle Johnson, who sang in tribute to the late Elizabeth Taylor — founder of the AIDS charity.

But whatever was happening onstage, it was at least as interesting to stargaze among the guests, an eclectic mix of fashion, Hollywood, music and medicine. Fashion luminaries included designer Kenneth Cole, “Project Runway” host Heidi Klum (and judge Nina Garcia), Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford, who presented an award to Italian designer Roberto Cavalli.

Actress Julianne Moore was there, as was Stanley Tucci and director Woody Allen, seated between his wife and Mathilde Krim, founding chairman of the American Foundation for AIDS Research, or amfAR. Actress-singer Jennifer Hudson grooved to Monae’s performance. Lindsay Lohan showed up in a demure, long-sleeved white dress.

The event raised more than $1.4 million for AIDS research, the group said. Other honorees, besides Cavalli, were Chopard co-president Caroline Scheufele, and Goldman Sachs Gives.

The announcement was made Thursday on Springsteen’s website. Springsteen says longtime collaborator Eddie Manion wil “share the saxophone role” with Jake Clemons.

Returning singers Cindy Mizelle and Curtis King, trombonist Clark Gayton and trumpeter Curt Ramm also will be on the tour, along with newcomer Barry Danielian on trumpet.

“Wrecking Ball” is Springsteen’s 17th album and the first since the death of E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons last summer.

The tour starts March 18 in Atlanta.

Los Angeles police say Robert Dewey Hoskins left a state hospital where he had been committed last year.

Police said in a news release issued Thursday that the 54-year-old is “highly psychotic” and can be extremely violent and should not be approached by members of the public.

Hoskins served a 10-year prison sentence for stalking and threatening Madonna, and court records show he was convicted of vandalism in July 2011. The singer testified against him during his 1996 trial.

Police say they have searched areas where Hoskins may try to go, including the city of Long Beach, which is south of Los Angeles.

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New Jersey’s second largest city is rolling out the welcome mat for the women of the “Jersey Shore.”

Jersey City has issued producers a permit to film a spinoff of the reality series featuring Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Jenni “JWoww” Farley. Filming is expected to begin later this month in the city’s Grove Street Path neighborhood.

Nearby Hoboken last week denied the permit, citing safety and quality of life concerns for residents of the city along the Hudson River.

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy says he believes the show is an opportunity to promote the city.

City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill says the cast and crew must obey all laws and the production company will be required to hire police to reduce any impact on the public.

It’s an action superstar reunion: Arnold Schwarzenegger is joining Sylvester Stallone for the thriller “The Tomb.”

The filmmakers said Wednesday that Schwarzenegger has signed on to star alongside Stallone in the prison-break adventure.

Schwarzenegger previously had a cameo in Stallone’s action hit “The Expendables” and also appears in its upcoming sequel.

“The Tomb” will feature Schwarzenegger as an inmate opposite Stallone, who plays the designer of a master prison forced to escape from his own jailhouse. Directed by Mikael Hafstrom, “The Tomb” begins shooting in Louisiana this spring.

Schwarzenegger is just finishing work on “The Last Stand,” his first starring role since returning to acting after serving as California’s governor.

Court records show Gary Busey has filed for bankruptcy and is listing more than $500,000 in estimated personal debts.

Busey’s filing on Tuesday in Los Angeles provides few details but includes more than a dozen potential creditors.

The actor and reality show star does not state a reason for the filing. His manager Ron Sampson wrote in a statement the filing provides Busey “a new and clear path” to personal and career success.

The filing states the 67-year-old has less than $50,000 in assets.

Busey has starred in numerous films including “Point Break” and “Lethal Weapon” but has in recent years appeared more on reality shows such as “Celebrity Apprentice.”

The filing was first reported Wednesday by celebrity website TMZ.

A judge has finalized Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s divorce, although the pair won’t legally split up until July.

Perry indicated in a court filing Tuesday that she and Brand had reached a settlement of all issues in the case. On Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Marc Marmaro agreed to grant the couple’s divorce, but it won’t become official until July 14.

California law requires couples to wait six months after filing for divorce before it becomes official.

Brand filed for divorce Dec. 30. He and Perry have blamed “irreconcilable differences” for their split.

The former couple did not indicate in court filings when they separated.

The British comedian and the pop star were married in October 2010 at a resort inside a tiger reserve in India.

A reality television producer charged with killing his wife while on vacation in Mexico is being sent from California to Cancun to await trial, a spokesman for his attorneys said Wednesday.

The attorneys were notified Wednesday that former “Survivor” producer Bruce Beresford-Redman was being extradited, spokesman Stephen Jaffe said.

The producer has been charged in Mexico in the death of his wife, Monica Beresford-Redman, whose body was found in a sewer cistern at a swank resort following an April 2010 family vacation.

Bruce Beresford-Redman opted in December not to appeal a U.S. court ruling upholding his extradition. Mexican authorities later said they had reached an agreement for his return.

Beresford-Redman has denied that he killed his wife and his attorneys have attacked evidence in the case.

The U.S. Marshals Service would not comment on Beresford-Redman’s extradition, citing a policy against discussing prisoner movements.

Beresford-Redman was arrested on a fugitive warrant in the Los Angeles-area in November 2010. Mexican and U.S. authorities say he left the country without permission, although Beresford-Redman’s lawyers have claimed he was under no obligation to stay and needed to return to the States to help care for his children.

“It has been nearly two years since our beloved Monica was savagely murdered by her husband, Bruce,” attorney Alison Triessl wrote in a statement released on behalf of the woman’s family. “After nearly fifteen months in United States custody, Bruce will finally be returned to Mexico to stand trial for Monica’s murder. This day marks a major milestone in our journey to ensure justice for Monica.”

Triessl said the family will follow the case in Mexico and will ask for the maximum sentence if Beresford-Redman is convicted.

If convicted, he faces 12 to 30 years in prison.

U.S. prosecutors presented statements from hotel guests who said they heard loud arguing and cries of distress coming from the couple’s room on the night Monica Beresford-Redman went missing. Her body was found days later in a sewer cistern not far from the room the couple shared with their young children.

The producer’s attorneys have claimed the noises came from Beresford-Redman and his children playing loud games throughout the night and that there isn’t any forensic evidence that he killed his wife.

The agency writes in a press release issued Tuesday that the “Soul Train” founder died early Feb. 1 after shooting himself in the head. The determination was made after an autopsy Friday.

The 75-year-old Cornelius started “Soul Train” in 1970 and it became one of the longest-running syndicated shows in history, introducing audiences to many top music acts and providing a never-before-seen TV platform for black culture.

Police quickly ruled out foul play, but the official cause of death was not determined until after an autopsy.

Coroner’s officials are awaiting toxicology results before issuing a full report.

At 85, the beloved jazz singer made music history when his latest album, Duets II, debuted at the top of the Billboard album charts, making him the oldest recording artist ever to achieve the No. 1 spot.

Featuring some of the hottest voices in music, including Lady Gaga, Michael Buble, Carrie Underwood, Mariah Carey, and the late Amy Winehouse, the album is up for several Grammy awards this year.

Bennett talked to Parade.com about his monumental career, his love of painting, and why he has no plans to retire.

On his numerous Grammy nods since his first award for 1962’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
“Oh, it’s always exciting. I enjoy the Grammys so much because the whole industry is there. It’s like a big convention. You meet all the celebrities at one time and it’s fun. We’re always on the road doing our own thing, so this is the one time where everybody meets and is happy to see one another.”

On the success of his Duets albums.
“If the younger singers sing quality songs, it goes over so big. We did the first Duets six years ago and that won two Grammy Awards. And now this one went to No. 1 on Billboard and everybody is laughing about it because I’m 85 years old and it went to No. 1! I just love the fact that wherever I’m playing, I’m sold out.”

On plans for a third Duets album.
“Yes, It’s going to be a Latin album with all the Latin performers from Spain and South America and Mexico — all the great performers in that nationality.”

On his Amy Winehouse duet “Body and Soul” (the last song she recorded before her untimely death).
“She was a very genuine singer. She wanted to hit the top. I met her mom after she died and her mother said, ‘A lot of people feel tragic about what happened, but I know that it was her dream to become very successful and it actually happened.’ Even though she had a short life, she actually attained what she had dreamed about and wanted to do.”

On recording with Lady Gaga.
“She’s so good. She’s got the biggest fan club that I think anybody’s ever had. There are so many people that love her. She’s one of the best singers I ever heard. She also plays great piano and dances very well. She’s an all-around great performer. I’m 85 and I’ve met so many people in show business over the years and I’m very impressed with her. She’s one of the great talents coming up. She’s going to always surprise everybody with her artistry.”

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On his lasting success.
“I had very good training. I was in WWII and when I came out of that war, the G.I. Bill of Rights allowed us to go to any school that we wanted to go to to make up for the schooling that we missed while we were in the Army. I joined The American Theatre Wing and they gave us the best teachers that anybody could ever dream of. I had amazing teachers that taught me what to do and I listened to them. As a result, I’ve been able to sustain my voice all these years. I’m very fortunate. I was taught to never compromise myself and just do quality songs. This is what I’ve done my whole career.”

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On why he’ll never retire.
“I come from a wonderful Italian-American family. My father died when I was 10 and my family would make a circle around us to help my mom out. She had to raise two sons and a daughter and work during the Depression. She had to work so hard and all of my relatives helped us out. Every Sunday, my family would come over and we would entertain them. They would encourage us and they would say, ‘Look at how Tony is singing’ and ‘Look at how he paints,’ and it really created a passion in me for the rest of my life. I remember very clearly as a young boy saying, ‘This is who I am. My family is telling me that I sing well and I paint well, so I’m going to keep doing that.’ To this day, I still have a strong desire to get better and better as I get older.”

On how he stays so energetic on stage.
“I’m blessed with very, very good health. I just love to entertain people and make them feel good. And when they feel good, I just feel very content with my life. It excites me to know that I made people happy. That’s what I love to do.”

Tony Bennett Apologizes for His 9/11 Remarks

On the first time he heard his voice on the radio.
“It was in Germany in 1946. I did the song ‘St. James Infirmary Blues’ and it was the first record I ever made. It was with a great Army orchestra. I loved it. Even today, I consider it one of my favorite records that I ever made.”

On his other great love.
“I paint every day and now I’m studying sculpturing. It’s thrilling. Many years ago, when I was traveling on the road with Duke Ellington, the genius of jazz musicians, he told me that it was important to do two things, not just one. It works out great because as soon as you get a little tired of what you’re doing, you go over to the other one and that lifts you right up. Both passions help one another.”

A judge says she is inclined to block Mel Gibson from testifying during the workplace discrimination trial of the deputy who arrested the Oscar-winner for drunken driving.

Superior Court Judge Barbara Scheper tentatively ruled Tuesday that the deputy’s case shouldn’t focus on Gibson’s arrest or his anti-Semitic remarks at the time.

Deputy James Mee, who is Jewish, claims he suffered religious discrimination by superiors after arresting Gibson in 2006 and that he was ordered to remove the actor-director’s inflammatory rants from a report.

Scheper also says she won’t allow Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca to testify during the case unless there is some evidence he ordered actions against Mee.

Scheper will make final rulings on Feb. 14 and jury selection is scheduled to begin later next week.