AP Entertainment

Entertainment:

 JIMMY PAGE EXPLAINS WHY LED ZEPPELIN NEVER REPLACED JOHN BONHAM
VENICE, Italy (AP) – Guitarist Jimmy Page believes the four members of Led Zeppelin had their own kind of ESP when they were on stage together. Page says they constantly improvised during concerts, with music coming out, only to “just disappear into the ether.” When drummer John Bonham died in 1980, Page says it was an easy decision to split up. Page says it was inconceivable to bring in someone new, because as he puts it, “What were you going to do, teach them the improvising? No.” A documentary called “Becoming Led Zeppelin” was shown over the weekend at the Venice International Film Festival.

IT’S A BOY FOR ELLE KING
UNDATED (AP) – Elle King is a first-time mom. She posted on Instagram she gave birth Wednesday to a boy. She and the baby’s father, fiance’ Dan Tooker, have named the baby Lucky Levi Tooker. King says everyone is “healthy and feeling so blessed.”

BTS, BLACKPINK ACCOUNTS SUSPENDED ON CHINESE SOCIAL MEDIA
BEIJING (AP) – The Chinese social media platform Weibo has banned a BTS fan club from posting for 60 days because of its extravagance in celebrating a birthday of BTS member Jimin. Weibo is accusing the fan club of raising funds illegally. The fan club had posted photos of a customized airplane that had Jimin’s pictures on it, to celebrate his 26th birthday in October. The club had also planned to run ads celebrating Jimin’s birthday in newspapers like The New York Times. State-owned media Global Times reports the fan club had started raising money in April, with more than $150,000 raised in the first three minutes. Twenty-one other fan accounts, including one for Blackpink, have been banned from posting on Weibo for 30 days for “irrational star-chasing” content.

KANYE WEST’S “DONDA” TAKES NUMBER-ONE SPOT
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Kanye West has earned his tenth number-one album with “Donda.” It moved 309,000 units in the past week, putting it at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart. West keeps Halsey out of the top spot, as her album “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power” debuts in second. Olivia Rodrigo’s “Sour” is in third place, followed by Doja Cat’s “Planet Her.” The Kid Laroi takes fifth with “F— Love.”

MASTODON’S BRANN DAILOR MAKES BOOK OF CLOWNS
NEW YORK (AP) – Mastodon drummer Brann (BRAHN) Dailor got through the early days of the pandemic the only way he knew how: by drawing clowns, one a day for 101 days. He’s now offering a book of his drawings in a partnership with Revolver magazine. The book “Brann Dailor’s 101 Clowns of the Coronavirus” features Dailor’s work, plus commentary from Sean Lennon, Josh Homme (HAH’-mee) of Queens of the Stone Age, Lars Ulrich of Metallica and Chino Moreno of Deftones. Dailor says in a statement the clowns kept him “from sinking into a deep depression or experiencing crippling anxiety.” The book sells for $49 and is available for pre-order on www.RevolverMag.com.

MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS MOURNED
NEW YORK (AP) – Some cast members of “The Wire” are paying tribute to actor Michael K. Williams. His body was found yesterday at his Brooklyn, New York apartment; police suspect a drug overdose. Wendell Pierce says the depth of his love for Williams can only be matched by the pain of hearing of his loss. “The Wire” creator David Simon tweets he was “too gutted” to say all that should be said about Williams, but did say he was “a fine man and a rare talent.” Fellow actor John Cusack says Williams’ portrayal of Omar Little on “The Wire” was “among the greatest performances tv and film has ever seen.” Williams was 54.

MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS BEGAN AS DANCER FOR MISSY, GINUWINE
NEW YORK (AP) – He will be remembered as an actor – but Michael K. Williams got his start in show business as a dancer. He performed with a number of musicians like Missy Elliot, Ginuwine, Crystal Waters and Technotronic. He said he saw his dancing as an outlet to dissipate his anger. He acknowledged in a 2018 Associated Press interview that he “was not the best dancer…by far, but I was definitely the most passionate. I always had this energy. You always felt me whether I was in sync or not with the other guys.”

COMEDIAN FUQUAN JOHNSON DEAD OF APPARENT DRUG OVERDOSE
LOS ANGELES (AP) – What started as a party ended up in tragedy for standup comedian Fuquan Johnson and two others. Police in Los Angeles say the three died at a party in the Venice neighborhood over the Labor Day weekend. Authorities believe all three died of a drug overdose. A coroner’s report will determine an official cause of death after autopsies are performed. A fourth attendee of the party was hospitalized in critical condition.

COSBY ACCUSER ANDREA CONSTAND WRITES MEMOIR
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Many people will remember Andrea Constand for her testimony that landed Bill Cosby in prison on a sexual assault conviction. And though the verdict was thrown out recently, Constand continues to tell her story – this time in a book being released today. “The Moment” talks about the case and its effect on her. She even added an update noting the decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to overturn Cosby’s conviction. She says she doesn’t see the reversal as a defeat, noting, “Life is unpredictable.”

LONDON HONORS MUPPETS CREATOR JIM HENSON
LONDON (AP) – London has honored American Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, with a blue plaque outside his former home in the British capital. Henson lived in London from 1979 until his death in 1990 at age 53. He was also known for his work on “Sesame Street” and “Fraggle Rock” and as the director of the 1980s movies “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth.” One of his most well-known creations, Kermit the Frog, told BBC radio that Henson fully deserved the honor and that the puppeteer was always there to “lend a helping hand.” The renowned London blue plaque program began 150 years ago to honor the achievements of residents.

JOAN ALLEN WILL NARRATE HILLARY CLINTON-LOUISE PENNY BOOK
NEW YORK (AP) – The audiobook narrator for a new political thriller co-written by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny is an actor with experience playing first ladies, CIA officials and others in government. Joan Allen will narrate “State of Terror.” It’s scheduled to come out Oct. 12. The novel features a novice secretary of state trying to solve a wave of terrorist attacks. “State of Terror” is the first work of fiction by Clinton, who served as secretary of state during President Barack Obama’s first term. Clinton is a longtime admirer of Penny, who is known for mystery novels that feature Inspector Armand Gamache.