- NAMES & FACES

NAMES & FACES

Wednesday, July 5, 2006

Buchwald's New Chapter

Humorist Art Buchwald is taking a break from his twice-weekly column while he completes a book about his experiences in hospice care. The longtime syndicated columnist had been admitted to the Washington Home and Hospice after deciding in February to discontinue hemodialysis treatment for a life-threatening kidney condition. His health did not deteriorate, however, and he resumed writing his column.

Reached at his home yesterday, Buchwald said, "I couldn't think of a better place to be right now, having been in a hospice for six months. I'm very happy here." Just how happy? "If you said, 'Do you have a wish today, Mr. Buchwald?' this is it," he said.

And the book? "It's coming along very well. I'm supposed to get it done by September. It's called 'Too Soon to Say Goodbye.' It's up to 10,000 copies on Amazon.

"That's a joke," he added.

Keith Richards Ahoy!

Keith Richards, inspiration for Capt. Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean," may appear in the third film in the series, producer Jerry Bruckheimer said yesterday. The Rolling Stones guitarist would have a cameo as the father of the swashbuckler played by Johnny Depp .

Depp has said he adopted Richards's mannerisms and body language for his tipsy character. "We're all looking forward to the idea of Keith coming in," Depp told reporters at a news conference in England to promote "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which opens Friday. Co-star Orlando Bloom was also enthusiastic: "I can't wait to see him -- well, if he doesn't kill himself falling out of coconut trees. Very rock-and-roll."

Richards, 62, suffered a head injury April 27 in Fiji when he fell out of a palm tree or tumbled from a jet ski (accounts vary). In May, the Stones postponed their European tour so Richards could recover. The rescheduled tour starts Tuesday in Milan.

A Dubai Pardon?

Dubai's ruler pardoned Dallas Austin yesterday, just hours after the R&B producer was sentenced to four years in jail for cocaine possession, but as of late yesterday Austin remained in prison, his lawyers said.

News media in the Persian Gulf emirate reported that Austin was on his way to supermodel Naomi Campbell 's May 19 birthday bash at Burj al-Arab Hotel when he was arrested at Dubai's airport. On Sunday, the 34-year-old Austin told the court he didn't mean to break the law.

One attorney, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that Austin's release was "a matter of paperwork" but that he must remain cautious until the Grammy-winning producer was on a plane back to the United States, the Associated Press reported. Another of Austin's lawyers said the producer's release could take a few days.

Austin has worked with Madonna , Janet Jackson , TLC and Pink , among others. The songwriter's life story was loosely depicted in the 2002 movie "Drumline."

Lawsuit Challenges Brando's Will

A former assistant to Marlon Brando is suing the executors of the actor's estate for more than $2 million, alleging Brando's will was forged in the days before his death July 1, 2004. In a suit filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, Angela Borzala says she was evicted from a home Brando had promised to give her by executors Mike Medavoy and Larry Dressler , who she says isolated Brando in his last days to gain control of his estate.

The 80-year-old actor was too ill to have signed documents that appointed Hollywood producer Medavoy and two others as co-executors of his estate because he was suffering from a "plethora of diseases," including dementia and pulmonary fibrosis, according to the lawsuit.

Reuters reported that neither Medavoy nor Dressler could be reached for comment.

End Note

Singer Annie Lennox said she felt "like a complete fraud" in accepting an honorary degree yesterday from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. "What I have done with my life has all been about self-invention, and I didn't have degrees or qualifications or anyone to guide me," the 51-year-old former Eurythmics singer said.