CHICAGO (AP) – If you really want something, ask the woman who gave cars to her entire talk-show audience.

“SEND ME BACK TO PRISON! My final plea is to you Miss Winfrey,” reads a billboard in suburban Chicago aimed at Oprah Winfrey, host of the syndicated “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

Christian musician and songwriter David Joseph paid for the ad. He says he spent years performing for federal inmates until funding dried up in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Joseph, who said he made $20,000 a year performing in 80 to 90 prisons, isn’t necessarily asking Winfrey to write a check.

“My main desire is to tell my story on a taping of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,”‘ he said. Joseph hopes that by telling his story, someone will be interested in picking up the tab.

Harpo Studios Inc., Winfrey’s production company, didn’t return calls from The Associated Press seeking comment.

On Thursday, Joseph said he’d received some crank calls and calls from people wondering why he wants to return to prison. But, he said, “I haven’t heard from her or any of her people as of yet.”

Winfrey, already known for giving gifts to her studio audience, one-upped herself last month when she celebrated the premiere of her 19th season by giving a car to each of the 276 people at the show’s taping.

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On the Net:

http://www.oprah.com/

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Headline

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – When Dolly Parton decided to launch her tour this fall, she invited a new and largely unknown bluegrass band to back her.

“It was big news for us because we’re just getting started,” said Jamie Johnson, a singer and guitar player for The Grascals, a six-piece group that will release its debut album Feb. 8. The album includes Parton singing on a remake of Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas.”

The band, which also backs Parton on her upcoming album, opens her shows with their own 25-minute set, then joins her for performances of hits such as “Coat of Many Colors,” “9 to 5” and “Here You Come Again,” as well as her more recent bluegrass-flavored material.

While the opportunity is invaluable for a new group, it’s also a challenge.

“We did have to step up a couple of notches and entertain,” he said. “It’s a full production with a big fancy stage. It’s not like bluegrass where you just stand there. We had to do some extra things – like smile from time to time.”

Besides the exposure it affords them, the band also gets to learn from Parton.

“She works way harder than we do,” Johnson said. “You see some artists who are nowhere near in their career where Dolly is, and they complain about all the stuff they have to do. She comes into a rehearsal and sings “Coat of Many Colors’ like it’s the first time she ever sang it. It’s changed our whole attitude.”

Parton opened her Hello, I’m Dolly tour Thursday in Greenville, S.C., performs Friday in Atlanta, and Saturday and Sunday in Biloxi, Miss. The tour continues through this year and into 2005.

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On the Net:

http://www.dolly.net/

http://grascals.com/

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Headline

AUSTIN, Texas – Sandra Bullock was awarded about $7 million in damages when a jury agreed with her claim that a builder did shoddy work on her Lake Austin home.

The star of the “Speed” movies and romantic comedies such as “Miss Congeniality” has been locked in a legal battle with the builder of a lakefront home she has never moved into.

Travis County jurors had to consider 48 questions before reaching a verdict Thursday. Among the questions were whether a contract between builder Benny Daneshjou and Bullock was breached, whether labor and material costs were inflated, and whether Daneshjou violated federal racketeering laws.

Jurors answered most of those questions in Bullock’s favor, awarding what her lawyers estimate will be about $7 million in damages, including lawyers’ fees, the Austin American-Statesman reported on its Web site.

Bullock, who left for Los Angeles Wednesday, wasn’t present for the verdict.

Daneshjou’s lawyers said their client plans to appeal.

Jurors didn’t answer the question of whether Daneshjou broke any racketeering laws.

The lengthy trial began in August. Bullock’s lawyers argued that Daneshjou was responsible for $4 million in repairs needed to the 10,000-square-foot mansion, which was never finished.

Witnesses testified the house had water damage, faulty framing on the roof, wiring within the drywall that was too small and damage in the masonry.

Daneshjou’s lawyers had said a former project manager and most of the subcontractors were to blame.

Jurors awarded Bullock more than $2 million for repairs, $400,000 for maintaining the house since February 2000, and found that Daneshjou’s company was responsible for $280,425 in overcharges for labor.

CITIZEN CARREY

Canadian-born comic actor Jim Carrey has become a U.S. citizen and said his decision to pursue dual citizenship was based on his love for the country that helped him attain his dream, reports ABC News.

“This country has helped define me and make my dreams come true,” said Carrey, 42, in a statement.

Nevertheless, the star of films including “The Mask,” “Bruce Almighty” and the upcoming “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events,” professed his pride at being born a Canadian.

“I have no intention of giving up my Canadian heritage, and all those who loved and supported me,” said Carrey. “My upbringing in Canada made me the person I am. I will always be proud to be a Canadian.”

Carrey made a name for himself doing outrageous antics on the early 1990s television series “In Living Color.”

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BACK IN THE GAME

Widow in her 40s, often described as perky, looking for red-carpet male companion. Must be independently wealthy, personable and able to handle paparazzi. No late nights.

NBC’s angel of the morning, Katie Couric, is back on the market, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer. The “Today” show host broke up last week with TV producer Tom Werner, her boyfriend of more than four years.

A match arranged by Couric’s manager, the couple conducted a long-distance bicoastal romance (eased by his private jet). A source said, “They’re both really funny and really cerebral. They traveled together, went everywhere. But the relationship ran its course. The distance had become untenable.”