LONDON (AP) – Elton John says he and his partner, David Furnish, will tie the knot next month under Britain’s new civil union law.

The ceremony will be held Dec. 21, the effective date of the legislation creating partnerships to give gays many of the legal protections available to married heterosexuals.

“It’ll be a very small family affair, and then in the evening there’ll be a soiree somewhere, which we have yet to work out,” John told Attitude magazine in an interview released Thursday.

The only guests at the ceremony itself, he said, will be his parents and Furnish’s parents.

“They’ve been so fantastic to us and so supportive. Out of respect for their support, we want to just keep it small,” John was quoted as saying.

Furnish, a Canadian-born filmmaker, and John have been together for 12 years, and John has publicly credited Furnish with helping him to overcome addictions to alcohol and drugs. The pop star was previously married to studio technician Renate Blauel.

Crowe: Too much attention on fracas

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Russell Crowe says he believes the media blew his phone-throwing incident out of proportion.

The Oscar-winning actor pleaded guilty earlier this month to third-degree assault, admitting to a judge that he threw a phone that hit a New York hotel concierge in June. He had to pay a $160 court charge and was sentenced to conditional discharge, which means he must not get arrested for one year.

“I got a $160 court-cost fine for something that would have had more newsprint about it than some very horrific and specific things that we should know about in our community,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

Had Crowe been convicted of the more serious charges initially filed against him – assault and criminal possession of a weapon, the telephone – he could have lost his right to work in the United States and might have faced seven years of prison time.

“Traveling businessmen get touchy or testy with hotel staff in every major city all around the world,” Crowe, 41, said. “That doesn’t excuse the fact that I lost my temper … What I did was stupid. I admitted that straight away.”

Skater Yamaguchi has second child

NEW YORK (AP) – Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and husband Bret Hedican have welcomed their second child, People magazine reported.

Emma Yoshiko was born Nov. 17 in Raleigh, N.C., the magazine said. The couple also have a 2-year-old daughter, Keara. Yamaguchi, 34, was the gold medalist at the Olympic games at Albertville, France, in 1992. She met Hedican, a defenseman for the NHL Carolina Hurricanes, at a gala to celebrate the opening of a hockey arena in 1995.

Daniels helps troops in Iraq

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – A project sparked by North Carolina-bred singer Charlie Daniels has collected thousands of dollars in donated musical instruments for troops in Iraq.

Daniels donated one of his own instruments to “Operation Heartstrings” earlier this year when he learned that soldiers didn’t have guitars for church services. He asked guitar makers to do the same.

Gibson Guitar offered 100 guitars worth $35,000 and thousands of dollars in accessories.

“We’re talking about guys over there who are representing us and putting life on the line,” co-owner Henry Juszkiewicz said.

Daniels, 69, and his band learned of the need while touring the Middle East doing shows for soldiers.

“We found that many of them played musical instruments of one kind or another and they wanted to sit in with the band. But they didn’t have enough instruments to go around,” he said.

Daniels’ platinum single “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” topped both country and pop charts and won a Grammy.

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ROME (AP) – Irish rocker Bob Geldof appealed for fair trade Thursday as he received a peace award in Rome that recognizes his campaigns against poverty.

Geldof, dressed in a striped suit, received the Man for Peace award from former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who heads the foundation that hands out the prize, and Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni.

“Africa must be allowed to trade itself out of poverty,” Geldof said during the ceremony on Rome’s Capitoline Hill.

He also joined those pressing for the European Union to cut tariffs on farm products ahead of next month’s World Trade Organization talks in Hong Kong.

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On the Net:

http://www.gorby.ru/en/default.asp

http://www.bobgeldof.info

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NEW YORK (AP) – Christopher Knight, aka Peter Brady of “The Brady Bunch,” and Adrianne Curry are planning a wedding – and reality TV cameras will be there.

The couple met on VH1’s “The Surreal Life” and became engaged on the season finale of “My Fair Brady.” Now Knight, 48, and Curry, 23, will return for a second season of “My Fair Brady,” VH1 announced Tuesday.

Curry first gained fame as the winner of “America’s Next Top Model.”

In a statement, Knight said love had prevailed despite “our individual quirks and flaws. … We look forward to planning the rest of our lives together and continuing to embrace our differences on our way to the altar.”

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On the Net:

http://www.vh1.com