GLENDALE, Calif. (AP) – Wanda Vaughn of The Emotions was forced to dash out of her home after a torrent of mud crashed down a hill and poured into her kitchen and living room, authorities said.

The mudslide Wednesday may have been caused by a leaking irrigation pipe found at a cemetery up the hill from her house, said city fire Capt. Steve Parrish.

“It’s like one of those “Jurassic Park’ things, you know, but it was just mud, and it kept getting higher,” said Vaughn, whose R&B group is best known for the 1970s songs “Best of My Love,” “I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love” and “Don’t Ask My Neighbors.”

The singer’s daughter, Whitney Vaughn, was trapped in mud that piled 8 inches to 16 inches high, and she injured a knee while trying to make her way out of the muck, Parrish said.

“It was like quicksand, it was bad,” she told KNBC-TV.

Vaughn grabbed her awards before leaving her home, including her Grammy. Ironically the home was flooded with mud as the 48th annual Grammy Awards show was taking place a few miles away at Los Angeles’ downtown Staples Center.

Building inspectors deemed the home dangerous and evacuated Vaughn’s family and two neighboring homes, Parrish said.

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SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) – Sarasota High School sent a Valentine to Jerry Springer – and then took it back.

The talk-show host had accepted an invitation from the school’s cheerleaders to headline the “Hollywood Nights” dance Saturday.

But administrators withdrew the invitation Wednesday, saying that Springer, whose TV guests include unfaithful lovers and brawling friends, was not an appropriate role model for students.

“He has his own career,” Principal Jeff Hradeck told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. “It’s not the way we want to go for the school.”

The cheerleaders, who sponsor the dance, wanted to invite a local celebrity, said Karen Hicks, a cheerleading sponsor and school resource officer.

“We were just sitting down talking about who lives in Sarasota. Everybody knows that Jerry Springer lives in Sarasota,” Hicks said. “It wasn’t (based) on who does this show or who does that show or is this a good person or is this person a bad person.”

The cheerleaders were looking for another celebrity to host the dance.

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SAN DIEGO (AP) – Willie Nelson introduced California to “BioWillie,” his brand of clean-burning fuel made from soybeans.

BioWillie went on sale Wednesday at an alternative fuel station in San Diego where the 72-year-old singer filled his tour bus from a pump emblazoned with a picture of himself strumming a guitar.

“It is the future,” Nelson said. “Through biodiesel, we can reduce dependency on foreign oil and adopt an energy source that’s clean, renewable and helps family farmers find new uses for their products.”

Biodiesel is America’s fastest growing alternative fuel, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. U.S. sales of biodiesel tripled last year to 75 million gallons, but account for less than 1 percent of the diesel fuel sold nationwide, said Jenna Higgins, a spokeswoman for the National Biodiesel Board.

Three years ago, Nelson’s wife, Annie, bought a biodiesel-burning car in Hawaii, where the star has a home. The biodiesel that powered her car was made from grease collected from restaurants.

Nelson then began filling his tour buses with biodiesel. Supplier Peter Bell persuaded the singer to go into business and use his name and image to help the fuel gain wider acceptance.

The BioWillie brand, known as B20, is a blend of 80 percent petroleum diesel and 20 percent biodiesel and is made from soybean oil.

Besides California, it is sold in Texas, South Carolina and Georgia.

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On the Net:

http://www.willienelson.com/

http://www.wnbiodiesel.com/

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BURBANK, Calif. (AP) – Warren Buffett: billionaire investor and cartoon hero?

Buffett, the head of investment firm Berkshire Hathaway Inc., will advise youngsters on financial management issues in an animated series now in production, DIC Entertainment announced Wednesday.

Buffett’s voice and likeness will appear in “The Secret Millionaire’s Club.” He also was a consultant to the show but was not paid for the work, his assistant, Debbie Bosanek, said.

The direct-to-DVD series is about four children whose online auction to raise money for their youth center turns them into millionaires. They save the center and then turn to Buffett for investment advice.

The series will have 13 titles, with the first two scheduled for release this fall or early next year.

“We are thrilled to work with Mr. Buffett to develop a series that will teach financial literacy to kids,” said Andy Heyward, DIC’s chairman and chief executive.

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GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) – Kevin Costner will do more than play golf at the next BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs.

The 51-year-old actor-director will debut his band with a concert for ticket holders and volunteers, tournament officials announced Wednesday.

The unnamed, five-member group plays original rock and popular music, according to tournament organizers. Costner is the lead singer.

Costner has participated in the Nationwide Tour celebrity event several times.

The concert will follow third-round play in the 72-hole tournament on April 29.

Costner said in a statement the concert was to thank tournament volunteers. “This tournament would never take place and be as popular as it is without the hard work and dedication of the thousands of volunteers who give of their time and energy. This is our way of saying thank you to them for all that they do,” he said.

The BMW Charity Pro-Am takes place April 27-30. Organizers say the five previous tournaments have raised more than $3 million for area charities.

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