FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (AP) – Willie Nelson warmed up for a concert by playing a long freebie gig for soldiers injured in Iraq.

For the second straight year, Nelson squeezed in a show at Brooke Army Medical Center on Friday while he and his band were in San Antonio to play at the city’s annual rodeo.

“I have a lot of respect for the military,” said Nelson, 72, an Air Force veteran. “I like to show them that I support them every chance I get. … We get as much out of it as (the soldiers).”

A year ago, the singer wore out his voice singing 11 songs at the Army hospital and had to cancel his performance at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

Hundreds of patients, family members and hospital staff clapped and cheered Friday as Nelson walked into the hospital’s atrium.

He opened, as usual, with “Whiskey River.” After more than an hour and 22 numbers – including standbys like “On the Road Again” and “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” – he finally set down his well-worn acoustic guitar and was mobbed by fans.

Sgt. 1st Class Alan Hornaday, badly wounded in a suicide car bombing in Baghdad in 2004, had a front-row seat for the concert.

“This is really cool, him being able to come out and visit soldiers and entertain them,” said Hornaday, a National Guardsman from Fordyce, Ark., who also saw Nelson here last year. “It picks everybody’s spirits up. … It means a lot.”

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Actor Steven Seagal will reign as this year’s celebrity monarch for the Krewe of Orpheus, the lavish parade group started by musician and New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr.

Seagal will be celebrity spokesman for Rebuilding Together, the nation’s largest volunteer home rehabilitation group, which has partnered with the Mardi Gras krewe to publicize the group’s efforts to rebuild 1,000 homes damaged in the Gulf Coast area by Hurricane Katrina.

Seagal will lead the 27-float parade on Feb. 27, or Lundi Gras. Mardi Gras – Fat Tuesday – is Feb. 28.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Nick Lachey is seeking spousal support from Jessica Simpson, and he wants his jewelry back.

In court papers filed Friday in response to Simpson’s Dec. 16 divorce filing, Lachey cited irreconcilable differences for the dissolution of the three-year marriage.

Lachey, 32, also asked for “miscellaneous jewelry and other personal effects,” part of Simpson’s earnings since the date of separation and other assets.

Lachey said he and Simpson separated Dec. 13, although she claims it was Nov. 23.

The couple, who starred in their own MTV reality show, “Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica,” had no prenuptial agreement. Simpson asked the court not to grant Lachey spousal support.

Lachey, who gained fame as a member of the boy band 98 Degrees, had more earning power when the couple wed in October 2002. However, Simpson’s fame skyrocketed during the marriage. The 25-year-old singer-actress reportedly earned more than $30 million last year, including earnings from her big-screen debut playing Daisy Duke in “The Dukes of Hazzard” movie.

Last month, the Mediterranean-style house the pair shared during “Newlyweds” was sold to “Malcolm in the Middle” teen actor Justin Berfield for an undisclosed price.

BERLIN (AP) – Philip Seymour Hoffman’s portrayal of Truman Capote has put him in the running for an Oscar, but he says he found Capote an elusive character to play.

“Capote,” directed by Bennett Miller, screened outside the main competition Friday at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The movie chronicles the period in the author’s life when he was researching and writing “In Cold Blood,” and delves into the darker side of his character.

“When you’re playing a character, I think you have to leave the doors open as long as possible about them, try to put judgment aside,” Hoffman told reporters.

“Pretty much everything is nuanced,” he added. “Capote for sure – he’s incredibly elusive, and it’s kind of maddening playing him because he was elusive.”

The film has Oscar nominations for best movie; best actor for Hoffman; best director for Miller; best supporting actress for Catherine Keener; and best adapted screenplay for Dan Futterman.

Hoffman, 38, wouldn’t comment on his chances of winning.

“I don’t really want to answer that,” he said. “What I think is really exciting for all of us is when the film’s nominated.”

NEW YORK (AP) ­- Since he made his debut over a year ago, John Legend has become more confident on stage – not in his singing but his sex appeal.

“Now I’ll take my top shirt off and have a tank top on at the show, so I’m definitely playing the sex angle up a little bit,” the Grammy winner said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

Legend’s newfound desire to show a little skin comes after he decided to dedicate himself to working out. Though he was hardly out of shape when his “Get Lifted” album debuted in December 2004, he wasn’t that comfortable showing off his frame in concert.

Then he hit the gym and that all changed.

“I wasn’t trying to get skinny, I was trying to get in shape, which is a different thing. I was trying to build muscle in a lean way, and just feel more fit and feel more sexy,” he said.

And now his fans will get the benefit, as he’s more likely to showcase his abs, toned arms and pecs.

“I have a lot of female fans, I’ve gotta give them what they want,” he said with a smile.