NEW YORK (AP) – Prince has been voted the “world’s sexiest vegetarian” in PETA’s annual online poll.

A strict vegan, Prince, 47, wrote in the liner notes of his latest album, “3121,” about the ills behind wool production. He closed the disc with a quote from Mohandas Gandhi: “2 my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being.”

Prince shares the honor with Kristen Bell, the 25-year-old star of “Veronica Mars,” which is being carried over from UPN to the new CW network this fall.

Bell, in a statement, said of her vegetarianism: “I had a hard time disassociating the animals I cuddled with – dogs and cats, for example – from the animals on my plate, and I never really cared for the taste of meat. I always loved my brussels sprouts!”

Runners-up in the poll, which PETA said Monday received over 40,000 votes, include Natalie Portman, Nicollette Sheridan and Joaquin Phoenix.

Last year, Coldplay singer Chris Martin and “American Idol” Carrie Underwood were picked as the two “sexiest vegetarians.” Other previous winners include Andre 3000, Tobey Maguire, Josh Hartnett, Alicia Silverstone, Lauren Bush and Shania Twain.



On the Net:

http://www.peta.org



NEW YORK (AP) – Julia Roberts didn’t receive a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in “Three Days of Rain,” but she will be on stage at the 60th annual Tony Awards when they are presented June 11 at Radio City Music Hall.

Roberts will be among the presenters during the three-hour show, which will be televised by CBS (8 p.m. EDT). Also announced Monday as presenting awards for the best of the 2005-06 Broadway season: Ralph Fiennes, Eric McCormack, Cynthia Nixon, Martin Short, Alfre Woodard and Anna Paquin.

No host has been announced yet.

The Antoinette Perry Tony Awards, founded in 1947 by the American Theatre Wing, are presented by the Wing and the League of American Theatres and Producers.



On the Net:

http://www.americantheatrewing.org/

http://www.cbs.com/specials/60tonys/



LONDON (AP) – Keith Richards has returned to the United States after being treated for a head injury in New Zealand, his publicist said.

“He is feeling great, happy to be home and looking forward to getting back on the road with the Rolling Stones next month,” according to a statement Monday from LD Communications in London.

The 62-year-old guitarist, who lives in Weston, Conn., was injured April 27 in Fiji. News reports have variously claimed that he fell out of a palm tree or from a jet ski.

Richards later had surgery in Auckland to relieve pressure in his head.

A revised tour schedule will soon be announced, according to a statement on the Stones’ Web site.



On the Net:

http://www.rollingstones.com/



HOUSTON (AP) – Bob Geldof has been honored with a humanitarian award by the Holocaust Museum Houston for his work organizing 1985’s Live Aid concert.

Geldof received the 2006 Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award at the museum’s annual dinner Sunday night. He told the audience that he was humbled by the award.

“I can honestly say I feel fraudulent standing here” among survivors of the Holocaust, the 51-year-old Irish rocker said. “Their greatest triumph was that they defeated history. Their unique triumph is the grace with which they lived their lives.”

Geldof was inspired to organize the concert after watching a nightly news broadcast on the Ethiopian famine.

“The next day I thought, “This requires more than simply putting a pound in the charity box,”‘ he said.

He composed “Do They Know It’s Christmas” and recorded it with his friends in the rock ‘n’ roll business.

That recording led to Live Aid fundraising concerts in London and Philadelphia, which featured 60 top acts and a worldwide TV audience.

Geldof organized last year’s Live 8 concerts.



On the Net:

http://www.bobgeldof.info/

http://www.hmh.org/



CANTON, N.Y. (AP) – Viggo Mortensen didn’t wear a cap and gown to his own graduation from St. Lawrence University 26 years ago as a protest against alleged unfair labor practices by their manufacturers.

But the 47-year-old actor, who starred in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and 2005’s “A History of Violence,” wore the cap and gown Sunday as he encouraged graduates to stand up for their own beliefs.

“I’m certainly not asking anyone to run out and burn down city hall, or to necessarily engage in any overt protest,” Mortensen told the 567 graduates at St. Lawrence’s 150th commencement. “I simply advocate your continuing to explore being involved citizens. Don’t ever be afraid to ask the question, “Why?”‘

Mortensen received an honorary doctor of arts degree.



HONG KONG (AP) – Jet Li says he’s been haunted by memories of late R&B star Aaliyah during the shooting of his latest movie in Vancouver, Canada, where he filmed “Romeo Must Die.”

Li and Aaliyah played lovers in the 2000 movie, in which they are the offspring of rival ethnic Chinese and black gang leaders.

Aaliyah and eight others were killed in the crash of a twin-engine Cessna as it left the Bahamas on Aug. 25, 2001. She was 22.

“I have some memories of this very beautiful city … but it still makes me think about Aaliyah,” the 43-year-old action star was quoted as saying on movie news Web site Ign.com on Sunday. “She was such a talented girl and some locations when you pass by every day, you still think about her.”

Li was in Vancouver filming “Rogue,” the story of an FBI agent, played by Jason Statham, who tries to avenge his partner’s death at the hands of the assassin Rogue, played by Li.



On the Net:

http://www.jetli.com



Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.