MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Stevie Wonder received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Civil Rights Museum, then segued from his acceptance speech into a medley of his songs that included “My Cherie Amour” and “I Wish.”

Wonder, 56, received the honor Tuesday night. The museum also awarded civil rights pioneer Dr. Joseph Lowery the National Freedom Award and Doctors Without Borders co-founder Bernard Kouchner the International Freedom Award.

Playing an electronic keyboard, Wonder told an audience of about 5,000 that music is a gift he can share, challenging Memphis and the world to “use the gifts God has given us to help those less fortunate.”

“You must use your eyes, voices, ears. Tomorrow is never promised to any of us. You must be the best you can be right now,” he said.

After the singer’s speech, two blind students at Georgia Avenue Elementary – Caia Smith, 6, and Oveante Magsby, 9 – sang their own medley as a tribute to Wonder.

He smiled and clapped as the children sang “Ribbon In the Sky” and “You Are The Sunshine of My Life,” then made his way to the stage to meet the children, hugging them and whispering in their ears.

“I thought that was wonderful,” said Caia’s mother, Curtrice Smith. “He told them he loved them.”

Previous recipients of the annual awards include King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Oprah Winfrey and Paul Rusesabagina, whose heroism in the face of genocide inspired the movie “Hotel Rwanda.”

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Robert Redford has added a celebrity touch to those urging California voters to reject a sweeping eminent domain initiative.

In an e-mail sent this week to more than 172,000 members of the Natural Resources Defense Council and made public Tuesday, Redford described the eminent domain proposition as “the single most dangerous threat that has ever been leveled at our state’s environment.”

Put on the November ballot by property rights activists, Proposition 90 would amend the state Constitution to make it harder and more costly for governments to condemn property or pass regulations that affect land values.

“Anytime our government wants to protect some vestige of open space or save an old-growth forest or restrict offshore oil drilling, Prop. 90 would empower hordes of people to sue the government and collect compensation if they feel their properties or businesses have been compromised,” wrote Redford, who is a trustee of the environmental group.

The actor’s involvement in the campaign comes amid a host of celebrity endorsements for another initiative on the Nov. 7 ballot, Proposition 87.

Earlier this week, Julia Roberts toured the Mattel Children’s Hospital at the University of California, Los Angeles while urging the public to vote for the initiative. Proposition 87 would tax oil production in the state to raise $4 billion for alternative fuel research. That measure also has been endorsed by actors James Caan and Geena Davis, and former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore.

A spokesman for Proposition 90 downplayed Redford’s support. Kevin Spillane of the Protect Our Homes Coalition said: “The voters have a long record of disregarding celebrity endorsements.”

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NORWALK, Conn. (AP) – A movie director charged with groping two women in a city bar has been granted probation on criminal charges.

Vadim Perelman, 43, of Venice, Calif., was placed on accelerated rehabilitation Monday during an appearance in Superior Court.

Perelman, who directed the 2003 film “House of Sand and Fog,” will have the charges dropped and his record cleansed if he stays out of trouble for two years. Accelerated rehabilitation is a form of probation that requires no guilty plea and is designed for first-time offenders facing minor charges.

Perelman’s upcoming film, “In Bloom,” stars Uma Thurman and was shot partly in Norwalk. He was arrested on July 22, shortly after he left Rain Ultralounge & Sushi Bar, where two women said he touched their buttocks.

Prosecutors said that one of the women’s boyfriends confronted Perelman, who threw a punch that missed the boyfriend and struck his date. Police found Perelman walking a short distance away after the club’s manager flagged down a patrol officer.

Perelman was charged with third-degree assault and two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault,

As part of his special probation, Perelman must make a $1,000 charitable contribution and perform 100 hours of community service. The judge also ordered Perelman to undergo substance-abuse evaluation and, if necessary, treatment.

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SYDNEY, Australia (AP) – Michelle Williams’ father, a prominent stock market trader, was ordered Wednesday to face an extradition hearing over tax evasion charges in the United States.

Australian police, responding to a request from U.S. authorities, arrested 64-year-old Larry Williams in May after he flew into Sydney to begin a monthlong speaking tour in Australia and New Zealand. He was released on $753,000 bail.

Appearing before Sydney’s Central Local Court, Williams was ordered Wednesday to face a hearing on March 26.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service wants to question Williams – a resident of the Virgin Islands – about a possible $1.5 million in unpaid taxes from book royalties and earnings from international seminars he conducted between 1990 and 2001.

His 26-year-old daughter received an Oscar nomination as best supporting actress for her performance in the 2005 film “Brokeback Mountain,” playing the wife of Heath Ledger’s character.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Country singer Sara Evans said her experience as an entertainer helped carry her through her final performance last week on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”

Evans had learned hours before the show Oct. 11 about racy allegations against her husband of 13 years that prompted her to file for divorce, she said in an interview aired Tuesday night on the show.

“It’s a blur,” she said.

“The good thing is that I’m so used to performing, as you know, that as an entertainer, we just have the ability to just try to flip the switch, turn it on, do the dance and make it through the day,” she said.

Evans, 35, alleges that Craig Schelske, 43, committed adultery, was verbally and emotionally abusive, drank excessively and frequently watched pornography in their home. Schelske denies all the allegations.

“I cannot explain why Sara is waging a false media campaign, but I intend to defend myself in court and protect my children as best I can,” Schelske said in a statement issued Tuesday.

He said his attorneys advised ABC that he denied all of the allegations in the divorce filing and said Evans needed to consider the well-being of her children in doing the interview.

Evans was among 11 celebrities who paired with professional dancers to compete on the third season of the popular reality series.

Schelske ran for Congress as a Republican from Oregon’s 5th District in 2002. He is a native of Salem, Ore.

Evans was recently nominated for female vocalist of the year honors by the Country Music Association. She made her recording debut in 1997 and her 2000 album “Born to Fly” went double-platinum. Her hits include “Perfect,” “Suds in the Bucket” and “Real Fine Place to Start.”

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On the Net:

“Dancing With The Stars”: http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancing/

Sara Evans’ official site: http://www.saraevans.com

Schelske’s 2002 campaign site: http://www.schelskeforcongress.com

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LOS ANGELES (AP) – Tim McGraw, the country entertainer whose many hats include recording star, concert performer and movie actor, was enshrined in concrete Tuesday with a star along the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“I really still don’t know how it happens, maybe they made a mistake or something,” said the incredulous entertainer, surrounded by wife Faith Hill, actor Billy Bob Thornton and a screaming throng of fans.

McGraw’s sidewalk star was unveiled in front of the Virgin Records store on Hollywood Boulevard. He wore his signature black cowboy hat to shade him from a sunny autumn day in Southern California.

“It’s been a great ride for me for a long time,” McGraw said. “This summer will make 18 years that I’ve been on the road playing music, making my living.”

The ceremony was timed to coincide with Friday’s release of “Flicka,” starring McGraw, Maria Bello and Alison Lohman. The movie is a new adaptation of the family novel “My Friend Flicka,” about a teen training a wild mustang.

McGraw, 39, made his movie debut two years ago in “Friday Night Lights,” costarring with Thornton.

The son of the late Major League Baseball pitcher Tug McGraw has sold more than 33 million albums, 4 million singles and had 26 No. 1 singles. McGraw and Hill won Grammy Awards for “Let’s Make Love” and “Like We Never Loved at All.”

In 2004, McGraw won the Grammy for best male country vocal performance for “Live Like You Were Dying.”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) – Matt Damon went to the Sahara Desert to scout locations for a movie about long-distance runners. But when he got there, he took on another project: helping bring clean water to Africa.

Damon and the production team behind the upcoming documentary “Running the Sahara” created a charity to accompany their filmmaking expedition in Africa, which gets under way this month.

During his preliminary visit to the continent, Damon, 36, said he “saw firsthand the effects of one of the largest public health issues of our time – the world water crisis which is at its worst in Africa.”

H2OAfrica aims to raise awareness about Africa’s water needs and support clean-water programs.

“Running the Sahara” is a documentary that will follow three ultra-marathoners as they attempt to become the first people to run across the Sahara Desert, which spans six countries. Along the way, the film’s crew will identify locations in particular need of clean water so H2OAfrica can target its efforts. Damon will narrate the film. No release date has been scheduled.

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On the Net:

http://www.h2oafrica.org

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MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. (AP) – Martha Stewart has pledged to donate $1 million to the hospital where doctors stitched up her hand last December.

Stewart said she received excellent care and wants to “ensure that the region in which I live and the community, which has been so welcoming to me, has access to a superior medical facility,” according to a news release issued Tuesday by Northern Westchester Hospital.

The 65-year-old lifestyle guru visited the hospital’s emergency department after slicing her hand while carving a turkey in her home about four miles away.

Stewart’s pledge is conditional – other donors must give $2 million by the end of the year before the Stewart money kicks in. The donations would help the hospital nearly reach its $25 million fundraising goal for a new emergency department.

So far, more than $21 million has been pledged and a fundraising gala is scheduled for Oct. 28.

The $1 million is not the first gift from Stewart since she cut her hand. She sent two Christmas trees soon afterward, including one decorated with gingerbread cookies, the hospital said.