MILAN, Italy (AP) – Luciano Pavarotti will make his first public appearance since undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer last summer to receive a prize Dec. 6 at a music festival in the northern Italian city of Bergamo.

The 71-year-old tenor will accept the Donizetti Prize during the last performance of the Bergamo Musical Festival, Raffaella Valsecchi, a spokeswoman for the Donizetti Theater, said Thursday.

“His health has improved, aside from some problems walking. He uses a small cane,” Valsecchi said.

Pavarotti was preparing to leave New York in July to resume a farewell tour when doctors discovered a malignant pancreatic mass. He had surgery, and all his remaining 2006 concerts were canceled. Pavarotti retired from staged opera in 2004.

Pavarotti will be awarded the Donizetti Prize in recognition of his interpretations of the opera composer’s works throughout the world, Valsecchi said. Nine of Pavarotti’s students will sing arias from some of Gaetano Donizetti’s operas, including “Anne Boleyn,” “Lucrezia Borgia” and “Don Pasquale.” Donizetti was born in Bergamo in 1797.

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TACOMA, Wash. (AP) – Nick Lachey is the latest celebrity to stake ownership in a team in the Pacific Coast League.

Lachey was introduced Wednesday as a part-owner of the Tacoma Rainiers. Now, he’s part of the Schlegel Sports Group based out of Dallas, and a one-third owner of the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.

“Sports for me, other than what I do for a living, is truly my passion, and baseball has always been something that is a part of my life,” said Lachey, who grew up a Cincinnati Reds’ fan.

League President Branch Rickey said Lachey is among notable owners, including Warren Buffet (Omaha), Nolan Ryan (Round Rock), and the Mandalay Entertainment Group (Las Vegas).

It’s the second time Lachey has been involved with an ownership group. He was a small player in a group that attempted to buy his hometown Reds last year.

“It gave me the feeling that being involved in an ownership group was something I really wanted to do,” Lachey said “When this opportunity came about it felt like the right one.”

The primary owner, Kirby Schlegel, hopes the pop singer’s involvement will boost interest in the Rainiers.

“The PR jolt he can give is huge,” Schlegel said. “There’s no better advertising than having a guy like Nick Lachey involved.”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) – Nicole Kidman is the queen of Hollywood when it comes to money.

The Oscar winner, who earns as much as $17 million per movie, tops the fifth annual list of highest-paid actresses released Wednesday by The Hollywood Reporter.

Kidman, 39, ranked second on last year’s list behind four-time top-earner Julia Roberts, who didn’t make the list this year. She spent time with her 2-year-old twins.

In second place, with $15 million per movie, was Reese Witherspoon, 30, who won the best-actress Oscar this year for her performance in “Walk the Line.”

Renee Zellweger, Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz placed third, fourth and fifth, respectively. They also get $15 million for each film.

Rounding out the top 10 are Halle Berry ($14 million), Charlize Theron ($10 million), Angelina Jolie ($10 million), Kirsten Dunst ($8 million to $10 million) and Jennifer Aniston ($8 million).

The list will appear in the Women in Entertainment Power 100 issue to be published by The Hollywood Reporter on Dec. 5.