'Shack' author to speak at Lourdes

3/19/2010

William P. Young, author of the bestseller The Shack, will speak at 1 p.m. April 16 in the Franciscan Theater of Lourdes College in Sylvania.

Part of the Lourdes' Speaker Series, the event is free but tickets are required for admission. Tickets are available at the Franciscan Center box office or by phone at 419-824-3999.

Young's self-published novel was on the New York Times bestseller list for 40 consecutive weeks. Originally written as a Christmas gift to his six children, it tells the story of a man whose daughter is kidnapped and murdered during a family camping trip. When he later visits the abandoned shack where his daughter's clothing was found after her disappearance, he finds strength and enlightenment through characters representing God and the Trinity.

Sandra Bullock canceled her appearance at the London premiere of The Blind Side days after Internet reports alleged she was having trouble in her marriage and that she had left the couple's Southern California home.

Calls and e-mails to representatives for Bullock and her husband, celebrity motorcycle builder Jesse James, weren't immediately answered.

People.com said yesterday that Bullock had left the couple's home just days before a report of infidelity by her husband surfaced. The couple were last seen together publicly at the Oscars.

The 45-year-old actress said in a statement that she cannot attend next Tuesday's premiere for "unforeseen personal reasons." She canceled almost two weeks after winning an Oscar for her performance in the movie.

She and James were married in July, 2005.

A fund-raiser featuring the Toledo Jazz Orchestra to honor Toledo trumpeter Jimmy Cook will be held Sunday at the Southbriar Restaurant, 5147 Main St., Sylvania.

The Tribute to Jimmy Cook event will raise money for a scholarship for a University of Toledo music student. Cook, who died in 2008 at the age of 78 after being diagnosed with cancer, was one of the most important figures in Toledo's jazz history.

The incorrect date for the event was published on page W9 yesterday.

The tribute will be from 3 to 6 p.m.Tickets are $10 at the door. Reservations are recommended. Information: 419-517-1111

Country singer Justin Moore knows his fans can get rowdy - maybe sometimes to a fault.

The singer, 26, says a drunken fan stole one of his guitars at a Michigan concert, but eventually returned Moore's favorite Gibson guitar worth about $4,000 after the fan realized it was a drunken mistake.

Moore alerted fans on Twitter and a DJ posted the news about the stolen guitar on Detroit's WYCD Web site. Moore's tour manager also contacted the Royal Oak, Mich., police department, but charges were never filed.

On Sunday, the anonymous crook had a friend deliver the guitar along with an apology note to the radio station.

"Everybody's got drunk and made stupid mistakes," Moore said.

"Heck, I've got a song on my record, which he actually referenced, about making all kinds of idiotic mistakes. The thing I'll say, though, is everybody don't always own up to it and make it right."

For the record, the song is "How I Got To Be This Way."