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Jazz great Abbey Lincoln died at the age of 80 last week. Singer, songwriter, stylist, painter, activist, actress, mentor to many in the musical community, particularly in jazz vocals and songwriting, Lincoln was a force to be reckoned with whether it was in the entertainment industry or in the height of the historic Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Her obituary (The New York Times, August 15, 2010) eloquently written by Nate Chinen was comprehensive, expansive, extensive, praiseworthy and relatively long. It appropriately reflects the breath and depth of Lincoln's career and her life as an extraordinary human being. Her ability to interpret a song and, literally, "make it her own," was praised by critics and appreciated by audience for decades. "Her singing style was unique, a combined result of bold projection and expressive restraint. Because of her ability to inhabit the emotional dimensions of a song, she was often likened to Billie Holiday, her chief influence. But Ms. Lincoln had a deeper register and a darker tone, and her way with phrasing was more declarative," wrote Chinen. She performed in concert and on recordings ("That Him," "Retribution," "The World is Falling Down," "Abbey Sings Abbey") with the who's who of jazz,  Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Max Roach, to name a few. She celebrated her African-American heritage, visited Africa where she was honored with awards from the nations of Zaire and Guinea.  Of her ability for storytelling and songwriting, she said: "I don't know why anybody would give that up. I wouldn't.  Makes my life worthwhile."

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Levi Johnston seems to have become unstoppable, unpredictable, and maybe even a bit outrageous. He also now gets credit for knowing how to milk what at one time would have been truly his 15-minutes of fame. But the boy has learned, with the help of many others, I'm sure, how to turn himself into a brand for both fame and even more for fortune. He surprised most of the public when he appeared in a nude modeling spread for Playgirl.com, now he may have his own Reality TV show, Loving Levi: The Road to the Mayor (there's a lot of Interest in Tinseltown) and recently announced that he's putting in a bid to run for public office as a mayoral candidate for Wasilla, Alaska, even though the seat isn't up until 2012. There's even some talk of Johnston running for governor one day if he does well in fulfilling his duties as mayor or a City Council seat before that. (Wonder if the gay porn title, starring a Johnston look-a-like, called Levi's Johnson, will lose him any votes?) "It's hard to figure me out," he boasts, "You've got to follow me around. I'm very different. I lead a crazy life. But it will basically be both worlds, my life in Hollywood and back home, the real country boy that I am. This show will send a message to America about who I really am and what I want to do with my life." Remember he's a self-proclaimed "half redneck"!  The other half?  He says "pure Hollywood."

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James Frain of True Blood plays Franklin, the mad suitor of Tara, he brings to the role, according to Emma Rosenblum (New York, August 2, 2010), a different sort of vampire (and we're not just talking about his natural British accent) but "a sadistic possessiveness with hilariously endearing insecurity." Frain as Franklin is also "a lot less virtuous than Bill and a little more dangerous than Eric." Are Franklin and Tara made for each other? "He's just trying to get her to wake up and realize this is the relationship she'd been dreaming of. I don't really think of him as a vampire, but more as an abusive boyfriend who happened to get bit," said Frain. Why are your fangs bigger than everyone else's in the cast? "They're crazy long, and I don't know why. It's probably supposed to say something about the character," he replied; then howled with laughter.