KUAT-FM shortens fund-raising drive

Arizona Daily Wildcat

KUAT-FM (90.5 and 89.7) will shorten its winter on-air fund-raising drive from 10 days to eight days so the station can get back to its regular programming of uninterrupted classical music as soon as possible. Its fund-raising campaign, which begins Jan. 23, will end as soon as its goal of $56,000 is reached.

Members, whose financial support is approximately one-third of the station's budget, are being encouraged to pledge early by pledging online at http://www.kuatfm.org. Also, Jan. 24 has been set aside as a special pledge day, when the Leadership Society, a group of KUAT-FM's major donors, will match money raised on Jan. 24 dollar-for-dollar.

All-acoustic Wooden Ball rocks Plush, softly

Arizona Daily Wildcat

The annual acoustic showcase, the Wooden Ball, will take place Sunday at Plush, 340 E. 6th St. The event, which has been held at Club Congress for the last few years, features 12 local acts including Calexico, Al Perry, Truck and Greyhound Soul among others. Admission is $6. Doors open at 6 p.m. with music at 7 p.m.

Conan O'Brien

NBC's Conan O'Brien marries former guest

Associated Press

Late-night funnyman Conan O'Brien tied the knot Saturday to Liza Powel, a Seattle ad executive he met when she made an appearance on his show.

"Sorry about the rain," O'Brien quipped as he and his new bride emerged from the St. James Cathedral under an umbrella after the afternoon ceremony.

The pair became engaged last July, about a year after Powel met O'Brien while appearing on his show in a skit about advertising.

O'Brien, 38, is in his ninth season on NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien.''

O'Brien's longtime friend and Harvard roommate, the Rev. Paul O'Brien, officiated. The two are not related.

The service, which was closed to all but invited guests, was attended by "Friends"actress Lisa Kudrow and several on-air staffers from O'Brien's show.

O'Brien, a native of Brookline, Mass., lives in New York.

Muhammad Ali doesn't want his Hollywood star in sidwalk

Associated Press

Muhammad Ali received his Hollywood Star Friday, with one condition: The champ insisted his star be installed on the wall of the new Kodak Theater complex instead of being embedded in the sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard with the other 2,188 famous names.

Ali said he didn't want to be walked on by people who "disrespect him."

The subject of a new movie starring Will Smith, Ali was the world heavyweight boxing champion who courted controversy along with his fame. He goaded opponents with cries of "I am the greatest!" and "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" and charmed the public with a wit that was as swift as his punches.

During the ceremony, Ali smiled and waved at hundreds of fans in the crowd and clowned with friends.

Among the celebrities at the unveiling were the stars of "Ali," including Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles and director Michael Mann. Smith did not attend.

Over the decades, Ali, who now trembles and has difficulty walking due to Parkinson's disease, became one of sport's most beloved figures and is often ranked as the greatest athlete of the past century.