Cher says she’s living ‘like a nun’ in Vegas

Cher says her new CD has got a Southern feeling to it. — AP pic

NEW YORK, Feb 18 — Cher’s concert stand in Las Vegas may be the ultimate representation of Sin City: it’s decadent, glitzy, oversized, over-the-top and a thrill-a-minute experience.

But when she leaves the Colosseum at Caesars Palace at the end of her performance, the 62-year-old singer leads a lifestyle quite opposite from the kind that Las Vegas has come to represent: She stays out of the casinos, refrains from drinking, doesn’t smoke and stays away from the all-night party scene.

“I like to go out, do my work and then come home,” says Cher, who likens her time away from the stage to living like “a nun.”

Unlikely words from a woman who has represented quite the opposite over her nearly five-decade career (as the barely there outfits she dons in her show reflect). But while she puts on an eye-popping extravaganza in Vegas, Cher likes to keep her home life decidedly more low-key.

In a recent interview, Cher — who kicks off the second phase of her concerts at Caesars Palace this month — talked about her show, life in Vegas and why she finds herself in Target stores.

AP: What was the first season of shows like in Vegas?

Cher: The schedule is a dream schedule. The only thing that I kind of didn’t anticipate for some reason, I don’t know where my brain is, but I didn’t anticipate the dryness getting to my throat the way it did. ... So when I’m there, I have to kind of live like a nun and not talk during the day, but that’s the only unusual thing.

AP: How do you not talk during the day? Is it hard?

Cher: Yeah. ... It’s so hard for me, I just really have to think about it and just not speak, but I have to remind myself about 100 times a days, because I’m not the kind of person that doesn’t want to talk.

AP: Do you text people?

Cher: (Laughs) Oh yes, I do text people — I text, I e-mail, which is kind of the only saving grace.

AP: What’s the best part of getting back to Vegas?

Cher: Look, performers love to perform — that’s the thing that we do. I think one of the best things was being able to imagine anything that I wanted, anything that I came up with we could do, because this theatre is unbelievable. I come home twice a week, so I’m kind of at home. ... I’m not there that much, but it takes me 40 minutes to get home (in the Los Angeles area), it’s like doing a show from my bedroom.

AP: What’s your upcoming movie with Johnny Knoxville about?

Cher: I can’t really talk about it yet. I just can’t.

AP: What kind of sound will your new CD have?

Cher: It’s hard to put a label sometimes on songs, but it’s a little bit more guitar-oriented, a little bit more like “I Found Someone” feeling, and there’s some stuff that’s still sort of guitar-oriented, but it’s got a Southern feeling to it. You know, I just find songs that I like and then I do them and hopefully they make something cohesive.

AP: Have you considered doing one of those exclusive marketing deals?

Cher: I think it’s a good way to market things. ... I happen to actually think Target’s pretty fabulous. On the road, when you’re in some teeny little town, I must tell you, I’ve been to a lot of Targets. I know there are a lot of Targets and a lot of stores called Michaels in the United States. We had a thing where we do painting and we would have these big Teamsters painting a little teapot for their mom. ... I would be running to Michaels and getting paintbrushes and stuff like that.

AP: What do you do when you’re not working on your music?

Cher: I have a school in Africa. I just got back from Kathmandu (Nepal) and I’m working with some Tibet children there, and I just got back from (the Los Angeles) city hall ... to try and save the life of this elephant Billy in the LA zoo. I just don’t want this elephant to die ... he has so much anxiety. He’s been alone there forever. ... Elephants should not be in zoos. Elephants don’t live in zoos, they die in zoos. — AP

Princess Diana letters to government ministers must remain a secret

LONDON, Feb 19 — Private letters between Princess Diana and the British Government will remain secret after a ruling by the Information Commissioner.

The series of letters from the late Diana, Princess of Wales to John Major, the former Prime Minister, and Tony Blair, his successor, were deemed too private to be published under the Freedom of Information Act.

Members of the Royal Family are exempt from the Freedom of Information legislation but individual cases can be challenged on public interest grounds. The Office of the Information Commissioner said the letters were of a "personal nature" and not related to government policy.

The correspondence may be related to the announcements to the Commons by Major, as Prime Minister, that the Prince of Wales and Princess were to separate. He had been a key figure in the discussions between the couple.

It could also be in connection with the visit in May 1997 of the princess to Chequers with Prince William and Prince Harry who played happily with Euan and Nicky the sons of the new Prime Minister.

She also wrote to Douglas Hurd and the late Robin Cook when they were both foreign secretary about the possibility of an ambassador's role in landmines.

The Cabinet Office published seven telegrams from the princess to prime ministers of the day thanking them for birthday wishes, but all further correspondence was withheld on the grounds that it fell inside the exemption.

An internal review later upheld the decision, and stated that the public interest in keeping them secret "outweighed" the interest in making them public. In a statement the ICO said: "It is important to draw a clear distinction between matters of public interest and matters about which the public may be merely curious." — The Daily Telegraph

Fourth 'Idol' judge a straight-shooting hitmaker

Kara DioGuardi, the newly-installed fourth judge on ‘American Idol’, celebrates being named co-songwriter of the year. — AP pic

NEW YORK, Aug 26 — Scooching in between Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson sounds intimidating, if not a little scary.

But Kara DioGuardi, the newly-installed fourth judge on “American Idol”, is confident she’ll find her niche within the bickering, ratings-tested judges’ panel where the line between love and hate is blurred with every critique.

“I’m just gonna speak to Simon the way I speak to everybody,” DioGuardi told reporters during a teleconference yesterday. “I’m just gonna have my opinion, be honest and I don't foresee any problems. I'm really excited about this, and up for the challenge.”

The Grammy-nominated songwriter will make her debut when the eighth season of “Idol” premieres in January, the Fox network said yesterday.

“It’s really flattering too, you know, to think that (‘Idol’) even thought about me,” she said. “I mean, when I got the call, I thought they were calling the wrong person. So I’m the new kid on the block, and I’m hoping everyone’s gonna go easy on me — and that I bring a lot to the table.”

It’s not yet clear how ties will be broken in the audition process — in past seasons, two out of three judges had to agree to advance aspiring pop stars to the Hollywood round. And something will have to give during the telecast that barely has enough time to fit in three judges’ opinions.

DioGuardi, now the youngest “Idol” judge at 37, said she leads a “low-key” life. In that case, she’d do well to prepare for the instant celebrity that comes with appearing on the most popular — and lucrative — reality show on television.

Which begs the question: Who IS Kara DioGuardi?

“I’m maybe not a household name, but people know of me in the industry,” said DioGuardi, who co-owns the Los-Angeles based company Arthouse Entertainment, which is now producing music by recent “Idol” runner-up David Archuleta.

DioGuardio’s songs have been recorded by Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood and Pink, among others. Her recent Top 40 hits include Stefani’s “Rich Girl”, Aguilera’s “Ain't No Other Man”, Clarkson’s “Walk Away” and Dion’s “Taking Chances”.

In 2000, the New York-born songwriter and long time friend Abdul co-wrote the dance tune “Spinning Around” for Aussie pop star Kylie Minogue.

Her TV experience includes appearing a judge on the short-lived ABC reality series “The One: Making a Music Star” in 2006.

DioGuardi begins her “Idol” journey yesterday during auditions in New York. It will be the judges' first time together in one room; DioGuardi said she only just met host/ringleader Ryan Seacrest yesterday morning.

“You'll have to see if there are fireworks tomorrow,” she cooed in her smoky voice.

Which begs another question: Why mess with chemistry that’s working?

“We are turning the heat up on ‘Idol’ this year and are thrilled to welcome Kara to the judges’ table,” said creator and executive producer Simon Fuller in a statement. “She is a smart, sassy lady, and one of America's most successful songwriters. We know she will bring a new level of energy and excitement to the show.”

Executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz said a fourth judge isn't a new idea.

“We had originally intended for ‘American Idol’ to have four judges,” she said. “We’ve seen from our international series that having a fourth judge creates a dynamic that benefits both the contestants and the viewers.”

DioGuardi plans to be a straight shooter. She wants to help contestants succeed, but she will be harsh when need be.

“I’d say I’m honest,” she said. “I’d say I believe in what I believe in, and I'm willing to fight for it. And I'm pretty feisty.”

As an “Idol” viewer, she said she’s disagreed with each judge at one point — although admits that Cowell’s criticism is generally “spot on”. Some of her favourite past contestants were Clarkson and season-seven finalist Brooke White.

She hopes to find the The Next Big Thing.

“What makes an artist is somebody who’s unique,” she said. “That when their song comes on the radio, I know exactly who it is. ... It’s not about vocal acrobatics.”

Let the drama begin. — AP