Taking Names: Katy Perry thanking fans by performing free show

Katy Perry thanking fans by performing free show

Katy Perry is thanking her fans with a free concert in Los Angeles.

According to the Associated Press, the pop singer will perform the free show on Nov. 23 at the Staples Center. Miss Perry also will perform there on Nov. 22 as part of her “California Dreams” world tour.

She made the announcement Friday on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

Miss Perry’s platinum-selling album, “Teenage Dream,” features five No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 songs.

Los Angeles is the final U.S. stop on the singer’s tour. She’s scheduled to perform in the Philippines in January.

Jodie Foster’s father charged in Calif. property scam

Jodie Foster’s father could face more than 20 years in prison for a property scam in which he touted his relation to his famous daughter to lure customers to part with their money, prosecutors said Thursday.

According to Agence France-Presse, Lucius Fisher Foster III, 89, was charged with 17 counts of grand theft and seven of contracting without a license after allegedly cheating investors out of more than $100,000, said Deputy City Attorney Don Cocek.

Mr. Foster, who is estranged from his daughter, allegedly offered to build homes for 20 people in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles, after contacting them through his own property website or referrals from Realtors.

He “told at least half the victims that he is Jodie’s father as part of the scam to build up trust,” Mr. Cocek said.

Each victim allegedly gave Mr. Foster a deposit of $5,000 and received a contract for their home to be built, “but no house was ever built,” said the prosecutor. A pretrial hearing is set for Nov. 17.

Mr. Foster’s daughter, star of “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Panic Room” and “Contact,” was not immediately available for comment.

Singer Sean Kingston happy for second chance at life

Singer Sean Kingston said he feels blessed to be back on stage after a serious Jet Ski accident - and said he won’t be afraid to get back in the water next time he gets the chance.

The 21-year-old star told reporters Thursday at the Latin Grammys in Las Vegas that he has bounced back from the May 29 crash and is happy to have another chance at life, the Associated Press reports.

Mr. Kingston performed at the awards show with the Puerto Rican duo Wisin y Yandel.

Mr. Kingston said backstage that he didn’t understand what was being said at the show, but he called himself a “huge fan of reggaeton,” or Spanish hip hop.

“I’ve dated a few Latin ladies, so I understand a little bit, poquito,” he said.

Cheap Trick to open music venue in Chicago

The rock band Cheap Trick plans to open a museum and music venue on Chicago’s South Side.

According to the Associated Press, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday that the band will use the site of a former auto dealership on south Michigan Avenue. The development would be near other historic music sites, including Chess, Vee-Jay and Brunswick Records. Band manager David Frey said expanding development around McCormick Place prompted the project.

The main stage at Ottawa Bluesfest collapsed in July during a Cheap Trick concert as a severe thunderstorm sent the musicians and thousands of fans running for cover. Some were injured. Now, Mr. Frey said, Cheap Trick won’t play temporary outdoor stages anymore.

The band is known for hits including “Dream Police” and “I Want You to Want Me.”

Shakira celebrates star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Grammy-winning Colombian singer Shakira now has a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

During last week’s ceremony surrounded by hundreds of screaming, flag-waving fans, Shakira unveiled her sidewalk star in front of the W Hollywood Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard, the Associated Press reports. It’s the 2,454th star dedicated along Hollywood’s avenue of dreams.

“This is incredible,” said the singer and activist. “I would like to thank all of you.”

Shakira said she remembered being on the boulevard as a tourist when she was 7 years old, accompanied by her mother, who told her, “Shaki, one day you’ll have your own star here.”

“If someone had heard that conversation, they would have thought she was insane,” said Shakira, who was flanked by her parents at the ceremony.

The ceremony for the 34-year-old singer came on the eve of her Las Vegas honor as the Latin Grammy person of the year.

Born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll in Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira was 14 when she released her first album, “Magia.”

Her popularity rose in Latin America and Spain with the 1995 release of “Pies Descalzos” and the 1998 release of her album “Donde Estan los Ladrones?” In 2001, she sold more than 13 million copies worldwide of her first English-language album “Laundry Service,” which contained the hit single “Whenever, Whereever.”

She won her first Grammy when “MTV Unplugged” was selected as best Latin pop album. “Donde Estan los Ladrones?” won a Grammy as best Latin rock/alternative album.

Shakira also has raised millions of dollars to fight poverty and provide education for the poor through her Pies Descalzos Foundation.

Shakira dedicated her star to her fans, who “have listened, supported and understood my music all these years,” and to Hispanics in the U.S. whom she praised as “a community that works and dreams, every day, to make this a better country.”

A committee selects celebrities eligible for a Walk of Fame star and those who accept pay $30,000 in costs and fees.

• Compiled from web and wire reports.