The late Manning Marable won the Pulitzer Prize for history Monday, for a Malcolm X book he worked on for decades but did not live to see published.
For the first time in 35 years, no fiction prize was given. According to the Associated Press, the late David Foster Wallace’s “The Pale King,” a novel assembled from notes he left behind, was among the finalists for fiction.
Another long-term project, John Lewis Gaddis’ “George F. Kennan,” won the Pulitzer for biography.
The play “Water by the Spoonful,” about a returning Iraq war veteran by Quiara Alegria Hudes, won the drama prize. Ms. Hudes previously wrote the book for the Broadway show “In the Heights,” which won the Tony Award for best musical in 2008. Her play “Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue” was a finalist for the Pulitzer in 2007.
“Life on Mars,” by Tracy K. Smith, won the poetry prize. The general nonfiction prize was given to “The Swerve: How the World Became Modern,” Stephen Greenblatt’s telling of the 15th-century rediscovery of the Latin poet Lucretius. Kevin Puts’ “Silent Night: Opera in Two Acts” was honored for music.
Hologram ’performance’ brings Tupac back to life
The Twittersphere was alive Monday with discussion about an eye-popping performance by rapper Tupac Shakur at California’s Coachella music festival - 16 years after he died.
The vividly lifelike hologram performance, which was in the top 10 trending topics on Twitter and mentioned at least 40 times a minute, shocked some fans at the music and arts festival in Indio, Agence France-Presse reports.
Shakur, who was gunned down in 1996 in Las Vegas, appeared to rise from the stage, asking “What up, Coachella?” before being joined onstage by flesh-and-blood rap stars Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.
As fans looked on in disbelief, the bare-topped star, with pants sagging and neck chain swinging, then joined Snoop Dogg on “Come With Me,” “Hail Mary” and “Gangsta Party” at the performance Sunday.
“That hologram form of tupac look sooooo real!!!!!!! Technology is a beast!” commented iamPinkLipss, while AyyOnline added: “This is insane!!”
A November 1994 attack on Shakur in New York triggered a rap war pitting West Coast rappers, including Shakur, against East Coast rivals represented by superstar rapper Notorious B.I.G, whose real name was Christopher Wallace.
Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas in September 1996, and Wallace was fatally shot in Los Angeles six months later. Both murders remain unsolved.
The annual Coachella festival is being held over two weekends in Indio, east of Los Angeles. As well as the from-beyond-the-grave rap show, the first weekend also saw British bands Radiohead and Kaiser Chiefs take the stage.
Not everyone on Twitter was excited about the hologram show. “Tupac is still dead you idiots,” commented maulingmueller, while ChrisRRegan joked: “Right after it was unplugged, the Tupac hologram released another four albums.”
Anderson, Richie make list of California tax scofflaws
Pamela Anderson and Lionel Richie owe the government money.
California tax authorities said Miss Anderson owes $524,241 in personal income taxes, according to the Associated Press. The Franchise Tax Board included the “Baywatch” star on a list of the state’s 500 biggest income-tax delinquents, posted Friday.
Meanwhile, E! Online reports that Mr. Richie owes the federal government $1.1 million in unpaid taxes and that a lien has been issued warning that the singer’s assets may be seized if he doesn’t pay up in a timely manner.
A message seeking comments from Mr. Richie’s publicist wasn’t returned immediately Saturday. A call to Miss Anderson’s tax attorney, Robert Leonard, wasn’t returned immediately.
California law requires tax authorities to update and publish the names and amounts owed by the state’s 500 biggest tax scofflaws twice a year.
“When taxpayers do not pay their fair share, it places an unfair burden on those who do,” the tax board said on its website, which said the 500 owe the state nearly $233 million.
Other notable names on California’s tax-delinquent list include CNET co-founder Halsey Minor; Joe Francis, founder of the “Girls Gone Wild” video empire; actor Nick Cassavetes; and boxer James Toney.
Mr. Minor and his wife, Shannon, are on top of the list for owing the state $10.5 million in personal income taxes.
Mr. Francis owes $794,000; Mr. Cassavetes, the son of filmmaker John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands, owes $273,000; Mr. Toney owes $354,000.
Convictions upheld in Stamos blackmail case
A federal appeals court has upheld the convictions of a man and woman from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula who were accused of trying to blackmail actor John Stamos.
A three-judge panel in Cincinnati rejected challenges to the indictment Monday as well as claims that Allison Coss and Scott Sippola should have received a break at sentencing for accepting responsibility.
They were sentenced to four years in prison in 2010 after a jury convicted them of conspiracy and using email to threaten a person’s reputation. Ms. Coss and Mr. Sippola threatened to sell old photos of Mr. Stamos with strippers and cocaine to the tabloids unless he paid $680,000. The FBI said the photos didn’t exist.
Mr. Stamos met Ms. Coss in Florida in 2004 and they became friends.
Free live-streamed concert to go with Jack White album
Jack White will kick off the release of his first solo album with a concert streamed live online, to be directed by Gary Oldman.
The show will be the first installment in the third season of American Express’ “Unstaged” series, which pairs top musical acts with renowned filmmakers. Mr. White’s concert at New York’s Webster Hall will be streamed live at 9 p.m. April 27 on VEVO, free of charge.
A few days prior, on April 24, Mr. White will release “Blunderbuss,” the first solo album from the former White Stripe.
The “Unstaged” series has drawn more than 70 million streams for performances from Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Mary J. Blige and others.
Though best known for his acting, Mr. Oldman directed the critically acclaimed 1997 film “Nil by Mouth.”
Attorney: Sugarland’s version of events inconsistent
An attorney said Sugarland’s version of what happened before last summer’s deadly stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair is inconsistent with another witness account.
The Indianapolis Star reports it obtained a partial transcript of singer Jennifer Nettles’ deposition in a series of lawsuits over the disaster.
The Star said Miss Nettles testified that the country duo was never told fair officials had asked to delay the concert because of an approaching storm and that the band probably would have postponed the show if they had been asked.
State Fair Executive Director Cindy Hoye testified that she had asked Sugarland’s tour manager to delay the show but was told that the band refused.
Attorney Kenneth J. Allen said Miss Nettles’ version is “inconsistent.” Band spokesman Allan Meyer called Mr. Allen’s remarks “scurrilous.”
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