Superstar singer Beyonce has serenaded a different New York City venue: the United Nations.
Beyonce performed her song “I Was Here” on Friday in the U.N.’s General Assembly Hall in honor of World Humanitarian Day, which is Sunday. A music video of the performance will debut the same day.
Beyonce sang in front of hundreds, including Julia Stiles, R&B singer The-Dream and songwriter Diane Warren, who wrote the song.
Miss Warren said in an interview that she initially called Beyonce’s husband, Jay-Z, and played the song for him over the phone. He quickly called Beyonce, and days later she recorded it. It appears on her album “4,” released last year.
Anderson Cooper hosted, saying with a laugh: “Is this what happens at the U.N. every Friday night?”
Jennifer Aniston engaged to Justin Theroux
After years of breathless anticipation — at least on the part of the tabloids — Jennifer Aniston is finally ready to wed again.
Her representative, Stephen Huvane, confirmed Sunday night that the actress is engaged to her boyfriend of more than a year, Justin Theroux.
“Justin Theroux had an amazing birthday on Friday, receiving an extraordinary gift when his girlfriend, Jennifer Aniston, accepted his proposal of marriage,” Mr. Theroux’s rep said in a statement to People, which first reported the engagement.
Mr. Theroux, 41, and Miss Aniston, 43, have known each other for years, but started dating more than a year ago after working on the comedy “Wanderlust.” Though that film disappeared quickly from movie theaters after its release earlier this year, the relationship clearly proved to have more staying power. The two moved in together and tabloids soon began predicting everything from marriage to babies for the new couple.
Miss Aniston had been a part of such speculation for years, ever since the demise of her marriage to Brad Pitt after a five-year union in 2005. While Mr. Pitt moved on to a long-term relationship with Angelina Jolie, Miss Aniston had high-profile relationships with the likes of John Mayer and Vince Vaughn that didn’t last, leading to the common narrative: When will Jen find someone or have a child?
It’s a theme that irked the former “Friends” actress.
“It’s very narrow-minded, I think. It doesn’t measure the level or my happiness or success in my life and my achievements or any of that,” she told “CBS This Morning” earlier this year. In the same interview, she said she was happier than she’d ever been.
This will be Mr. Theroux’s first marriage. It’s not clear if a wedding date for the couple had been set.
Miss Aniston’s engagement comes four months after Mr. Pitt and Miss Jolie announced their engagement.
Albert Freeman Jr., star of ’Malcolm X,’ dies at 78
Albert Freeman Jr., the veteran actor who played Elijah Muhammad in Spike Lee’s epic film, “Malcolm X,” has died. He was 78.
Howard University in the District confirmed his death Friday night but details weren’t immediately available. Mr. Freeman taught acting there for years and served as chairman and artistic director of its theater arts department.
“He was a brilliant professor, a renowned actor and a master director who made his mark in the classroom as well as on stage, screen and television. He has mentored and taught scores of outstanding actors. He was a resounding voice of Howard and will be missed,” university spokeswoman Kerry-Ann Hamilton said in a statement.
Mr. Freeman earned an NAACP Image Award for playing Malcolm X’s mentor in Mr. Lee’s 1992 biography.
He also received an Emmy nomination for his role as Malcolm X in the 1979 miniseries “Roots: The Next Generations.” He won a best-actor Daytime Emmy that year for his work as Capt. Ed Hall on the soap opera “One Life to Live.”
Guns N’ Roses to play series of Las Vegas shows
What does Guns N’ Roses have in common with Celine Dion, Garth Brooks and Elton John? Not much, other than stratospheric record sales — and soon a Las Vegas residency.
Axl Rose and company will perform 12 shows from Halloween to Nov. 24 at the Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
The band’s first Vegas run, announced Monday, is billed as Appetite for Democracy — a riff on its classic 1987 debut album “Appetite for Destruction” and 2008’s long-delayed “Chinese Democracy.”
Guns N’ Roses has sold more than 100 million albums around the world. In April, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with three original Guns members — Slash, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler — hitting the stage to perform some of their biggest hits. Myles Kennedy, lead vocalist for Slash’s solo project and the Creed-spinoff band Alter Bridge, filled in for Mr. Rose, who boycotted the ceremony. Mr. Rose and Slash haven’t performed together in nearly two decades.
Mr. Rose is the only original member in the current Guns lineup, which also includes keyboardist Dizzy Reed, who’s been in the band since 1990; guitarists Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Richard Fortus and DJ Ashba; longtime Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson; Chris Pitman on keyboards; and drummer Frank Ferrer.
Tickets for the band’s Vegas run range from $45 to $111 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.
• Complied from Web and wire reports
Please read our comment policy before commenting.