Britain’s Royal Collection Trust is going pop art with the purchase of four famous Andy Warhol portraits of Queen Elizabeth II.
The colorful screen prints are based on a formal photograph of the queen wearing a tiara and necklace that was used during her Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977.
They will form part of the Portraits of a Monarch exhibit starting in November at Windsor Castle.
The purchase brings Warhol’s distinctive style to a collection of portraits of British rulers that dates back to the 15th century.
Officials declined Monday to specify how much was paid for the portraits.
The exhibit will be open to people who visit Windsor Castle, which is roughly 20 miles west of London. It will run until June.
Springsteen’s mom joins late-night birthday party
Bruce Springsteen celebrated his 63rd birthday onstage until nearly 2 a.m. Sunday, joined at the end by his hearty mom.
Adele Springsteen danced and sang background to “Twist and Shout,” walking offstage with her son and his band at nearly 2. Her only concession to age was a pair of hastily made earplugs.
She watched as her son cut a giant cake in the shape of a guitar, passing out pieces to some audience members.
His show in the open-air MetLife Stadium was delayed for three hours Saturday by authorities because of a downpour and worries about lightning. Thousands of fans clustered on indoor ramps waiting for the rain to stop.
When it did, Mr. Springsteen and his E Street Band took the stage at 10:30 p.m. to the strains of Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour,” a song they performed when the clock hit that mark. They also covered Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” and it worked.
“Thank you for your patience,” Mr. Springsteen told the audience. He said it had been a long time since he had performed on his birthday.
It was the third of a three-night stand at his home state venue.
Green Day’s Armstrong heading to rehab
Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong is headed to treatment for substance abuse.
Sunday’s announcement by the band’s rep comes after the 40-year-old frontman had an expletive-laden meltdown onstage at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on Friday. As Green Day was wrapping up its performance during the all-star, two-day concert, Mr. Armstrong profanely complained that the band’s time was being cut short and smashed his guitar before leaving the stage.
In a statement to the Associated Press, Green Day apologized “to those they offended at the iHeartRadio Festival” and said its set was not cut short by Clear Channel, the host of the two-day festival.
The Grammy winning band also is canceling some of its promotional appearances. It is due to release the album “Uno” on Tuesday, the follow-up to “21st Century Breakdown,” released three years ago. “Uno” is the first in a trilogy of albums; the second is to be out in November, and the last in January. The band is due to kick off a nationwide tour Nov. 26 in Seattle.
Mr. Armstrong was hospitalized in early September in Bologna, Italy, for an undisclosed ailment, but recovered well enough to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 6. Since then, the band has made a series of performances, including a “Good Morning America” performance and a New York City concert for the launch of Nokia Music on Sept. 15. No interviews of the band were allowed that evening, but the band chatted with fans and Nokia and AT&T executives before performing for about two hours.
It’s unclear what Mr. Armstrong is receiving treatment for; in 2003, he was arrested for DUI, and has acknowledged in the past taking various drugs but has said he now eschews them.
Baby-sitting grandchildren leads to new Crystal film
Actor Billy Crystal baby-sat for his granddaughters for five days, and from the experience, a movie was born.
On Friday, Mr. Crystal walked the red carpet for a screening of his latest film, “Parental Guidance,” which opens in theaters later this year and co-stars Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei.
“It was exhausting,” Mr. Crystal said of his baby-sitting experience as he walked the red carpet in New Orleans. He said the movie is a fun, touching and comedic take on “the phenomenon of being able to take care of your kids’ kids.”
The film’s director, Andy Fickman, said it was “a dream opportunity as a director to work with two comedy geniuses” in Mr. Crystal and Miss Midler.
Mr. Fickman, who also walked the red carpet, said he was drawn to the story because many people can relate to the subject matter.
“Every generation thinks they know more than the previous generation,” Mr. Fickman said. “We all like to talk about how we were raised.”
Amy Winehouse box set to be released in November
A four-disc box set of Amy Winehouse’s performances will be released in November, giving fans of the late soul singer access to rarely seen footage and unique covers of her hits.
The Amy Winehouse Foundation said Friday that the collection, called “Amy Winehouse at the BBC” will feature the singer’s earliest BBC Radio sessions, first-ever TV performances and candid interviews.
The set, spread over three DVDs and one CD, will be released on Nov. 12 and record royalties from the set will go to charity.
Winehouse, known for her beehive hairdo, died from alcohol poisoning on July 23, 2011, at the age of 27.
Her debut, “Frank,” was a U.K. success, but her breakthrough came with 2007’s “Back to Black,” a multiplatinum effort that won her five Grammy Awards.
• Compiled from Web and wire reports
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