Liberace museum gets facelift

Las Vegas In keeping with Liberace’s flamboyancy, an oversized neon pink piano and a giant rendition of the late pianist’s signature now grace the entrance to his newly remodeled museum.

Despite the triple-digit heat, hundreds of residents and tourists turned out Thursday to celebrate the expansion of the nonprofit Liberace Museum. Renowned for his over-the-top tastes, the museum houses a collection of the Las Vegas entertainer’s cars, pianos, costumes and jewelry.

Magicians Siegfried and Roy, holding a 7-week-old white Siberian male tiger, arrived in Liberace’s pink Rolls Royce convertible, above, to cut a rhinestone-encrusted ribbon.

Liberace died in 1987. He was 67.

Rivers, husband splitting

Los Angeles The husband of red carpet fashion maven Melissa Rivers has filed for divorce.

John Endicott, who married Rivers in 1998, is seeking to dissolve the marriage because of irreconcilable differences, according to May 24 Superior Court filings.

The couple has a 1-year-old son, Edgar, named for Rivers’ deceased father. Endicott seeks joint custody of the child.

Rivers is the 34-year-old daughter of television personality Joan Rivers.

Queen of soul royally insulted

Albuquerque, N.M. Grammy award winner Aretha Franklin is suing the Star tabloid magazine for defamation over a story that said the singer had a drinking problem that was threatening her career and life.

“The lawsuit is a rebuttal that everything in the article is false,” Franklin’s lead attorney, Barry B. Langberg of Los Angeles, said.

The Star story quotes unidentified “insiders” and “pals” of Franklin who said they were worried about the 60-year-old singer’s drinking. The story also said Franklin canceled performances because of her drinking.

Mandrell log home a hot property

Nashville, tenn. Two Nashville music executives bid $2.1 million to win the auction of the 27,000-square-foot log home of country star Barbara Mandrell.

Joe Galante, who runs the Nashville office of RCA Records, and Dale Morris, who manages Alabama, Kenny Chesney and Barbara Mandrell’s sister, Louise Mandrell, bought the estate known as Fontanel on Thursday.

The J.P. King Auction Co. posted the $2.1 million price on its Web site Thursday evening.

The property, which includes an indoor swimming pool, firing range, home theater, soda fountain and helicopter pad, was bought as an investment, Morris said. It sits on 137 acres about 15 minutes from downtown Nashville.