Burnett shares pain of death

Los Angeles Carol Burnett said her daughter’s death in January from complications of lung cancer was painful and surrounded by regret over smoking.

“She suffered. She suffered a whole lot,” Burnett said of daughter Carrie Hamilton. “And at one point I was praying for her to be released. You know, it’s just too much.”

In an interview with Barbara Walters on ABC’s “20/20” Friday, Burnett said Hamilton, 38, apologized for smoking.

“She said, ‘Mama, if I can take it back …,”‘ Burnett recounted.

The actress also discussed her marriage to musician Brian Miller after two decades of being single, saying it makes her feel “cared for, like I’m No. 1.” The pair married last year.

Asked about the fact that Miller is 23 years younger, the 69-year-old Burnett replied: “If it’s good enough for the fellas, it’s good enough for the girls.”

Hanson brother forms new duo

Tulsa, Okla. Taylor Hanson, the 19-year-old lead singer and keyboard player of the pop trio Hanson, has married his girlfriend of two years, 18-year-old Natalie Anne Bryant.

Relatives and friends attended the small, private ceremony Saturday in Pine Mountain, Ga., the Tulsa World reported.

“Our wedding was exactly how we envisioned it romantic and intimate,” Hanson said.

Hanson and his brothers, Isaac and Zac, sparked the teen pop craze of recent years when they debuted in 1997. They were just 16, 14 and 11 years old when their first hit, “MMMBop,” went to No. 1 in 27 countries.

Newman defends Eminem

New York Randy Newman has found someone he can identify with Eminem.

The Oscar-winning composer, inducted Thursday into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, said the rapper was “a great comic artist.”

Eminem has been criticized for using slurs against gays and women, and for the violent imagery of his lyrics. But Newman says it’s just music.

“He is not serious … he’s a comic artist.”

Michael Jackson, Barry Manilow, Sting, and Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson also were inducted into the hall.

Dad displeases Spielberg children

Los Angeles Steven Spielberg isn’t out to please his fans even when the fans are his children.

Spielberg, who has seven children, joked that the family has taken exception with some of his recent directing choices.

“I’ve been offered all the movies that have been hits the last couple of years,” he said in an interview last week to promote his new sci-fi thriller “Minority Report,” starring Tom Cruise.

“I’m like the first person they bring ‘Harry Potter’ to. They brought ‘Spider-Man’ to me. I love ‘Harry Potter,’ my kids are mad at me for passing. I love ‘Spider-Man,’ my kids are mad at me for passing there. But I said, ‘This is Daddy’s time now, this is the time for me to do things that will challenge me.’ And those two films would not have been a challenge for me.”