Nothing compares to ‘normal’ life

Irish singer Sinead O’Connor plans to retire after the release of the live DVD “Goodnight, Thank You. You’ve Been a Lovely Audience” in July, reports Rolling Stone.

“I seek no longer to be a ‘famous’ person, and instead I wish to live a ‘normal’ life,” O’Connor explained in a post on her Web site. “I am glad that ye are helped by my songs. So help me too, by giving me a private life.”

The announcement is apparently the final chapter in O’Connor’s careerlong struggle with fame and celebrity. She flirted with retirement a decade ago, amid backlash from her controversial “Saturday Night Live” appearance in which she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II. After the broadcast, she was booed off the stage at a Bob Dylan tribute in New York.

ABC cooks up Roseanne shows

Los Angeles — Roseanne Barr is making her television comeback with not one, but two shows.

The actress-comedian will star in an ABC reality series this summer that focuses on her effort to develop and sell a “cooking and lifestyle show” titled, tentatively, “The Domestic Goddess Hour.”

The 13-week series will provide “an all-access pass into Ms. Barr’s attention-grabbing personal life,” ABC said Thursday.

The network said there was more to the project: cable channel ABC Family will air “The Domestic Goddess Hour” as a series this fall.

Ziggy rocks out on his own

Kingston, Jamaica — For much of his life, Ziggy Marley has carried the burden of being Bob Marley’s son, but the singer’s first solo album strays far from his father’s reggae beat.

“Dragonfly,” an 11-track disc released earlier this month by Private Music, is all about rock ‘n’ roll. The CD features guitarists Flea, John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Michael Einziger, as well as DJ Chris Kilmore of Incubus.

Marley, 34, describes the transition from reggae as evidence of his growth as a musician.

“As an artist I have to lead and move forward — I dictate what the music is, not public opinion,” Marley said Wednesday from the record label’s offices in Los Angeles. “I’m just making sure that the music and the legacy don’t stay still.”

He’ll open his 22-stop U.S. tour to promote the album on May 17 in San Diego.

Gordon gets a Looney tune-up

Burbank, Calif. — Race car driver Jeff Gordon is accustomed to being in the spotlight. He has won four Winston Cup titles, conducted countless media interviews and even been host of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”

Now he’ll be appearing on the big screen.

Gordon has a cameo role in “Looney Tunes: Back in Action.” The movie, in which cartoon favorites team with human characters in adventures, is scheduled for release Nov. 14. Gordon will drive a special Looney Tunes-themed Chevrolet at NASCAR’s Winston Cup event Nov. 2 in Phoenix.