Guitarist Hank Garland dies

Orange Park, Fla. — Legendary country, rock and jazz guitarist Hank Garland, who performed with Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison, Patsy Cline, Charlie Parker and many others, has died at the age of 74.

Garland died of a staph infection Monday at Orange Park Medical Center, said his brother, Billy Garland.

In the 1950s and ’60s, Walter “Hank” Garland was the talk of Nashville, known for musical riffs that could take a recording from humdrum to dazzling, as he did on Elvis hits like “Little Sister” and “Big Hunk of Love.”

He had his first million-selling hit at 19 with “Sugar Foot Rag,” a famous country tune.

“He is heralded as a quintessential Nashville studio guitarist,” musician Wolf Marshall said in an e-mail interview earlier this year.

In addition to performing with Elvis and other stars in Nashville, Garland was at the forefront of the rock ‘n’ roll movement, enjoyed a prestigious career as a country virtuoso, pioneered the electric guitar at the Grand Ole Opry and inspired jazz instrumentalists such as George Benson. He jammed in New York City with George Shearing and jazz great Charlie Parker.

His detailed session logbook reads like a “Who’s Who” of the stars of country music, including Brenda Lee, Mel Tillis, Marty Robbins, Boots Randolph, Conway Twitty and Hank Williams Sr.

Liza Minnelli hospitalized after fall from bed

New York — Actress Liza Minnelli was hospitalized early Monday after falling out of bed at her residence, police said.

Minnelli was taken to a Manhattan hospital, according to Sgt. Gerry Falcon, a police department spokesman. A message left for Minnelli’s publicist was not immediately returned. Her lawyer could not be reached for comment.

The Oscar-winning actress has had a recent rash of legal difficulties.

In November, she was sued by her former bodyguard and driver, who has accused her of assault and battery and claimed she made him have sex with her to keep his job.

Her estranged husband, David Gest, has filed a $10 million lawsuit alleging that she beat him so badly that he suffered extensive head injuries. Minnelli has countersued both Gest and her former bodyguard.

Jet Li injured in tsunami

Hong Kong — Action star Jet Li injured his foot as he protected his daughter from tsunami waves that flooded his hotel in the Maldives, Hong Kong newspapers reported Tuesday.

Li, who played the villain in 1998’s “Lethal Weapon 4,” was with his daughter in the hotel’s lobby Sunday when huge waves gushed into the hotel, the Apple Daily newspaper reported, quoting a friend vacationing with Li.

He slightly injured his foot while picking up his daughter, the report said. Ming Pao Daily News reported Li struck his foot against a floating piece of furniture.

Li made his name in Hong Kong as a martial arts film star before moving on to Hollywood. His screen credits include “Romeo Must Die” and “Hero.”

Berlin Film fest in works

Berlin — Roland Emmerich, the director of “Independence Day” and “The Day After Tomorrow,” will head the jury at the Berlin Film Festival in February.

Eleven films already have been selected to run in the festival’s main competition. They include “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou,” a new comedy from Wes Anderson, and “Les Temps qui changent (Changing Times),” directed by Andre Techine and starring Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu.

A festival statement last week said Emmerich, a native of Germany, would head the jury that will award the top Golden Bear prize, but gave no details of its other members.

Organizers already have announced that the world premiere of French director Regis Wargnier’s “Man to Man,” a historical adventure epic that stars Joseph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas, will open the 2005 festival, its 55th edition, on Feb. 10. The event closes Feb. 20.

German offerings include “Sophie Scholl — Hope and Resistance” from director Marc Rothemund. It chronicles the last six days of Scholl, who along with her brother Hans was beheaded by the Nazis in 1943 for opposing Adolf Hitler’s regime.

Monty Python’s ‘Spamalot’

Washington — Killer rabbits and a legless knight. Are these the makings of a Broadway musical?

Yes, says Eric Idle, a member of the zany British troupe Monty Python. He wrote the book for “Spamalot,” the stage version of the 1975 comedy film classic “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” now playing in Chicago.

“To me, the musical is best when it’s a musical comedy,” Idle told AP Radio in a recent interview. “So if you have a very, very funny show, and very good, funny songs, that’s what the musical does best.”

“Spamalot,” directed by Mike Nichols and starring Hank Azaria, David Hyde Pierce and Tim Curry, will move to Broadway in February. Music and lyrics are by Idle and John Du Prez.

Idle said the other Python members approved the show.

“They’re very cautious about what they allow. They’ve never allowed this sort of thing before. Everyone was enthusiastic and on board because the songs made them laugh,” he said.

More Broadway news

New York — Actress Rebecca Gayheart, who gained popularity as the Noxzema girl in the skin care company’s ads, has joined the cast of “Steel Magnolias,” opening on Broadway in April.

Gayheart, 32, appeared on the TV show “Beverly Hills, 90210” in the 1990s, and has more recently been seen on the FX series “Nip/Tuck” and Showtime’s “Dead Like Me.” Her movie credits include “Scream 2” and “Urban Legend.”

She will play bride-to-be Shelby, the role portrayed by Julia Roberts in the 1989 movie version of Robert Harling’s play, it was announced Monday.

Also in the Broadway cast are Delta Burke as Truvy.