Royal recognition

London – Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has been honored by Queen Elizabeth II – but the award was for his work with poor Brazilian children rather than his music.

The 61-year-old rocker went to Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to receive an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, from the queen.

Page said he was overwhelmed to be given the accolade, recalling how he first became involved with Brazilian children in 1994 when fighting broke out among street gangs while he was in Rio de Janeiro promoting an album.

“At that time in Rio the sun wasn’t shining. The army was going into the favelas (shantytowns) and I heard about the plight of the street children,” he told reporters.

Page joined forces with British charity Task Brazil and set up a safe house, which has supported more than 300 children. Task Brazil offers medical and psychological support, food, clothing and job training.

Page was a member of the ’60s band The Yardbirds before helping found Led Zeppelin.

Other side of radio

New York – Bob Dylan will host a weekly music show on XM Satellite Radio, the first time the rock star has had his own radio show.

Dylan will select music for the hour-long show, which will debut in March on XM’s deep album rock channel, the station announced Tuesday.

He’ll also offer comments on music and other subjects, interview guests and answer e-mail from XM subscribers.

“Songs and music have always inspired me,” the 64-year-old Dylan said in a statement. “A lot of my own songs have been played on the radio, but this is the first time I’ve ever been on the other side of the mic.”

A Rockin’ role

New York – Mariah Carey will perform live from Times Square on ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”

It will mark the first time in the 34-year history of the year-end special that a singer has performed from Times Square, the network said.

Carey will join co-hosts Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest as the final minutes of 2005 are counted down and the famed ball drop begins.

The 76-year-old Clark, long a New Year’s Eve tradition, will be making his first television appearance since suffering a stroke last December.

Hilary Duff will host the West Coast portions of the show, introducing artists including The Bangles, Chris Brown, Sean Paul, The Pussycat Dolls, Sugarland, 3 Doors Down and 311. Duff will also perform.

Wonderful ‘Wunderkind’

Los Angeles – Alanis Morissette says her first reaction when the calls began pouring into her home was “something must be wrong, somebody must be hurt.”

It turned out things couldn’t be more right: People were calling Tuesday morning to congratulate her on her first Golden Globe nomination for best original motion picture song.

“I didn’t even find out until about 45 minutes ago,” a giddy Morissette told The Associated Press shortly after the awards were announced. “I’m really excited. This song really touches me deeply, and so I’m excited that some light is being shown on it.”

She was nominated for “Wunderkind” from “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

“I wrote the song on Friday and recorded it on Saturday and pretty much handed it in the next day,” the 31-year-old singer said.

Tied up in traffic court

Wahiawa, Hawaii – Michelle Rodriguez, who stars on ABC’s “Lost,” has settled two traffic cases as she awaits a court hearing on a drunken driving charge – her fourth alleged traffic violation since she joined the cast this season.

Rodriguez, who plays police officer Ana Lucia on the TV adventure-drama, was fined $357 for a speeding violation Tuesday after her lawyer entered a no-contest plea on her behalf. She was cited for driving 83 mph in a 55 mph zone on Oahu on Nov. 1.

The 27-year-old actress also paid a $300 fine for an earlier traffic offense on the island. She was cited for driving 90 mph in a 35 mph zone on Oct. 20.

Previously, Rodriguez was fined $197 for going 80 mph in a 50 mph zone on Aug. 24.

Rodriguez and “Lost” co-star Cynthia Watros are scheduled to appear Dec. 29 in Kaneohe District Court on alleged drunk driving charges. They were driving separate cars when they were arrested Dec. 1 within 15 minutes of each other in Kailua.

In June 2004, Rodriguez pleaded no contest in Los Angeles to three traffic violations: hit and run, drunken driving and driving with a suspended license. She completed a three-month alcohol program and is now serving a three-year probation term.

CNN host has ‘stalker’

New York – He’s in love with CNN talk show host Nancy Grace and he’s certain she can solve all his problems. Grace says he’s a stalker and got a court order Wednesday forbidding him from contacting her.

Joseph Raymond Loegering is “apparently obsessed with Ms. Grace, believes that he loves her, insists that she can solve all of his problems and will help him to meet with Osama bin Laden,” Grace’s court papers say.

Grace got the temporary restraining order Wednesday, a day after she filed a request for a permanent injunction against Loegering, who, court papers say, has been confined in a Manhattan hospital’s psychiatric ward since Dec. 2.

Grace’s complaint asks the court to bar Loegering from contacting her, from approaching her at home or work, and from menacing, stalking or committing any other offense against her.