Street renamed for Jennings

New York – A block near the headquarters of ABC News has been renamed Peter Jennings Way, honoring the longtime anchor of “World News Tonight,” who died of lung cancer last August.

The portion of 66th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park was renamed Tuesday after the Canadian-born anchorman who worked in the neighborhood and lived nearby.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg attended the renaming ceremony. “Peter spent decades speaking directly to each of us, with his face and that voice, and we’ll walk down Peter Jennings Way, smile at the thought of an old friend and then continue on,” Bloomberg said.

Ambassador to animals

Los Angeles – Betty White was honored by the Los Angeles Zoo on Monday for her commitment to animals.

The zoo made the Emmy-winning star an Ambassador to the Animals at a ceremony attended by about 50 people, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

“Betty has such a big heart and a beautiful spirit. She is a ‘Golden Girl’ in every sense of the word,” Villaraigosa said, referring to White’s former TV series “The Golden Girls,” which ran from 1985 to 1992.

White, 84, joked that the honor would make her “tough to live with from now on.”

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do as ambassador except to love the animals as I have all my life,” she said.

No more free laughs

Mount Laurel, N.J. – Ricky Gervais’ podcast is going commercial.

A New Jersey-based company announced Tuesday it will begin selling subscriptions to “The Ricky Gervais Show” next week.

Wayne-based Audible said it will offer two seasons of the show – one starting Feb. 28 and one in the fall – each with at least four episodes. The podcasts will cost $1.95 per episode or $6.95 per season.