‘Bud’ made Late Night appearance at KU

Calvert DeForest – best known to the world as Larry “Bud” Melman on David Letterman’s late-night talk show – once came to Lawrence.

The character, who died this week at age 85, made an appearance at “Late Night with Larry Brown” in 1986 at the beginning of the Kansas University basketball season. Brown, of course, used to coach the Jayhawks.

This is how the visit was reported in the Journal-World:

Letterman regular Larry “Bud” Melman, an old-timer with cult-like popularity, visited Lawrence for the Wednesday morning scrimmage, first signing autographs at 7 p.m. at the Burge Union.

Larry Brown introduced Bud on the steps in front of the union: “I’m sorry I had to keep you all up so late,” Brown said, “but we’ll have to work that out together. And now the Larry you’ve all been waiting for … “

With that, Melman came out and told some corny jokes.

Spears wins court injunction to stop leaks about rehab stint

London – Attorneys for Britney Spears won a British court injunction Thursday designed to prevent publication of stories about her recent stay in rehab.

The injunction bars unidentified “person or persons … who has/have been leaking information about Ms. Spears’ time in a rehabilitation clinic from further disclosures invading her privacy,” said Schillings, the 25-year-old pop star’s London law firm.

The injunction was issued at the High Court by Judge Charles Gray.

Spears left Promises Malibu Alcohol and Drug Rehab Treatment Facility in California “after successfully completing their program,” her manager, Larry Rudolph, said this week.

Lindsay Lohan’s mother says she’s not a ‘party mom’

New York – Dina Lohan says her daughter Lindsay isn’t an alcoholic and that people are wrong to assume that she’s a club-hopping “party mom.”

“Oh, the party mom, the party mom, the party mom!” Lohan says. “Whoever said that, my ex-husband or whatever, I’m not the party mom!”

“Listen to me: Lindsay would drag me, literally drag my loser butt (to a club) and say, ‘I need you to know who these people are,'” Lohan, 44, says in an interview in the April issue of Harper’s Bazaar, on newsstands Tuesday. “Yeah, she trusts my judgment. She’s in such a whirlwind; she’s in a tornado. I mean, we’re talking serious earthquake, you know?”

The 20-year-old actress/tabloid target checked into the Wonderland Center in Los Angeles in January. Her publicist, Leslie Sloane, declined comment to The Associated Press on Thursday when asked for details. Sloane had confirmed in December that Lohan was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

McEntire to host Academy of Country Music Awards

Nashville, Tenn. – Reba McEntire will return as host of the 42nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards, the organization announced Thursday.

“I’m so flattered,” McEntire, 51, said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to be heading back to Las Vegas to help put on the greatest show in country music.”

The awards will be presented May 15 in Las Vegas, and the show will air live on CBS at 7 p.m. CDT.

George Strait leads the pack with eight nominations, including entertainer of the year and top male vocalist. Vocal duo Brooks & Dunn have seven nominations and Rascal Flatts six.