Cast of ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ named

New York – NBC has revealed the contestants who will appear on Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice.”

The lucky 14 include bad girl Omarosa; Vincent Pastore, who played Sal “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on “The Sopranos”; Kiss singer Gene Simmons; “Taxi” star Marilu Henner; country singer Trace Adkins; and gymnast Nadia Comeneci.

The show debuts Jan. 3.

‘Mr. Whipple’ of Charmin fame dies

Los Angeles – Dick Wilson, the actor and pitchman who played the uptight grocer begging customers “Please, don’t squeeze the Charmin,” died Monday. He was 91.

The man famous as TV’s “Mr. Whipple” died of natural causes at the Motion Picture & Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, said his daughter Melanie Wilson, who is known for her role as a flight attendant on the ABC sitcom “Perfect Strangers.”

Over 21 years, Wilson made more than 500 commercials as Mr. George Whipple, a man consumed with keeping bubbly housewives from fondling the soft toilet paper. The punch line of most spots was that Whipple himself was a closeted Charmin-squeezer.

Wilson also played a drunk on several episodes of “Bewitched” and appeared as various characters on “Hogan’s Heroes,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” and Walt Disney productions.

The first of his Charmin commercials aired in 1964, and by the time the campaign ended in 1985, the tag line and Wilson were pop culture touchstones.

Queen honored on diamond anniversary

London – Queen Elizabeth II on Monday became the first British sovereign to celebrate her diamond wedding anniversary, and more than 2,000 people attended a thanksgiving service in her honor at Westminster Abbey.

Prince William marked the 60th wedding anniversary of his grandparents, the queen, 81, and Prince Philip, 86, by giving a New Testament reading from the Bible in their honor. Dame Judi Dench read a poem, “Diamond Anniversary,” composed for the ceremony by Poet Laureate Andrew Motion.

Eight couples who had married on the same day as the queen and Philip also attended the ceremony.

The queen, then Princess Elizabeth, married Lt. Philip Mountbatten at the abbey on Nov. 20, 1947.

Rocker appointed university chancellor

London – Brian May, rock star and astrophysicist, has been appointed chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University.

May will be installed as the university’s figurehead leader early next year, it was announced Monday. The 60-year-old Queen guitarist said the appointment was “a great honor and a great new challenge.”

He is an honorary fellow of Liverpool John Moores University, which has a well-known astrophysics research institute.

May succeeds Cherie Blair, wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

May completed his doctorate in astrophysics earlier this year. He was awarded his qualification by Imperial College London.

Donny Osmond apologizes to King

New York – Donny Osmond has apologized to Larry King for criticizing the CNN talk-show host after he revealed that Marie Osmond’s 16-year-old son had entered rehab.

“I was very upset about it,” the 49-year-old singer said in an interview that aired Monday on NBC’s “Today” show. “I thought it was very unfair for Larry King to throw that question at Marie the way he did.”

Donny Osmond and his sister, who starred on television’s “Donny and Marie Show” in the 1970s, appeared stunned when King asked about Michael in an interview last week.

Osmond said he later learned the tabloids were about to break the story. “I have to back up and apologize publicly to Larry King because I came out and said some things against him,” he said.

“In hindsight, Larry King did Marie a favor. She was able to make a statement about the situation. … And so she’s grateful to Larry.”

Marie Osmond, 48, who is competing on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” hasn’t disclosed the nature of Michael’s problem or where he is being treated.

Jackson Browne stumps for Edwards

Des Moines, Iowa – Jackson Browne says that Democrat John Edwards is the most progressive candidate with a chance at winning the White House and that he would do the most for working-class Americans.

“It’s a challenge to hook yourself up to what a politician says he’s going to do and see if he’s going to do it,” the singer-songwriter said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “I think it’s a really critical time in our country and our world, and I think that working people need a champion, and I think that John Edwards is that person.”

Famous for hits including “Running on Empty” and “The Pretender,” Browne will be joined by Grammy Award-winning colleague Bonnie Raitt next week at five of Edwards’ campaign stops in Iowa.

The two are co-founders of Musicians United for Safe Energy, along with Graham Nash and John Hall. In 1979, the group played a series of “No-Nukes” concerts, drumming up activism to thwart the spread of nuclear power. The group now works through Nukefree.org.