Don LaFontaine, voice of movie trailers, dies

Los Angeles – Don LaFontaine, the man who popularized the catch phrase “In a world where…” and lent his voice to thousands of movie trailers, has died. He was 68.

LaFontaine died Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from complications in the treatment of an ongoing illness, said Vanessa Gilbert, his agent.

LaFontaine made more than 5,000 trailers in his 33-year career while working for the top studios and television networks.

In a rare on-screen appearance in 2006, he parodied himself on a series of national television commercials for a car insurance company where he played himself telling a customer, “In a world where both of our cars were totally under water…”

In an interview last year, LaFontaine explained the strategy behind the phrase.

“We have to very rapidly establish the world we are transporting them to,” he said of his viewers. “That’s very easily done by saying, ‘In a world where … violence rules.’ ‘In a world where … men are slaves and women are the conquerors.’ You very rapidly set the scene.”

LaFontaine is survived by his wife, the singer and actress Nita Whitaker, and three daughters.

His funeral arrangements were pending.

Singer-actor Jerry Reed dies at 71

Nashville, Tenn. – Jerry Reed, a singer who became a good ol’ boy actor in car chase movies like “Smokey and the Bandit,” has died of complications from emphysema at 71.

His longtime booking agent, Carrie Moore-Reed, no relation to the star, said Reed died early Monday.

“He’s one of the greatest entertainers in the world. That’s the way I feel about him,” Moore-Reed said.

Sony BMG Nashville Chairman Joe Galante called Reed a larger-than-life personality.

Reed’s catalog of country chart hits, from 1967 through 1983, were released under the label group’s RCA imprint.

As a singer in the 1970s and early 1980s, Reed had a string of hits that included “Amos Moses,” “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot,” “East Bound and Down,” “She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)” and “The Bird.”

In the mid-1970s, he began acting in movies such as “Smokey and the Bandit” with Burt Reynolds, usually as a good ol’ boy. But he was an ornery heavy in “Gator,” directed by Reynolds, and a hateful coach in 1998’s “The Waterboy,” starring Adam Sandler.

Great White offers $1M to settle fatal fire suits

Providence, R.I. – Members of the 1980s rock band whose pyrotechnics sparked a nightclub fire that killed 100 people have agreed to pay $1 million to survivors and victims’ relatives, according to court papers filed Tuesday.

The settlement offer from Great White is the latest stemming from the February 2003 fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick. Roughly $175 million has now been offered by dozens of defendants to settle lawsuits over the blaze, which also injured more than 200 people and is the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history.

The band does not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which requires the approval of the more than 300 people suing as well as the federal judge handling the case.

The blaze began when the band’s tour manager, Daniel Biechele, shot off streams of pyrotechnics at the start of the concert. Sparks from the pyrotechnics ignited inexpensive packaging foam the club owners had used as soundproofing around the stage. Great White guitarist Ty Longley was among those killed.

Rock Hall will honor innovator Les Paul

Cleveland – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will pay tribute to the “father of the electric guitar” this fall.

Les Paul will be honored at the annual American Music Masters series, a weeklong event that begins Nov. 10, Rock Hall officials said Tuesday. A tribute concert – artists will be named later – is scheduled Nov. 15 at Cleveland’s State Theater.

Paul, 93, is hoping to attend, said Rock Hall President and CEO Terry Stewart.

“You have an inductee who in some ways maybe has had one of the biggest influences of all our inductees with the creation of his solid-body guitar, overdubbing … not to mention his musical styling and his ability to play,” Stewart said.

Paul began playing guitar as a child and by 13 was performing semiprofessionally as a country-music guitarist. He built a solid-body electric guitar in 1941 – an invention born from his frustration that audiences were unable to hear him play.

In 1952, Gibson introduced the Les Paul model, which became the instrument of choice for musicians such as Duane Allman, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.

Lohan gets political on MySpace blog

New York – Lindsay Lohan is getting political.

The 22-year-old actress took to her MySpace blog Tuesday to post her thoughts on Republican John McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and the revelation that Palin’s unmarried 17-year-old daughter is pregnant.

“I’ve been watching the news all morning, like everyone else – and (I) keep hearing about the issues related to ‘teen pregnancy.’ … Well, I think the real problem comes from the fact that we are taking the focus off of getting to know Sarah Palin and her political views, and what she can do to make our country a less destructive place,” Lohan wrote.

The actress, who will guest star on ABC’s “Ugly Betty” this season, also put out a plea to parents.

“I think that parents need to recognize how important it is to talk to their children about the things that can result from being sexually active if they aren’t protecting themselves (birth control, condoms, etc.),” she wrote.