Celebrity birthdays for the week of Oct. 2-8:
Oct. 2: Critic Rex Reed is 84. Singer Don McLean is 77. Country singer Jo-el Sonnier is 76. Actor Avery Brooks (“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”) is 74.
NEW YORK (AP) — Don McLean has listened for decades as people belted out his classic song “American Pie” at last call or at karaoke — and applauds you for the effort.
“I’ve heard whole bars burst into this song when I’ve been across the room,” McLean tells The Associated Press from a tour bus heading to Des Moines, Iowa.
HOUSTON (AP) — The National Rifle Association begins its annual convention in Houston on Friday, and leaders of the powerful gun-rights lobbying group are gearing up to “reflect on” — and deflect any blame for — the deadly shooting earlier this week of 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
LONDON (AP) — What might be the final punch of Tyson Fury’s controversial boxing career smashed into the chin of Dillian Whyte, sending him to the canvas and one of his teeth flying through the air.
NEW YORK (AP) — There were no flag outfits, but Michael Kors' show for New York Fashion Week was very much a patriotic tribute as he saluted American fashion with a collection that ran from nautical chic to classic glamour-girl gowns to whimsical polka-dot designs.