People
NEW YORK — Kane Brown wasn't sure he was going to make it. But there was one thing he was certain about: He was never going to give up.
The singer from humble beginnings has become one of the brightest new singers in music and arguably country music's most successful act of the year, and has been named one of The Associated Press' Breakthrough Entertainers of 2018.
“I never had the 'I-know-I'm-going-to-make-it' mentality. I always had the 'I'm-never-gonna-give-up' mentality,” said Brown, who grew up in Georgia. “I'm very competitive. Like, it's with anything. If you say you're gonna beat me in a video game, no, you're not.”
Part of Brown's competitive nature comes from playing sports. He said as a kid he wanted to become an athlete when he was older, but he also enjoyed singing. That's when he began posting videos of himself singing cover songs to Facebook, where he built a solid fan base.
Now, the 25-year-old has three No. 1 country hits with “What Ifs,” “Lose It” and “Heaven,” the most played song on country radio this year. His self-titled debut album is a platinum success and his sophomore effort, “Experiment,” debuted at No. 1 on both the pop and country charts last month.
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NEW YORK — Oprah Winfrey was in New York to praise one of her idols, Nobel laureate Toni Morrison.
“It's impossible to actually imagine the American literary landscape without a Toni Morrison,” Winfrey said Tuesday night during a dinner gala in downtown Manhattan hosted by the Center for Fiction, which named Morrison the winner of a lifetime achievement award. “She is our conscience, she is our seer, she is our truth-teller.”
The 87-year-old Morrison was unable to attend, but she and her longtime publisher Alfred A. Knopf were the evening's clear guests of honor.
Winfrey and Morrison have known each other for more than 20 years, dating back to when Winfrey was so determined to learn the author's unlisted phone number that she called the local fire department.
When Winfrey started her book club, in 1996, she was thinking of Morrison. She considered making one of her books the first pick, but wondered if “the audience was ready.”
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LOS ANGELES — An auction of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia has earned more than $1.6 million, including $120,000 paid for a touring version of the actress' iconic white dress from “The Seven Year Itch.”
Profiles in History on Wednesday morning announced the results of the “Essentially Marilyn” auction held Tuesday in Los Angeles.
The “Seven Year Itch” dress is a version of the one featured during the film's infamous subway-grate scene that designer Bill Travilla, made for Monroe to use on tours and in exhibits.
A photograph that Monroe signed to 20th Century Fox executive Ben Lyon and says “you found me, named me, and believed in me” was sold for $45,000. Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, Monroe changed her name after coming to Hollywood.
By Associated Press
