In between the bits about Brit and the parts about Paris there come stories about celebrities whose work should really be grabbing headlines, but typically don’t. Such is the case with basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. The all-star athlete showed he is able to score big on and off the court when he treated 100 Lake Tahoe-area firefighters to dinner Saturday night.
Barkley toured the devastation of a nearby wildfire that destroyed 254 homes last month when he was in town to play in a charity golf event last week. The fire displaced 3,500 residents and caused more than $160 million in damage.
According to NBC Sports, Barkley not only toured the charred remains of homes and took the firefighters out to eat he also pledged $25,000 to a fire-relief fund.
Meanwhile…
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Jerry Seinfeld on NBC’s primetime schedule… and I for one have missed him. Which is why I was thrilled to hear that the comic is returning to NBC next season—at least for a little while.
Network executives recently announced that Seinfeld would appear as a guest on the season opener of “30 Rock.”
Seinfeld told reporters he jumped at the chance to return to his Thursday-night stomping grounds.
“I think it’s going to be so refreshing for me to be playing myself in a show that has nothing to do with neurotic, dysfunctional New York characters.”
In other TV news, NBC also announced that it signed a deal with magician Criss Angel and Uri Geller for a competition where they will search for the next great illusionist.
Finally, you can look to the peacock network to be pushing a new one-hour “drama-comedy” in the coming weeks. According to executives, the network just signed a series deal with producer Norman Lear of “All in the Family Fame.” The show will center on the battle of the sexes on Wall Street.