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Stargazer: Musicians and ATVs don't mix
Originally published in The Home News Tribune on Friday, July 11, 2008
We all know drinking and driving don't mix. But now we have proof that celebrities and ATVs are an equally dangerous combination.

And not just any celebrities — musicians, in particular.

Latest case in point: Dave Matthews Band saxophone player LeRoi Moore crashed an ATV while riding on his farm in Charlottesville, Va., last week. Apparently he did a bang-up job, too: According to the band's Web site, Moore was taken to the University of Virginia Health System, where he was upgraded from serious to fair condition.

But LeRoi should've known better, because this is not an isolated incident. Over the past two decades, at least two other musicians have taken serious tumbles off of all-terrain vehicles. First up was singer/soap star Rick Springfield, who in 1988 shattered his collarbone in an ATV crash. The accident forced Springfield to cancel his "Rock of Life" tour, and he was unable to hold a guitar for six months afterward.

Can you say "ouch"?

Then in 2003, Ozzy Osbourne cracked up his ATV while tooling around his English estate. Like Springfield, Osbourne broke his collarbone. But the mush-mouthed metalhead also broke six ribs and a vertebra in his neck. According to published reports at the time, the Ozzman stopped breathing twice, spent a week on a ventilator and was in a coma for eight days.

Whatever happened to the adage "it's better to burn out than fade away"? You know, like when rockers perished in fiery plane crashes?

Ozzy Osbourne

Never fear, Ozzy is here.

That's the word from Fox, anyway, which announced this week that it has ordered six episodes of a variety show hosted by none other than Ozzy Osbourne and his brood.

His wife, Sharon, as you may already be aware, has had plenty of television exposure already: She's one of the judges on the hit reality show "America's Got Talent."

Plans for the show include blending musical performances with comedy sketches as well as audience participation and gameshow elements.

Call us crazy, but we're not sure if a variety show is the direction the Osbournes should be going. After all, the most brilliant moments of MTV's "The Osbournes" occurred while Ozzy was attempting to perform the most mundane of tasks. Anyone remember the difficulties he had just changing channels on his TV?

One exec promises the show will "tap into what the Osbournes do best, which is be themselves."

Which includes, for example, screaming at one another about dog poop (which is all over the floor) and tossing hams over the fence into the neighbor's yard. You know, just your average, every-day family activities.

Nicole Kidman

Tuesday Weld.

Wednesday Addams.

Who says you can't name babies after days of the week?

Apparently Nicole Kidman — not wanting to feel left out of the celebrity loop by giving her baby a normal name — asked herself that very question. And obviously her reply was, "Why can't I?"

The brand-new mommy has named her first biological child — a daughter — Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, according to People magazine. Sunday, we feel it necessary to mention, was born on a Monday.

Now, if Kidman had named her baby girl Sydney, we could understand. Sydney Rose has a nice ring to it. Plus, it would be a cute homage to Australia, from which both Kidman and Urban hail.

But honestly, who knows how celebrities (or anyone, for that matter) come up with children's names? Just look at George Costanza. Remember the "Seinfeld" episode where he had a fit when someone stole his unique baby name, Seven? (Not that this excuses things, but the name was in honor of Mickey Mantle.) George's suggestion that the couple name their child Soda instead was met with much resistance.

And then there's "Sex and the City's" Charlotte, who was devastated when a former friend pilfered her secret baby name, Shayla.

What's up with all of these "S" names, anyway? Do we have any takers for Stoopid?

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