Names in the news

Rumor became reality Tuesday night as Tiger Woods, 28, the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart of the golf… Rumor became reality Tuesday night as Tiger Woods, 28, the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart of the golf course, wed his girlfriend, Elin Nordegren, 24, at an exclusive Barbados resort, against a sublime Caribbean sunset which, according to the poets at the Associated Press, “painted a spectacular array of colors across the sky.”

Oprah Winfrey was there to drink in the majestic poetry, as were NBA giants Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, along with nearly 200 other family and friends. According to the Barbados Daily Nation, it all took place under a white-netted pagoda adorned with red roses, and cost a tidy $3 million. True to form, the ceremony was held next door to the Sandy Lane Hotel and Gulf Club’s brand new Green Monkey golf course. It was followed by fireworks and music by none other than the groovy mega-blues-rock band Hootie ‘ the Blowfish, says the New York Daily News.

Yet, there’s a snag. Though we know the bride wore an off-white sleeveless gown and Woods wore a beige suit, we know of no designers’ names – because we have no official confirmation from the couple, who have refused to talk to the press.

USHER’S SURPRISE … RUINED

There’s nothing hotter in R’B right now than the chart-busting hottie Usher. Just ask his new girlfriend, Naomi Campbell, who’s about to show how much she appreciates his, umm, hotness, by actually jumping out of a cake for his birthday. Yep – according to People mag, the 34-year-old diva-of-a-supermodel will turn New York’s Rainbow Room into the Usher Room on Saturday for a “preemptive” birthday party – the singer won’t actually turn 26 until Oct. 14. Our apologies to Usher: Guess the publicity ruins the surprise …

HOMER NODS

Rejoice, “Simpsons” fans! Cartoon creator Matt Groening says production has already begun on the awaited big-screen version of the subversive yet family-friendly animated TV staple. Will it fly? In his inimitably dark way, Groening tells London’s Guardian newspaper the movie will either “kill the show or completely reinvigorate it.”

DREYFUSS AFFAIR

Just how many losses can the big and little screens take? First “Sex and the City” sensitive guy John Corbett says he wants to quit acting, next there are rumblings that senior swoon-bait Sean Connery is retiring. Now veteran actor Richard Dreyfuss, who helped make “Jaws” a modern classic, tells BBC’s Radio Times magazine he’s done with the movies.

“I want to do something else,” he said. “I’m not seeking to do any more movies, and they’re not seeking me. I’m quite happy with that situation.” Dreyfuss (at least as good a thespian as Corbett) is preparing to star in a London production of megahit “The Producers” and says he’d like to focus on his career in theater.

COUNTRY TIME

Although famous for “wasting away in Margaritaville,” Jimmy Buffett is no stranger to Nashville. He won a Country Music Award this year for his collaboration with Alan Jackson on “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” and recruited some of country music’s biggest names to help him record “License to Chill,” which includes a cover of Hank Williams’ “Hey Good Lookin’.”

At 57, Buffett has no plans to stop touring or recording. “Well, I always said that I wouldn’t use a TelePrompTer and if I start to sing real flat, I’ll hang it up,” the singer said in an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes” that was slated to air Wednesday night.

(Wire services contributed to this column.)

(c) 2004, The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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