Award-winning poet and author MAYA ANGELOU has died at the age of 86 in her hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C. (Mult., 5/28). Angelou was scheduled to accept the MLB Beacon of Life Award Friday during a luncheon in Houston, but it was announced last week that she was not going to attend the ceremony "because of health reasons." ABC's ROBIN ROBERTS, the luncheon's keynote speaker, "will accept Angelou's honor on her behalf" (CHRON.com, 5/23).
L.A. LAW: Time Warner Cable and the Lakers have been "jointly named in a lawsuit" by Spanish-language radio play-by-play announcer FERNANDO GONZALEZ, who claims he has been "racially discriminated against" in a suit filed yesterday in L.A. Superior Court. Gonzalez is suing both parties for $1M. Lakers Senior VP/Business Operations TIM HARRIS, TWC Deportes VP PABLO URQUIZA and TWC SportsNet Senior VP & GM MARK SHUKEN "are also named in the lawsuit" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 5/27).
NAMES: Former Bucks Owner HERB KOHL recently gave all BMO Harris Bradley Center employees a "letter of appreciation," and inside "every letter of gratitude was a check for $500" (AP, 5/27)....Basketball HOFer BERNARD KING is "selling off" his HOF ring and trophy tomorrow at the Nate D. Sanders auction house in L.A. The initial bidding will start at $40,000 for the ring and $32,500 for the trophy (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/28)....The Buffalo Fan Alliance yesterday announced Pro Football HOFers JOE DELAMIELLEURE, JAMES LOFTON and BILLY SHAW, along with Buffalo developer ROCCO TERMINI, have joined its advisory board. The alliance "aims to raise money among fans to help a new owner keep the Bills franchise in Western New York" (BUFFALONEWS.com, 5/27)....ESPN's BUSTER OLNEY is "working on a book" about MICHAEL JACQUES, a childhood friend "turned murderer" (VRP.net, 5/23)....A’s 2B ERIC SOGARD yesterday donated 56 pairs of eyeglasses to kids at Franklin Elementary School in Oakland (SFGATE.com, 5/27)….Redskins WR PIERRE GARCON on Friday was a guest at Overlook Elementary in Temple Hills, Md., where the students were "celebrating a third-place finish in the Redskins Read Book Challenge” (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 5/27)….Chiefs coach ANDY REID has put his 8,074-square-foot home in Villanova, Penn., on the market for $2.3M (PHILLY.com, 5/27).
