Country Music Sings Its Praises

Some top awards went home in the hands of new owners after the 23rd annual Country Music Assn. awards show at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn. George Strait broke Hank Williams Jr.’s two-year hold on the entertainer of the year award and Kathy Mattea walked away with the top female vocalist award that had gone to Reba McEntire for the last four years. Strait, a former Texas trail boss, is known for hits such as “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” and “Does Ft. Worth Ever Cross Your Mind.” Mattea, a former tour guide at the Country Music Hall of Fame, won on the heels of her No. 1 record, “Come From the Heart.” Ricky Van Shelton collected the top male vocalist honor. His recent hits include “From a Jack to a King” and “Hole in My Pocket.” The late Keith Whitley, who died of an accidental alcohol overdose in May, won single of the year for his hit “I’m No Stranger to the Rain.”

--French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau made sure he got the last word in on development in Antarctica. He refused to budge from his chair and allow an American guest to sit down after an interview on the “Today” show. Cousteau, who was in NBC’s Paris studio, was on the show to discuss a 39-nation conference over the future of Antarctica. He is a member of the French delegation, which favors a ban on Antarctic development. Before the show, Cousteau said he would not appear with R. Tucker Scully, head of the U.S. delegation, but would relinquish his chair to Scully so the American could be interviewed, NBC spokeswoman Peggy Hubble said. But after Cousteau’s interview, the oceanographer refused to move, Hubble said. Viewers did not see the sit-in.

--A 23-year-old unmarried cousin of Queen Elizabeth II told Britain’s Today newspaper that she is pregnant and that her parents cut off her $450 monthly allowance and access to trust funds, instructing her to have an abortion or wed her boyfriend immediately. The paper quoted Marina Ogilvy as saying she had written a letter to the queen asking her to intervene with the young woman’s parents, Princess Alexandra, the queen’s first cousin, and Sir Angus Ogilvy. Marina Ogilvy is 24th in line to the throne. The Ogilvys issued a statement saying they loved their daughter, they had not cut her off and she always was welcome at home. Today quoted Ogilvy as saying she and her boyfriend, photographer Paul Mowatt, 26, want to marry after the baby is born.