'Champagne Lady' Norma Zimmer dies at 87

LOS ANGELES — Norma Zimmer, the "Champagne Lady" of TV's "The Lawrence Welk Show" and a studio singer who worked with Frank Sinatra and other pop stars, has died. She was 87.

Zimmer died peacefully Tuesday at her Brea, Calif., home, Welk's son, Larry, said Wednesday. Larry Welk didn't know the cause of death but said Zimmer had been living an active life in recent years.

"She was one of the most gracious, likable people that anyone could ever meet. The other people on the show, to this day, just respect and love her," Larry Welk said.

Zimmer performed on Welk's network and later syndicated show from 1960 to 1982 as the "Champagne Lady," the title Welk traditionally gave to his orchestra's lead female singer. Zimmer sang solos, duets with Jimmy Roberts and waltzed with Welk to the strains of his effervescent dance tunes tagged "champagne music."

She appeared on the orchestra's public TV specials that have aired (along with repeats of the series) since 1987. Zimmer took part in a tribute to Welk and his show held earlier this year at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills.

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Welk, who stopped performing in 1989, died in 1992.

Zimmer, born in July 1923 in Larson, Idaho, grew up in Seattle. The petite blonde sang with The Girlfriends, a quartet that performed with Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bing Crosby, including on Crosby's famed recording of "White Christmas."

Zimmer made several film and TV appearances, including one with Crosby in the 1950 film "Mr. Music" and in an episode of "I Love Lucy," and was the voice of the White Rose in the 1951 Disney film, "Alice in Wonderland."

Her survivors include her sons, Ron and Mark. Her husband, businessman Randy Zimmer, died in 2008.

Funeral services for Zimmer were pending.

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Albert Brooks: You're all on Twitter probation

NEW YORK — Albert Brooks is a regular on Twitter, but he says his continued presence there depends on sales of his first book, "2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America."

The comedian began tweeting about six weeks ago under the username (at)AlbertBrooks to promote the novel, which was released Monday. The book is Brooks' vision of the nation's not-too-distant future. In it, the young and old are at odds, the country has its first half-Jewish president and health care costs are astronomical.

He says he wrote it in part because he thinks most futuristic novels are too unrealistic.

"Everything that talks about what's going to happen is always about Armageddon," Brooks said. "Everyone's dead. Will Smith is walking around trying to find a bird to eat."

In his novel, people are still alive but, "we're not in the world's best shape," he said. "But we're not in the world's best shape now."

Brooks acknowledges his tweets are "like a commercial" for the book but says he at least "tries to be amusing." After news broke of Osama bin Laden's death, for example, he tweeted: "Bin Laden buried at sea. Sharks thrilled. Herring, not so much."

He also has an ongoing Twitter dialogue with fellow comedian Steve Martin. In one exchange Martin wrote, "Hey Albert. I'm on second case of Chianti!" Brooks wrote back, "What are you wearing?"

Brooks says, "I never talk to Steve in real life so it was fun to sort of talk to him occasionally on Twitter. ... It's like someone who I've never really run into much in my whole life."

Brooks follows 12 people — mostly comedians — but already has more than 80,000 followers.

As for his future on Twitter, Brooks says it depends on whether followers actually buy the book.

"If they buy it, I'm going to reward them with more comedy tweeting," he said. "If they don't buy it, I am so gone."

___

Online:

http://www.albertbrooks.com/

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Bethenny Frankel sued for $100 million

Reality star turned liquor mogul Bethenny Frankel has been sued by her ex-managers, who claim they helped broker her pairing with the lucrative Skinnygirl cocktail brand and were cut out of the rich deal that followed.

Los Angeles-based Raw Talent sued the "Real Housewives of New York" and "Bethenny Ever After" star today in L.A. Superior Court. Raw co-president Doug Wald alleges he met Frankel in May 2008, as she was appearing on "Real Housewives," and she expressed interest in launching her own unscripted series. He says he then helped introduce her to some agents at APA that specialize in repping reality stars.

According to the complaint, Frankel signed with APA on August 7, 2008 and also agreed orally that day to retain Wald as her personal manager and pay Raw 10 percent of her earnings (she allegedly confirmed the relationship in an email sent the next day).

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Wald says Frankel specifically sought out his advice because she thought the Skinnygirl cocktail was underexploited and he could help her make some money from it.

"She expressly represented that any agreement relating to the exploitation of the Skinnygirl Cocktail Brand would be commissionable under their management agreement," the complaint says.

Wald says he then helped Frankel hook up with liquor industry veteran David Kanbar, who put together a business plan for a company that would buy the brand, use Frankel's celebrity to help market it, and sell it in two years for a hefty profit.

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But Raw Talent says Frankel fired Wald in November 2008, days before signing her deal to develop and market Skinnygirl.

The brand has become a huge success. Seventeen months after Frankel and Kanbar went into business together, they sold the company in March in what The Hollywood Reporter called a $120 million deal.

Raw Talent now says it's owed 10% of that deal, or an estimated $12 million. Plus the company wants $100 million in punitive damages to make an example out of Frankel.

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"Notwithstanding her clear and unambiguous agreement and obligation to pay Raw Talent its 10% commission, Frankel now refuses," the lawsuit says.

We've reached out to Frankel's rep for comment and will update with a response.

The suit, filed by well-known showbiz litigator Bryan Freedman and Joshua Blum, alleges causes of action for fraud, breach of oral contract and other counts.

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