Lena Horne

We expect indecent exposure from books by children of celebrities. Not so from Gail Lumet Buckley, one of Lena Horne's two children from her marriage to Louis Jones of Pittsburgh. Rather, Buckley has written a family portrait with her mother and herself at the center, which reaches out to include her mother's people--the Hornes of Tennessee and the Calhouns of Georgia.

WASHINGTON -- World War II hero Raoul Wallenberg, singer Lena Horne and golfer Jack Nicklaus would be added to the list of Congressional Gold Medal recipients under measures that have cleared the House. The action comes as the House prepares to vote this week to create a Mark Twain commemorative coin to raise money for organizations dedicated to preserving the author's legacy, notwithstanding his low opinion of Congress. ("It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress," Twain wrote.)

Toward the end of her very full life, Lena Horne suggested to a PBS interviewer that, after decades of struggling to define her image as an artist and a black woman, she finally had seized possession of her identity. "I don't have to be a symbol to anybody," said Horne, who died Sunday night in a New York hospital at the age of 92. "I no longer have to be a 'credit.' " Americans born before 1960 will recognize Horne's fragmented reference to a phrase that, mercifully, has now been confined to history's ash heap: "a credit to her (or his)

Letting teenagers be teenagers Re "Protecting, or 'nannying'?," May 8 The Times' front-page story on new restrictions being imposed on teenagers barely scratches the surface of a serious problem that's rapidly getting out of hand. Research I've conducted on this topic shows that our teenagers are being subjected to 10 times as many restrictions as mainstream adults and to roughly twice as many restrictions as active-duty Marines and incarcerated felons. The number of restrictions is increasing rapidly, driven in part by a rash of new high-tech devices.

WASHINGTON -- World War II hero Raoul Wallenberg, singer Lena Horne and golfer Jack Nicklaus would be added to the list of Congressional Gold Medal recipients under measures that have cleared the House. The action comes as the House prepares to vote this week to create a Mark Twain commemorative coin to raise money for organizations dedicated to preserving the author's legacy, notwithstanding his low opinion of Congress. ("It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress," Twain wrote.)

Janet Jackson has been left out in the rain after "Stormy Weather" singer Lena Horne balked at having the younger star play her in a planned television movie. The 86-year-old Horne reportedly is angry about Jackson's breast-baring stunt at the Super Bowl and pressured ABC to drop Jackson from the project, the trade newspaper Variety reported Tuesday.

Sherman Brooks Sneed, 80, singer and for a quarter of a century the personal manager and producer of legendary entertainer Lena Horne. Sneed conceived and co-produced Horne's long-running one-woman Broadway show, "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music." He produced her 1994 album "We'll Be Together Again," among others. A native of Oklahoma City, Sneed played football at Dillard University in New Orleans and Langston University in Oklahoma.

Even if you don't know Horne's history, this is an engaging collection of wonderfully stylish movie vocals. Among the 23 numbers performed by the elegant singer: Harold Arlen-E.Y. "Yip" Harburg's witty "Ain't It the Truth" (which was recorded for, but not used in, 1943's "Cabin in the Sky") and Johnny S.

"My life has been about surviving," Lena Horne says. "Along the way I also became an artist." She is precisely right about that. At 79, Horne is not only a survivor with incredible presence and a well-tuned sense of self, she also continues to be a gifted and articulate performer. Her thoughtful commentary is a key element in "Lena Horne: In Her Own Voice," the first installment in the 11th season of PBS' "American Masters" biography series. "It's been an interesting journey," she adds.

"Stormy Weather" was Lena Horne's signature song as well as a chillingly apt metaphor for her career. Long celebrated for her striking beauty and silky voice, she overcame profound racism on her way to becoming one of the best-known African American performers in the country. At MGM, she had a seven-year contract in the 1940s when no other African American had such long-term deals. But her movie scenes were filmed so they could be easily excised for release in the Jim Crow South.

Toward the end of her very full life, Lena Horne suggested to a PBS interviewer that, after decades of struggling to define her image as an artist and a black woman, she finally had seized possession of her identity. "I don't have to be a symbol to anybody," said Horne, who died Sunday night in a New York hospital at the age of 92. "I no longer have to be a 'credit.' " Americans born before 1960 will recognize Horne's fragmented reference to a phrase that, mercifully, has now been confined to history's ash heap: "a credit to her (or his)

"Stormy Weather" was Lena Horne's signature song as well as a chillingly apt metaphor for her career. Long celebrated for her striking beauty and silky voice, she overcame profound racism on her way to becoming one of the best-known African American performers in the country. At MGM, she had a seven-year contract in the 1940s when no other African American had such long-term deals. But her movie scenes were filmed so they could be easily excised for release in the Jim Crow South.

According to James Gavin's new biography, "Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne," the legendary singer-actress was never comfortable being an icon. "As I say in the introduction of my book, icons are not allowed to be human beings," explains Gavin, a lifelong fan who interviewed Horne in 1994. "Once you step up on that pedestal . . . and everyone is scrutinizing your every move -- how do you function as a human being? You have to cover up mistakes you made."

"Stormy Weather," Lena Horne's signature song, is now the title of a new musical biography recapping her bluesy struggle to stardom and the subsequent heartaches that released her anger and ripened her artistry. It may not have been raining all the time, but the downpours were fairly routine for the woman dubbed "the Bronze Venus," a moniker from an early film role that hints at the racial hurdles she faced in her trailblazing career. The show, which had its West Coast premiere Friday at Pasadena Playhouse, stars Leslie Uggams as a jazzy older Lena and Nikki Crawford as the shy and vulnerable singer in her younger years.

Leslie Uggams and Lena Horne have crossed paths only a few times. But Uggams feels that the force and power of the iconic singer have always been a part of her. "Lena was a goddess in my house -- my mother played her records all the time, and I was always moved by how beautiful and classy she was," says Uggams. "When I was doing my nightclub act at the Coconut Grove in 1965, she pinned me as a Delta -- we both belong to Delta Sigma Theta. I've always felt like she's been so close to me."

Janet Jackson has been left out in the rain after "Stormy Weather" singer Lena Horne balked at having the younger star play her in a planned television movie. The 86-year-old Horne reportedly is angry about Jackson's breast-baring stunt at the Super Bowl and pressured ABC to drop Jackson from the project, the trade newspaper Variety reported Tuesday.

A concert by Lena Horne, a new children's series from Nickelodeon and a special for men about prostate health highlight the viewing options this weekend. "An Evening With Lena Horne," taped last September at the Supper Club in Manhattan, features tunes from her most recent CD and old favorites such as "The Lady Is a Tramp" and "Just One of Those Things." The program will be shown at 5 and 9 p.m. Sunday on A&E.

Horne again, born again--as a result of her triumphant concert last year celebrating Billy Strayhorn, which triggered this belated return to records. There are five Strayhorn works here, two by Duke Ellington, and the rest by a judicious assortment of songsmiths. Her sound has changed little over the decades; the diction and the vibrato are utterly her own. Her backers are mainly a jazz-oriented group, including Houston Person on tenor sax and Toots Thielemans on harmonica.

Sherman Brooks Sneed, 80, singer and for a quarter of a century the personal manager and producer of legendary entertainer Lena Horne. Sneed conceived and co-produced Horne's long-running one-woman Broadway show, "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music." He produced her 1994 album "We'll Be Together Again," among others. A native of Oklahoma City, Sneed played football at Dillard University in New Orleans and Langston University in Oklahoma.

It's almost unbelievable that the voice of 80-year-old Lena Horne has retained much of its characteristic warmth and color. But proof can be heard on this collection of songs from Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Frankie Laine and others.