People talk 8/18/03

Coleman signs up for game-show debate

LOS ANGELES -- The Game Show Network has snagged actor Gary Coleman and adult film star Mary Carey to take part in a gubernatorial candidate debate it plans to broadcast Oct. 1.

They will be among a panel of five who will appear on the show titled "Who Wants to Be Governor of California? The Debating Game," the network announced Friday. It will feature a political debate in the style of a game show.

The two are among 135 candidates seeking to replace Gov. Gray Davis if he's recalled in the Oct. 7 election.

The network said the other three contestants will be announced over the next two weeks.

At stake is $21,200, the maximum corporate campaign contribution allowed by California law, the network said.

Boss concerts more wheelchair accessible

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox and the promoters of two Bruce Springsteen concerts at Fenway Park have reached an agreement to make the concerts more handicapped accessible.

In response to concerns from the offices of U.S. Attorney Michael J. Sullivan and state Attorney General Thomas Reilly that the concerts may violate federal law, the Red Sox and Clear Channel Entertainment have agreed to provide extra wheelchair seating on the field. They will also make it easier for people to buy wheelchair accessible seats, and inform people buying wheelchair seats that their views may be obstructed by standing spectators.

Sullivan and Reilly made the requests after investigating complaints from handicapped people who bought or tried to buy tickets for the Sept. 6 and 7 concerts.

Michigan benefit's grand marshal will be Kid Rock

MAYFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Rapper-rocker Kid Rock will serve as grand marshal at a fund raiser in his home state next weekend.

He will also lead a motorcycle event at the three-day Lapeer Forum Summer Fest, about 60 miles north of Detroit. Proceeds from the events will benefit three charities.

Kid Rock, a Michigan native, didn't hesitate to sign on to the event when he was asked, said Lloyd LaVoy, owner of the Lapeer Forum Sports Bar, the site of the fund raiser. "That says a lot about him," LaVoy told The Flint Journal.

The event will aid the Easter Seals Foundation; the Rainbow Connection, a Detroit-based charity for terminally ill children sponsored by Kid Rock; and the Steve Bell Scholarship Fund, named for a local firefighter and police officer killed in an accident earlier this year.

-- From wire reports