Music lovers have the chance to own a strand of history. Auctioneer Sotheby's is selling a lock of hair from the head of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, resting in a gilt locket.
Taking composers' hair as keepsakes was common in the 18th and 19th centuries.
After Mozart died in 1791, aged 35, his widow gave the hair to the mother of German composer Karl Anschutz. It was acquired by the late British composer Arthur Sommervell and is being sold by his family. The hair is up for auction Thursday with an estimated price of $15,400 to $18,450. The sale also includes a lock of Ludwig van Beethoven's hair and an invitation to his 1827 funeral, together valued at $3,100 to $4,600.
Neeson tops list of celebrity endorsers
Ad executives looking for a celebrity to endorse their product can't do much better than actor Liam Neeson. That's the conclusion of the Nielsen company, which looked at celebrities who made commercials during the first three months of the year and ranked them with a calculation that takes into account likability, public awareness, influence and other factors. Neeson and Pierce Brosnan had identical scores of 94, although Neeson was judged to have a greater influence in getting products sold. Neeson, who has been featured in an ad for Supercell Games, is viewed positively by 85 percent of Americans who know him, Nielsen said. Brosnan and Matthew McConaughey also scored well in Nielsens' measurement. Jeff Bridges stood out among celebrities for the amount of influence he carried with his fans, Nielsen said. Other celebs with recent ads that scored well were Jennifer Garner, Natalie Portman, Sofia Vergara, Jim Parsons, Dennis Haysbert and J.K. Simmons.
Battling Alzheimer's: Legendary "Lawrence of Arabia" actor Omar Sharif is battling Alzheimer's disease, his agent Steve Kenis confirmed. No additional details were provided about the 83-year-old or his care. His son, Tarek Sharif, revealed the diagnosis in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo on May 23.
Recovering: Food Network star Sandra Lee is recovering at home after being discharged from the hospital following a double mastectomy. Lee, 48, posted photos to her Facebook page showing her smiling and sitting with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in their back yard. Lee had surgery last week. She revealed her diagnosis earlier this month on ABC's "Good Morning America." She said she decided to talk about her illness to encourage other women to get screened for breast cancer.
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