Entertainment Briefs July 27, 2010

Obama to appear on 'The View'

NEW YORK - ABC's "The View" has welcomed many notable guests, but none more prominent than President Barack Obama, who is scheduled to visit for Thursday's edition.

In making the announcement on Monday, executive producers Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie said this marks the first time a sitting U.S. president has visited a daytime talk show.

They said the majority of the hour will be devoted to Obama's appearance, which will touch on topics including jobs, the economy, the Gulf oil spill and family life inside the White House. It is scheduled to tape on Wednesday.

"We are so pleased and honored," Walters said.

Walters will make a special return to the studio for the occasion, joining co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd. Other than a brief segment broadcast from her home this month, Walters has been off the air since undergoing open-heart surgery in May and had not planned to be back until September.

Obama's appearance is part of the show's continuing "Red, White & View" campaign, which is committed to political guests and discussions. The show welcomed Vice President Joe Biden in April.

Obama was last a guest on "The View" in March 2008 when he was a U.S. senator.

The program airs weekdays on ABC at 10 a.m. Pacific time.

Prima receives

posthumous star

LOS ANGELES - "King of Swing" Louis Prima has received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a centennial celebration that included dancing in the street to his big-band sounds.

The influential band leader was honored at a Sunday ceremony on Vine Street attended by his son Louis Prima Jr., who continues the legacy of his father's music, his daughter Lena Prima, celebrities, dignitaries and fans.

"Louis Prima was a great entertainer and presented a great show. But more than anything else, he brought happiness to his audiences," said Bill Cosby in a congratulatory message read at the midday ceremony, which also included a concert of Prima's music by Louis Prima Jr.'s big band, The Witnesses, as well as swing-dancing fans.

Prima, who died in 1978, would have been 100 years old this year.

- The Associated Press