Quick Takes: Carole King to write memoirs

Rock ‘n’ roll songwriter Carole King has a book deal.

The 69-year-old King has signed with Grand Central Publishing for a memoir named after one of her most famous songs, “Natural Woman.” The publisher said Monday that the book will come out in April 2012.

King wrote or co-wrote such hits as “Up on the Roof” and “You’ve Got a Friend.” Besides writing hits for the Drifters, the Shirelles and other performers, King sang her own material on the classic “Tapestry” album, which has sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Other rock stars working on memoirs include the Who’s Pete Townshend and Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band.

—Associated Press

Where Tonys’ audience grew

The 65th annual Tony Awards on CBS drew 6.9 million viewers Sunday, down slightly from the 7 million viewers reported last year, according to preliminary figures available Monday from the Nielsen Co.

But the Tonys saw a 9% jump in viewers in the 18-to-49 age group that many advertisers target.

The Tonys faced tough competition for viewers Sunday in the form of ABC’s broadcast of Game 6 of the NBA Finals, in which the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat for the championship.

—David Ng

Clemons fights effects of stroke

E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons continued Monday to battle the after-effects of a massive stroke he suffered over the weekend at his home in Florida, but associates said they were more hopeful about his prospects for a recovery than they had been initially.

“Yesterday it did not look good at all,” a source described as “a close friend” told the Bruce Springsteen fan site BackStreets.com. “Today ... miracles are happening. His vital signs are improving. He’s responsive. His eyes are welling up when we’re talking to him. He was paralyzed on his left side, but now he’s squeezing with his left hand. This is the best news we’ve heard since [the stroke] happened — it’s nothing short of miraculous. The next five days will still be critical. But he’s a fighter.”

The site said Clemons, 69, underwent two brain surgeries after the stroke and was responsive and in stable condition but still seriously ill.

—Randy Lewis

NBC affiliate spurns ‘Playboy’

“The Playboy Club,” a new NBC drama revolving around a Chicago branch of Hugh Hefner’s club frequented by gangsters during the 1960s, will not air on KSL-TV, the network’s Salt Lake City affiliate.

“The Playboy brand is known internationally,” KSL President and Chief Executive Mark Willes said in a statement. “Everyone is clear what it stands for. We want to be sure everyone is clear what the KSL brand stands for, which is completely inconsistent with the Playboy brand.”

KSL is owned by Deseret Media Cos., which is controlled by the Mormon Church. Willes is a former publisher of The Times.

Spokesmen for KSL and NBC said they would explore options to allow the

series to be broadcast on

another Salt Lake City station when it premieres in the fall.

—Greg Braxton

Morgan’s plans for apology

Actor Tracy Morgan agreed to return to Nashville next week to apologize to people who heard his anti-gay rant during a recent stand-up comedy show, a pro-gay rights group said Monday.

Morgan, a star of NBC’s “30 Rock,” released a written apology Friday, but he followed up Monday morning with a phone call to the president and staff of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

By the end of the call, Morgan had agreed to go back to Nashville with GLAAD staffers to deliver a face-to-face apology to people who were in the Ryman Auditorium and to work with the Tennessee Equality Project, GLAAD said.

“By not only apologizing but sending a message of support for gay and transgender people, Tracy will help many realize that no one should be treated differently or subjected to violence,” GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios said.

—CNN

‘The Killing’ to return to AMC

AMC has ordered another season of its critically acclaimed crime drama “The Killing.”

Based on a hit Danish series, “The Killing” has scored high ratings by AMC’s standards. The premiere in April averaged 2.7 million viewers, according to the Nielsen Co. More recently, it has settled down to about 2 million. The series is overseen by executive producer Veena Sud, formerly of CBS’ procedural “Cold Case.”

The network ordered 13 episodes for the second season; the first season wraps on Sunday.

—Scott Collins