Quick Takes - April 6, 2012

Jackson brothers to tour

Almost three years after the death of Micheal Jackson, his brothers are set to go back on tour. It will be their first tour together in nearly three decades.

The Jacksons have announced plans for a summer trek, dubbed the Unity Tour 2012, that will mark the first time Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito Jackson have toured together since their Victory Tour in 1984. Kicking off June 18 in Louisville, Ky., the 27-date jaunt will include a stop in L.A. July 22 at the Greek Theatre.

“This is a dream coming true,” Jackie Jackson said in a statement. “I can’t believe this is finally happening. There’s nothing like having all the brothers on stage at the same time. This will be exciting for our fans around the world — and I know at each concert, MJ’s spirit will be in the house with us.”

—Gerrick D. Kennedy

Davy Jones died of a heart attack

An autopsy report confirms that Monkees star Davy Jones died of a heart attack.

The report obtained Thursday showed that the 66-year-old performer had severe buildup in his arteries.

Jones rocketed to the top of the 1960s music charts with the Monkees, captivating audiences with hits including “Daydream Believer” and “I’m a Believer.” He died Feb. 29 in Florida.

—Associated Press

Museum can keep artifact

A St. Louis museum can keep hold of a 3,200-year-old mummy’s mask, a federal judge has ruled, saying the U.S. government failed to prove that the Egyptian relic was ever stolen.

Prosecutors said the funeral mask of Lady Ka-Nefer-Nefer went missing from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo about 40 years ago and that it should be returned to its country of origin.

The St. Louis Art Museum said it researched the provenance of the mask and legitimately purchased it in 1998 from a New York art dealer.

U.S. District Judge Henry Autry in St. Louis sided with the museum, ruling that the government failed to provide “a factual statement of theft, smuggling or clandestine importation.”

—Associated Press

‘Spring’s’ Groff signs on for ‘Red’

Jonathan Groff, the star of Broadway’s “Spring Awakening” and more recently a recurring cast member on Fox’s “Glee,” will appear opposite Alfred Molina in the L.A. premiere of John Logan’s two-person play “Red” at the Mark Taper Forum beginning in August.

Groff will play an assistant to modernist painter Mark Rothko. The role of Ken was originated in Britain and on Broadway by Eddie Redmayne, who won a Tony Award.

Molina played Rothko in the previous productions.

—David Ng

Le Mans doc is at starting line

Patrick Dempsey is bringing his passion for auto racing to television with a new documentary series.

The “Grey’s Anatomy” star will produce “Road to Le Mans,” a four-part series about his competition in the French race, the Velocity channel said Thursday.

Dempsey, who has a professional auto racing team based in Georgia, will be both owner and driver at the 24-hour endurance race in June.

“Road to Le Mans,” set to air by mid-2013, will include his team’s preparation for the event, including sponsor acquisition, training and time trials, and the race itself.

—Associated Press

Poetry editor wins Jackson

Henri Cole has won the sixth annual Jackson Poetry Prize, a $50,000 honor meant to encourage writers considered to have exceptional talent and deserving of wider recognition.

The award was announced Wednesday by Poets & Writers Inc., a nonprofit literary organization.

Cole’s eight poetry collections include “Touch” and “Middle Earth,” a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2005.

Cole, a native of Japan, is poetry editor for the New Republic. The judges cited his poems for their “casual, anecdotal worldliness and natural diction.”

—Associated Press

Leno holds lead over Letterman

Jay Leno won the late-night ratings battle last week and, in season-to-date averages, leads David Letterman by 500,000 viewers, according to Nielsen figures released Thursday.

For the 28 weeks of the season, Leno’s “Tonight Show” on NBC is averaging 3.8 million viewers per night compared with 3.3 million for Letterman’s “Late Show” on CBS.

NBC said that was a bigger lead than Leno held at the same point last year.

—Lee Margulies