Quick Takes - Oct. 21, 2011

A Giffords reading

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will read aloud in the audio edition of her upcoming book, allowing many people to hear for themselves for the first time how she is recovering.

A spokesman for the Arizona congresswoman confirmed Thursday that Giffords will read the final chapter of the memoir she wrote with her husband, Mark Kelly. Spokesman Mark Kimble says Giffords has completed the recording of that chapter.

Since she was shot in the head Jan. 8 at an event outside Tucson, Giffords has appeared in public only a few times. She has spoken only with friends, family and at small gatherings.

Scribner is publishing the memoir, called “Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope.” It says the book details the couple’s marriage, Giffords’ political career, Kelly’s career as an astronaut, and their experiences stemming from the shooting.

The book is scheduled for release Nov. 15.

—Associated Press

Gotham nods kick off season

Nominations for the 21st Gotham Independent Film Awards were announced Thursday morning in New York, officially heralding the arrival of the movie award season, which concludes in late February with the Oscars.

Nominations for best feature included “Beginners,” “The Descendants,” “Meek’s Cutoff,” “Take Shelter” and “The Tree of Life.” The documentary category included “Better This World,” “Bill Cunningham New York,” “Hell and Back Again,” “The Interrupters” and “The Woodmans.”

The awards are to be presented Nov. 28 at the Cipriani Wall Street restaurant in New York City.

—Susan King

Ailing rapper postpones show

Rick Ross’ concert scheduled for Sunday at L.A.’s Nokia Theatre is being pushed into next year to allow the rapper time to fully recover from seizures he experienced recently.

The show, which was also to have included performances by Busta Rhymes, Y.G., Jayo Felony, Eric Bellinger, Pure and other guests, has been rescheduled for Jan. 13. Tickets for Sunday’s show

will be honored on the new date.

Ross suffered two seizures last week while traveling through the South to other stops on the tour, and he had to make emergency landings in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Birmingham, Ala., after experiencing seizures during both flights. No cause for the seizures was immediately found.

—Randy Lewis

Triumph Award for Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry has been criticized by those who feel his popular movies, such as “Madea’s Family Reunion,” border on buffoonery and don’t reflect well on the black community.

But on Wednesday night the filmmaker was honored by the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network in New York. The civil rights leader lashed out at Perry’s black detractors, calling them “proper Negroes” who don’t understand regular black folk.

“This man never apologized for who we were,” said Sharpton, who is also a cable TV host, at his second annual Triumph Awards.

Perry — whose films include “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” “Why Did I Get Married?” and “Daddy’s Little Girls” — was recently named by Forbes magazine as the highest-earning man in Hollywood. He writes, directs and produces his films and sometimes stars in them; he’s best known for his Madea character, the foul-mouthed, sassy grandmother who has appeared in many of his movies.

“This is really, really awesome,” Perry said.

—Associated Press

New stage for

A Noise Within

A Noise Within classical repertory company will introduce its new Pasadena theater to the public at an open house Sunday.

The free event, which will run from 1 to 4 p.m., will feature tours, readings and presentations by the troupe’s resident artists and children’s activities.

Marking its 20th anniversary, A Noise Within

will launch its 2011-12 season with Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” The production, set in pre-revolutionary Cuba, will run from Oct. 29 to Dec. 16.

—Karen Wada