Mama tried

A little bit country: Country singer Josh Gracin, who landed a record deal in 2004 based on his success singing covers of country hits on Fox’s “American Idol,” declined an invitation to appear on the series finale tonight, telling producers he believed if he performed covers of country tunes with other former contestants, Nashville wouldn’t take him seriously.

“Nonsense,” said Nashville. “Now, who are you, and what’s an ‘American Idol’?”

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You were saying, kid: Country music legend Merle Haggard, who had 38 No. 1 hits and was named to the County Music Hall of Fame as a singer, songwriter, guitarist and fiddler, died Wednesday at his California home.

“On second thought,” Nashville said to Gracin, “we’d rather you not cover anything by Merle, anyway.”

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You forgot your loyalty card: Coffee shops are doing brisk business in communist North Korea’s capital and offer many of the coffee drinks you’ll find at any Starbucks.

And, yes, you can order an Americano, but get it to go; the bus to the Glorious Leader’s Re-Education and Barista Training Camp fills up quickly.

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