News in Brief: Bo's funeral, Dueling Marvins, Berry for Barack

The funeral of rock and roll founding father Bo Diddley, held Saturday in Gainesville, FL, was a less than sedate affair: the choir of the Showers of Blessings Harvest Center Church began by leading incoming mourners in a joyous call-and-response shout of "Hey, Bo Diddley!" in reference to his 1957 single, and the rest of the celebration more or less followed suit, with luminaries from Animals lead singer Eric Burdon to several local political officials holding forth with reverence but good spirits about Bo the man, the artist, and the legend. (Flowers and condolences were sent by George Thorogood, Tom Petty and Jerry Lee Lewis, among others.) An official parade and festival were dedicated to Bo before the services, and a concert featuring his recent backup band was the closer... Dueling Marvin Gaye biopics? It seems likely, given the recent news that director F. Gary Gray's Marvin: The Life Story of Marvin Gaye, starring an as-yet-unannounced lead as the legendary vocalist, will hit theaters in 2009, a ful year before the darker Sexual Healing, produced by The Sopranos' James Gandolfini and focusing on the idol's troubled final years. It's expected to star Jesse L. Martin of Law & Order fame... John McCain may have used Chuck Berry's seminal "Johnny B. Goode" as a way to rally the crowds early in his campaign, but the Republican front-runner cannot count on the vote of its composer and singer. "In the Fifties there were certain places we couldn't ride on the bus, and now there is a possibility of a black man being in White House," Berry told Reuters, adding that Obama's candidacy was "definitely a proud and successful moment for all the people of this country – not just black people, but Americans in general." '70s pop powerhouse ABBA was reportedly none too happy with the McCain camp's subsequent attempt to switch its theme song to "Take A Chance On Me."