Names and faces

Paula Deen lost another chunk of her empire Wednesday. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced that it has ended its relationship with the Southern celebrity chef, part of the continuing fallout in the wake of revelations that she used racial slurs in the past. The world’s largest retailer, based in Bentonville, currently carries a variety of products under her name, including food items, cookware and health and wellness products, at all of its 4,000 U.S. Wal-Mart stores. The retailer began selling her merchandise several years ago. “We will not place new orders beyond those already committed,” said Dave Tovar, a Wal-Mart spokesman. “We will work with suppliers to address existing inventories and agreements.” Tovar said the retailer is still working through the details with suppliers. Meanwhile, Deen’s name is being stripped from four buffet restaurants owned by Caesars. Caesars said Wednesday that its decision to rebrand its restaurants in Joliet, Ill.; Tunica; Cherokee, N.C.; and Elizabeth, Ind., was a mutual one with Deen. Last week, the Food Network said that it would not renew the celebrity cook’s contract. And on Monday, Smithfield Foods said it was dropping her as a spokesman. Meanwhile, the celebrity chef’s representatives distributed nine letters supporting Deen from other companies that work with her. Target Corp., which carried Paul Deen-branded merchandise, reiterated Wednesday that it was “evaluating the situation.” Deen appeared in a Today show interview earlier Wednesday, dissolving into tears and saying that anyone in the audience who’s never said anything they’ve regretted should pick up a rock and throw it at her head. The chef, who specializes in Southern comfort food, repeated that she’s not racially biased.

Neil Diamond visited Boston in the days after the marathon bombings and left convinced that he should do something to help. “I was moved by the unity and the attitude of the people in Boston,” Diamond said. “And that’s really all a songwriter needs, is to be inspired. It doesn’t happen very often but when it does you have to follow that muse and I did.” The result is “Freedom Song (They’ll Never Take Us Down),” a new patriotically themed song Diamond will release Tuesday through iTunes and Amazon. All proceeds from the song will go to benefit the Boston One Fund and the Wounded Warrior Project. He will perform the song live for the first time on the July Fourth holiday in Washington, D.C., at a Washington Nationals-Milwaukee Brewers baseball game and during PBS’ A Capitol Fourth, broadcast from the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol.