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(08/31/06 2:16am)
LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood may wish it had kept a great ape, a lion, a witch or a wizard in the bullpen for this fall, whose movie lineup has just two really familiar names: James Bond and Santa Claus.\nThe movie industry's prestige period, when studios trot out their big Academy Award contenders, also has become a steady blockbuster season with such recent hits as "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, most of the "Harry Potter" flicks and last year's "King Kong" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."\nLacking any of those entries, the fall schedule is led by "Casino Royale," Daniel Craig's first outing as British superspy Bond.\nInheriting the license to kill from Pierce Brosnan, Craig is the sixth actor to play 007. Adapted from Ian Fleming's first Bond novel, "Casino Royale" takes James back to his beginnings as a young operative taking on a terrorist ring being financed at an exotic gambling hall.\nNot yet the casual womanizer of later years, Bond is assigned a gorgeous woman as ally -- Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), a bean-counter dispatched by British intelligence to keep tabs on the money he's gambling with.\nUncharacteristically, Bond falls in love -- and gets his heart stomped on.\n"We're kind of meeting him for the first time, and a number of things need to be explained. His attitude toward women, how he becomes what he becomes," Craig said. "He meets Vesper, this very beautiful, very complex, very mysterious girl who steals his heart then double-crosses him. It may explain the distrust of Bond for women later."\nHollywood revives a handful of other film franchises this fall, including Tim Allen's "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause," in which Jack Frost (Martin Short) makes a play to steal Christmas from St. Nick.\nWithout the big fantasy spectacles that have been Hollywood's fall mainstays in recent years, real-world stories will have to take up the slack. Luckily for film fans, there's an interesting crop of possibilities:\n-- "All the King's Men," a fresh take on Robert Penn Warren's novel of a Southern political boss inspired by Huey Long, stars Sean Penn as the idealistic leader whose rise to power is poisoned by corruption. "Schindler's List" screenwriter Steven Zaillian directs a cast that includes Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and James Gandolfini.\n-- Clint Eastwood, who directed Penn to a best-actor Oscar in "Mystic River," follows his best-picture champ "Million Dollar Baby" with the World War II saga "Flags of Our Fathers." Starring Ryan Phillippe, Paul Walker, Barry Pepper and Jamie Bell, the film tells the story behind one of the most enduring war photographs: The soldiers who raised the American flag at Iwo Jima.\n-- Martin Scorsese reunites with Leonardo DiCaprio and brings along Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and Martin Sheen for "The Departed," the director's return to the cops-and-mobsters tales that have been his strong suit. DiCaprio plays a cop who's undercover in Nicholson's crime gang, while Damon plays a mob member who's infiltrated the police department.\n-- After lip-synching to Ray Charles' voice for his Oscar-winning turn in "Ray," Jamie Foxx gets to do some singing of his own in "Dreamgirls," an adaptation of the stage musical that co-stars Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy and "American Idol" finalist Jennifer Hudson. The film follows the triumphs and trials of a trio of female soul singers in the 1960s.\nDirector Bill Condon ("Gods and Monsters") skillfully blends story and character with show-stopping musical numbers and takes singer Knowles and comic Murphy to places audiences have never seen them, Foxx said.
(08/30/06 4:16am)
Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy remains confident with his team's running game, even though it has only gained an average of 64 yards in three preseason games.\nMaking that stat look worse is that neither of the two running backs most likely to replace the departed Edgerrin James is even leading the team in rushing.\nDungy, however, is steadfast that the team will be able to run the ball effectively in the Sept. 10 season opener against the New York Giants.\n"I think the running game is really going to be in pretty good shape. I like where our runners are for the most part," Dungy said. "All in all, I think our running game is about where it's been in the past."\nThe rushing attack has looked weak in preseason games. The Colts managed just 60 yards in 38 attempts against New Orleans on \nSaturday.\nWhile the Colts are looking to use Dominic Rhodes and first-round draft choice Joseph Addai to succeed James, they rank second and third, respectively, on the team with 46 and 32 yards rushing. They trail backup Kory Chapman, who has 51 yards in 17 carries.\nDungy maintains the Colts' rushing statistics during the preseason have been skewed by the way opposing teams set up their defenses.\nSt. Louis and New Orleans both played defenses that led the Colts to pass more, but Dungy noted the team ran effectively against Seattle in the second preseason game.\n"People play us a little differently in the preseason than they do in the regular season," he said. "And we know that we're going to get some good looks to run against in the regular season. And when we do, I think we'll run effectively"
(08/29/06 9:21pm)
Two Indiana University trustees who investigated Bob Knight were acting as attorneys and do not have to reveal details that led to the firing of the former basketball coach, a judge ruled Tuesday.\nThe decision was a defeat for The Indianapolis Star's 5-year-old lawsuit, which contended that IU violated the state's open records law in its refusal to release the unfiltered information related to Knight's dismissal in May 2000.\nSpecial Judge Jane Craney of Morgan County ruled that the records were exempt from the state's Access to Public Records Act because they were "work product" protected by attorney-client privilege.\nThe ruling echoed the argument made in August 2005 in testimony by former IU President Myles Brand, now president of the NCAA.\nIf Carney had decided that Fred Eichhorn and John Walda were acting as trustees during the investigation, the information they gathered could have been made public.\nWalda and Eichhorn interviewed current and former players, managers, coaches and athletic staff and enlisted a private investigator and videotape expert to help. The trustees were not paid but were reimbursed for expenses.\nThe investigation looked into allegations against Knight by former player Neil Reed. Reed claimed in a television interview that Knight choked him in practice, ordered Brand out of Assembly Hall and waved soiled toilet paper at players.\nCraney first ruled in favor of IU, but the Indiana Court of Appeals said the Reed documents should be disclosed if Walda and Eichhorn acted as trustees when they investigated.\nKnight, now the coach at Texas Tech, was fired by Indiana in 2000 after he angrily grabbed the arm of a student who greeted him by his last name.
(08/28/06 2:53am)
Los Angeles - Mel Gibson's apology for making drunken anti-Semitic remarks isn't enough to redeem him, actor-producer Rob Reiner said.\nThe actor also must acknowledge that "his work reflects anti-Semitism," particularly the 2004 hit movie "The Passion of the Christ," Reiner told Associated Press Radio.\n"When he comes to the understanding that he has done that and can come out and say, you know, `My views have been reflected in my work, and I feel bad that I've done that,' then that will be the beginning of some reconciliation for him," Reiner said.\nSome critics attacked Gibson's movie as portraying Jews as evil. Supporters said the movie was merely being faithful to Gospel accounts of Jesus' arrest and crucifixion.\nA call to Gibson's publicist seeking comment was not immediately returned Friday.\nGibson publicly apologized for an anti-Semitic tirade he unleashed when he was arrested for drunken driving in Malibu on July 28. He has called the remarks "despicable."\nEarlier this month, Gibson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge in a deal that calls for alcohol rehabilitation, fines and probation.\nReiner, however, said Gibson also must do some "major soul-searching."\n"It's not a matter of just apologizing for some words you've said," said Reiner, who is Jewish. "It's to really understand why it is you're anti-Semitic and where those feelings came from."\n"I believe that people can be redeemed and people can change, but that's going to be a very long process," he added.
(08/23/06 3:16am)
NASHVILLE, Ind. — Jurors convicted a Brown County man of charges that he strangled his wife in their hot tub and then claimed she died accidentally.\nThe jury deliberated about three hours Monday before returning the guilty verdict against Michael B. Smith, 61, after hearing 10 days of testimony.\nProsecutors maintained that Smith killed his 55-year-old wife, Linda, as their business was failing and he wanted to collect more than $300,000 from her life insurance policies.\nBrown County Prosecutor Jim Oliver said during closing arguments Monday that while defense attorneys had raised several opposing theories about Linda Smith's death, no one else had a motive to kill her.\n"Michael Smith had 312,000 motives to kill Linda Smith," Oliver said.\nThe couple co-owned Custom Mats of America, which made floor mats and wall hangings with corporate logos.\nSmith, who did not testify during the murder trial, called 911 for help in the early hours of Nov. 9, 2003, saying there had been an accident at his home in northern Brown County, about 40 miles south of Indianapolis. He was not charged until February of this year.\nDefense attorney Andrew Roesener asked jurors to consider nearly a dozen alternative theories as to how Linda Smith died, ranging from a slip-and-fall accident to a drug addict searching for something to steal who happened upon her in the hot tub in an outbuilding on the couple's property.\n"There is an appalling lack of evidence in this case," Roesener said.\nA pathologist for the prosecution testified Linda Smith was strangled, while a pathologist called by defense attorneys said he believed that she had drowned in an accident.\nThe judge scheduled sentencing for Sept. 21, with Smith facing a prison term of 45 to 65 years.
(07/06/06 12:04am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- A 34-year-old Indianapolis Star photographer died Monday evening after he collapsed at the newspaper's downtown office.\nMpozi Mshale Tolbert, an award-winning photographer, joined The Star in November 1998, the newspaper reported Tuesday.\nThe Philadelphia native, who stood 6 feet 6 inches tall with waist-long dreadlocks, was known for bringing humanity to his images.\n"Everything he shot had heart," said fellow Star photographer Bob Scheer. "It really had a soul to it."\nNewspaper staff said the cause of Tolbert's death was still being investigated.\nAn avid downhill bicyclist, Tolbert was also a fixture at a Broad Ripple club where he worked as a DJ.\nHe began his career in high school, later publishing photos in The City Paper, the Philadelphia Gay News and The Tribune.\nHe won two Keystone Awards from the Pennsylvania Press Association for a photo essay on the AIDS quilt and for an image about housing discrimination.\nTolbert also shot photos for the premier album of the acclaimed Philadelphia-based hip-hop group The Roots. He can be heard as a background voice on the band's "Do You Want More?!!!??!" album.\nTolbert is survived by his mother, father, stepmother and four siblings.
(09/15/05 4:00am)
LOS ANGELES -- ABC viewers will get "Lost" in translation as part of a plan to make all the network's primetime entertainment available in Spanish starting this season.\nThe move is an acknowledgment of the expanding U.S. Hispanic population and its potential as a source of viewers. Previously, "George Lopez" was the only ABC series that aired in both English- and Spanish-language versions.\n"We wanted to move beyond toe-dipping and really dive in," ABC entertainment chief Stephen McPherson said in a statement. "Almost half of the 41 million Hispanics in this country watch only or mostly Spanish-language television, and we want to bring that audience to ABC."\nABC, using both dubbing and closed captioning, will be the first of the major English-language broadcasters to provide its full primetime entertainment lineup in Spanish. Most other networks offer few shows in the language.\nThe cost is "not inexpensive," McPherson said in an interview Thursday, declining to provide a specific figure. But he said the return could be significant in terms of viewership.\n"If you look at the performance of Spanish-language stations in a lot of the big (TV) markets, they're doing very well. In some markets they're beating the broadcast networks," he said.\nHispanics are the fastest-growing minority in the United States and represent one-seventh of the population, according to a recent Census Bureau report.\n"Desperate Housewives," "Lost," "George Lopez" and the new comedy "Freddie," starring Freddie Prinze Jr., will be dubbed into Spanish, as will the network's theatrical movie premieres and some specials. Casting has already begun for actors to voice the Spanish dialogue.\nThe rest of ABC's primetime entertainment schedule, which debuts next week as the 2005-06 season officially begins, will be available with closed-captioned subtitles in Spanish, the network said.
(09/15/05 4:00am)
LOS ANGELES -- "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" bedeviled its competition in its box-office debut this weekend, hauling in $30.2 million with its mix of courtroom drama and classic horror.\nThe film, inspired by true events, follows a Catholic priest on trial for negligent homicide following the death of a satanically possessed 19-year-old.\nIts PG-13 rating and cast, including Oscar nominees Tom Wilkinson, Laura Linney and Shohreh Aghdashloo, helped give it wide appeal, bumping last week's newcomer, "Transporter 2," from the No. 1 spot, according to studio estimates.\nOverall revenue for this weekend's top 12 films was up 16 percent from the same period last year, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.\n"Transporter 2" fell to third place with three-day estimated ticket sales of $7.2 million. The action sequel dropped below "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," which held on to the No. 2 spot in its fourth week with $7.9 million, boosting its total domestic gross to $82.3 million.\nThe critically panned "The Man," a buddy comedy that throws together federal agent Samuel L. Jackson and dental supply salesman Eugene Levy to solve a murder, opened in sixth place with $4.0 million.\n"An Unfinished Life," which stars Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Lopez in the story of a rancher reluctantly reunited with his estranged daughter-in-law, opened well in limited release, with $1.0 million and a per theater average of $7,264.\nMeanwhile, "The Constant Gardener," starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz and based on a John le Carre novel, moved to fourth place in its second week. The film took in $4.8 million, bringing its total to $19.1 million, while playing on fewer than half the number of screens given to "The Exorcism of Emily Rose"
(09/15/05 1:59am)
LOS ANGELES -- "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" bedeviled its competition in its box-office debut this weekend, hauling in $30.2 million with its mix of courtroom drama and classic horror.\nThe film, inspired by true events, follows a Catholic priest on trial for negligent homicide following the death of a satanically possessed 19-year-old.\nIts PG-13 rating and cast, including Oscar nominees Tom Wilkinson, Laura Linney and Shohreh Aghdashloo, helped give it wide appeal, bumping last week's newcomer, "Transporter 2," from the No. 1 spot, according to studio estimates.\nOverall revenue for this weekend's top 12 films was up 16 percent from the same period last year, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.\n"Transporter 2" fell to third place with three-day estimated ticket sales of $7.2 million. The action sequel dropped below "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," which held on to the No. 2 spot in its fourth week with $7.9 million, boosting its total domestic gross to $82.3 million.\nThe critically panned "The Man," a buddy comedy that throws together federal agent Samuel L. Jackson and dental supply salesman Eugene Levy to solve a murder, opened in sixth place with $4.0 million.\n"An Unfinished Life," which stars Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Lopez in the story of a rancher reluctantly reunited with his estranged daughter-in-law, opened well in limited release, with $1.0 million and a per theater average of $7,264.\nMeanwhile, "The Constant Gardener," starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz and based on a John le Carre novel, moved to fourth place in its second week. The film took in $4.8 million, bringing its total to $19.1 million, while playing on fewer than half the number of screens given to "The Exorcism of Emily Rose"
(09/15/05 1:55am)
LOS ANGELES -- ABC viewers will get "Lost" in translation as part of a plan to make all the network's primetime entertainment available in Spanish starting this season.\nThe move is an acknowledgment of the expanding U.S. Hispanic population and its potential as a source of viewers. Previously, "George Lopez" was the only ABC series that aired in both English- and Spanish-language versions.\n"We wanted to move beyond toe-dipping and really dive in," ABC entertainment chief Stephen McPherson said in a statement. "Almost half of the 41 million Hispanics in this country watch only or mostly Spanish-language television, and we want to bring that audience to ABC."\nABC, using both dubbing and closed captioning, will be the first of the major English-language broadcasters to provide its full primetime entertainment lineup in Spanish. Most other networks offer few shows in the language.\nThe cost is "not inexpensive," McPherson said in an interview Thursday, declining to provide a specific figure. But he said the return could be significant in terms of viewership.\n"If you look at the performance of Spanish-language stations in a lot of the big (TV) markets, they're doing very well. In some markets they're beating the broadcast networks," he said.\nHispanics are the fastest-growing minority in the United States and represent one-seventh of the population, according to a recent Census Bureau report.\n"Desperate Housewives," "Lost," "George Lopez" and the new comedy "Freddie," starring Freddie Prinze Jr., will be dubbed into Spanish, as will the network's theatrical movie premieres and some specials. Casting has already begun for actors to voice the Spanish dialogue.\nThe rest of ABC's primetime entertainment schedule, which debuts next week as the 2005-06 season officially begins, will be available with closed-captioned subtitles in Spanish, the network said.
(08/30/05 4:51am)
WASHINGTON - Coffee not only helps clear the mind and boost energy, it also provides more healthful antioxidants than any other food or beverage in the American diet, according to a study released Sunday.\nOf course, too much coffee can make people jittery and even raise cholesterol levels, so food experts stress moderation.\nThe findings by Joe A. Vinson, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, give a healthy boost to the warming beverage.\nAntioxidants, which are thought to help battle cancer and provide other health benefits, are abundant in grains, tomatoes and many other fruits and vegetables.\nHis team analyzed the antioxidant content of more than 100 different food items, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices, oils and common beverages. \nThey concluded the average adult consumes 1,299 milligrams of antioxidants daily from coffee. The closest competitor was tea at 294 milligrams. Rounding out the top five sources were bananas, 76 milligrams; dry beans, 72 milligrams; and corn, 48 milligrams. According to the U.S. Agriculture Department, the typical adult American drinks 1.64 cups of coffee daily.\nThat does not mean coffee is a substitute for fruit and vegetables.\n"Unfortunately, consumers are still not eating enough fruits and vegetables, which are better for you from an overall nutritional point of view due to their higher content of vitamins, minerals and fiber," Vinson said.
(08/30/05 4:31am)
NEW YORK -- Wall Street rallied Monday after Hurricane Katrina weakened, easing concerns about refinery outages along the Gulf of Mexico and pulling oil prices back from record highs.\nStocks opened lower but quickly rebounded as crude oil futures cooled after surging past $70 a barrel in early trading on news that the storm shut down about 8 percent of U.S. refining capacity. A barrel of light crude settled at $67.20, up $1.20 on the New York Mercantile \nExchange.\nInvestors found some relief in reports that President Bush was mulling whether to offset the supply disruption with oil from the nation's petroleum reserve, but energy and insurance stocks still came under pressure as the market tried to gauge the hurricane's financial impact.
(02/10/04 5:21am)
CHICAGO -- The number of night games at Wrigley Field would increase, beginning this year, under a plan expected to be approved by city officials this week.\nThe Chicago Cubs and the city have agreed to a plan that would phase in 12 more night games over the next three years. The Cubs are currently allowed to play 18 night games each season.\nA city council committee will consider the plan today, and the full council will vote on Wednesday. Alderman Tom Tunney, whose ward includes the stadium, is optimistic the deal will be approved.\n"I think there was a lot of hard work by the community and the Cubs and the various city departments to try to forge the best plan," Tunney said Monday. "It's not a panacea or cure-all to all the issues. But I think it's a vast improvement to the first 15-year agreement that brought night games to Wrigley Field."\nDay baseball is a rarity now, and the Cubs are the last team in the majors to play the majority of their home games in the afternoon. Lights were added to Wrigley Field in 1988, but city ordinance limits the Cubs to 18 night games out of their 81 home games.\nThe Cubs have been pushing for more night games the past few years, saying they will generate more revenue. \nPlayers want more night games, too. Playing in the midday heat every day takes a toll, physically, and there are many times the Cubs return from a road trip late Thursday night only to have to turn around and play Friday afternoon.\nBut many residents in the neighborhood around Wrigley opposed the request, saying additional night games would lead to more traffic and congestion. There also would be more littering, residents said.\nUnder the proposed deal, the Cubs will operate a remote-parking lot and pay for a program limiting parking around Wrigley Field to residents on game nights. The Cubs also will contribute $1 million to a neighborhood protection fund that will pay for improvements in congestion and sanitation.\nIn return, the Cubs will get an additional four night games this year and four more next year. At least two will be added in 2006, and Tunney said the community can suspend or postpone the final two if there are problems with neighborhood protection.\n"We don't think we've got all the problems solved yet," Tunney said. "(But) I think the new ordinance is going to be received well by the community."\nAlso Wednesday, the council is expected to vote on landmark status for Wrigley Field. The Committee on Historical Landmarks and Preservation has recommended a plan that would make the 91-year-old ballpark a landmark, but still allow for some changes.
(09/08/03 5:16pm)
CHICAGO - Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon was taken to a hospital Monday after falling ill at a Chicago hotel where he was attending a conference, officials said.\nThe Chicago Fire Department said O'Bannon, 73, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital about 9 a.m. Hospital spokeswoman Kelly Sullivan said O'Bannon was being treated and undergoing tests in the emergency room. She had no detail on his condition, but added, "I know it's a very serious situation."\nChicago television station WMAQ reported that O'Bannon was unconscious when he was taken to the hospital.\nO'Bannon was at the Palmer House Hilton, where he was attending a conference of the Midwest U.S.-Japan Association.\nIn Indianapolis, the governor's office had few details.\nThe governor gets a yearly physical, and was deemed to be "as healthy as he could be," O'Bannon spokeswoman Mary Dieter said. "Clearly, something has occurred. But he has been very vibrant, very energetic."\nO'Bannon's wife, Judy, was en route to Chicago.\nO'Bannon, elected to his second four-year term in 2000, is barred by term limits from running again next year.\nLt. Gov. Joe Kernan also was at the conference. His office said he was on his way back to Indianapolis from Chicago.\nO'Bannon was elected to his father's seat in the Indiana Senate in 1970 and served 18 years. He first ran for governor in 1987, but when Evan Bayh got into the race, O'Bannon dropped his bid and became Bayh's running mate.\nAfter serving eight years as lieutenant governor, O'Bannon was unopposed when he sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 1996. He entered that race as an underdog to Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith and campaigned largely on his down-home charm and Evan Bayh's record. Bayh, meanwhile, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998.\nO'Bannon is also chairman of the board of O'Bannon Publishing Co., which publishes weekly newspapers in Harrison and Crawford counties.
(01/23/03 5:24am)
NEW YORK -- Baseball's committee on the future of the Montreal Expos will meet Tuesday with the mayors of the District of Columbia and Portland, Ore., and a day later with officials from Northern Virginia to discuss a new site selection for the team.\nDistrict of Columbia Mayor Anthony A. Williams will head his delegation, which also includes District Council chairman Linda Cropp, Deputy Mayor Eric Price and representatives of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission.\n"This is going to be one of the highest priorities for our city, if not the highest priority," Williams said Wednesday, calling it a "pre-presentation meeting."\n"Officials of major league baseball want to give us an opportunity to learn in greater detail what they will expect of us when we make our full presentation to them later down the road," he said. "This is an informal, preliminary meeting. No decisions have been made with regard to site selection. We will not be submitting any financing plan at this meeting."\nThe Portland contingent will include Mayor Vera Katz and former Indiana Pacers general manager David Kahn, part of the Oregon Stadium Campaign.\nNorthern Virginia Baseball Stadium Authority chairman Michael Frey, who also is a Fairfax County supervisor, and authority director Gabe Paul Jr. will head their group.\nThe committee told each delegation to bring along up to six people for their meeting.\nThe Northern Virginia group said Wednesday it has hired the advertising and marketing firm White & Baldacci to help prepare its presentation.\nBaseball officials said they hope to have a decision by midsummer on where the Expos will play in 2004, but commissioner Bud Selig last week refused to give a timetable.\nIn North Carolina, Charlotte City Councilor Lynn Wheeler, who chairs the council's economic development committee and was key in bringing the NBA back to Charlotte, said she doesn't think her city government has gotten involved in talks.\n"To my knowledge there's been no request for someone from the city and there is certainly not any commitment by the city to look at it," Wheeler said.\nThe recent deal under which the city agreed to build a new downtown arena for the NBA expansion team that is to begin playing in 2004-05 has exhausted the city's ability to finance sports projects, Wheeler said. "We have no funds," she said. "We are tapped out."\nThe New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority said it had not been invited to any meetings.\nSteven Schauer, spokesman for San Antonio Mayor Ed Garza, said to his knowledge the city has had no contact with the commissioner's office about moving the Expos.
(01/23/03 4:39am)
LA's top cop bit by showbiz bug\nLOS ANGELES -- Police Chief William J. Bratton is giving acting a try with a bit part in a Sundance Film Festival entry.\n"People I Know" premiered Friday at the Utah festival with the chief playing a tough New York City politician in a Miramax film starring Al Pacino and Kim Basinger. The movie about a famous actor considering a run as a U.S. senator is set for limited release in April.\nBratton's role was modeled on Rudolph Giuliani, whom Bratton tangled with when he was New York City's police chief and Giuliani was mayor.\n"It's an inside joke for New Yorkers that the rest of the country might not get," Bratton said of the part filmed more than a year before he came here.\nBratton says he hasn't caught the acting bug.\n"I would never want to be an actor, because they spend most of their time just hanging around," he said. "It's like being a cop at court."\nNew 'American Idol' draws record ratings\nNEW YORK -- Whether to watch Simon Cowell's withering put-downs or discover the next potential star, a record-setting 26.5 million viewers tuned in for Tuesday night's return of "American Idol" on Fox.\nEven for what is turning out to be the winter of reality TV on the broadcast networks, these were stunning numbers.\nExcluding sporting events, it was the most-watched night ever for the Fox network, which began airing prime-time shows in 1987. It eclipsed the 22.8 million people who watched Kelly Clarkson win the first "American Idol" competition in September.\n"We're having a very happy day at Fox," said Entertainment President Gail Berman. "We certainly didn't expect to come close to the finale's numbers, and to exceed them by 16 percent is a dream come true.'\nThe conventional wisdom was that "American Idol," a classic summertime diversion, would have trouble drawing an audience during the winter when faced with tougher competition.\nIts success gives Fox, which has been struggling this television season, its second big hit in a month, joining "Joe Millionaire," which was seen by more than 17 million viewers last week (as was ABC's "The Bachelorette").
(01/23/03 4:33am)
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- Bill Mauldin, the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist who portrayed World War II reality laced with humor, died Wednesday. He was 81.\nMauldin, one of the 20th century's pre-eminent editorial cartoonists, died of complications from Alzheimer's disease, including pneumonia, at a Newport Beach nursing home, said Andy Mauldin, 54, of Santa Fe, N.M., one of the cartoonist's seven sons.\n"It's really good that he's not suffering anymore," he said. "He had a terrible struggle."\nHis characters Willie and Joe, a laconic pair of unshaven, mud-encrusted dogfaces, slogged their way through Italy and other parts of battle-scarred Europe, surviving the enemy and the elements while caustically and sarcastically harpooning the unctuous and pompous.\nThey were the vessels that Mauldin, a young Army rifleman, filled with wry understatement to portray the tedium and treachery of war, entertaining and endearing himself to millions of fellow soldiers in the war and to Americans at home.\nIn his classic book "Up Front," Mauldin wrote that the expressions on Joe and Willie are "those of infantry soldiers who have been in the war for a couple of years."\n"If he is looking very weary and resigned to the fact that he is probably going to die before it is over, and if he has a deep, almost hopeless desire to go home and forget it all; if he looks with dull, uncomprehending eyes at the fresh-faced kid who is talking about all the joys of battle and killing Germans, then he comes from the same infantry as Joe and Willie," he wrote.\nMauldin called himself "as independent as a hog on ice," and his nonconformist approach brought him a face-to-face upbraiding from Gen. George Patton. Mauldin continued to draw what he wanted.
(01/23/03 4:32am)
LOS ANGELES -- A Superior Court judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit brought by more than 175 writers who alleged that television networks, Hollywood studios and talent agencies discriminate against those over 40.\nIn a decision disclosed this week, Judge Charles W. McCoy Jr. ruled some of the alleged violations occurred outside the statute of limitations and that the writers first must prove their claims on an individual basis before they can show an industrywide pattern of discrimination.\nThe ruling left the possibility that the writers could refile their claims individually.\n"We consider this a bump in the road," said Paul Sprenger, lead attorney for the writers. "Sometimes these things take years and it should be perfectly obvious to the courts that this is a meritorious claim."\nSprenger said they were considering their options, including an appeal or continuing with new class-action claims, but he did not plan to file individual claims.\nThe discrimination lawsuit originally was filed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claiming pervasive age discrimination since the early 1980s. The lawsuit alleged violations of the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Labor Management Relations Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act.\nThe federal court ruled that there was no support for maintaining the case as a class action, and the plaintiffs refiled in state court. In his decision, McCoy also ruled that having first filed in federal court, plaintiffs couldn't refile the same claims in state court.\nThe lawsuit targeted six television networks, including CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox, 12 production companies and 11 talent agencies, including the William Morris Agency.\n"We are pleased the court has decided that these television writers cannot proceed on such a broad-based claim," a CBS statement read. "We are also confident that any individual claims of discrimination will be shown to have no merit"
(01/23/03 4:29am)
RALEIGH, N.C. -- A bronze statue of Sheriff Andy Taylor and his son, Opie, from "The Andy Griffith Show" will be installed in Raleigh's Pullen Park.\nThe statue commemorates the walk to a fishing hole that Taylor, played by Andy Griffith, and Opie, played by Ron Howard, took in the opening credits of the popular television show.\nThe Raleigh City Council agreed Tuesday that the popular park just west of downtown Raleigh is the best place for the statue, which the cable network TV Land plans to install and maintain.\nIn November, the council accepted TV Land's offer for the Andy and Opie statue. Since then, the city has worked with the New York-based network to find a location.\nThe statue will go between the carousel and the lake at the park -- a favorite spot for visitors, especially families with young children. The statue will be slightly larger than life, with Andy standing about 6 feet 9 inches tall and Opie standing about 3 feet 9 inches tall.\nIt's the third statue the network has installed to depict fictional TV characters. It placed Ralph Kramden from "The Honeymooners" in New York in 2000 and Mary Richards from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in Minneapolis last May.\nRob Pellizzi, senior vice president of marketing and promotions for TV Land, said the network has sent invitations to 25 artists, including about 15 from North Carolina, to design the piece.
(09/12/02 5:22am)
LOS ANGELES -- The family of rapper Notorious B.I.G. has released documents and an audiotape that they say prove he was in a New York recording studio the night rival Tupac Shakur was shot in Las Vegas. \nThe Los Angeles Times reported last week that Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was in Las Vegas the night Shakur was gunned down, and that he provided a Compton gang member with the murder weapon and promised to pay the gang $1 million for the assassination. \nThe Times reported Wednesday that lawyers for Wallace's estate gave paperwork to MTV News in New York that placed Wallace at a studio the night of Sept. 7, 1996 -- the same period when Shakur was shot. The rapper died six days later at 25. \nA person who saw the documents said they suggest Wallace reserved the New York recording studio from 12:30 p.m. Sept. 7, 1996, until 4 a.m. the next day, the Times reported. \nThe family of Orlando Anderson, whom the Times identified as the gang member who shot Shakur, also issued a statement Tuesday denying Anderson played a role in the killing. \n"Orlando Anderson did not murder Mr. Tupac Shakur,'' the statement said. "He did not accept money nor was he offered any money from Notorious B.I.G., nor anyone else, to perform such a heinous crime." \nThe family denied that Anderson was a member of the Southside Crips street gang. Anderson died in May 1998 after a drug-related shooting at a Compton car wash. \nLawyers and other representatives of the Wallace family declined requests from the newspaper to review the invoices. \nThe studio records, which are widely used in the music industry to bill artists for studio time, show Wallace was recording at Daddy's House, which Sean "P. Diddy" Combs owns.\nThe invoices indicate that Combs, then known as "Puff Daddy," and another producer were at the studio, along with a few engineers. Combs declined to be interviewed by the newspaper. \nWallace was 24 when he was shot to death in Los Angeles, six months after Shakur's slaying. Police have made no arrests in either killing. \nWallace's family also issued a statement in which the rapper's former manager, Wayne Barrow, said he was with Wallace in the studio the weekend Shakur was shot. \n"No way was he in Las Vegas," Barrow said in the statement. \nWallace family lawyers also gave MTV News a digital tape of a song called "Nasty Girls," which they say Wallace recorded the night Shakur was shot. \nIn a two-part series last week, the Times published findings from its yearlong investigation into Shakur's death and the police handling of the case.