George Jones, American country singer, dies aged 81
US country singer George Jones, who had a string of number one songs between the 1950s and 1990s, has died aged 81. Jones publicist, Kirt Webster, said the Grammy-winning singer was admitted to hospital for fever and irregular blood pressure and died on Friday. Nicknamed Possum, his signature song was He Stopped Loving Her Today, [...]
NBC pulls ‘Hannibal’ episode after Boston violence
LOS ANGELES– NBC said Friday that it’s pulling an episode of its serial killer drama “Hannibal” out of sensitivity to recent violence, including the Boston bombings. The episode that was to air next week features a character, played by guest star Molly Shannon, who brainwashes children to kill other children. “Hannibal” executive producer Bryan Fuller [...]
Film critic Roger Ebert dies at 70 of cancer
Renowned American film critic Roger Ebert has died at 70 after a long battle with cancer, his newspaper the Chicago Sun-Times has reported. Ebert, known for his thumbs-up or down television reviews with partner and friend Gene Siskel, became a film critic for the Sun-Times in 1967. He was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2002, [...]
Jury to be selected in Michael Jackson case
Jury selection has begun in Michael Jackson’s 82-year-old mother’s $40bn (£26bn) lawsuit against the late singer’s promoters, AEG Live. Katherine Jackson claims AEG Live were neglectful when they hired doctor Conrad Murray, who gave the singer the overdose that lead to his death in 2009. Murray is currently in jail for accidental manslaughter. AEG Live [...]
Clint Eastwood urges Supreme Court to scrap gay marriage ban
Actor-director Clint Eastwood on Thursday joined more than a hundred self-described moderate and conservative Republicans in urging the US Supreme Court to scrap California’s gay marriage ban. Former officials who served in president George W. Bush’s administration, including ex-deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, ex-homeland security secretary Tom Ridge and former secretary of commerce Carlos Gutierrez [...]
Hathaway, Waltz win supporting-acting Oscars
LOS ANGELES — Anne Hathaway has gone from propping up leaden sidekick James Franco at the Academy Awards to hefting a golden statue of her own with a supporting-actress Oscar win as a doomed mother-turned-prostitute in the musical “Les Miserables.” Christoph Waltz won his second supporting-actor Oscar for a Tarantino film, this time as a [...]
Country singer Mindy McCready dies of apparent suicide
US country singer Mindy McCready has died in a suspected suicide, according to police. The 37-year-old died from an “apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound”, Arkansas sheriff Marty Moss said. Her death comes weeks after that of her boyfriend and father of one of her two sons, record producer David Wilson, whose death is being investigated. The [...]
Kiefer Sutherland honored by Harvard theater group
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Golden Globe-winning actor Keifer Sutherland has been awarded the pudding pot after being honored as Man of the Year by Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals. The roast for the actor took place despite a massive snowstorm hitting the Boston area. The Friday evening event, including presentation of the traditional pudding pot, was moved [...]
Ben Affleck wins Directors Guild award
Ben Affleck has won the top film honor from the Directors Guild of America for his Iran hostage drama, Argo. The win would normally be an indicator of Oscar success as the Directors Guild recipient nearly always goes on to claim the same prize at Hollywood’s biggest night. But Affleck missed out on an Oscar [...]
Timberlake, Elton John, Rihanna to play at Grammys
Justin Timberlake will join Elton John, Taylor Swift, Jack White, Rihanna and other stars performing at the 2013 Grammy awards show next week, according to organizers. Six-time Grammy winner Timberlake’s appearance at the 55th Grammy Awards, on February 10 will come on the eve of his first studio album for seven years, titled “The 20/20 [...]