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| Records fall as NY art auctions take in $170 million Friday, Feb 01, 2013 05:51 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Three paintings each sold for more than $10 million and artists' records fell as auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's collectively moved some $170 million in Old Master and Renaissance art this week. The auctions, including a big-ticket sale at Christie's dedicated to Renaissance art, featured works by Batoni, Rubens, Gainsborough and Botticelli. A rare, circular-format oil portrait by Fra Bartolommeo, "The Madonna and Child," which dates to the mid-1490s, achieved the week's highest price. ... Full Story | Top |
| Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem expecting second child -report s Friday, Feb 01, 2013 04:25 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar-winning couple Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem are expecting their second child, according to U.S. media reports on Friday. The New York Post first reported Cruz's pregnancy, citing unidentified sources. Celebrity magazine Us Weekly and the website of television network E! said sources close to the couple confirmed the news. A source told E! that the "Volver" actress was "around three months" pregnant. Representatives of Cruz and Bardem did not respond to calls for comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| NBC News President Capus to leave network Friday, Feb 01, 2013 03:21 PM PST  (Reuters) - NBC News President Steve Capus will be leaving the network in the coming weeks after struggles at the unit, including lower ratings for its flagship morning TV show, "Today." No replacement has been named for Capus, president of NBC News since 2005, according to a company memo obtained by Reuters. In a statement, Capus said it was "now time to head in a new direction. ... Full Story | Top |
| Washington Post puts its building on the block Friday, Feb 01, 2013 01:26 PM PST  (Reuters) - The Washington Post is the latest media company contemplating selling its headquarters as it tries to rein in costs. Katharine Weymouth, the publisher of the Washington Post and part of the Graham family that controls the paper, wrote to employees about the move, according to a memo from Weymouth obtained by Reuters. "Our preliminary analysis suggests that a move will make good operational and economic sense, however we have not yet decided on where or when," Weymouth wrote. ... Full Story | Top |
| News Corp names more senior executives in prep for split Friday, Feb 01, 2013 01:14 PM PST (Reuters) - Soon-to-be publishing company News Corp named William Lewis, one of the executives who dealt with the aftermath of the phone hacking scandal, as chief creative officer. Also joining the executive suite will be Anoushka Healy, who was named chief strategy officer. Lewis and Healy will report to News Corp CEO Robert Thomson. News Corp is preparing later this year to split into a separate company that will operate such properties as the Wall Street Journal, The Times of London, and book publisher HarperCollins. ... Full Story | Top |
| Filmmaker cries censorship as Italy political documentary blocked Friday, Feb 01, 2013 12:37 PM PST ROME (Reuters) - A British filmmaker said on Friday he was a victim of censorship after a leading museum cancelled the Italian premiere of the documentary "Girlfriend in a Coma", which is highly critical of Italy's political and economic situation. The museum where the film was to have been shown on February 13 cancelled the showing and said it could not be held until after the country's elections on Feb 24-25. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mike Tyson's Controversial ''Law & Order: SVU'' Episode Moved Up a Week Friday, Feb 01, 2013 12:28 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - NBC is sticking with its decision to cast Mike Tyson in an upcoming episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." In fact, it's moving the episode up a week from its original air date. Tyson's guest spot on "SVU" - which sparked outrage online, in light of Tyson's rape conviction - will air February 6. The episode was originally scheduled to air on February 13. On the episode, former boxing champ Tyson plays Reggie Rhodes, a murderer on death row who was the victim of a difficult childhood. (Andre Braugher, most recently of ABC's "Last Resort," also guest-stars. ... Full Story | Top |
| Julia Stiles Joins Mary Pickford Biopic 'The First' Friday, Feb 01, 2013 12:19 PM PST  NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Julia Stiles has joined the cast of the Mary Pickford biopic "The First" to play famed screenwriter Frances Marion, Poverty Row Entertainment announced Thursday. Marion was the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, taking the prize in 1930 for "The Big House." She collaborated often with Pickford, writing the scripts for "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" and "The Poor Little Rich Girl." "The First," based on Eileen Whitfield's biography, "Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood," tells the story of one of Hollywood's first superstars. ... Full Story | Top |
| Leon Panetta, 9/11 Families Join Chorus of Support for ''Zero Dark Thirty'' Friday, Feb 01, 2013 12:17 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Is the tide turning for "Zero Dark Thirty?" After withstanding a barrage of criticism that turned the film into a political punching bag and may have seriously hurt its awards-season chances, Kathryn Bigelow's gripping procedural about the hunt for Osama bin Laden has in recent days picked up some high-profile endorsements from families of 9/11 victims, a liberal actor who was once counted among the film's critics and former CIA director Leon Panetta - whoessentially supported the film's narrative regarding enhanced interrogation techniques. ... Full Story | Top |
| Time Warner Cable CEO Britt to step down by year end: report Friday, Feb 01, 2013 12:17 PM PST  (Reuters) - Time Warner Cable's longtime Chief Executive Glenn Britt will step down at the end of the year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing anonymous sources. A Time Warner Cable spokesman said in a statement that Britt "is under contract and if and when he decides to step down, we'll have an announcement." The 63-year-old executive, who has been CEO since 2001, could be replaced by Rob Marcus, the company's chief operating officer and president, the newspaper said. Marcus was promoted in 2010 and received a 38 percent increase in compensation in 2011 of $8.3 million. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mark Wahlberg, Ted to Present at Oscars Friday, Feb 01, 2013 12:15 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Mark Wahlberg and his teddy bear co-star "Ted" will be presenters at the Oscars, the telecast producers announced Friday morning. The duo, stars in Oscar host Seth MacFarlane's comedy about a man trying to turn his immature, hedonistic lifestyle around for a woman he is dating. His indulgent teddy bear, the eponymous Ted, proves to be an obstacle in that transformation. The film is now the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. ... Full Story | Top |
| CNN Temporarily Blacked Out in China During Segment on NYT Hacking Friday, Feb 01, 2013 11:47 AM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Chinese censors temporarily blocked CNN International's broadcasting signal Thursday night, during a segment about Chinese hackers infiltrating the New York Times' computer network, a CNN spokeswoman told TheWrap. On Wednesday night, the Times reported that it had suffered four months of persistent cyber attacks after publishing a front-page story about the wealth amassed by Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's family. CNNI reporter Hala Gorani aired a segment on her show about the hacking on Thursday. Her entire six-minute segment was blacked out in China. ... Full Story | Top |
| Duncan Jones to direct "Warcraft" game movie Friday, Feb 01, 2013 11:04 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - British filmmaker Duncan Jones has signed up to direct a movie based on the popular videogame World of Warcraft, according to a statement posted on its Facebook page. The film, which industry estimates say will cost more than $100 million to make, would be a major step up for the director behind the acclaimed low-budget space drama "Moon" and sci-fi thriller "Source Code" starring Jake Gyllenhaal. "We are pleased to announce that Duncan Jones ... has signed on with Legendary Pictures to direct the upcoming live-action film based on the Warcraft universe," the statement said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Amazon unveils exclusive 'Downton Abbey' deal with PBS Friday, Feb 01, 2013 10:54 AM PST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said on Friday that it struck an exclusive deal to distribute seasons of the hit TV show "Downton Abbey" to members of its subscription-based video streaming service. Beginning June 18, Amazon's Prime Instant Video service will be the exclusive subscription service for streaming Season 3 of "Downton Abbey," as part of a new content licensing agreement with PBS Distribution, a unit of The Public Broadcasting Service. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mysterious YouTube video accuses Russia's Medvedev of treason Friday, Feb 01, 2013 09:08 AM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Dmitry Medvedev is glimpsed exchanging confidential smiles with Barack Obama as sinister music plays. The dead body of Russian ally Muammar Gaddafi, driven from power by the West, is dragged through the dirt. A camera homes in on the prime minister sweating and shifting uneasily in his chair. The word 'treason' is uttered by a narrator. A more than hour-long Internet video employs methods reminiscent of the Soviet past in excoriating a prime minister already laboring in President Vladimir Putin's shadow. ... Full Story | Top |
| Schwarzenegger: Simple Austrian upbringing made me green Friday, Feb 01, 2013 07:19 AM PST  VIENNA (Reuters) - Arnold Schwarzenegger credited his simple upbringing amid the lakes and hills of Austria for a recent conversion to fully fledged green activism, the latest stage in his varied career. The former body-builder, star of the "Terminator" action films and governor of California grew up in Thal, a small village in the Austrian province of Styria, and emigrated to the United States at the age of 21. "Growing up in my house, we knew about sustainability before it was hip. We called it 'necessity'," Schwarzenegger told an environmental conference he hosted in Vienna this week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rushdie says local government did not allow visit to Indian city Friday, Feb 01, 2013 05:11 AM PST  KOLKATA (Reuters) - British author Salman Rushdie accused local authorities on Friday of making it impossible for him to visit the Indian city of Kolkata to promote the film adaptation of his novel "Midnight's Children". On Wednesday, Rushdie, whose 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses" is banned in India due to its depiction of Islam, abandoned plans to attend a publicity event in the eastern city after about 100 protesters gathered outside the city's airport. ... Full Story | Top |
| Beyonce says sang along to pre-recorded track at inauguration Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 08:54 PM PST  NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Singer Beyonce said she sang along to a pre-recorded track at the inauguration of President Barack Obama, but delivered a stirring a cappella version of the U.S. national anthem at a Super Bowl news conference on Thursday. She also said would be singing live at the half-time show of the National Football League championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens at the Superdome on Sunday. ... Full Story | Top |
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