Singer Van Morrison has denied widely circulated media reports that he recently became a father to a third child, saying that a hacker posted a false announcement on his web site, vanmorrison.com. On Tuesday, a statement briefly appeared on the 64-year-old Morrison’s official web site announcing the birth of George Ivan Morrison and claiming the baby was “the spitting image of his daddy” and was the child of a woman named Gigi Lee. The story was picked up and reported as fact by various news outlets. Morrison, who is married to Michelle Morrison, with whom he has two children, said in a statement, “The comments which appeared on my site did not come from me. They are completely and utterly without foundation.” Noting that this is the second time in the past three months that his site has been hacked, Morrison has asked his management to investigate the matter.
Archive: December 2009 (1-10 of 319)
Fox threatening to leave Time Warner Cable
The president of News Corp. ratcheted up the media company’s ongoing contract brinksmanship with Time Warner Cable, announcing in a company-wide memo that it will pull its local stations and national networks (including Fox, FX, and Fox News) from the cable system after tonight’s midnight deadline, according to The Hollywood Reporter. ”We deeply regret that millions of Fox customers will be deprived of our programming,” wrote Chase Carey, “but we need to receive fair compensation from Time Warner Cable to go forward with them.” At odds is the fee TWC would pay News Corp. — the former reportedly wants 30 cents per subscriber, the latter $1 per subscriber — a battle reminiscent of TWC’s 11th-hour negotiations with Viacom last year.
Should the deadline pass without an agreement, however, News Corp. may not get the chance to pull its programming for very long. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Sen. John Kerry, who chairs a powerful Senate subcommittee that oversees cable communication, released a statement that he would “ask the FCC to intervene and mandate continued coverage” should Fox cuts its signal to TWC. A spokesperson for the FCC, however, declined to comment.
UPDATE (1/1/10, 12:40 a.m. ET): Spokespeople for TWC and Fox tell EW they’ve extended their deadline. Read more about it here.
UPDATE (1/1/10, 7:30 p.m. ET): Fox and TWC jointly announce a new agreement in principle. Click here for more.
AT&T drops Tiger Woods sponsorship deal
Telecommunications giant AT&T announced it is dropping its sponsorship deal with Tiger Woods, joining Accenture and Gillette in cutting ties with the golfer in the wake of allegations of marital infidelity. In a terse statement that did not explain the reasons for the move, AT&T said, “We are ending our sponsorship agreement with Tiger Woods and wish him well in the future.” AT&T’s logo appeared on Woods’ golf bag, and the company served as the sponsor of the AT&T National PGA Tour event that Woods has hosted since 2007.
Rush Limbaugh hospitalized with chest pains
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh was taken to Honolulu’s Queen’s Medical Center on Wednesday after suffering chest pains. According to a statement on Limbaugh’s web site, the 58-year-old is “resting comfortably” at the hospital and “appreciates your prayers and well wishes.” Limbaugh was vacationing in Hawaii at the same time as President Barack Obama, of whom he has been a leading critic. Limbaugh, who is scheduled to return to his show on Jan. 4, says he will keep his audience updated of his status via his show and his website, rushlimbaugh.com.
Police chief sentenced in Sarah Jessica Parker-Matthew Broderick surrogacy case
An Ohio judge sentenced former police chief Barry Carpenter to two years and eight months in prison on Wednesday for breaking into the house of Michelle Ross, the surrogate mother who carried the twin girls of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, The New York Times reports. Carpenter was found guilty last month of receiving stolen property, tampering with evidence, and theft in office in connection to allegations that he and two other men stole items from Ross’ home and attempted to sell those items to paparazzi.
Regis Philbin to resume hosting 'Live' in January
Regis Philbin will return to co-hosting ABC’s Live with Regis and Kelly on Jan. 4, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Philbin, 78, has been on hiatus since Nov. 30 as he underwent a hip-replacement operation on Dec. 1.
Time Warner Cable open to arbitration with Fox, but Fox declines
Time Warner Cable is willing to resolve its dispute with Fox over cable-company fees through FCC arbitration, Bloomberg News and the Wall Street Journal are reporting. In a letter to Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, the cable company said it would do so to avoid any programming disruptions for its customers when their contract expires on Jan. 1. The cable company and the TV network have been at odds over a retransmission consent agreement.
UPDATE: Fox has declined to participate in arbitration, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
'Saturday Night Live' announces hosts
Charles Barkley and Sigourney Weaver will host the first two new episodes of Saturday Night Live in 2010. The basketball legend, who previously hosted the show back in 1993, will guest on the Jan. 9 show, with Alicia Keys providing the music. On Jan. 16, Weaver, currently appearing in Avatar, will host along with The Ting Tings.
Library of Congress names 25 films to National Registry
The Muppet Movie, Dog Day Afternoon and Michael Jackson’s Thriller were among 25 films named by the Library of Congress to its National Film Registry, which preserves “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” works.
The entire list of honored films, after the jump.
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