TV, movie and music news | News Briefs

News Briefs TV, movie and music news

Archive: July 2011 (31-40 of 61)

Jul 15 2011 04:18 PM ET

'News of the World' scandal: Rupert Murdoch takes out apology ad

Categories: Crime

Blighted by the massive, ultimately career-ending, paper-shuttering phone hacking scandal at the News of the World, News International CEO Rupert Murdoch has taken ads in several British newspapers to apologize for his organization’s behavior, reports Britain’s The Guardian. Read Murdoch’s full apology and The Guardian‘s response after the jump. READ FULL STORY »

Jul 15 2011 12:32 PM ET

Ronni Chasen murder case officially closed

by Kate Ward

Categories: Crime

Police in Beverly Hills have officially closed the Ronni Chasen murder case, according to the Beverly Hills Courier. The Hollywood publicist, who was killed Nov. 16 following a premiere party for Burlesque, was murdered with a gun stolen from a police officer during a burglary. Though some theories following Chasen’s murder pointed to a hit man, Harold Martin Smith — the ex-con suspect in the case who killed himself in December — was not a professional. Instead, the crime scene appeared to indicate an attempted robbery or road rage took place.

Jul 15 2011 09:42 AM ET

Rebekah Brooks, former 'News of the World' editor, resigns post at News International

by Kate Ward

Categories: Misc.

Here’s some front-page news the now-defunct News of the World would not welcome: Rebekah Brooks, the chief executive of News International who was once News of the World editor, has decided to resign from her post following a phone hacking scandal. This past weekend, the U.K. newspaper — which had been an established tabloid overseas since 1843 — folded following allegations that News of the World had tapped into the phones of over 4,000 people, including 13-year-old murder victim Milly Dowler. Since then, Brooks, who served as editor during some of the more serious supposed hacking, had been pressured to resign. “As chief executive of the company, I feel a deep sense of responsibility for the people we have hurt and I want to reiterate how sorry I am for what we now know to have taken place,” she said in a statement. “I have believed that the right and responsible action has been to lead us through the heat of the crisis. However my desire to remain on the bridge has made me a focal point of the debate.”

Brooks also said her mere presence was distracting the corporation from solving its problems. “As you can imagine, recent times have been tough. I now need to concentrate on correcting the distortions and rebutting the allegations about my record as a journalist, an editor, and executive,” she said in the statement. One person likely happy about this development? Actor and hacking victim Hugh Grant, who helped take down News of the World with an investigative piece for the New Statesman.

Jul 14 2011 04:39 PM ET

Kate Hudson names her baby

by Lanford Beard

Categories: Celebrity Babies!

Kate Hudson fiancé Matthew Bellamy have finally decided on their child’s name, and the alliteration monster has struck again. The couple named their five-day-old son Bingham Hawn Bellamy, reports People.

The Muse rocker Tweeted today, “So happy! Just had a baby boy, Bingham ‘Bing’ Hawn Bellamy. Born 7lb 12oz, on 9th July.”

The name follows a trend for Hudson, who named her first son, now 7, Ryder Russell Robinson, with the name Russell honoring Hawn’s longtime boyfriend Kurt Russell.

Bellamy added, “Mum and baby are strong and healthy. Mum was a warrior, Bing popped out after 4.5 hours of intense pushing!”

Jul 12 2011 08:34 PM ET

Judge orders former 'Survivor' producer to Mexico to stand trial for murder

by Dan Snierson

Categories: Crime, Survivor, Television

A U.S. magistrate judge on Tuesday ordered Bruce Beresford-Redman — a reality TV producer whose credits include Survivor and Pimp My Ride — to be extradited to Mexico where he will be tried for the murder of his wife, the Associated Press is reporting. The body of Monica Beresford-Redman was found in a Cancun hotel sewer cistern last year while the couple were on a vacation in an attempt to reconcile their troubled marriage. Bereseford-Redman’s lawyer argued that the investigation by Mexican authorities was significantly flawed and that his client will appeal the ruling. If convicted, Beresford-Redman, who was been jailed since his arrest in November, faces a prison sentence of 12 to 30 years.

Jul 12 2011 12:40 PM ET

'Life is Beautiful' inspiration Rubino Romeo Salmoni dies

by Lanford Beard

Categories: In Memoriam

Rubino Romeo Salmoni, 91, who inspired Roberto Benigni’s Oscar-winning turn as Guido Orefice in Life Is Beautiful, passed away Sunday in Rome.

Salmoni detailed his survival in the German concentration camps of WWII in his memoir In the End, I Beat Hitler. Benigni adapted the book for his screenplay for the poignant 1997 film, which also won that year’s Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Score prizes, and was nominated for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and Editing honors. READ FULL STORY »

Jul 12 2011 12:38 PM ET

Ronnie of 'Jersey Shore' will see assault charges dropped

by Kate Ward

Categories: Crime

Jersey Shore‘s Ronald “Ronnie” Ortiz-Magro is a free man. No, not necessarily from Sammi. (We’ll have to wait until next season to see the status of their caustic on- and off-again relationship.) Assault charges against the reality TV star — which stemmed from a fight with a fellow Seaside Heights partier in 2009 that was captured on season 1 of Jersey Shore — will be dropped, providing Ortiz-Magro avoids any other legal run-ins. An Ocean County judge also admitted the Jersey Shore star into a pretrial intervention program for 18 months, reports the Associated Press.

Jul 12 2011 09:15 AM ET

Jewel welcomes her first child with husband Ty Murray

by Kate Ward

Categories: Celebrity Babies!

Her hands are small, she knows, but not as small as her new family member’s: Singer Jewel has welcomed her first child with husband Ty Murray, People reports. The couple’s son, Kase Townes Murray, was born Monday in Texas. “Ty and I are so pleased to welcome our new baby boy into the world,” the singer told People. “We are overcome with happiness — it really is as great as everyone told us it would be — better even!” Jewel and Murray have been married since 2008.

Jul 11 2011 05:30 PM ET

Kate Hudson and Matthew Bellamy: Still undecided on baby's name

by Lanford Beard

Categories: Celebrity Babies!

Two days after giving birth to a son with fiancé Matthew Bellamy, Kate Hudson and the Muse frontman are still contemplating the baby’s name, reports People. Hudson delivered the 7-lb., 12-oz. baby on Saturday night and plans to recover in Los Angeles. After that, she and her rocker hubby-to-be set down roots in London, where U.K. native Bellamy will work on Muse’s sixth studio album. This is Hudson’s second son. She delivered seven-year-old Ryder Russell Robinson while married to her ex-husband and Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson.

Jul 10 2011 02:30 PM ET

It's a girl (finally) for Victoria and David Beckham

by Jessica Shaw

Categories: Celebrity Babies!

Former Spice Girl and current designer Victoria Beckham and her soccer superstar husband David welcomed their first daughter this morning in Los Angeles, according to the New York Times. The baby, who weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz., was born at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, and joins big brothers Brooklyn, 11, Romeo, 8, and Cruz, 5.