Entertaining Posts

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Halle Berry wins stay away order against intruder

LOS ANGELES | Tue Jul 12, 2011 9:59pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A judge on Tuesday granted Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry on a stay away order against a man who she said intruded on her Los Angeles property three times in recent days, before police arrested him.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carol Boas Goodson issued a temporary order directing Richard A. Franco, 27, to stay 100 yards from Berry and her young daughter.

Franco, who has a history of violence, theft and drug offenses, was found to have a book with "nonsensical ramblings" and Berry's name in his handwriting, the actress said in court papers posted at TMZ.com.

Franco first approached Berry's home on Saturday, when she was talking to her manager and saw through a glass door that Franco -- whom she does not know -- was in the gated back yard, the papers state. Berry's manager yelled at Franco and he left, she stated.

The actress further said that on Sunday, she went to her kitchen to get a Diet Coke and noticed Franco was on the other side of a glass door, less than a foot away.

"Panicking and in fear of my life, I turned my body and quickly hit the deadbolt lock on the glass door," Berry said in the court papers.

She said she ran upstairs to call police. That evening, arrangements were made to have armed security officers at Berry's home, and as a result on Monday, Franco was caught when he returned.

"This person has invaded and trampled upon the most fundamental sense of security I have and I am extremely frightened of him and what he might do to me or those I love," Berry said in her court papers.

Franco was booked on suspicion of stalking, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said on its website that Franco is being held in jail, and that his bail has been set at $150,000.

Berry, 44, won an Oscar for her role in the 2001 drama "Monster's Ball." She also starred in the movies "X-Men," "X2" and "X-Men: The Last Stand," and in 2008 she was named Esquire Magazine's "sexiest woman alive."

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Bank moves to foreclose on R. Kelly's Chicago mansion

CHICAGO | Tue Jul 12, 2011 8:43pm EDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter R. Kelly has failed to make mortgage payments on his multimillion-dollar Chicago-area home for more than a year and now may lose the property to lenders, court documents show.

In a foreclosure action filed in June in Cook County Circuit Court, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank N.A. said that the singer, whose full name is Robert S. Kelly, had not made a monthly payment on the 11,000-square-foot home in Olympia Fields in south suburban Chicago since June 2010.

The suit said the current principal balance on the loan was more than $2.9 million, not including unpaid interest, which accrues at rate of $251 a day.

The original loan issued in 1999 was for $3.5 million, according to the lawsuit, and the monthly payments were $24,345.12.

The property has a number of liens on it, according to the lawsuit, including nearly $2 million from the Department of the Treasury.

The 44-year-old R&B star, who won three Grammy Awards in 1998 for his song "I Believe I Can Fly," is no stranger to controversy. In 2008 a jury acquitted him of child pornography charges.

(Reporting by Karin Matz; Editing by Jerry Norton)

France makes Liza Minnelli Legion of Honour officer

PARIS | Tue Jul 12, 2011 1:52pm EDT

PARIS (Reuters) - France made U.S. actress Liza Minnelli, the singing legend with the powerful vibrato and jet-black pixie hairdo, an officer in its Legion of Honor.

Calling it a "dream come true," the 65-year-old daughter of Judy Garland whose signature song is "New York, New York" was awarded the red-ribboned medal during a ceremony in Paris.

French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand cited not only Minnelli's extensive career on the stage, but her work in fighting AIDS.

"We love you because you make our lives better," Mitterand told the visibly moved star, best known as an actress for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in Bob Fosse's film version of "Cabaret."

"High priestess of musical theater, you are the contemporary incarnation of the versatile talent, American-style," he added.

Minnelli, wearing a black silk jacket with chartreuse cuffs, dedicated the award to her friend and mentor Charles Aznavour, one of France's best-loved singers.

"I am honored. I am totally in love with all of you," Minnelli told the assembled group in the elaborately decorated grand salon. "What I'm really really honored about is to be a part of France, to be a part of the city and country of my dreams."

The Legion of Honor is bestowed according to different ranks. Minnelli was made the first rank of Chevalier, or knight, in 1987. Her father, director Vicente Minelli, attained the third rank of Commander.

"She's progressing," Mitterrand joked to reporters.

Earlier this month Minnelli picked up the Icon prize at the Silver Clef awards in central London.

After picking up her award, Minnelli performed at famed Paris music hall The Olympia, the venue where her 1969 appearance became a live album.

Robert Redford, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood are previous recipients of the French award.

(Reporting by Alexandria Sage, editing by Paul Casciato)

Singer Jewel gives birth to a boy

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Monday, July 11, 2011

Arnold Schwarzenegger back in Hollywood saddle, despite scandal

LOS ANGELES | Mon Jul 11, 2011 8:40pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two months after putting his Hollywood return on hold following a damaging sex scandal, Arnold Schwarzenegger is ready to get back into the saddle.

The former action star turned politician is scheduled to start shooting the Western movie "The Last Stand" in September, a film industry source said on Monday, despite being embroiled in what could be a messy divorce from his wife, Maria Shriver.

"It's an old-fashioned Western specifically designed for a 63 year-old broken-down guy with a moral decision...We always needed an iconic figure for it," an unnamed movie executive told industry website Deadline Hollywood on Monday. Deadline Hollywood first reported the story, and Schwarzenegger's participation was also confirmed by Entertainment Weekly magazine.

Representatives for the former "Terminator" star, 63, declined comment on the reports, as did a spokesman for the Lionsgate film studio that is behind the movie.

But an industry source who asked to remain anonymous confirmed to Reuters that the movie was going ahead as planned with Schwarzenegger in the lead role.

Schwarzenegger said in May that he was halting discussions for a new "Terminator" movie and all other Hollywood projects in order to focus on personal matters following an admission that he fathered a secret child 13 years ago with his family's housekeeper.

The former California governor's wife last week filed for a divorce to end their 25 year-old marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple have four children together.

Schwarzenegger was ridiculed in the media after revealing he had a child out of wedlock that he had kept secret from his family until now.

A Lionsgate executive told Deadline Hollywood that Schwarzenegger was "still a big piece of news".

"The Last Stand", to be directed by South Korea's Jee-woon Kim is expected to be released some time in 2012.

Before the housekeeper scandal broke in May, Schwarzenegger was also working on a movie called "Cry Macho" and had announced plans to voice a superhero with a double life in an animated TV comic book style series called "The Governator."

Production on "The Governator" was halted and "Cry Macho" has been put on hold for the time being.

Schwarzenegger was California governor for seven years until his second term ended in January. He was last seen on screen in a cameo role in the 2010 action movie "The Expendables."

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)