Rapper DMX sentenced to 90 days in jail

PHOENIX (Reuters) – A judge in Arizona sentenced rapper DMX to 90 days in jail on Friday on drug, theft and animal cruelty charges.

The 38-year-old rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, has been in custody since December.

Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Phemonia Miller gave Simmons no credit for time served and placed him on 18 months of supervised probation.

The rapper turned actor, whose hit albums include "Year of the Dog ... Again" and "It's Dark and Hell is Hot," has been in legal trouble during the past year in Arizona, where he keeps a home near Phoenix.

In May, he was arrested on drug and animal cruelty charges after sheriff's deputies raided his home. Authorities found dog carcasses and malnourished pit bulls.

Senate approves bill to delay digital TV

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed another bill on Thursday to delay the national transition to digital television.

Efforts to move the transition date to June 12 from February 17 are fueled by worries an estimated 20 million mostly poor, elderly and rural households are not technically ready for the congressionally mandated switch.

President Barack Obama supports a delay in the switch.

Earlier this week, the Senate passed another bill delaying the DTV transition, but the measure failed in the House of Representatives.

The bill is essentially the same that previously passed the Senate, but with a few minor modifications from the House.

Zappa family loses court battle in Germany

DUSSELDORF, Germany (Billboard) – Gail Zappa, widow of U.S. rock legend Frank Zappa, has failed in her bid to stop a German music festival from using her husband's name and image.

Zappa and her family trust had launched a lawsuit against the German Frank Zappa fan club over its annual Zappanale festival, demanding the removal of a bronze sculpture of Zappa at the festival site in Bad Doberan and damages of $325,000 if the festival continues to use the Zappanale name.

But the higher court in Dusseldorf ruled January 21 that festival organizers may continue to use Zappa's name and his image on the festival logo and related merchandise such as T-shirts and baseball caps. It ruled that Gail Zappa's rights were not violated and that she could not prove she uses the Zappa brand in Germany herself. The court found that she has had knowledge of the festival since it began in 1990. Frank Zappa died in 1993.

Pepsi going down to wire with Super Bowl ad choice

NEW YORK (Reuters) – PepsiCo Inc, battling both a recession and fierce competition from its longtime rival, will showcase a major overhaul of its brands this week when it unveils a handful of new advertisements during the Super Bowl.

Only days before the National Football League's championship game, Pepsi executives are still debating which advertisements they will run during NBC's broadcast on Sunday, which will likely be viewed by nearly 100 million Americans. Prices for 30-second spots have been running around $3 million apiece.

PepsiCo officials on Tuesday said they had purchased around 3-1/2 minutes of commercial time, and expect to be the broadcast's second-largest advertiser behind Anheuser-Busch InBev.

At the moment, PepsiCo expects to run at least one commercial each for Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Gatorade and SoBe Life Water, said Massimo d'Amore, chief executive PepsiCo North Americas Beverages.

Gene Roddenberry, wife to spend eternity in space

LOS ANGELES – The creator of "Star Trek" and his wife will spend eternity together in space. Celestis Inc., a company that specializes in "memorial spaceflights," said Monday that it will ship the remains of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry into space next year.

The couple's cremated remains will be sealed into specially made capsules designed to withstand the rigors of space travel. A rocket-launched spacecraft will carry the capsules, along with digitized tributes from fans. The Roddenberrys' remains — and the spacecraft — will travel ever deeper into space and will not return to earth, company spokeswoman Susan Schonfeld said.

After Gene Roddenberry died in 1991, his wife commissioned Celestis to launch a part of his remains into space in 1997. She died Dec. 18, 2008.

"Slumdog" wins top SAG film prize, Penn best actor

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "Slumdog Millionaire" took the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild awards on Sunday, boosting its chances of an Oscar next month, on a night that saw awards scattered across five different movies.

"Slumdog Millionaire," the story of a Mumbai slum dweller who hits the big time on a TV game show, won the prize for best ensemble cast in a motion picture. Sunday's SAG award followed four Golden Globes earlier this month and the Producer's Guild Award on Saturday night.

But the night did not belong wholly to the rags to riches independent movie, which came away with just one prize.

Sean Penn won the best actor award for playing slain San Francisco gay rights activist Harvey Milk in "Milk," while veteran Meryl Streep was a popular best actress winner for her role as a vindictive nun in the Catholic Church abuse drama "Doubt."

Indiana student ill, but wins Miss America crown

LAS VEGAS – Katie Stam of Indiana was crowned Miss America on Saturday night, fighting off a throat infection, laryngitis and 51 other contestants to win the 88-year-old pageant.

The 22-year-old University of Indianapolis student became the first Miss America winner from the Hoosier State. She drew loud applause for her rendition of "Via Dolorosa" during the talent portion of the beauty pageant at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

Stam said she had trouble sleeping one night this week while she took prescription medicine to fight the infection, but got her voice back by Thursday.

"I was feeling like myself again — I will never take my health for granted," she said.

The Seymour native also strutted onstage in a black bikini and an off-the-shoulder, white lace evening gown. During the interview portion of the competition she decried the use of performance-enhancing drugs among professional athletes and discussed the definition of glamour.

French prosecutors find no case against Messier

PARIS (Reuters) – French prosecutors investigating alleged insider trading at Vivendi Universal have concluded there is no case against Jean-Marie Messier, the former chief executive, judicial sources in Paris said on Friday.

The prosecutors are due to hand in their conclusions next week to an investigating magistrate, who will decide whether to pursue the case or drop it. The magistrate is likely to follow the advice of the prosecutors, the sources said.

The prosecutors will recommend that charges be dropped against Messier and all others who were under suspicion, including Warner Music Group Chief Executive Edgar Bronfman Jr.

The probe, which began in 2004, centers on events at Vivendi Universal during the tenure of Messier, who created the global entertainment giant through an acquisition spree from beginnings as a French water and sewage utility.

Paramount, Warner Bros lead studios' Oscar tally

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – If Warner Bros had not shut down its arthouse arms in May, it would have led the studios' Oscar tally on Thursday.

The Time Warner Inc unit picked up 21 nominations -- 13 for leading contender "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and eight for "The Dark Knight." But it was pipped by its "Benjamin Button" partner, Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures and its arthouse arm, which scored a total of 23.

Warner Bros also produced "Slumdog Millionaire," which earned 10 nominations -- second to "Benjamin Button" -- but the credit went to Fox Searchlight Pictures instead.

The acclaimed drama was among the films left homeless by Warner Bros president Alan Horn's closure of the studio's Warner Independent Pictures and Picturehouse divisions. Fox Searchlight, a unit of News Corp, stepped in, and the film is now riding a wave of commercial and critical acclaim.

Eva Mendes crowned "most desirable" in poll

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actress Eva Mendes was crowned as the most desirable woman of 2009 on Wednesday in a poll by online men's magazine AskMen.com that organizers swear is not all about looks but overall qualities.

Mendes, 34, topped the online magazine's 9th annual list of "Top 99 Most Desirable Women" after AskMen.com readers cast more than 10 million votes to rank the women with the best qualities for the ideal girlfriend or wife.

She took the top slot from actress Katherine Heigl after placing fourth last year while actress Megan Fox ranked second and Victoria's Secret model Marisa Miller came in third place.

James Bassil, editor-in-chief of AskMen.com, said the list was a "pulse-check" of the women that readers were not only following but also perceived as more than just a pretty face.

Jim Carrey "comes out" at Sundance

PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) – Jim Carrey outed his new movie "I Love You Phillip Morris" at the Sundance Film Festival this week, taking a risk in the gay romantic comedy by sharing passionate moments with co-star Ewan McGregor.

Based on a true story, Carrey plays cop-turned-conman Steven Russell, who falls in love with his cellmate Phillip Morris (McGregor) and escapes four times from the Texas jail where he is being held in a bid to be with his partner.

For Carrey, one of Hollywood's biggest box office draws in mainstream comedies such as "Liar, Liar" and "Bruce Almighty," taking the role in an independent film like "Philip Morris" could prove to be a real gamble.

Carrey, 47, risks losing the audiences that flock to his mainstream comedies such as "Yes Man," which has grossed about $100 million at U.S. box offices since its December release.

Mexico's Slim to invest $250 million in New York Times

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York Times Co. said it will get a $250 million investment from one of the world's richest men, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, a move that will give the company much-needed time to clear financial hurdles.

Slim, 68, who already owns 6.9 percent of the Times's stock, will receive warrants in the company that could give him an eventual 17 percent interest in the publisher.

That would make him one of the largest shareholders in the venerable newspaper publisher, following the Ochs-Sulzberger family that has controlled the company for more than 100 years. It is unclear what Slim's eventual aim is with the company.

The investment comes at a critical time for The New York Times. The company, which owns the namesake newspaper as well as The Boston Globe and other local U.S. papers, is struggling to pay off more than $1.1 billion in debt in the next few years, even as advertising revenue deteriorates.

Kelly Osbourne Arrested for Assault

Kelly Osbourne has been arrested for allegedly slapping a journalist in a London nightclub last summer.

The 24-year-old daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne was released on bail as inquiries continue. She is scheduled to return to see authorities in March.

The allegations stem from a claim that Osbourne hit gossip columnist Zoe Griffin after Griffin wrote an article mocking Osbourne's model boyfriend Luke Worrall. In a piece last August in the U.K. newspaper The Mirror, Griffin wrote that she was approached in Punk nightclub by Osbourne, who took issue with a story Griffin had written saying Worrall had to ask how an earthquake was caused.

Griffin quoted her saying, "I have an issue with you. My boyfriend knows what an earthquake is and everyone has been laughing at him and he's upset."

Katy Perry in French music award gaffe

American pop star Katy Perry was mistakenly handed the trophy for song of the year for I Kissed a Girl at the NRJ Music Awards in France, and had to give back the award.

The host of the gala in Cannes on Saturday night announced at the end of the show that there had been a mistake and the accolade should have been given to Barbados' Rihanna for Disturbia.

Perry did win in another category — best international album, for One of the Boys.

Britney Spears won the awards for international female artist of the year and for best video for Womanizer, while Enrique Iglesias captured top international male artist. The Pussycat Dolls won for best international group and teen favourites, the Jonas Brothers, got best international new artist.

Vietnam releases anti-corruption reporter

A well-known journalist in Vietnam who wrote anti-corruption stories has been released as part of the country's annual Lunar New Year amnesty.

On Jan. 15, President Nguyen Minh Triet signed the papers to release more than 15,000 prisoners, including Nguyen Viet Chien of the Thanh Nien newspaper.

Public security vice-minister Le The Tiem said Friday that all the prisoners on the list would be liberated Saturday.

"It is a huge joy for us after a year of trouble," said Chien's son, Nguyen Tuan.

"This has come at a good time because my father is not in good health. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who supported him during this difficult year."

Director McG offers a sneak peek at Terminator: Salvation

TORONTO -- McG’s passion for his next film, Terminator: Salvation – the fourth installment of the robot apocalypse franchise – may have been obvious and contagious at Toronto’s press-only screening of selected footage on Tuesday, but it also got him into some trouble. That is, if you consider ruffling the feathers of your production company and spoiling parts of your movie trouble.

Speaking frankly, the Michigan-born director told the audience that he had initially thought the idea to create a fourth Terminator film was “terrible.”

“[Director James] Cameron had told the whole story in two films,” he said, doing his best to hide his obvious disdain for the third film, Rise of the Machines.

However, he quickly warmed to the idea when he discovered the planned story was set in the post-apocalyptic, post-“Judgment Day” world of the Terminator mythos. “There were only ever glimpses of the world after Judgment Day,” he said. “So, right there, I started thinking that it might be worthwhile.”

Despite seeking (and winning) seals of approval from original Terminator creator/director James Cameron and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, things didn’t totally fall into place creatively for McG until actor Christian Bale signed on to do the film.

U.S. company has plans for Ingmar Bergman catalog

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Rights to the complete works of Swedish film legend Ingmar Bergman, at least in the United States, now rest with the former owners of a Colorado movie theater after an eight-year legal battle with a Scandinavian media group.

To satisfy an unpaid multimillion-dollar court judgment against Svensk Filmindustri, a Colorado judge last year ordered rights to its entire movie catalog transferred to operators of the landmark Isis Theater in the ski resort of Aspen, Colorado.

The process of assigning and recording rights to Bergman's films and dozens of others with the U.S. Copyright Office was completed in late December, Isis representatives said on Friday.

Transferred so far are roughly 450 movie and television titles, including Bergman's complete film collection, among them "Cries and Whispers," "Fanny and Alexander," "Hour of the Wolf," "The Seventh Seal" and "Wild Strawberries."

Celebrities make Obama-inspired service pledges

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria Parker swore off plastic water bottles and "Charlie's Angels" actress Lucy Liu also vowed to help the environment by riding the subway when she's in New York.

In a show of support for President-elect Barack Obama's call for community service, more than 50 Hollywood celebrities have pledged to take positive action, in a video from husband-and-wife acting duo Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore.

The video will premiere on social networking website MySpace.com by next Monday, the day before Obama's inauguration.

"There's an assumption that this one man is going to take on his new job full-time and somehow wave a magic wand of change, and I don't believe that to be true," Kutcher, 30, told Reuters.

Taylor Swift tops U.S. chart for sixth week

NEW YORK (Billboard) – In another week bereft of any major new releases, country star Taylor Swift led the U.S. pop albums chart for a sixth non-consecutive week on Wednesday.

"Fearless," the 19-year-old's second album, sold 72,000 copies during the week ended January 11, the lowest tally since Alicia Keys' "As I Am" moved 61,000 copies last February.

"Fearless" becomes the first album to spend six weeks at the top since 2005, when 50 Cent's "The Massacre" logged its first six frames at the summit.

Canadian rock band Nickelback's "Dark Horse" jumped three places to No. 2 with 53,000, while Kanye West's "808s and Heartbreak" held tight at No. 3 with 50,000. Beyonce's "I Am ... Sasha Fierce" fell two places to No. 4 with 49,000. The soundtrack to "Twilight" slipped one to No. 5 with 43,000.

Hollywood actors remain in limbo on strike vote

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Union hard-liners prevailed in a showdown at the Screen Actors Guild on Tuesday, defeating attempts by moderates to scuttle a planned strike referendum and oust negotiators they blamed for stalled contract talks with Hollywood's major studios.

The outcome of the 30-hour meeting by SAG's sharply divided national board left in doubt, however, when union leaders might go ahead with a vote seeking formal permission from rank-and-file members to call a strike.

Faced with dwindling support for a strike authorization amid a worsening economy, SAG leaders announced last month they would delay the referendum for at least three weeks, until after the January 12-13 board meeting, in hopes of restoring consensus.

In a terse statement issued at the end of the closed-door session, SAG said only that "no substantive actions were taken" and that "no mailing date has been set for the previously approved" strike referendum ballots.

NBC says 90 percent of Super Bowl ads sold

NEW YORK (Mediaweek) – With three weeks to go before NBC kicks off Super Bowl XLIII, the network has thrown its two-minute offense into gear, closing two key studio sponsorships as part of a sustained push for movie dollars.

NBC says it has sold about 90% of its available inventory, leaving between eight and 10 of the 67 Super Bowl spots up for grabs, at a going rate of $3 million a pop. Media buyers polled said the number of remaining spots was closer to 10-12.

Sources said NBC has picked up the major studios as a hedge against shriveling marketing budgets, taking its cues from the playbook Fox developed last year. (Super Bowl XLII played host to eight 30-second movie ads, a chunk of business that allowed Fox to be virtually sold out by November 2007.) Last week, NBC lined up Disney's Pixar, which will showcase its latest animation spectacle, "Up," and was dotting the i's with 20th Century Fox that is likely to involve a teaser for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." Earlier deals were cut with Paramount, Universal, DreamWorks and Sony.

Eastwood wins box office race with "Gran Torino"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino" crossed the finish line first at the weekend box office in North America on Sunday, setting a new record for the busy 78-year-old actor and director.

The suburban drama, in which Eastwood plays a grumpy old man who takes on Hmong gang members "Dirty Harry"-style, earned an estimated $29 million in the three days since it opened nationally on Friday, distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said.

Eastwood's previous best weekend was with "Space Cowboys," which earned $18 million in 2000. His most recent directing effort, "Changeling," earned $9.4 million during its first weekend of national release. "Gran Torino" has grossed $40.1 million since opening in limited release last month.

Three new movies, all playing mostly to women, entered the top 10 with better-than-expected results. "Bride Wars," starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson, opened at No. 2 with $21.5 million, followed by the supernatural thriller "The Unborn," at No. 3 with $21.1 million.

"Slumdog Millionaire" hits Golden Globe jackpot

BEVERLY HILLS (Reuters) – Rags-to-riches tale "Slumdog Millionaire" hit the jackpot at the Golden Globes on Sunday, winning four of the coveted awards including best film drama to give it a leg up in Hollywood's race for Oscars.

"Slumdog," which tells of a young Indian man looking for love and competing for money on a television game show, also earned awards for director Danny Boyle, screenwriter Simon Beaufoy and composer A.R. Rahman for best musical score.

Boyle thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which gives out the Golden Globe Awards, for supporting his movie that captures the frenetic pace of life in Mumbai.

"Your mad, pulsating affection for our film is much appreciated, really deeply appreciated," Boyle said.

In other major honors, director Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" was named best film musical or comedy.

Angelina Jolie thinking about brief return to film

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Angelina Jolie, who has been lying low since the birth of her 5-month-old twins, is thinking about a brief return to film, but very brief.

The "Changeling" star and mother of six — twins Vivienne and Knox were born last July — says she'll be in front of the camera early this year. The 33-year-old actress didn't say what projects she may be working on.

"I have had a year off, and I may work for a few months," Jolie says. "But if I do, I'm probably going to take another year and a half or two. I'm going to work a lot less."

Jolie and her partner Brad Pitt attended the 14th annual Critics' Choice Awards at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on Thursday night.

Patrick Swayze in hospital, The Beast will have to wait

Patrick Swayze, who has been battling pancreatic cancer, checked himself into hospital for observation Friday morning after contracting pneumonia, officials at the TV network A&E disclosed.

The star of the network's new police drama The Beast had been scheduled to appear before the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles to promote the show on Friday.

But A&E vice-president Robert DeBitetto told critics Swayze was too ill to appear.

"Patrick has asked that I tell you that this morning he checked himself into the hospital for observation. Chemotherapy can take its toll on the immune system, and illnesses are a part of that," Bitetto said.

B.C. Ballet gets needed lift from creditors

VANCOUVER — After six weeks of uncertainty, Ballet BC escaped bankruptcy Friday afternoon as creditors voted unanimously to accept the Vancouver company's financial package.

Twenty-one creditors cast their votes in person, while another 30 voted via mail. This was only a small proportion of the total number owed money, which stands at around 250, Ballet BC's chairman of the board, Graeme Barrit, said at a news conference at the Scotiabank Dance Centre.

Against a debt of around $400,000, Ballet BC was able to offer $255,000, which worked out to each proven creditor receiving $500 plus 25 cents on the dollar for the remainder they're owed.

The Globes are back in a partying mood

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The Golden Globes are out to party like it's 2007 this weekend as studios and networks try to get the festivities circuit back on track after last year's awards show was party-pooped by the Hollywood writers strike.

This year, the shindigs are back at the Beverly Hilton, the awards venue, but not at all at full force. And some longtime players on the film side are noticeably absent.

Come Sunday night, NBC Universal returns with a rooftop bash. InStyle and Warner Bros. are back in their usual haunt at the Oasis Courtyard -- with a live band. And HBO is hunkering down at its traditional poolside perch, Circa 55.

New on the scene will be cable channel AMC, riding high with "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad," which is throwing a viewing party in the Stardust Room.

Sun Times says will accept investor decisions

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper urged shareholders to reject an effort by a dissident investor to replace its board, but said on Wednesday it would accept whatever decision they make.

Sun-Times Media Group called Davidson Kempner Capital Management's plan to replace the board "ill-conceived," adding it has its own cost-cutting plan.

The publisher said it plans to reduce costs by more than $50 million, in addition to $50 million that it cut in 2008. It also plans to break even on a cash-flow basis in the next 12 to 24 months, it said in a statement.

The Sun-Times statement came two days after Davidson Kempner objected to the board's decision to keep several directors who had planned to leave.

Davidson Kempner, which owns 5.89 percent of the Sun-Times's shares, according to Reuters data, said it is a decision by the board to "further entrench itself, despite repeated previous commitments."

Blu-ray may save day as DVD sales slump

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – DVD revenue in the U.S. fell by 8% in 2008, but a new research report projects it's only a matter of time before Blu-ray begins to compensate for declining returns from traditional discs.

For now, the picture is a bit dimmer. Even accounting for the sales of the fledgling high-def format, the home entertainment industry absorbed a 6% decline last year.

The industry trade organization Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) circulated year-end data for the segment on Wednesday, even as researcher SNL Kagan released a report projecting an incremental strengthening of home entertainment revenue over the next several years.

Kagan said growth in the installed base on Blu-ray players eventually will help compensate more meaningfully for DVD declines

"We expect a resurgence ... over the next couple of years, thanks to high-definition," Kagan forecasts in its report, dubbed "The State of Home Video."

Blockbuster CEO open to partnerships with telecoms

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Blockbuster Inc , the largest U.S. movie rental chain, is open to collaboration with telecom companies such as Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T Inc as it expands into the video-on-demand business, chief executive officer Jim Keyes said on Tuesday.

"As we move toward video-on-demand and pay-per-view, Blockbuster is well positioned not only to compete on our own, but also to partner with others," said Keyes to analysts at a Citigroup media conference.

Blockbuster in November rolled out a digital media player that allows customers to download high-definition quality movies to their TVs via broadband lines. Rival Netflix Inc, released a service to watch movies over the Web six months earlier.

Verizon and AT&T have begun offering packages of high-speed Internet and video along with phone services to help them compete better with cable service providers.

"Scrubs" brings hospital hijinks to ABC

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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Here it is, Season eight of "Scrubs" -- the one that never was supposed to happen. Like "Diff'rent Strokes" more than 20 years ago, the hospital sitcom has defected from NBC to ABC for what is presumed to be its final season. Or maybe not.

One never knows what the show's irrepressible creator Bill Lawrence might have up his sleeve, and to be sure he's pulled off quite a feat to land this 18-episode stay of execution. Of course, the fact that "Scrubs" is produced by ABC Studios might have had a little something to do with it. No matter the reason, it's pretty terrific to see the return of a half-hour this charmingly performed and superbly written, particularly when we're suffering such a primetime network comedy shortage.

The show hits the ground in midseason form after eight months and one change of venue, integrating a new crop of interns with seamless aplomb and again demonstrating how to fuse dramatic elements into a sitcom without breaking a sweat.

Travolta son's death caused by "seizure disorder"

NASSAU (Reuters) – Actor John Travolta's son, Jett, died from "seizure disorder," a Bahamas funeral home official said on Monday after pathologists performed an autopsy on the body of the teenager who suffered a seizure last week at his family's holiday home.

Bahamian authorities did not make public the results of the autopsy, which was observed by Travolta's family doctor. Police Commissioner Reginald Ferguson said the findings would not be released because "there is nothing criminal about the situation."

Keith McSweeney, funeral director for the Restview Memorial Mortuary in Freeport, where the boy's body was sent after the autopsy, said the death certificate listed "seizure disorder" as the cause of death.

Jett, 16, had a history of seizures and was found unconscious in a bathroom at his family's home in the Old Bahama Bay resort on Grand Bahama Island on Friday morning. He was pronounced dead after being taken by ambulance to Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport.

Studio chief, producer Ned Tanen dies at 77

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Ned Tanen, the former president of Universal Pictures who championed such filmmakers as George Lucas and John Hughes, died Monday of natural causes at his home in Santa Monica. He was 77.

Tanen ran Universal from 1976 to 1982. He presided over two record box office years: 1980 and 1982, which included "On Golden Pond," "Coal Miner's Daughter," "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial."

He resigned from Universal in December 1982 amid the success of "E.T." Citing "burnout," he told the Wall Street Journal he was tired of playing the "Hollywood game."

But Tanen couldn't leave the film business that easily. He took on producing roles in three "Brat Pack" films: Hughes' "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles," and Joel Schumacher's "St. Elmo's Fire."

Universal sells Rogue to financing partner

LOS ANGELES: Universal Pictures, a division of General Electric Co., has sold horror and thriller film label Rogue Pictures to its longtime financing partner Relativity Media LLC.

NBC Universal spokeswoman Kori Bernards on Sunday confirmed the deal was closed shortly before Christmas but declined to confirm the sale price. The New York Times reported the deal was for about $150 million.

Spokesmen for Relativity were not immediately available. In October, a person familiar with the deal talks cited a price tag of as much as $150 million for Relativity to acquire Rogue's brand, catalog and upcoming releases — about four this year — although Universal would continue to distribute its films.

The deal comes after Universal Pictures agreed to distribute up to six movies a year from Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks studio, which split from Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures.

The sale of Rogue will reduce overhead expenses for Universal and represents a significant hedge in a weakening economy as Universal's film slate is about to expand to about 35 movies a year after DreamWorks' productions hit theaters around the end of 2009.

Pregnant Kelly Rutherford Splits from Millionaire Husband

Pregnant Gossip Girl actress Kelly Rutherford and her husband of two years, German entrepreneur Daniel Giersch, are calling it quits.

Rutherford, 40, who is three months pregnant, filed for divorce on Dec. 30, citing "irreconcilable differences," according to papers obtained by PEOPLE.

Giersch filed for legal separation the same day, a source tells PEOPLE.

Giersch and Rutherford, who is expected on the Gossip set in New York Tuesday, also have a 2-year-old son, Hermes.

This is Rutherford's second marriage.

Rutherford’s rep couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

TMZ first reported the news of the divorce.

Grateful Dead alums plan first tour in 5 years

LOS ANGELES – It looks like the old Dead are gettin' on.

Surviving members of the Grateful Dead say they'll regroup for a 19-city tour, their first since 2004, beginning April 12 in Greensboro, N.C.

The group, which now just calls itself The Dead, announced its plans Thursday.

Original band members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann have toured sporadically since the 1995 death of guitarist Jerry Garcia, but struggled to get along personally and artistically. They told Rolling Stone in November that they've worked out their differences, aided by a successful October benefit concert in Pennsylvania for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Warren Haynes joins the Dead on lead guitar, and Jeff Chimenti will play keyboards.

Heath Ledger 2008's biggest movie story: poll

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Australian actor Heath Ledger beat all-comers in a 2008 movie poll released on Thursday, sweeping the biggest news story, most missed star and best villain categories thanks to his posthumous hit film "The Dark Knight."

Ledger, whose death at age 28 in January of an accidental prescription drugs overdose shocked the world, was voted the biggest movie news story of 2008 by 83 percent of votes in the poll by AOL's online movie site Moviefone.com.

The actor also topped the list of movie stars voters will most miss after their deaths, edging out the late Paul Newman by 56 to 20 percent of votes.

Ledger has won Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for his supporting actor role as The Joker in the Batman move "The Dark Knight", which was released six months after his death.

Matt Dillon arrested for speeding in Vermont

BOSTON (Reuters) – Hollywood actor Matt Dillon was arrested and charged with driving at an excessive speed after police clocked him traveling at 106 miles per hour on a Vermont interstate highway.

The star of the 2004 movie "Crash" was pulled over at about 10 p.m. on Tuesday in the town of Newbury after he was caught on police radar traveling north at high speed in a rented 2009 Chevrolet Impala, said Vermont State Police Sgt. Tara Thomas.

The New York-based 44-year-old actor is scheduled to appear in Vermont's Orange County Court on January 21. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of three months in jail and a $300 fine.