Top Story
Actress Rebecca Gayheart has expressed “sorrow and regret” for an accident in which she reportedly ran over and killed a 9-year-old boy who was crossing the street in Hollywood, The Associated Press reports. The parents of Jorge Cruz Jr., who was hit June 13, sued Gayheart on Monday for wrongful death after their son received head injuries and died the next day. Cruz’ lawyers contends the actress was talking on a cellular phone when the Jeep Grand Cherokee hit the boy. “Despite the allegations in the lawsuit, the facts will establish that this was a most unfortunate accident. The pain of this tragedy will live with me forever,” Gayheart said Wednesday in a statement released to Access Hollywood.
Ailing
Singer Bobby Brown was rushed to a Morristown, N.J., hospital to receive treatment after he suffered a seizure because of the intense heat and hectic recording schedule of his new album. Brown was rushed to the Morrison Memorial Hospital by his wife-singer Whitney Houston at 3 a.m. Wednesday. He reportedly waited 90 minutes in the emergency room and was not admitted, the New York Post reported. Houston‘s spokeswoman, Nancy Seltzer said Brown “hadn’t been getting enough fluid and basically he was lightheaded.”
Deaths
Emmy-winning director Alan Rafkin, whose work included such television comedies as The Andy Griffith Show and M*A*S*H, died Monday of heart disease at the UCLA Medical Center, AP reports. Rafkin directed episodes for more than 80 primetime television series, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and I Dream of Jeannie.
Honored
Blake Edwards, 79, was awarded the Rhode Island International Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday. His wife, actress Julie Andrews, accepted the award in his honor because Edwards had come down with pneumonia and a high fever, AP reports.
In Courts
Guido Damiani, chief executive officer and general manager of Damiani Group, responsible for creating the wedding rings for Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, has denied the couple’s $50 million lawsuit claiming that the firm broke the pact of not selling similar wedding rings in its jewelry store. Damini said that the rings were original designs owned by the company.
Tribune Entertainment can continue to use the name Mutant X for its upcoming syndicated TV show, but the name does violated the rights of 20th Century Fox, a New York judge ruled Thursday. Fox had sued Tribune allegedly that Mutant X bore too many similarities to its X-Men film series. The ruling will still allow Tribune to launch the show into syndication starting the week of Oct. 1.
Country singer Terri Clark lost her driver’s license for a year and receive six-months probation after she pleaded guilty Thursday to drunk driving, AP reports. Her license was suspended because she refused to take a blood-alcohol test. Clark, 33, was stopped for speeding May 2.
The children of singer Perry Como, responsible for such hits as “Catch a Falling Star” and “Papa Loves Mambo,” battled over the late 88-year-old singer’s medical care before he died of Alzheimer’s disease on May 12, Palm Beach County court records show. According to AP, his four children were fighting over who would be the personal representative of their father’s estate. As a result, Como‘s estate will be distributed to his three children and 13 grandchildren. His wife of 65 years, Roselle, died in 1998.
The World Wrestling Federation lost a legal battle with the former World Wildlife Fund on Friday over the use of the WWF initials, Reuters reports. The agreement placed a series of restrictions on the Federation’s use of the letters WWF for the purposes of its business, which the Wildlife Fund–now known as the Worldwide Fund for the Nature– Fund claimed had been breached.
In General
Colombian television producer RCN has hired the William Morris Agency Inc. in its bid to find a potential American producer to introduce the Colombian soap opera potential Betty la Fea (Ugly Betty) into the U.S. market. Producers believe that the soap, which has had enormous success in Europe and Latin America, could translate into an English-language version. According to Reuters, Univision Communications Inc., the No.1 U.S. Spanish-language broadcaster, acquired the rights to air Betty la Fea in the fall.
