Married
Actress Jennifer Grey married actor-screenwriter Clark Gregg on the Martha’s Vineyard beach on Saturday, People.com reports. Grey, 41, is best known for her role as Baby in the 1987 dance drama Dirty Dancing alongside Patrick Swayze. The two have been dating for about one year and are expecting their first child in December. Grey is the daughter of Joel Grey, who won an Oscar for Cabaret in 1972. Gregg‘s father, who is an Episcopal minister, performed the ceremony, which was an interdenominational mix of Jewish and Christian customs.
Deaths
Twenty-one-year-old plus-size model Natasha Duncan reportedly committed suicide in her New York apartment on Saturday, ETonline.com reports. Duncan was discovered by her roommate, Johanna Edelberg, in the kitchen of their apartment lying face up in a pool of blood with a 12-inch kitchen knife near by. She apparently stabbed herself in the neck several times. A medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death. Though there was no suicide note, police found some indication that Duncan was depressed. Duncan’s brother Alec told authorities he spoke to her just hours earlier and that she seemed upbeat but complained about her boyfriend, a kick boxing instructor.
In Court
Director Pedro Almodovar and his production company, El Deseo, are being accused by animal rights activists of violating an animal protection law during the filming Talk to Her in near Madrid, according to The Associated Press. The film is about a female bullfighter, played by Spanish singer Rosario Flores. El Deseo confirmed that Almodovar shot a scene and that four bulls died, but said that they have the necessary permits. A spokeswoman for the company said that the animals were killed in the least painful way possible. Animal Amnesty in Madrid told a news agency that an inexperienced bullfighter had made a slaughter with the animals in order to shoot a scene in the film. Almodovar could face a fine of up to $13,513.
A prisoner who escaped from jail with the help of an Eddie Murphy picture is back behind bars, Reuters reports. Kevin Pullum walked out of a Los Angeles jail on July 6 two hours after being convicted of attempted murder by presenting an identification card bearing a photo of Murphy. Pullum found an ad for the film Dr. Dolittle 2 and pasted Murphy‘s image on to an ID card. He walked out of the jailhouse wearing street clothes he had concealed under his prison uniform. Pullum was found sitting on a milk crate in the city’s skid row area on Sunday. Police said he was a nervous Pullum produced another fake ID.
The trial for a man accused of burglarizing the home of model Jerry Hall in London has been delayed, Reuters reports. The burglary took place Sept. 27 while Hall was appearing in the London stage version of The Graduate. David Michael Bryce is accused of stealing jewelry, a candlestick and a laptop computer worth over $10,000. Hall is the former wife of Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger.
In General
Conan O’Brien has apologized and said he takes full responsibility for not bleeping out a racial slur by a comedian on his NBC late-night talk show, Reuters reports. Sarah Silverman used a derogatory term for Chinese people while telling a joke about trying to avoid jury duty by making herself out to be a bigot. After Media Action Network for Asian Americans demanded an apology from the network, NBC issued a statement last week saying it erred in airing the epithet. Silverman also issued a statement, calling the joke a social satire that was not intended to offend.
Writer Stephen King is working on a television series for ABC that will feature tales of a haunted hospital built over a graveyard, The Associated Press Reports. The Kingdom, which is based on a Danish TV miniseries directed by Lars von Trier, will be aired during the 2002-2003 season. It will begin with a two-hour installment, followed by 13 one-hour episodes. The series is being described as Twin Peaks meets E.R..
Napster will replace its interim CEO Hank Barry with an executive from its German backer, Bertelsmann AG, The Associated Press reports. Konard Hilbers, who was executive vice president and chief administrative officer at BMG Entertainment, will become CEO. Barry will remain with the company, serving on Napster’s board of directors. The song-swapping network has not resumed service since July 12 when U.S. District Judge Marilyn Patel forced them to monitor its filtering system for pirated music more closely. No word yet on when the new legitimate pay-for-music Napster site will launch.
Actor Tom Hanks was elected governor to the actors branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the BBC News reports. Hanks will replace Gregory Peck, who could not complete the remaining year of his three-year term. The position will be up for re-election next year. Kathy Bates, who also serves as governor, was returned for a second three-year term. Other new board members include Curtis Hanson in the directors branch, Mark Johnson in the producers branch, and Freida Lee Mock in the new documentary branch.
