Top Story
Former Beatle Paul McCartney confessed last week that his late wife Linda helped him quit a yearlong cocaine addiction. McCartney told Q music magazine, “I was lucky to have Linda because there were certain things I was going off on and she could pull me back, like drinking and drugging and getting crazy.” Linda McCartney died in 1998 after a three-year battle with cancer.
In Court
British army major Charles Ingram, who is under investigation for allegedly cheating when he won $1.4 million on the British version of the TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, was arrested Thursday with his wife, Diana, and college lecturer Tecwen Whittock, Variety reports. While the three were questioned over an allegation of conspiracy to defraud, none has been charged. Ingram insists he is innocent and is threatening to sue for the money.
Deaths
Tjuan Hinojosa, the drummer and founding member of the band Tejano, and his 28-year old son Michael were killed in a traffic accident on Friday, The Associated Press reports. The two were driving in dense fog toward Corpus Christi on a rural road in Neuces County when their car was hit by another vehicle. Hinojosa, 51, died at the scene and his son died at the hospital three hours later. Officials are expected to cite the driver of the other vehicle for failure to stop at a stop sign.
In General
Disney and 20th Century Fox will provide first-run films to U.S. troops on the front lines in Afghanistan, Variety reports. Fox staged the international premiere of Behind Enemy Lines on a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea over Thanksgiving, and Disney plans to ship some of its classic and first-run films to U.S. military installations overseas.
Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has become the top-selling video and DVD animated title of all time overseas, Variety reports. Snow White has sold 26 million copies since its release in 1994, surpassing The Lion King, which has sold 24 million units since 1995. The animated classic was released in foreign markets in October.
George Lucas‘ 1977 sci-fi action thriller Star Wars was voted the greatest movie of all time by viewers of Britain’s Channel 4, Reuters reports. Scorned by film critics for ignoring the true cinematic classics, the poll attracted more than 20,000 votes from viewers. Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw found the results depressing. “When people are asked for their favorite film, they tend to go for something they view as a classic, and it’s disturbing that people now think Star Wars is a classic.”
Elton John will top the bill at Monday night’s Royal Variety Performance in London, Reuters reports. Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip will attend the performance, which will be televised Wednesday at 8 p.m. on ITV. Other performers include Jennifer Lopez, Craig David and Cher.
Leslie Nielsen has landed a $250,000 deal to do commercials for the Ohio Lottery, AP reports. Lottery officials hope Nielsen will boost lottery profits, which subsidize state schools. It is the first time Ohio has used a celebrity to peddle its gambling games.
British tabloid The Sun launched “Mick Aid” on Friday to help Mick Jagger‘s new solo album Goddess in the Doorway, Reuters reports. Columnist Dominic Mohan said he started the tongue-in-cheek campaign “to help rescue the legend.” The Sun bought 100 copies of the album, which has sold only 2,324 copies so far, to give away to its readers.
