HOLLYWOOD - Teen Girl's Parents Sue Nick Nolte
The parents of a teenage girl have sued actor Nick Nolte, alleging their daughter was drugged and sexually assaulted at a party at his Malibu home in 2002, The Associated Press reports. The lawsuit, filed Nov. 29, also lists a security officer and several others as defendants, including Nicholas Woodring, who was convicted in March of having sex with the girl, then 15. Woodring was sentenced to 180 days in jail, but that case did not go to trial. According to the civil suit, Woodring and a minor gave the girl the date-rape drug GHB and then sexually assaulted her at a Jan. 25, 2003, party. Nolte, 64, was not at the house when the incident happened. "It is our understanding that the individual responsible has been held accountable," Nolte's publicist Arnold Robinson said Thursday. "Mr. Nolte was at the time, and still remains, concerned for the young lady's well-being." The suit claims Nolte was negligent because he was aware the security officer and one of the minors were providing alcohol and drugs to minor children for the purpose of "gaining compliance to certain acts of sexual harassment." The girl's parents are seeking unspecified damages.
Computer theft postpones Blake trial
Robert Blake's murder trial was postponed Thursday after a computer that contained what a court representative called "the heart and soul of the defense case" was stolen from defense attorney M. Gerald Schwartzbach's Sherman Oaks, Calif., apartment. Schwartzbach would not comment on whether he had copies of the material on the missing computer, but court representative James E. Blatt said some of the items taken could have a very negative effect in the "wrong people's hands." Court Judge Darlene Schempp postponed a motions hearing until Monday, when opening statements had been scheduled. She did not say whether those statements would proceed. Blake, 71, is charged with murdering his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, in 2001.
Williams assumes Nightly News anchor duties
Brian Williams began his tenure on NBC's Nightly News yesterday after his predecessor, Tom Brokaw, stepped down after 23 years. According to Reuters, Brokaw's last Nightly News, drew a ratings high with 15.4 million viewers. Williams, whose first order of business was to interview Washington bureau chief Tim Russert about the political situation in Iraq, made no mention of the transition until the final minutes of the show. Williams said he was proud to represent NBC News and thank them for fulfilling a dream he had since a boy. "Thanks to all of you for watching," Williams said. "We'll continue to work each and every day to earn and preserve your loyalty. It means so much to have you with us as we continue a great tradition, starting tonight.
Greek lawyers will not take action against Alexander
After watching a sneak preview of director Oliver Stone's cinematic epic Alexander in Athens Thursday, a group of 25 Greek lawyers decided not to take legal action over scenes suggesting the Macedonian king was bisexual, Reuters reports. The lawyers argue there is no historical evidence supporting claims that Alexander had male lovers and had wanted a disclaimer warning audiences the movie wasn't historically accurate. The movie charts the life of Alexander the Great (Colin Farrell) and includes several references to the lead character's bisexuality, including his relationship with his friend Hephaestion (Jared Leto), which is summed up in the movie in one line: "Alexander was defeated only once--by Hephaestion's thighs."
Singer Lynn Anderson charged DWI
Singer Lynn Anderson, who won a Grammy in 1970 for her song "Rose Garden," was charged with drunk driving Thursday after police found her passed out in her car on the shoulder of a highway in Denton, Texas, the AP reports. According to police, someone reported a car weaving and driving onto the shoulder on Interstate 35. The caller followed the car until it pulled over and stopped near Denton--about 35 miles north of Dallas. The 57-year-old singer, who lives in Taos, N.M., was arrested after officers woke her and conducted a field sobriety test. She was later released on $1,000 bond. Anderson was the Country Music Association's female vocalist of the year in 1971 and released her first album in 12 years, Pure Country, this year.
Tom Hanks needs a hotel room in Brussels
Tourism officials in Brussels are scurrying to find Tom Hanks a place to stay because all hotel rooms are booked for the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. Tourism officials told the AP Friday that the Saving Private Ryan star was planning to stay Dec. 15-19 in the southeast town of Bastogne, where remembrance ceremonies are to be held for one of the bloodiest battles of World War II in which some 80,000 American soldiers were killed. But the AP reports officials have not yet received final confirmation from Hanks. The actor, who collaborated with director Steven Spielberg on the TV series Band of Brothers, was expected to travel to the Ardennes region of Belgium with eight veterans of the famed Easy Company of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division.