HOLLYWOOD - Top Story: Costner To Wed Longtime Girlfriend
Kevin Costner has asked his girlfriend, Christine Baumgartner, to marry him, the actor's spokesman told Reuters Thursday. Costner, 48, and Baumgartner, 29, met four years ago and have been dating since. A wedding date has not yet been set. Costner skyrocketed to stardom in the 1990's after winning a handful of Academy Awards, including Best Director, for his Western drama Dances With Wolves. The marriage will be Costner's second and Baumgartner's first.
Convicted Publicist Gets Job as Reporter
Lizzie Grubman, the music publicist who backed her SUV into a crowd of Hampton clubgoers two years ago injuring 16 people, has taken a job as a gossip and entertainment reporter for the radio station WNEW-FM in New York, The Associated Press reports. Grubman served 37 days in jail after pleading guilty to charges of assault and leaving the scene of the July 2001 crash.
Honeymooners in Color
For the first time in more than 30 years, the new cable channel GoodLife TV Network will air 42 original color episodes of The Honeymooners, which were presented as part of The Jackie Gleason Show in the 1960s, Reuters reports. Along with the 39 original episodes that ran as a stand-alone sitcom in the 1950s and a collection of 68 segments taken from Gleason's old variety hour, the "new" Honeymooners episodes will begin airing Saturday (check your local listings).
Rapper Mystikal Pleads Guilty to Battery
Grammy-nominated rapper Mystikal pleaded guilty Thursday to sexual battery charges that he forced his hairstylist to perform sex acts on him and two bodyguards, AP reports. Prosecutor Sue Bernie told AP Mystikal, whose real name is Michael Tyler, confronted his hairdresser in his Baton Rouge, La., apartment last July and accused her of stealing checks from him. Tyler told the woman he would not tell police about the checks if she did something "degrading" for him, Bernie said. Tyler has also pleaded guilty to extortion charges. His sentencing date is set for Sept. 25.
Townshend Speaks Out on Child Pornography
The Who's Pete Townshend finally addressed the controversy surrounding his arrest for using an illegal Web site containing child pornography, Billboard magazine reports. Although he was not charged, the musician posted a statement on his official Web site saying, "Every time it occurs to me to say something about what is going on I remember what happened to me: I was arrested, suspected of wallowing in the very s--- that most upset me. It sends a clear and loud message. What is clear is that I must learn to keep silent and focus my energies elsewhere." Townshend will release another live album as part of his Signature series within the next few weeks.
Music Industry Continues To Warn Downloaders
The Recording Industry Association of America continued their aggressive battle against song-swapping on the Internet by placing a full-page newspaper advertisement, warning offenders they could face legal action, Reuters reports. "Next time you or your kids share music on the Internet, you may also want to download a list of attorneys," read the bold print headline in Thursday's New York Times, over the ad signed by 13 different music trade groups and associations.
Role Call: Seoul Sisters Heads to DreamWorks
DreamWorks has won a fierce bidding war to acquire the remake rights to the hit South Korean horror flick A Tale of Two Sisters, Variety reports. The film follows two girls who go to live with their unbalanced stepmother after recovering from an unnamed illness. No director is yet attached to the project.