Dawson gets arrested near GOP protests
Actress Rosario Dawson (25th Hour, The Rundown) was arrested near the route of anti-Republican protests in New York after she refused to get off the road, authorities told The Associated Press. In New York filming the indie film This Revolution, the actress and the film’s director, Stephen Marshall, were both arrested after they were spotted in a road with about 30 people gathered around them, wearing handkerchiefs as masks with only their eyes showing. A police officer told Dawson and the other person that they had to leave the roadway, the complaint said, but they reportedly refused, AP reports. Marshall reportedly tried to show police his city film permit but was arrested anyway. Each was charged with two counts of disorderly conduct and one charge of obstructing governmental administration. They were released without bail and told to return to court Nov. 9.
Jackson tops CMS nominations
The Country Music Association announced their nominations for the 38th annual CMA Awards, with Alan Jackson garnered seven, including entertainer of the year and male vocalist, AP reports. Toby Keith followed with six nominations including album of the year for Shock’N Y’all. The other best album nominees are Brad Paisley for Mud on the Tires, Brooks & Dunn for Red Dirt Road, Kenny Chesney for When the Sun Goes Down and newcomer Gretchen Wilson for Here for the Party. CBS will broadcast the CMA awards show, hosted by Brooks & Dunn, live from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House on Nov. 9.
Avril Lavigne stalker charged
James Speedy, 30, was charged with stalking Canadian singer Avril Lavigne after making repeated attempts to contact her and traveling to her parents’ home in Ontario, local authorities told Reuters, but has said through a lawyer that while he was a big fan of the 19-year-old rock singer, he did not stalk her. Speedy was arrested in April just before Lavigne was scheduled to give a free concert at a Seattle area shopping mall, and told police he had sent e-mails and gifts to Lavigne, her family and managers. He was released on bail at the time and was formally charged late on Friday, Lynnwood police said. Speedy traveled to Napanee, Ontario, last year, where he was arrested and told to leave Canada and not return within a year, according to Canadian news reports.
Dave Matthews Band cooperates in sewage investigation
Apparently the Dave Matthews Band wants to help. Following a lawsuit filed by the state of Illinois who contends the band’s tour bus emptied its septic tank while crossing a grated bridge over the Chicago River, dousing a boatload of tourist underneath the bridge, the Dave Matthews Band says it is cooperating with authorities to determine what happened, AP reports. The band issued a statement on its Web site saying members have offered to provide DNA evidence to help authorities determine the source of the sewage. In its statement, the band also said that if its bus is found to be responsible for the incident, the band will “work quickly to make amends, with the people on the boat and with Chicago.” “We care deeply about what happened to the people on the boat that day, which was terrible, and the damage that occurred to Chicago’s environment,” the letter states. “We are not attempting to avoid any responsibility we may have for the incident.”
NBC’s Olympic ratings rocket
A total of 203 million viewers watched at least some of NBC Universal’s 17-day coverage of the Summer Olympics, making it the most-watched non-U.S. Summer Olympics in history, The Hollywood Reporter reports. According to Nielsen Media Research, viewership for the games surpassed the 2000 games in Sydney (185 million), the 1992 games in Barcelona (192 million) and 1988 games in Seoul (194 million). NBC Universal telecast 1,200 hours of Olympics programming across its networks Bravo and USA Network, which along with CNBC and MSNBC, brought in 69 million viewers. NBC, meanwhile, won every half-hour in primetime for each of the 17 days. An average 19.6 million viewers watched Sunday night’s closing ceremony in Athens.
Kelsey Grammer and wife welcome second child
Kelsey Grammer and wife Camille Donatacci welcomed a new addition to their family Saturday. The baby boy, named Jude Gordon, was born in Sacramento, California via a surrogate mother, the actor’s spokesman said Monday. Grammer, 49, and Donatacci, 36, have a daughter, Mason Olivia, who was born to a surrogate mother in 2001. Grammer, who is best known for playing the pompous but likable psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on NBC’s hit sitcoms Cheers (1984-1993) and Frasier (1993-2004), also has a 20-year-old daughter with his first wife, Doreen Alderman, and a 12-year-old daughter with ex-girlfriend Barrie Buckner.
Major Dad actor hospitalized
Gerald McRaney, who played the no-nonsense military man on the long-running sitcom Major Dad, underwent surgery Monday to remove a cancerous growth from his lung, the AP reports. His Los Angeles publicist said Mc Raney, a 56-year-old longtime smoker, had the surgery at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “I’m sure that he will plan to quit,” spokesman Henri Bollinger said. The growth was detected during a physical examination McRaney underwent before minor knee surgery two weeks ago. McRaney will remain in the hospital for several days before returning to work on the new TV series Commando Nanny, set to air this fall on the WB network.
