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Stand-up comedian Kevin Meaney was arrested at a New York City airport and charged with assault for elbowing a woman in the chest, police said on Wednesday. _0"> Meaney, 58, is accused of walking toward the 29-year-old woman at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday evening and elbowing her in front of witnesses, leaving her in pain, the Port Authority Police Department said. Meaney, who lives in New York City, was in jail on Wednesday waiting arraignment for misdemeanor assault, police said. Meaney and the woman, who is from Grand Forks, North Dakota, did not know each other and it was not clear what led to the incident, police said, but the victim and two witnesses said the elbowing appeared deliberate. Meaney and the woman had been due to leave the airport on different flights, police said.   true       Meaney, who has appeared on various televised comedy specials and late-night talk shows and acted in the musical "Hairspray" on Broadway for several

At just 16 years of age, Elle Fanning has spent nearly 90 percent of her life in the movie class="mandelbrot_refrag"> business , having made her debut as a 2-year-old, younger version of her actress sibling Dakota Fanning. But this is no jaded teen actor. She gets excited about playing a Disney princess opposite Angelina Jolie's villain in "Maleficent," the big-budget retelling of the fairytale classic "Sleeping Beauty" that prevailed at the North American box office in its debut last weekend. With her long blond locks and angelic face, Fanning has starred in independent films like "Somewhere" as well as blockbusters like "Super 8." She was 14 when she played Princess Aurora, who is cursed by Maleficent.   true       Fanning talked to Reuters about playing a princess with more depth and finding the fun in her film roles. Q: Is this the biggest production you've been in? A: This is definitely the biggest scale - s

British rockers Coldplay retained the top spot on the weekly Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, holding off new entries from Mariah Carey and Austin Mahone. Coldplay's "Ghost Stories" clocked a second week at No. 1 with sales of 83,000 over the past week, according to figures compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. "Ghost Stories" entered the chart at the top last week with the highest sales week of the year so far, 383,000 copies.   true       Country singer Brantley Gilbert held onto No. 2 for a second week with "Just As I Am," selling 65,000 copies. Pop diva Mariah Carey entered the chart at No. 3 with her latest album, "Me. I am Mariah ... The Elusive Chanteuse," with sales of 58,000. Billboard said it was Carey's smallest sales opening for a non-holiday album since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991. Other new entries in the top 10 of the chart this week include teen pop singer Mahone at No. 5 with his debut record, "Th

A lawyer for the Beastie Boys on Wednesday urged jurors to make Monster Beverage Corp pay at least $2 million for copyright infringement, saying the energy drink maker used their songs without a license in an online video. Kevin Puvalowski, the Brooklyn-born band's lawyer, said in closing arguments in a trial in Manhattan federal court that Monster's unauthorized use of its music in a 2012 promotional video was "absolutely egregious." Beastie Boys members Michael Diamond, or "Mike D," and Adam Horovitz, or "Ad-Rock," sat as spectators in the courtroom as Puvalowski told jurors Monster had hoped to benefit from how "cool" his clients' had become, without their permission.   true       "They didn't care if their employees were stealing from the Beastie Boys," he said. Reid Kahn, Monster's lawyer, acknowledged the energy drink maker had infringed the Beastie Boys' copyrights but said it was because an employee

Stand-up comedian Kevin Meaney, who was arrested at a New York City airport and charged with assault for elbowing a woman in the chest, will not be prosecuted, the Queens District Attorney's Office said on Wednesday. _0"> Meaney, 58, was accused of walking toward the 29-year-old woman at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday evening and elbowing her, the Port Authority Police Department said. But prosecutors reviewed video footage of the event and determined the two simply bumped into each other, a spokeswoman for the Queens District Attorney's Office said. The woman then boarded a flight out of the country before being interviewed by police, the spokeswoman said.   true       Meaney, who lives in New York City, was in jail on Wednesday awaiting arraignment for misdemeanor assault, police said. It was unclear if he was still in police custody by Wednesday evening. Meaney and the woman, who is from Grand Forks, North Dakota, did not know each other and i

As the World Cup nears, soccer fanatics will inevitably jink the conversation toward the beautiful game. That includes Placido Domingo, who explains why at 73 he can still get down on one knee to declare his love to the soprano. "I was a goalkeeper and I know how to throw myself onto the floor," said the Spanish opera singer. Even if his sporting past has served him well in his career, the tenor-turned-baritone never expected to be where he is today, still singing on stages all over the world.   true       Because of that unexpected longevity, he finds himself doing double duty as leading man and general director for the LA Opera, where he wraps up its 28th season this weekend as the love-struck monk Athanael in Massenet's "Thais," the 139th role of his career. Around 18 years ago, Domingo took over the direction of the Washington National Opera, and then more than a decade ago became director of the young Los Angeles company. "I really thought I wou

Former British pop star Gary Glitter, famous for his figure-hugging shiny silver all-in-one suits and platform shoes, was charged on Thursday with eight sexual offences against two teenage girls dating back to the 1970s. _0"> Glitter, now 70, whose real name is Paul Gadd, shot to fame in the early 1970s with the hit "Rock and Roll" and became one of the leading figures in the "glam-rock" music class="mandelbrot_refrag"> fashion . He was the first person to be arrested as part of a wider investigation into accusations of historic sex offences by show class="mandelbrot_refrag"> business personalities triggered by revelations late BBC television presenter Jimmy Savile had been a prolific sex offender for decades.   true       He will appear in court on June 19 charged with eight sexual offences between 1977 and 1980 against two girls aged 12 to 14 at the time. "Having completed our review, we have concluded ... that the

After gale-force winds and rain marred last year's event, New York will host the fourth Governors Ball on Friday, which could be its answer to Lollapalooza and Coachella and the city's most successful attempt yet to establish a homegrown music festival. Grammy-winning rock group Kings of Leon were forced to run for shelter last year as the festival grounds on Randall's Island in New York's East River were transformed into a morass of stinky, sticky mud. But the three-day event is back with a lineup that includes hometown favorite The Strokes, rock musician Jack White, French indie rock band Phoenix and hip hop duo Outkast. It is all thanks to 20-something friends, Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell, and Yoni Reisman, who quit their jobs in 2011 and formed Founders Entertainment. “You’re the master of your own destiny when you’re independent,” Russell told Reuters. “That’s part of the reason we’ve grown so organically and been so successful.” Their first outing was a on

A man who accused TV executive David Neuman of sexually abusing him when he was an aspiring teen actor has withdrawn his lawsuit, after Neuman's lawyer revealed a previous sworn statement by the accuser that they never had sexual contact. _0"> Michael Egan, 31, late on Wednesday filed a voluntary dismissal of the civil lawsuit brought in April after Egan also had accused "X-Men" director Bryan Singer of sexually abusing him as a teenager in the late 1990s. "Today's news affirms to everyone that David Neuman's fine reputation deserves to stand strong and was attacked with no merit," Neuman's lawyer, Patricia Glaser, said in a statement.   true       Glaser also said "we will hold accountable those who wrongly created the hurt and damage by making outrageous, untruthful assertions that cannot be undone." It was unclear if Neuman planned legal action against Egan. During the litigation, Neuman's lawyer entered into evidence

Beastie Boys' fight for their right to not let Monster Beverage Corp use the hip-hop group's music without their permission resulted in a verdict of $1.7 million on Thursday. A federal jury in Manhattan issued the verdict on the eighth day of trial in a copyright dispute between members of the Brooklyn-born band and the energy drink maker over songs the band says Monster used without a license in a 2012 promotional video. The Beastie Boys had sought up to $2.5 million for copyright infringement and false endorsement.   true       Monster countered that it owed no more than $125,000, calling the case "illogical" and saying an employee had mistakenly believed the company had permission to use the music. Beastie Boys members Adam Horovitz, or "Ad-Rock," and Michael Diamond, or "Mike D," attended much of the trial and both testified. After the verdict was read, Horovitz hugged his wife, musician Kathleen Hanna. "We're happy," Horov

"Game of Thrones," HBO's Emmy-award winning fantasy epic, has surpassed "The Sopranos" as its most popular series ever, the premium cable network said on Thursday. _0"> Episodes in the fourth season of the show have an average gross audience of 18.4 million, including repeat showings, video on demand and mobile streaming, which broke the record of 18.2 million set by the 2002 season of the mobster drama, "The Sopranos." Video on demand and delayed viewing habits have changed significantly since 2002, with more options being open to television audiences.   true       Season three of the show averaged 14.4 million viewers per episode. Two episodes of the fourth season have yet to be aired, with the finale set for June 15. HBO has already committed to making seasons five and six. The series on class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Time Warner Inc-owned HBO network features dragons, castles and dragons. It is based on the best-selling bo

Radio personality Casey Kasem, who is at the center of a legal battle between family members over his care, was in critical condition at a Washington state hospital with an infected bed sore, a hospital spokesman said. _0"> Kasem, 82, was brought to the emergency room at St Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington, on Sunday suffering from the infection and was admitted that day, hospital spokesman Scott Thompson said in a written statement. "Mr. Kasem is receiving wound care, intravenous antibiotic therapy, blood pressure support medication as well as treatment for his pain," Thompson said. "Mr. Kasem is alert, appears comfortable at this time."   true       Thompson said the hospital was releasing details about Kasem's condition to counter what he called "misinformation" that had been published in the media. He did not elaborate on that misinformation. Danny Deraney, a spokesman for Kasem's three children from his first marriage,

A man who accused TV executive David Neuman of sexually abusing him when he was an aspiring teen actor has withdrawn his lawsuit after Neuman's lawyer revealed a previous sworn statement by the accuser that they never had sexual contact. _0"> Michael Egan, 31, late on Wednesday filed a voluntary dismissal of the civil lawsuit brought in April. Egan also has sued "X-Men" director Bryan Singer, accusing him of sexually abusing him as a teenager in the late 1990s. "Today's news affirms to everyone that David Neuman's fine reputation deserves to stand strong and was attacked with no merit," Neuman's lawyer, Patricia Glaser, said in a statement.   true       Glaser also said "we will hold accountable those who wrongly created the hurt and damage by making outrageous, untruthful assertions that cannot be undone." It was unclear if Neuman planned legal action against Egan. During the litigation, Neuman's lawyer entered into evid

The din of voices haggling over movies and pitching TV series, as familiar as the trademark meatloaf and grilled salmon, will soon disappear from Kate Mantilini, the Beverly Hills restaurant whose booths have long been a mainstay of Hollywood's power lunch crowd. Situated on Wilshire Boulevard in the heart of Beverly Hills, Kate Mantilini - a favorite of comedian Mel Brooks and late director Billy Wilder - will close its doors and pack up its wood-backed booths on June 14 after 27 years. "Many, many deals were made in those booths," said Adam Lewis, the restaurant's chief executive who made the decision to close after a rent increase. An outpost in Woodland Hills in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley will remain open. "There's a semblance of privacy in there, but you can hear everything everybody is saying," added Lewis, 59, whose older brother David is the executive chef. "I've listened to pitches go down; some were really good, some I c

Anyone attending the premiere of Berlioz's rarely seen opera "Benvenuto Cellini", directed by Monty Python alumnus Terry Gilliam at the English National Opera, could be forgiven for thinking it was a preview for the Python reunion show in July. Gilliam, who seems to hate a void, filled the stage of London's enormous Coliseum theater on Thursday with jugglers, trapeze artists, stiltwalkers and tumblers for one of the 19th-century French composer's most troubled works. Huge papier-mache-style masks of a devil and a skull were paraded down the aisles within minutes of the curtain going up and they remained suspended from boxes on either side of the stage for the duration, emphasizing the carnival tone.   true       "Benvenuto Cellini", Berlioz's first opera that was based on the life of the renowned 16th-century Italian sculptor, was a flop when it had its premiere in Paris in 1838 and has been revived only sporadically since. In Gilliam's re-

With venues ranging from a 16th-century courtyard house to a converted church, Edinburgh’s annual Fringe Festival has unveiled its 2014 program with productions from 47 countries around the world.     Marking the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War One, veteran actor and Director Guy Masterson will recite the finest writings from both sides in "An Anthem for a Doomed Youth" at the Assembly Roxy performance venue in a former church.     Actor, writer and presenter Stephen Fry will present "Forgotten Voices" at the Pleasance Courtyard, while Hour Lot Theatre tells the intriguing story of an unlikely friendship between the German Kaiser and a British prisoner-of-war in "Dear Mr Kaiser" at theSpace on North Bridge.   true           The festival covers a huge range of art forms including cabaret, comedy, dance, circus, music, opera and theater.     A record 3,193 shows – an 11-percent increase over 2013 – and nearly 51,000 performances cement t

Actress Melanie Griffith on Friday filed for divorce from Spanish actor Antonio Banderas after 18 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences, according a petition filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. _0"> Griffith, 56, and Banderas, 53, married in 1996 after striking up a romance filming the comedy "Two Much" and have a 17-year-old daughter, Stella Banderas. "We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalize our almost 20 years marriage in a loving and friendly manner honoring and respecting each other, our family and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together," Griffith and Banderas said in a statement issued by their publicist.   true       Griffith requested physical custody of Stella, who turns 18 in September, but joint legal custody, with the "Desperado" star allowed visitation. The actress, who earned an Oscar nomination for her role in the 1988 romantic comedy "Working Girl," also requested spous

The daughter of ailing radio personality Casey Kasem was granted conservatorship over his health care on Friday, as a family representative said the deejay "won't be with us much longer." _0"> Kerri Kasem will oversee the care given to her 82-year-old father said Danny Deraney, a representative for the deejay's three children from his first marriage. The deejay's health care and visitation rights has been at the center of a legal tussle between his children from his first marriage - Kerri, Julie and Mike - and his second wife, Jean Kasem, with whom he has one child, Liberty.   true       Kasem was admitted to a Washington state hospital earlier this week in critical condition, suffering from an infected bed sore. Deraney said the deejay's health was declining on Friday. [ID:nL1N0OM2XB] "If he opens his eyes, I want my Dad just once to see everyone standing around him, putting our differences aside and let him know how much he is loved by e

Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan, best known for his roles on "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock," was badly injured early on Saturday when the limo bus he was riding in overturned in a multi-vehicle crash in New Jersey that killed another comic. Morgan, 45, was in critical condition in an intensive care unit at a hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, police and his spokesman said. The comedian James McNair, also known as Jimmy Mack, was killed in the crash on the New Jersey Turnpike, police said. McNair, who was 63 and lived in Peekskill, New York, was riding in the limo bus with Morgan.   true       At least three other people were hospitalized following the crash, in which a tractor-trailer struck the back of the limo bus at around 1 a.m. local time near Cranbury Township, New Jersey State Police spokesman Gregory Williams said, citing a preliminary investigation. After the collision, involving another tractor-trailer, a sports utility vehicle and two other

class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Wal-Mart Stores Inc appointed Gregory Penner as vice chairman, showing again that the world's largest retailer is looking at younger executives to revive its fortunes. The appointment of 44-year-old Penner puts him in a position to succeed Chairman Rob Walton, his 69-year-old father-in-law. Penner, who has been on Wal-Mart's board since 2008, is a general partner at Madrone Capital Partners, according to Wal-Mart's website. From 2002 to 2005, he was Wal-Mart's senior vice president and the chief financial officer of its Japan unit.   true       The announcement, made in Wal-Mart's annual shareholder meeting on Friday, comes at a time when the company's U.S. same-store sales are falling and it struggles to get beyond a bribery scandal at its class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Mexico unit that cost it more than $500 million since 2012. Wal-Mart is also facing increasing dissent from its employees who, backed by

An Orthodox Jew who was fired from his position as a managing director at BNP Paribas North America Inc sued the bank on Friday, saying he was terminated for his religious beliefs after complaining about Nazi imagery in a training video. The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court by Jean-Marc Orlando, an Orthodox Jew who said he had worked for the bank for 18 years until he was terminated in May 2012. Orlando was a managing director in the bank's fixed-income division in New York, and had previously worked for the bank in class="mandelbrot_refrag"> France , the lawsuit said. The lawsuit alleges that the company eventually fired Orlando from the New York office in a retaliatory move after he complained about a training video he and other managers were shown during a training session in Amsterdam in 2011.   true       The video, created by BNP employees, was a parody of the 2004 film Downfall, which depicted the final days of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime i

An Orthodox Jew who was fired from his position as a managing director at BNP Paribas North America Inc sued the bank on Friday, saying he was terminated for his religious beliefs after complaining about Nazi imagery in a training video. The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court by Jean-Marc Orlando, an Orthodox Jew who said he had worked for the bank for 18 years until he was terminated in May 2012. Orlando was a managing director in the bank's fixed-income division in New York, and had previously worked for the bank in class="mandelbrot_refrag"> France , the lawsuit said. The lawsuit alleges that the company eventually fired Orlando from the New York office in a retaliatory move after he complained about a training video he and other managers were shown during a training session in Amsterdam in 2011.   true       The video, created by BNP employees, was a parody of the 2004 film Downfall, which depicted the final days of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime i

An Orthodox Jew who was fired from his position as a managing director at BNP Paribas North America Inc sued the bank on Friday, saying he was terminated for his religious beliefs after complaining about Nazi imagery in a training video. The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court by Jean-Marc Orlando, an Orthodox Jew who said he had worked for the bank for 18 years until he was terminated in May 2012. Orlando was a managing director in the bank's fixed-income division in New York, and had previously worked for the bank in class="mandelbrot_refrag"> France , the lawsuit said. The lawsuit alleges that the company eventually fired Orlando from the New York office in a retaliatory move after he complained about a training video he and other managers were shown during a training session in Amsterdam in 2011.   true       The video, created by BNP employees, was a parody of the 2004 film Downfall, which depicted the final days of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime i

Unionized workers at class="mandelbrot_refrag"> aluminum producer class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Alcoa Inc have voted in favor of a new five-year labor agreement that covers some 6,000 workers at 11 U.S. locations, the United Steelworkers union said on Friday. _0"> The two sides had reached a tentative agreement last month, hours before the previous contract was due to expire, after deadlocking on issues such as wages and healthcare premium increase. The new contract includes a ratification bonus of $1,000 and general wage increases averaging $3.22 per hour, a 14.2 percent increase on the previous contract, the Steelworkers said in a statement. A statement from Alcoa was not immediately available. The new agreement, which will expire on May 15, 2019, also "preserves" active employee and retiree health care benefits with no changes to health care contribution rates. Labor negotiations came at a time when Alcoa has been cutting capacity

Spanish builder Metrovacesa said it agreed to sell its 27 percent stake in French peer Gecina to a group of investors as it unwinds a costly acquisition made during Spain's housing boom in an effort to pay down debt. _0"> The buyers - Norges Bank, Credit Agricole Assurances, U.S. fund Blackstone and Ivanhoe Cambridge - will pay 92 euros each for the 16.8 million shares, Metrovacesa said, implying a deal value of 1.55 billion euros ($2.11 billion). Gecina shares closed up more than 4 percent at 110.95 euros on Friday. Metrovacesa said the stake sale price represented a 10 percent discount to net asset value. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of September, Metrovacesa said in a statement late on Friday, provided "certain conditions" were fulfilled relating to the Spanish group's financial restructuring. Gecina welcomed the agreement, saying in a statement that it would "make it possible to continue putting in place a new sharehold

class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates has sold his entire stake in G4S Plc , the British security firm trying to bounce back from a series of scandals that have hurt its reputation and profits, Bloomberg News reported. _0"> The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust and Cascade Investment, an asset management firm owned by Bill Gates, had last June disclosed a stake in G4S, when its holding crossed the 3 percent threshold for the first time. A filing on May 28 showed the holding was reduced below 3 percent, and the news agency said a spokesman for the Gates family had confirmed it no longer held any interest. "Like other large foundations, the foundation trust evaluates its holdings regularly, both for performance and fit," spokesman John Pinette was quoted saying. "As a result of this, the foundation trust no longer holds an investment in G4S." G4S declined comment and the Gates Foundation could not immedia