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Actor who was Mr. Pitt on 'Seinfeld' dies at 77 - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ian Abercrombie, a veteran British stage and screen actor whose TV roles included Elaine's boss Mr. Pitt on "Seinfeld" and the voice of Chancellor Palpatine in the animated TV series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," has died. He was 77.

A website statement from LucasArts said Abercrombie died Friday. A friend, Cathy Lind Hayes, told the Los Angeles Times that Abercrombie died at a Los Angeles hospital from complications of kidney failure and recently had been diagnosed with lymphoma.

"Though he played a villain on our show, you would be hard pressed to meet a kinder person," said Dave Filoni, a supervising director for "Clone Wars." ''He loved to laugh and his sense of humor always lightened our record sessions. I will miss his stories, I will miss his performances, and I will miss his contribution to our show."

Abercrombie began his career as a dancer and made his American stage debut in a 1951 production of "Stalag 17."

He appeared in the film "Army of Darkness" and on such TV shows as "Wizards of Waverly Place" and "Birds of Prey," in which he played Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler.

He also voiced the worldly owl Ambrose in the animated movie "Rango" starring Johnny Depp.

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Blues singer Etta James remembered in Los Angeles - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hundreds of mourners gathered at a Los Angeles-area church on Saturday to remember rhythm-and-blues singer Etta James, saying she overcame great personal and professional hurdles to sing "the times that she lived."

During a two-hour service that featured performances by pop stars Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera, the Rev. Al Sharpton eulogized James as a woman who rose from a tough childhood and poured her pain into her music.

Aguilera performed a version of "At Last," James' show-stopping hit and best-known song.

James died at 73 at a Riverside, California, hospital on January 20 from complications of leukemia, prompting numerous tributes from artists and musicians who were influenced by her work, including Mariah Carey and Aretha Franklin.

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Doctor convicted in Jackson death seeks release - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The doctor convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Michael Jackson's death asked a judge Friday to release him from jail pending his appeal.

Dr. Conrad Murray, who is serving a four-year jail sentence, said in a declaration that he should be released either on his own recognizance or on bail with electronic monitoring.

He said he is not a danger to society, will not flee the area, and wants to work to help support his seven children.

His lawyer, J. Michael Flanagan, said in the motion that Murray knows he cannot work as a doctor but would find other employment. He suggested the sentence and Murray's mode of confinement is extremely severe for a man with no prior criminal record.

He said Murray is being held in solitary confinement and is chained to a table when he meets with his lawyers. He also said Murray is extremely sorrowful about Jackson's death.

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US official: SEAL team in rescue also killed Osama - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. official says the Navy SEAL team that rescued two hostages in Somalia was the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden.

SEAL Team Six parachuted into Somalia under cover of darkness Wednesday and rescued an American woman and a Danish man from an outdoor camp where they were being held by Somali pirates, the official said.

The same team executed the mission last May in which al-Qaida leader bin Laden was killed.

The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the top secret operation.

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Director, Writer named for "The Crow" - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - A day after the Weinstein Co. and Relativity Media settled their lawsuit over the movie "The Crow," Relativity on Tuesday said that it has attached a director and writer to the remake.

F. Javier Gutierrez, director of the Spanish-language apocalyptic thriller "Before the Fall," will direct. He is now filming "The Monkey's Paw" in Spain.

Jesse Wigutow, who recently rewrote "The Osterman Weekend," based on the Robert Ludlum novel, for Summit, will write the script.

Relativity says its adaptation of Alex Proyas' 1994 cult classic will be "a gritty reboot of the iconic character Eric Draven, who returns from the grave as "The Crow" on a mission to avenge his wife's murder, so that his soul can finally rest."

The studio hasn't yet announced a release date or cast.

Edward R. Pressman, who produced the original, is producing along with Jeff Most and Relativity's CEO, Ryan Kavanaugh.

Relativity co-president Tucker Tooley and Farah Films' Dan Farah will executive produce. Harvey and Bob Weinstein, of The Weinstein Company, also will executive produce.

The Weinstein Company had sued Relativity, alleging that it had reneged on a deal to allow it to distribute the dark superhero film. On Monday, Relativity and Weinstein announced that they had settled the case and that the companies would partner on the remake.

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Steven Tyler screeches the National Anthem - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Here's the big question, of course: Would "American Idol" judge Steven Tyler have gotten through to the next round?

Judging by the audience reaction that could be heard during his performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" before Sunday's AFC Championship game -- were those really boos for the Aerosmith legend? -- maybe not.

Tyler's rendition was off-key in places, screechy in most others and he messed up a lyric -- it's "the bombs bursting in air," not "as bomb bursting in air." Though he does get rock star fashion points for the festive scarf he was sporting to support his team, the AFC champion New England Patriots.

You can check out video of the performance at the link below and decide: would you give Tyler a golden ticket to Hollywood based on his national anthem performance?

http://www.thewrap.com/media/article/steven-tyler-screeches-national-anthem-video-34672

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Next "American Idol": Jim Carrey's daughter, Jane? - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Jim Carrey's 24-year-old waitress daughter, Jane Carrey, had a leg up -- well, at least one -- on her fellow "American Idol" auditioners on Sunday night's show. There's the fact that her father is a Hollywood superstar, and the fact that she already knew "AI" judge Jennifer Lopez.

"I remember you when you were little," Lopez told Jane Carrey, reminding the celebrity offspring that she had been a Fly Girl on "In Living Color" when Jim Carrey starred on the comedy series.

"I think I was like two," Carrey replied.

Ouch. Despite that reminder of the many years that have passed since Lopez's Fly Girl days, Carrey surprised the judges -- in a good way -- with a soulful version of Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About," which earned her a golden ticket to the Hollywood round.

Check out the celeb kid's audition at the link below, followed by a phone call to her enthusiastic dad (and grandpa to her son, Jackson), who said, "She's wonderful and amazing and I can't wait for the whole world to understand what she has inside her. Way to go . This is going to be an exciting year":

http://www.thewrap.com/tv/column-post/next-american-idol-jim-carreys-daughter-jane-carrey-video-34671

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Sources: Heidi Klum & Seal Filing For Divorce - Yahoo! omg!

Are Heidi Klum and Seal ending their marriage?

Access Hollywood's sources have confirmed reports that the supermodel/"Project Runway" host is set to file for divorce from the "Kiss From A Rose" crooner.

PLAY IT NOW: Access Hollywood Live: Seal & Heidi Klum’s Winter Wonderland Proposal

"It's true and it's a sad end to the fairytale," sources told Access on Saturday.

Adding, "They love each other very much, but they have had a very tense time in the last year."

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Divorce! Break-Ups! Hollywood’s Most Famous Former Couples

Heidi, 38, and Seal, 48, tied the knot in May 2005 and are known for renewing their vows in extravagant ceremonies each year.

The couple have three biological children together - Henry, 6, Johan, 5 and 2-year-old Lou.

Heidi has a 7-year-old daughter, Leni, from a previous relationship, whom Seal adopted.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Heidi Klum: From Supermodel To Super Mom

Reps for the couple were not immediately available for comment on the reported split when contacted by Access on Saturday.

Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Heidi Klum & Seal

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Bullied as a kid, Peter Jackson fights back on film - Yahoo! News

PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) - The high-profile case of the West Memphis Three murderers might seem like an odd choice of films for director Peter Jackson, but the "Lord of the Rings" maker has come to Sundance with a documentary about the case and a new revelation of a possible suspect.

Jackson, who helped bankroll the defense of the three convicted killers who are now out of jail nearly 20 years after the crime, and the legal team claim they have testimony that the stepfather of one of the victims is the real murderer.

Whether that allegation eventually proves true will await prosecutors' action in West Memphis, Arkansas where the murders took place in 1993, and so far the prosecution has stuck by its belief they had the right culprits all along.

But where Jackson and one of the West Memphis Three, Damien Echols, are concerned, their documentary "West of Memphis" and this new testimony takes the fight further.

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Man pleads no contest to stalking Halle Berry - Yahoo! News

(Reuters) - A man with a criminal history who showed up at Oscar winner Halle Berry's house in the Hollywood Hills pleaded no contest on Thursday to a charge of stalking her, and a judge ordered him to stay 200 yards away from the actress for 10 years.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dennis Landin also handed down a 386-day jail sentence to the 28-year-old man, Richard Franco.

But Franco will soon be released because he has already served half that term behind bars since his arrest in July, and he is being given credit for the other half of the sentence under measures to reduce overcrowding in the Los Angeles County jail system, prosecutors said.

Franco, who according to Los Angeles police has a history of violence, theft and drug offenses, was found to have a book with "nonsensical ramblings" and Berry's name in his handwriting, the actress said in court papers filed last year.

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