Following is a summary of current entertainment news
briefs.
Character actor, World War Two hero Charles Durning dies at
89
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Charles Durning, a World War Two hero
who became one of Hollywood’s top character actors in films
like “The Sting,” “Tootsie” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in
Texas,” has died, a New York City funeral home said on Tuesday.
He was 89. Durning, who was nominated for nine Emmys for his
television work as well as two Academy Awards, died of natural
causes at his New York City home on Monday, his agent told
People magazine. Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel in Manhattan
confirmed Durning’s death to Reuters.
Jack Klugman, famed for TV role on “The Odd Couple,” dead
at 90
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Emmy-winning actor Jack Klugman, a
versatile, raspy-voiced mainstay of U.S. television during the
1970s and early ’80s through his starring roles in “The Odd
Couple” and “Quincy, M.E.,” died on Monday at the age of 90.
Klugman, whose pairing with Tony Randall on “The Odd Couple”
created one of television’s most memorable duos, died at his
home in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles following a
period of declining health, according to his son, Adam Klugman.
Thousands sign U.S. petition to deport Piers Morgan over
gun comments
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – More than 48,000 people have signed
a petition that they posted on the White House website
demanding that British CNN talk show host Piers Morgan be
deported over comments he made on air about gun control. Morgan
last week lambasted pro-gun guests on his show, after the
December 14 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, Connecticut, where a gunman shot dead 26 people,
including 20 children.
Quentin Tarantino unchains America’s tormented past in
“Django”
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Twenty years after Quentin
Tarantino unveiled his first film “Reservoir Dogs,” the
director has turned his eye to America’s slavery history,
spinning a blood-filled retribution tale in his trademark style
for “Django Unchained.” Tarantino, 49, has become synonymous
with violence and dark humor, taking on the Nazis in
“Inglourious Basterds” and mobsters in “Pulp Fiction.”
Insight: In fracking culture war, celebs, billionaires and
banjos
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Not so long ago, fracking was a
technical term little known beyond the energy industry. Now
it’s coming to Hollywood, as the fierce battle between
environmentalists and oil firms is played out in several
forthcoming films. Hydraulic fracturing, the controversial
drilling technique also known as fracking, has lifted U.S.
energy output dramatically, despite warnings from critics who
fear it pollutes water deep underground.
Hillsborough disaster tribute tops UK Christmas chart
LONDON (Reuters) – A tribute song to the victims of the
1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster has taken the
number one spot on Britain’s Christmas pop chart. “He Ain’t
Heavy, He’s My Brother”, a version of the ballad that was a
worldwide hit for The Hollies, went to the top of the chart in
its first week of release.
