Newsworthiest

Venezuelan-born academic named president of MIT

Published: Thursday, May 17, 2012 12:14 AM

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (Reuters) - The Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday named Rafael Reif, an electrical engineer born in Venezuela who has been the university's provost since 2005, as its 17th president. Reif, 61, replaces Susan Hockfield, the first female president of MIT, who announced in mid-February that she was stepping down after almost eight years leading one of the most prestigious universities in the United States. Reif will take up his post at the Cambridge, Massachusetts, university on July 2, the first MIT president not to be a native English speaker. ...

Mark Zuckerberg marries longtime love

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 10:42 PM

(Reuters) - Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg wed longtime girlfriend Priscilla Chan on Saturday, announcing the nuptials through a status update on the social networking site. Tens of thousands of people "liked" his status change, which was accompanied by a photo of the couple in wedding attire. The 28-year-old billionaire is also the CEO of Facebook, which had a historic initial public offering on the Nasdaq stock exchange on Friday. Zuckerberg co-founded the site Facebook in a Harvard dormitory eight years ago. ...

Japanese woman, 73, scales Everest for the second time

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 09:07 AM

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - For the second time, a 73-year-old Japanese woman has become the world's oldest woman to climb Mount Everest, repeating her own record set 10 years ago, the company that organized the climb said on Saturday. Tamae Watanabe reached the 8,850 meter (29,035 feet) summit with a Japanese partner and three Nepali Sherpa guides on Saturday morning, said Ang Tshering Sherpa, who runs the Asian Trekking company, which provided logistics to the team. "Watanabe and other climbers are in good physical condition. ...

Fiat's Elkann gets behind the wheel for Mille Miglia

Published: Friday, May 18, 2012 03:06 AM

BRESCIA, Italy (Reuters) - John Elkann, the media-shy chairman of one of the world's biggest car companies, got behind the wheel and demonstrated his driving skills on Thursday in Italy's legendary four-day Mille Miglia rally race. The 36-year-old head of Fiat, which now control Chrysler and was founded by his great-great grandfather Giovanni Agnelli in 1899, will take turns driving a custom-made 1952 eight-cylinder Fiat 8V with his wife, Lavinia Borromeo, who also has a passion for iconic cars. ...

Peter Berg discusses bringing "Battleship" to film

Published: Thursday, May 17, 2012 04:36 PM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Peter Berg parlayed successful acting work on TV shows like medical drama "Chicago Hope" to an even greater directing career of movies such as "Friday Night Lights," which later became a TV series, and the Will Smith action flick "Hancock." On Friday, Berg's latest film, alien-invasion actioner "Battleship," steams into theaters. It takes its title from the Hasbro board game in which two players engage in a guessing game to see who can sink the other's naval ships. ...

Britney is back - and so are the brickbats

Published: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 06:20 PM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Britney Spears hasn't even taken her seat as the new judge of "The X Factor," but the pop icon is already getting a lesson in the media glare of live, talent show television. Spears had barely wrapped up an appearance in New York confirming she is joining the singing contest before the celebrity knives were out, raising the question of how well the singer, who went through a public meltdown in 2007, can handle all the newfound attention. ...

Second Travolta accuser drops suit, hires celebrity attorney

Published: Thursday, May 17, 2012 02:45 PM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The second masseur who accused John Travolta of sexual battery dropped his lawsuit against the Hollywood star on Thursday and hired celebrity attorney Gloria Allred, who said she may file a new complaint in a different court. Allred now represents the Atlanta-based man, known as John Doe No. 2, as well as the original Travolta sexual battery accuser, a Texas masseur known as John Doe No. 1. "We believe that the lawsuit should be filed in another court and, therefore, the lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice," Allred said in a statement. ...

Mexico pays tribute to Carlos Fuentes before French burial

Published: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 07:28 PM

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexicans bid farewell to renowned author Carlos Fuentes on Wednesday in an emotional tribute attended by the president and the country's most prominent intellectuals before a planned burial in France. Fuentes, who died suddenly on Tuesday at 83 after an internal hemorrhage, was one of Latin America's best-known novelists and was still active until the very end of his life working on books and participating in events. ...

Okada bets to win with fine dining and casinos

Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 05:43 PM

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Kazuo Okada, the Japanese billionaire engaged in a fierce legal battle with Las Vegas casino tycoon Steve Wynn, is diversifying his pachinko company with a string of his own restaurants and is negotiating to build a casino resort in South Korea. On Tuesday, Okada opened a 25,000-square-foot fine dining complex in Hong Kong, the first step in an expansion plan that includes an Okada restaurant in Shanghai scheduled to open in September, and a dining complex in Tokyo due to open in December. ...

Booker T. & the MGs bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn dies at 70

Published: Monday, May 14, 2012 05:29 AM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, a member of Booker T. & the MGs whose thick bottom grooves anchored many of the classic soul hits from the 1960s, has died on tour in Japan, his friend and bandmate Steve Cropper said on Sunday. Dunn was 70. Dunn, an integral part of the Memphis soul sound as bassist for the MGs, the house band for Stax and Volt records, died Sunday morning after finishing two shows at the Blue Note Night Club in Tokyo, Cropper said in a posting on his Facebook page. ...

Venezuela challenger woos Chavez's rural heartland

Published: Monday, May 14, 2012 02:00 PM

SOCOPO, Venezuela (Reuters) - Deep in the rural home state of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez that has for years been off limits for opposition politicians, rival candidate Henrique Capriles struggled to push through a throng of screaming supporters. Small-time ranchers and farmers swarmed the muddy streets of Socopo, where the Venezuelan plains meet the Andes mountains, jostling to catch a glimpse of the candidate in a chaotic tumult reminiscent of the cattle herding typical of the region. ...

Fiat's Elkann gets behind the wheel for Mille Miglia

Published: Thursday, May 17, 2012 03:41 PM

BRESCIA, Italy (Reuters) - John Elkann, the media-shy chairman of one of the world's biggest car companies, got behind the wheel and demonstrated his driving skills on Thursday in Italy's legendary four-day Mille Miglia rally race. The 36-year-old head of Fiat, which now control Chrysler and was founded by his great-great grandfather Giovanni Agnelli in 1899, will take turns driving a custom-made 1952 eight-cylinder Fiat 8V with his wife, Lavinia Borromeo, who also has a passion for iconic cars. ...

Celebrity hair stylist Vidal Sassoon dead at 84

Published: Wednesday, May 9, 2012 10:02 PM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Vidal Sassoon, hair stylist and fashion world pioneer who created a natural look in the 1960s and built a multimillion-dollar business on his name, died on Wednesday after a long battle with leukemia. He was 84. Sassoon died at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by loved ones and his wife of 20 years, Ronnie, his family said in a statement. "He will be greatly missed," they said. ...

Obama-Clooney fundraiser rakes in celebrity dollars

Published: Wednesday, May 9, 2012 02:27 PM

LOS ANGELES (The Wrap.com) - If President Obama has ever acted cool in courting celebrities, on Thursday he'll be dropping that act and heading for the mother lode. In what's shaping up to be one of the biggest one-off fundraisers in the history of the presidency, Obama will pitch to a houseful of boosters from Hollywood's inner circles at a sold-out event in Studio City. And it's not just any house - it's George Clooney's 7,354-square-foot crib. ...

Travolta accuser hires celebrity lawyer Allred

Published: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 06:19 PM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The masseur whose $2 million sexual battery lawsuit against Hollywood actor John Travolta was dismissed earlier this week hired celebrity attorney Gloria Allred on Wednesday and could file a new claim. Allred, who numerous high-profile cases over the years have included representing women involved in the Tiger Woods sex scandal, said on Wednesday that she is now the attorney for "John Doe No. 1" and will be consulting with the masseur on his next steps in the case that has made headlines worldwide. "Mr. ...

Dustin Hoffman joins roll-call of celebrity heroes

Published: Tuesday, May 8, 2012 03:51 PM

(Reuters) - A London lawyer has credited actor Dustin Hoffman for saving his life when he suffered a heart attack while jogging in the city's Hyde Park, becoming the latest celebrity in recent weeks to help rescue a person in crisis. Sam Dempster, 27, told Britain's Sun newspaper on Tuesday that Hoffman came to his aid when he collapsed in the park 10 days ago, and called emergency services. "I have no memory of what happened. The paramedics told me I had been saved by Dustin Hoffman. It's unbelievable," Dempster was quoted as saying. ...

Pop artist who created LOVE sued for renouncing artwork

Published: Tuesday, May 8, 2012 09:53 AM

(Reuters) - An 83-year-old artist known for his block letter "LOVE" design that became a symbol of the anti-war movement in the 1960s is being sued by a Monaco-based art dealer for renouncing the authenticity of sculptures once valued as high as $1 million. Beginning in 2008, art buyer Joao Tovar paid $481,625 for 10 sculptures of the word PREM, a Sanskrit term meaning "love," from a one-time business partner of renowned pop artist Robert Indiana, Tovar said in the lawsuit filed in superior court in Rockland, Maine. ...

Masseur drops sex assault claim against John Travolta

Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 04:13 PM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - One of the two male masseurs who accused actor John Travolta of sexual assault dropped his $2 million lawsuit on Tuesday, but the lawyer for the second masseur said he was going ahead with that case and was confident of success. The unidentified man, referred to as John Doe No. 1, who claimed that the Hollywood star groped him during a massage session in Beverly Hills in January, filed a notice dismissing his lawsuit with federal court in Los Angeles. ...

Second masseur accuses John Travolta of sexual battery

Published: Thursday, May 10, 2012 05:27 AM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A second unidentified masseur has joined a $2 million lawsuit against John Travolta claiming the actor sexually assaulted the men in two separate incidents during private massages, according to amended court documents filed on Tuesday. The second unnamed man, a resident of Georgia referred to as John Doe No. 2 in court papers obtained by Reuters, claimed that Travolta rubbed his legs, touched his genitals and tried to initiate sex at a private appointment at the actor's room inside an Atlanta hotel on January 28. The allegations echo those of John Doe No. ...

Chavez shows strength after Cuba cancer treatment

Published: Saturday, May 12, 2012 12:52 PM

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez strode, sang and gave a rousing speech on Friday in a careful show of vigor after his latest cancer treatment in Cuba fanned rumors he was dying five months before an election. The socialist Chavez, who had only been seen live in public once in the previous month, addressed the nation after flying back from Havana where he has completed six rounds of radiation therapy. ...

Supermodel, billionaire settle child-support dispute

Published: Monday, May 7, 2012 04:18 PM

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Canadian supermodel Linda Evangelista and French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault reached a child-support settlement on Monday following two days of tense, often personal court testimony last week in Manhattan. Lawyers for both parties declined to disclose the settlement. A lawyer for Evangelista called media reports that she sought $46,000 a month as a misunderstanding, but acknowledged she was seeking a "substantial" sum to raise their 5-year-old son. Both parties agreed to return to court on Tuesday to finalize the agreement. ...

Celebrity hair stylist Vidal Sassoon dead at 84

Published: Wednesday, May 9, 2012 06:34 PM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Vidal Sassoon, hair stylist and fashion world icon who created a natural look in the 1960s and built a multi-million dollar business on his name, has died of apparent natural causes at his home in Los Angeles. He was 84. The British stylist's scissors spelled the end of the 1950s-era beehive and the bouffant - untouchable hairstyles that owed their existence to lacquer and hair pins - and brought him international fame and fortune. ...

Demi Moore (finally) changes her Twitter name

Published: Friday, May 4, 2012 12:44 AM

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Demi Moore is finally ready to move on from her failed marriage to Ashton Kutcher. At least in the Twitterverse. The "G.I. Jane" actress ended months of speculation Thursday, finally answering the question: "When is she going to change her Twitter handle?" Moore had been going by @MrsKutcher, a handle that grew more awkward with each passing day since November, when she announced plans to divorce "Two and a Half Men" star Kutcher. Moore now goes by @JustDemi. According to her account, the actress chose the new moniker because it's "playful. ...

Perez Hilton sued over Angelina Jolie ring claim

Published: Friday, May 4, 2012 12:51 AM

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Angelina Jolie's engagement ring reportedly set Brad Pitt back a cool $500,000, and it could end up costing Perez Hilton the same. Gossip blogger Hilton (real name: Mario Armando Lavandeira) has been slapped with a lawsuit after reporting that the man who designed Jolie's ring had previously been found guilty of fraud. Hilton's report, published April 17 on his Coco Perez offshoot site, claimed that jeweler Robert Procop, who designed the ring with Pitt, had previously been successfully sued for fraud by a customer named Roy Allenstein. ...

Greek resistance hero fights for Left at age of 89

Published: Friday, May 4, 2012 08:30 AM

ATHENS (Reuters) - Manolis Glezos takes to the podium with the spry step of a young man, lifts his arms in the air and tells thousands of flag-waving supporters the time has come for the Greek Left to unite and rule. At 89, the former wartime fighter against Nazi occupation, who is running for the Left Coalition party, hopes Sunday's election will fulfill his lifetime dream. ...

Murdochs face tough week over scandal

Published: Monday, April 30, 2012 03:02 AM

LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's tetchy and uncompromising appearance at a British inquiry into phone hacking could come back to haunt him this week when politicians give their verdict on the scandal at his defunct News of the World newspaper. Three days of grilling at the Leveson judicial press inquiry last week extracted few new facts from Rupert and his son James as the 81-year-old casually threw out insults at politicians and described himself as a victim of a corporate cover-up. ...

Jethro Tull's Anderson "Thick As A Brick" and dapper

Published: Thursday, May 3, 2012 07:54 AM

LONDON (Reuters) - A chat with Ian Anderson - flautist, multi-instrumentalist, founder and wild face of British rock group Jethro Tull - does not go quite as expected. Yes, there is discussion of his music, the 40th anniversary world tour of the progressive rock classic "Thick As A Brick", and of its 2012 follow up. But there is also a lot more about flutes in space, an unlikely link with the George W. Bush White House - and the importance of prostate examinations. Anderson, now 64 and dapper rather than the frenzied druid-cum-warlock of yore, is quite clear and animated about the latter. ...

Australian billionaire says to build nickel freight fleet

Published: Thursday, May 3, 2012 10:30 PM

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian businessman Clive Palmer on Friday said he plans to build and operate a fleet of four freighters to import nickel ore to a nickel refining plant purchased from BHP Billiton. The decision by the billionaire, who made much of his fortune buying and selling coastal real estate, comes days after announcing he would build an "unsinkable" version of the Titanic to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the original ocean liner. ...

"Octomom" files for bankruptcy in California

Published: Monday, April 30, 2012 10:48 PM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The California mother of octuplets, dubbed "Octomom," filed for bankruptcy on Monday, after previously admitting she was on public assistance to support herself and her 14 children. Nadya Suleman, 36, gave birth to eight babies as a single mother in 2009. But goodwill turned to anger in the media after it was revealed Suleman had undergone fertility treatments when she already had six children, and questions were raised about her ability to provide for her family. Her children became only the second set of octuplets known to have survived birth in the United States. ...

Obama, Kimmel target Kardashian at Correspondents dinner

Published: Sunday, April 29, 2012 10:03 PM

April 29 (TheWrap.com) - Lindsay Lohan may have gotten more attention than any other guest before Saturday night's White House Correspondents Dinner, but Kim Kardashian was the celebrity who took the most hits from the dais during the annual event. Host Jimmy Kimmel, for instance, remembered last year's dinner, which took place after President Obama had dispatched a team that would track down and kill Osama bin Laden. "If you're looking for the greatest threat to America right now, she's right there," he said, pointing into the audience. "She's Kim Kardashian. ...