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Judge to toss out ‘Romeo and Juliet’ child sex abuse lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:39:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles Superior Court judge sided with Paramount Pictures in a child sex abuse lawsuit tied to a nude scene in the 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet.”Judge Alison Mackenzie issued a tentative ruling that dismisses the lawsuit, writing that Paramount’s actions in making the film are “protected activity” under the First Amendment, according to court documents reviewed by the L.A. Times.The lawsuit was originally filed in December by Leonard Whiting, who played Romeo Montague when he was 16, and Olivia Hussey, who played Juliet Capulet when she was 15, in the adaptation of the William Shakespeare classic. Directed by Italian filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli, the film includes a controversial bedroom scene in which Whiting’s bare buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts are visible.Whiting and Hussey, who are both now 72, said they were coerced into filming the nude scene after Zeffirelli initially assured them that “there would be no ...

Ticker: Ford to get access to Tesla charging network; Walgreens laying off 10% of corporate jobs 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:39:00 GMT

Two auto industry heavyweights and competitors are teaming up to expand access to electric-vehicle charging in North America.Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley and Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk  announced that, starting next year, Ford’s EVs will gain access to Tesla’s proprietary Supercharger network.With Ford customers gaining access to more than 12,000 Superchargers, the agreement will more than double the number of EV fast chargers to which they currently have access.“We’re ramping production and we think this a huge move for our industry and for our all-electric customers,” Farley said. “Widespread access to fast-charging is absolutely vital to our growth as an EV brand.”“We don’t want the Tesla Supercharger network to be like a walled garden,” Musk said. “We want it to be something that is supportive of electrification and sustainable transport in general. … It is our intent to do everything possible to support Ford...

Mets Notebook: Adam Ottavino back at Coors Field, Francisco Alvarez moves up in order

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:39:00 GMT

DENVER — Adam Ottavino has managed to reinvent himself throughout his career, and never was it more necessary than in Colorado with the Rockies. Every pitcher has to do some reinventing and some adapting when pitching in Colorado. They all face a harsh realization that the ball isn’t going to spin and break the way they want it to in the altitude.“You just deal with it,” Ottavino said. “You just have to understand it. You can’t be in denial about it. In reality, it’s going to affect you. So you pay attention when you play catch and that way you’re not freaked out when you’re on the mound and things aren’t exactly the way you think they’re going to be. I just have more experience than everybody else because I’ve pitched here a lot.“But it was a process.”The altitude got the better of Justin Verlander on Saturday night in the second game of a three-game series. He wouldn’t blame the thin mountain...

Making a splash: ‘The Little Mermaid’ nets $95M at opening

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:39:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES — “The Little Mermaid” made moviegoers want to be under the sea on Memorial Day weekend.Disney’s live-action remake of its 1989 animated classic easily outswam the competition, bringing in $95.5 million on 4,320 screens in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.And Disney estimates the film starring Halle Bailey as the titular mermaid Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as her sea witch nemesis Ursula will reach $117.5 million by the time the holiday is over. It ranks as the fifth biggest Memorial Day weekend opening ever.It displaces “Fast X” in the top spot. The 10th installment in the “Fast and Furious” franchise starring Vin Diesel has lagged behind more recent releases in the series, bringing in $23 million domestically for a two-week total of $108 million for Universal Pictures.In its fourth weekend, Disney and Marvel’s ” Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ” made an estimated $20 million in North America t...

Woman hit, killed by COASTER train identified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:39:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A woman who died after being struck by a train in the Bay Park neighborhood last week has been identified by authorities.According to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office, 44-year-old Cherie Crick was walking on the east side of the eastbound railroad tracks, north of the Clairemont Drive Trolley Station, when the collision occurred around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. 4 arrested at DUI checkpoint in Chula Vista Authorities say the engineer of a COASTER train saw the woman and honked the train's horn before applying the brakes. Despite his efforts to gain the attention of the woman and prevent collision, the COASTER struck Crick who was then thrown by the train. A 911 call was placed and emergency services personnel were dispatched to the scene, which was in the 2700 block of Morena Boulevard, said the medical examiner's office. Upon their arrival, paramedics contacted the woman who authorities say was unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene due to multiple ...

Josef Newgarden gives Roger Penske his 19th win in dramatic Indianapolis 500

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:39:00 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Josef Newgarden finally captured his long-awaited Indianapolis 500 on Sunday and gave team owner Roger Penske his 19th victory and first since buying Indianapolis Motor Speedway, making an audacious pass of defending race winner Marcus Ericsson during a frantic 2.5-mile sprint to the finish.After the race was red-flagged for the third time in the closing laps, Newgarden was moved from fourth to second by race control. The two-time IndyCar champion, who had been 0 for 11 in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” took advantage of it by slingshotting around Ericsson on the restart and holding him off through the last two turns for the win.Newgarden brought his Chevrolet-powered car to a stop on the front stretch, jumped out and found a hole in the fence, diving into part of a crowd estimated at more than 300,000 to celebrate. Then, Newgarden climbed the fence to mimic longtime Team Penske driver and four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves.“I’m just so thankf...

Man in police custody falls to death after breaking California hospital window with oxygen tank

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:39:00 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A man in police custody died Thursday in Northern California after he broke a hospital’s window with a metal oxygen tank and fell off a ledge following an altercation with an officer and a nurse, authorities said.The man was in custody because he had allegedly violated a court order, according to San Jose police. Officers took him to the hospital for an unspecified pre-existing medical condition.The man is accused of assaulting an officer and threatening to hit the officer and a nurse with the oxygen tank, police said. They left from the room and called for more help.The man broke the window with the oxygen tank while he was alone in the hospital room and jumped out onto a ledge, the police department said. The officer and two hospital security guards went back into the room to stop the man’s escape attempt, but he fell 20 feet (6.10 meters) from the ledge. The man sustained life-threatening injuries and was pronounced dead at a different hospital...

Turkey’s Erdogan wins another term as president, extends rule into 3rd decade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:39:00 GMT

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won reelection Sunday, extending his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade as the country reels from high inflation and the aftermath of an earthquake that leveled entire cities.A third term gives Erdogan an even stronger hand domestically and internationally, and the election results will have implications far beyond Ankara. Turkey stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and it plays a key role in NATO.With more than 99% of ballot boxes opened, unofficial results from competing news agencies showed Erdogan with 52% of the vote, compared with 48% for his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The head of Turkey’s electoral board confirmed the victory, saying that even after accounting for outstanding votes, the result was another term for Erdogan.In his first comments since the polls closed, Erdogan thanked the nation for entrusting him with the presidency for five more years.“We hope to be worthy of your trust, as we have been for 2...

Canada beats Germany to win gold at men’s world hockey championship

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:39:00 GMT

Sammy Blais scored twice as Canada beat Germany 5-2 to capture gold at the men’s world hockey championship on Sunday.Lawson Crouse, captain Tyler Toffoli and Scott Laughton also scored, and Peyton Krebs pitched in two assists for Canada.JJ Peterka and Daniel Fischbuch had the goals for Germany, which was in the gold-medal game for the first time since 1992 when the playoff format was introduced at the world championship. Moritz Seider added two assists.Goaltender Samuel Montembeault made 21 saves for Canada, while German netminder Mathias Niederberger turned away 23 shots.Canada won gold for the second time in three years after losing to Finland in overtime in last year’s world championship gold-medal game.Latvia beat the United States 4-3 in overtime in the bronze-medal game earlier to earn its first-ever medal at the tournament.Peterka opened the scoring for Germany at 7:44 of the first period with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle off a breakout that beat Montembeault....

Newgarden holds off Ericsson for thrilling Indy 500 win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:39:00 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS – Josef Newgarden captured his first career Indianapolis 500 win.He couldn’t contain his excitement, running into the crowd to celebrate and then climbing a fence.“Finally!” he could be heard saying on the broadcast. Newgarden started 17th and steadily worked his way up through the field. He stayed within striking distance during an Indianapolis 500 whose ending was marred by crashes and red flags.The 32-year-old Tennessee native is a two-time IndyCar champion. One thing missing from his racing resume: an Indianapolis 500 title.Newgarden fended off a hefty challenge from Marcus Ericsson, who looked to win his second straight Indy 500. It took a late restart for the Team Penske driver to take the checkered flag.Newgarden passed Ericsson during the race’s final restart. Ericsson stayed right on his tail as the two jockeyed for position, with Newgarden barely holding off the 2022 champ.Newgarden swigged from a bottle of whole milk in Victory Circle and then poured it over ...