THINGS
WORTH TALKIN’ ABOUT
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
LOS ANGELES – Marion Cotillard is announcing her pregnancy and shooting down rumors of any romantic involvement with Brad Pitt. “This is going to be my first and only reaction to the whirlwind news that broke 24 hours ago and that I was swept up into,” the Oscar-winning actress wrote in a statement posted Wednesday on Instagram. Cotillard affirmed her longtime relationship with actor Guillaume Canet. The couple are parents to a 5-year-old son. She said in her Instagram post that he is “the only one that I need” and they are expecting another child.
BUZZWORTHY
James Patterson pulls ‘The Murder of Stephen King’
AP photo
President Barack Obama presents actor, comedian and writer, Mel Brooks with the 2015 National Medal of Arts during a ceremony Thursday in the East Room of the White House in Washington.
Obama honors Mel Brooks, others in arts and humanities WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Thursday paid tribute to comedian Mel Brooks, chef Jose Andres, NPR interviewer Terry Gross and others at a White House ceremony celebrating “creators who give every piece of themselves to their craft.” The three were among two dozen artists, writers, playwrights and performers awarded the 2015 National Medals of Arts and Humanities. Obama touted the group, which included author Sandra Cisneros, composer Philip Glass and singer Audra McDonald, as figures at the top of their fields and contributors to a national conversation. “We believe that arts and the humanities are in many ways reflective of our national soul. They’re central to who we are as Americans – dreamers, storyteller, innovators and visionaries,” he said. The annual event is typically a serious affair, but it took a comic turn this year when Obama paid tribute to Brooks by quoting the director’s instructions to his writers on the boundary-pushing film “Blazing Saddles.” “Write anything you want because we’ll never be heard from again. We will all be arrested for this movie,” Obama said, laughing. The president also honored jazz musician Wynton Marsalis and actor Morgan Freeman. Neither was able to attend. Freeman was “undoubtedly off playing a black president,” Obama said. “He never lets me have my moment.” Winners of the medal for arts included painter Jack Whitten, musician Santiago Jimenez Jr., playwright Moises Kaufman, record producer Berry Gordy, dancer and choreographer Ralph Lemon, playwright and actor Luis Valdez and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.
NEW YORK – James Patterson has decided that an upcoming novel, “The Murder of Stephen King,” wasn’t a good idea after all and is having the scheduled Nov. 1 publication withdrawn. In a statement released Thursday through Little, Brown and Company, Patterson said he didn’t want to cause King or his family “any discomfort.” The book was intended as a tribute to King, a King-like story of an obsessed fan out to get the writer. But Patterson, who co-authored the 150-page novel with Derek Nikitas, said he had learned that fans in real life had “disrupted” King’s home. “My book is a positive portrayal of a fictional character, and, spoiler alert, the main character is not actually murdered,” he said. “Nevertheless, I do not want to cause Stephen King or his family any discomfort. Out of respect for them, I have decided not to publish ‘The Murder of Stephen King.’ ”
Meanwhile, 33 percent of people said the media has been too easy on Hillary Clinton. That percentage is roughly on par with what people thought about coverage of President Barack Obama the last two elections.
Judge sets date for hearing in Prince estate case
CHASKA, Minn. – A Minnesota judge has scheduled a closed hearing next week to deal with a dispute between potential heirs and the trust company overseeing the estate of the late rock superstar Prince. The order from Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide said the trust company and “various presumed heirs” have been unable to agree on unspecified “confidential business agreements.” His order, filed Thursday, doesn’t say what the dispute is about or which potential heirs are involved.
‘Big Bang’ actors top Poll: Fourth of Americans say Forbes’ best-paid list NEW YORK – “The Big Bang Theory” does media too easy on Trump NEW YORK – An estimated 27 percent of Americans believe the news media has been too easy on Donald Trump. The Pew Research Center said Thursday that more people feel that way than they did about the coverage for Republicans Mitt Romney and John McCain the last two elections. Romney was at 20 percent and McCain 15 percent. The increase is primarily driven by Democrats. Twice as many Democrats feel the media has gone soft for Trump as felt that way about McCain.
a bang-up job of making its stars rich. The CBS comedy claims TV’s four bestpaid actors, according to the annual list released Thursday by Forbes. Jim Parsons led with a $25.5 million take between June 2015 and this June, Forbes said, followed by cast-mates Johnny Galecki ($24 million), Simon Helberg ($22.5 million) and Kunal Nayyar ($22 million). In fifth place: Mark Harmon, star of CBS’ drama “NCIS,” was paid $20 million (as with all these actors, before management fees and taxes).
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS Singer Julio Iglesias is 73. Actor Paul Petersen (“The Donna Reed Show”) is 71. Actress-singer Mary Kay Place is 69. Singer Bruce Springsteen is 67. Drummer Leon Taylor of The Ventures is 61. Actor Jason Alexander is 57. Actor Chi McBride (“Hawaii Five-0,” “Boston Public”)
is 55. Steel guitarist Don Herron of BR549 is 54. Singer Ani DiFranco is 46. Singer Sarah Bettens of K’s Choice is 44. Rapper-producer-record head Jermaine Dupri is 44. Actor Anthony Mackie (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”) is 38. Singer Erik-Michael Estrada of O-Town is 37.
27 Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Friday, September 23, 2016
ANNOUNCES PREGNANCY, COTILLARD DENIES RUMORS