U.S. rapper Too Short arrested on alcohol, drug charges

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran U.S. rapper Too Short was arrested on Wednesday in Los Angeles on suspicion of drunken driving and narcotics possession, local police said.

The "Blow the Whistle" rapper, who was born Todd Anthony Shaw, was booked shortly after 3 a.m. after a traffic stop in Hollywood, Los Angeles Police officer Cleon Joseph said.

Joseph said the 46-year-old rapper, who is best known as a pioneer of West Coast hip hop in the late 1980s and 1990s, was still in custody but offered no other details.

Too Short was being held on $10,000 bail and charged with at least one felony, according to Los Angeles County jail records. A bail hearing had yet to be scheduled, the records indicated.

Local media reported that the Oakland, California, native tried to run away but was immediately apprehended.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Doina Chiacu)

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"Deep Throat" porn actor Harry Reems dies after turbulent life

(Reuters) - Porn actor Harry Reems, who made his name starring opposite Linda Lovelace in the 1972 movie "Deep Throat", has died at the age of 65, according to his wife Jeanne.

She told the New York Times that her husband died on Tuesday in hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was reported to have been battling multiple health issues, including pancreatic cancer.

His death comes just months before the release of "Lovelace", a biographical film starring Amanda Seyfried in the title role and Adam Brody as Reems which will put the spotlight back on one of the 1970s' most active porn actors.

Reems's rollercoaster life off set reads like a script for a Hollywood movie as he transitioned from the marines to porn movies to alcoholism and then to religion and suburban life.

He was born Herbert Streicher into a Jewish family from Brooklyn, New York, and joined the Marine Corps after school.

After leaving the marines, he struggled to make a career as a stage actor in New York so, needing money, worked in a number of pornographic films.

But his breakthrough came when director Gerard Damiano hired him as lighting director on "Deep Throat". The original male lead failed to show up so Reems stepped in, playing a doctor helping Lovelace with a sexually sensitive area in her throat.

"Deep Throat" was the first porn film widely shown in theatres and made an estimated $600 million at the box office -- although Reems claimed he only received $800 for his role.

It also became the nickname for a source who helped Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein investigate the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation.

But the film also caused much outrage and Reems was convicted of obscenity in 1976. He admitted that the prospect of a five year jail sentence and trial put him under enormous pressure and set him on a path to alcoholism.

He launched a high-profile appeal backed by celebrities including Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty and the conviction was eventually overturned.

Reems, with a bushy black moustache and hairy chest exposed by his open shirts, went on to star in several other porn movies after "Deep Throat" but demand for his services started to wane by the 1980s as his battles with alcohol increased.

By the mid-1980s he was bankrupt, drinking heavily and homeless. It was not until 1989 that he sobered up, converted to Christianity, obtained a real estate license and married Jeanne in 1990.

In a 2005 interview with the Guardian, Reems described his battle with alcohol, his regret at going into the porn industry and the way his life had changed since he became sober.

"I'm happier today than ever. I saved my own life. I'm content with the way I conduct myself with my marriage, my home, my business," said Reems.

"I live in a small town where everybody knows everybody and nobody thinks of me as a porn actor."

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith)

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Yoko Ono tweets against guns showing Lennon's bloody glasses

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yoko Ono has taken up arms against gun violence with a raft of Twitter postings, including a photograph of blood-stained glasses apparently worn by John Lennon when he was shot and killed more than 30 years ago.

"Over 1,057,000 people have been killed by guns in the USA since John Lennon was shot and killed on 8 Dec 1980," Ono, the former Beatle's widow, tweeted.

Below the message she included a photo of what appears to be Lennon's blood-stained eyeglasses, perched on a ledge with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop.

Lennon was shot and killed outside the Dakota apartment building in Manhattan as he and Ono returned to their home. Ono still lives there.

The bold text above the graphic photo is black, except for the words "Over 1,057,000" and "John Lennon," which appear in bright red.

Ono posted several more messages, including: "The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience. After 33 years our son Sean and I still miss him. Yoko Ono Lennon," and "31,537 people are killed by guns in the USA every year. We are turning this beautiful country into a war zone."

Earlier this week, Ono tweeted filmmaker Michael Moore asking for his support.

"Michael Moore @mmflint Join me to kick off a mass movement against gun violence from your living room on Sat March 23 - Yes! love, yoko".

In other Twitter messages Ono, 80, linked an Oxfam video about global arms and the ammunition trade, a newspaper article on actors joining the anti-gun movement and a YouTube video of the parents of girl killed in a shooting.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Maureen Bavdek)

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China's glamorous new first lady an instant internet hit

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) - With a smile on her face, dressed in a simple black peacoat and carrying an elegant unbranded bag, China's new first lady, Peng Liyuan, stepped into the international limelight on Friday and became an instant internet sensation back home.

Stepping off the aircraft in Moscow - the first stop of President Xi Jinping's maiden foreign trip since assuming office - Peng's glamorous appearance and obvious affection for her portly husband caused Chinese microbloggers to swoon.

"So beautiful, Peng Liyuan, so beautiful! How composed, how magnanimous," wrote one user on China's popular Twitter-like service Sina Weibo.

"Who could not love such a lady as this and be insanely happy with her?" wrote another.

Taobao, an online shopping site similar to eBay and Amazon, quickly began offering for sale coats in the same style of Peng's, advertising it as "the same style as the first lady's".

Others wondered what brand her bag and shoes were.

"Her shoes are really classic, and who designed her bag?" wrote a third Weibo user.

Peng is best known in China as a singer, and for many years was arguably better known and certainly more popular than her husband.

People who have met her and know her say that Peng is vivacious and fun to be around, though she was ordered to take a back seat after Xi became vice president in 2008 as he was being groomed for state power.

But she is expected to be given high-profile events of her own to attend on Xi's sweep through Russia, Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of Congo on a week-long trip, as the government tries to soften the image of China abroad.

Peng has won praise for her advocacy for pet causes, most notably for children living with HIV/AIDS, and may visit charities related to this while abroad.

Unlike the baby-kissing politicians of the West, China's Communist Party works hard to keep its top leaders from appearing too human - to the point that for many, even their official birthdates and the names of their children are regarded as a state secret.

Xi and Peng are different. Their romance has been the subject of dozens of glowing reports and pictorials in state media.

"When he comes home, I've never thought of it as though there's some leader in the house. In my eyes, he's just my husband," Peng gushed in an interview with a state-run magazine in 2007, describing Xi as frugal, hardworking and down-to-earth.

Peng is Xi's second wife, and the two have a daughter studying at Harvard under an assumed name. Xi divorced his first wife, the daughter of a diplomat.

Chinese first wives have traditionally kept a low profile over the past few decades, because of the experience of Jiang Qing, the widow of the founder of Communist China, Mao Zedong.

Jiang was the leader of the "Gang of Four" that wielded supreme power during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. She was given a suspended death sentence in 1981 for the deaths of tens of thousands during that period of chaos.

(This story corrects the year Xi became vice president to 2008)

(Additional reporting by Megha Rajagopalan and Beijing newsroom, and Anita Li in SHANGHAI; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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U.S. rapper Too Short arrested on alcohol, drug charges

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran U.S. rapper Too Short was arrested on Wednesday in Los Angeles on suspicion of drunken driving and narcotics possession, local police said.

The "Blow the Whistle" rapper, who was born Todd Anthony Shaw, was booked shortly after 3 a.m. after a traffic stop in Hollywood, Los Angeles Police officer Cleon Joseph said.

Joseph said the 46-year-old rapper, who is best known as a pioneer of West Coast hip hop in the late 1980s and 1990s, was still in custody but offered no other details.

Too Short was being held on $10,000 bail and charged with at least one felony, according to Los Angeles County jail records. A bail hearing had yet to be scheduled, the records indicated.

Local media reported that the Oakland, California, native tried to run away but was immediately apprehended.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Doina Chiacu)

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"Deep Throat" star Harry Reems dead at 65

By Lucas Shaw

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Harry Reems, star of legendary pornographic film "Deep Throat," has died, according to an official at the VA hospital in Salt Lake City. Reems died Tuesday at the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center. He was 65.

A self-described close friend, Don Shenck, had posted a personal obituary notice on a message board Tuesday. Shenck wrote that Reems was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Reems entered the hospital March 5 due to jaundice and fell into a coma last week.

Reems, born Herbert Streicher, is best known for his role in the cult porn hit "Deep Throat," which starred Linda Lovelace and took the nation by storm in 1972. It remains the most famous film of its kind.

The controversy surrounding the film led the FBI to indict Reems for conspiracy to distribute obscene material across state lines, a charge he was initially convicted of before a higher court overruled the decision.

Reems aspired to be an actor in non-pornographic films, and in the late 1970s was cast in his first studio movie, "Grease," but was kicked off the project because of his scandalous past.

"Acting was my true love, and I buried that possibility by going into adult films," Reems told Dave Itzkoff for a 2005 New York magazine piece. "The writing was on the wall. There was no place for me in conventional entertainment."

Born in Manhattan, he grew up in the suburbs and then enlisted in the Marines. After a brief term of service, he was honorably discharged and then pursued acting.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he appeared in more than 100 pornographic films, including "Forced Entry" and "The Devil in Miss Jones."

During the second half of his career, upset by his inability to break through to more traditional acting and low on funds, he turned to alcohol and panhandling.

Yet by the late 1980s, Reems moved to Park City and not only got sober but had a second act as a successful real estate broker. It was in Park City that he met Jeannie, his wife of the last two decades.

He is survived by Jeannie and his brother.

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"Deep Throat" porn actor Harry Reems dies after turbulent life

(Reuters) - Porn actor Harry Reems, who made his name starring opposite Linda Lovelace in the 1972 movie "Deep Throat", has died at the age of 65, according to his wife Jeanne.

She told the New York Times that her husband died on Tuesday in hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was reported to have been battling multiple health issues, including pancreatic cancer.

His death comes just months before the release of "Lovelace", a biographical film starring Amanda Seyfried in the title role and Adam Brody as Reems which will put the spotlight back on one of the 1970s' most active porn actors.

Reems's rollercoaster life off set reads like a script for a Hollywood movie as he transitioned from the marines to porn movies to alcoholism and then to religion and suburban life.

He was born Herbert Streicher into a Jewish family from Brooklyn, New York, and joined the Marine Corps after school.

After leaving the marines, he struggled to make a career as a stage actor in New York so, needing money, worked in a number of pornographic films.

But his breakthrough came when director Gerard Damiano hired him as lighting director on "Deep Throat". The original male lead failed to show up so Reems stepped in, playing a doctor helping Lovelace with a sexually sensitive area in her throat.

"Deep Throat" was the first porn film widely shown in theatres and made an estimated $600 million at the box office -- although Reems claimed he only received $800 for his role.

It also became the nickname for a source who helped Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein investigate the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation.

But the film also caused much outrage and Reems was convicted of obscenity in 1976. He admitted that the prospect of a five year jail sentence and trial put him under enormous pressure and set him on a path to alcoholism.

He launched a high-profile appeal backed by celebrities including Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty and the conviction was eventually overturned.

Reems, with a bushy black moustache and hairy chest exposed by his open shirts, went on to star in several other porn movies after "Deep Throat" but demand for his services started to wane by the 1980s as his battles with alcohol increased.

By the mid-1980s he was bankrupt, drinking heavily and homeless. It was not until 1989 that he sobered up, converted to Christianity, obtained a real estate license and married Jeanne in 1990.

In a 2005 interview with the Guardian, Reems described his battle with alcohol, his regret at going into the porn industry and the way his life had changed since he became sober.

"I'm happier today than ever. I saved my own life. I'm content with the way I conduct myself with my marriage, my home, my business," said Reems.

"I live in a small town where everybody knows everybody and nobody thinks of me as a porn actor."

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith)

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Yoko Ono tweets against guns showing Lennon's bloody glasses

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yoko Ono has taken up arms against gun violence with a raft of Twitter postings, including a photograph of blood-stained glasses apparently worn by John Lennon when he was shot and killed more than 30 years ago.

"Over 1,057,000 people have been killed by guns in the USA since John Lennon was shot and killed on 8 Dec 1980," Ono, the former Beatle's widow, tweeted.

Below the message she included a photo of what appears to be Lennon's blood-stained eyeglasses, perched on a ledge with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop.

Lennon was shot and killed outside the Dakota apartment building in Manhattan as he and Ono returned to their home. Ono still lives there.

The bold text above the graphic photo is black, except for the words "Over 1,057,000" and "John Lennon," which appear in bright red.

Ono posted several more messages, including: "The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience. After 33 years our son Sean and I still miss him. Yoko Ono Lennon," and "31,537 people are killed by guns in the USA every year. We are turning this beautiful country into a war zone."

Earlier this week, Ono tweeted filmmaker Michael Moore asking for his support.

"Michael Moore @mmflint Join me to kick off a mass movement against gun violence from your living room on Sat March 23 - Yes! love, yoko".

In other Twitter messages Ono, 80, linked an Oxfam video about global arms and the ammunition trade, a newspaper article on actors joining the anti-gun movement and a YouTube video of the parents of girl killed in a shooting.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Maureen Bavdek)

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Danny Boyle on "Trance" and keeping sane during London Olympics

By Zorianna Kit

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After Danny Boyle's prominent role at last year's London Summer Olympics, the British filmmaker is back in the spotlight with his first film since 2010's "127 Hours."

"Trance," which had its world premiere in London on Tuesday, stars James McAvoy as Simon, a man who teams with a criminal (Vincent Cassel) to steal a painting. Simon suffers a blow to the head, which causes him to forget where he hid the painting.

Part caper, part psychological thriller, "Trance" is another radical departure from Boyle's previous work, which has ranged from the story of a Mumbai teen's rise from the slums in Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire," to a man trapped under a boulder in "127 Hours," to the 1996 drug drama "Trainspotting."

On Tuesday, Boyle confirmed he was planning a sequel to "Trainspotting," which he hoped would see the original cast reunite for a 2016 release.

"We'd love to be able to produce something that used the idea of it, not just as a sequel, but something that spoke to people about time passing," the director told Reuters Television at the London premiere of "Trance."

Despite his range as a filmmaker, Boyle feels his films are not all that different from one another.

"The truth is, they're all the same," he told Reuters in Los Angeles over the weekend. "Basically it's always about a guy who faces insurmountable odds and overcomes them. And that's where you get a lift at the end of the movies."

"Trance" will be released in the United Kingdom on March 27, and in the United States on April 5.

Boyle, 56, planned to shoot the film in New York before he was asked to be the artistic director for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.

Instead, he shot "Trance" in the British capital at night while working on the Olympics ceremony during the day.

LEVERAGING OSCAR AT OLYMPICS

Boyle said he had turned down the offer of a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth for his role in the Summer Games because the event was the work of thousands of people.

"I thought anything that picked me out like that wouldn't be appropriate to the spirit in which we'd gone into it. ... It felt like it wouldn't be appropriate compared to that kind of communal effort really," he told Reuters Television on Tuesday.

In an upcoming book about his Olympics experience, Boyle talks of chaos behind the scenes and arguments with organizers over penny-pinching on costumes and musical instruments, and a dispute over a sponsorship deal with Dow Chemical Co.

The memoir "Danny Boyle: Creating Wonder" will be published in April. According to excerpts that ran in Britain's Sunday Times newspaper last weekend, Boyle came close to walking away from the Olympics over a decision by Britain's Defense Ministry to deploy ground-to-air missiles on buildings close to the Olympic stadium in a crowded area of East London.

"There's so many people who are so paranoid and so corporate," Boyle told Reuters. "They want to head for safety first and you have to make sure they don't distort the show."

Boyle said he had to trot out his Oscar credentials in order to protect his vision.

"I did bash people over the head with the Academy Award (win for directing 'Slumdog')," he continued. "I was shameless. You wouldn't have recognized me in some of those meetings because I was not a very nice guy."

Ultimately, Boyle's vision - which included a much-talked about skit involving Queen Elizabeth and Daniel Craig as James Bond - prevailed and was the most-viewed Olympic opening ceremony in both the United States and Britain.

"'Trance' kept us sane," Boyle said of his schedule at that time. "It seems curious saying that about a film that's sort of about insanity in a way. But it was crucial to our sanity during the Olympics that we were able to do this film."

(Reporting by Zorianna Kit; editing by Jill Serjeant and Matthew Lewis)

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A Minute With: Selena Gomez about growing up with "Spring Breakers"

By Zorianna Kit

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress and singer Selena Gomez breaks out of her squeaky clean Disney Channel image to star in the independent film "Spring Breakers" for filmmaker Harmony Korine.

In the film, which opens in wide release Friday, Gomez stars as a young girl who is part of a quartet of college students whose spring break in Florida takes them from parties to jail and a criminal underworld.

Gomez is best known as pop star Justin Bieber's ex-girlfriend and the star of Disney's "The Wizards of Waverly Place," which ended its four season run last year. She recently returned to the channel for a reunion film, "The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex."

Gomez, 20, spoke to Reuters about her career, growing up and transitioning into more adult roles.

Q: Harmony Korine has a reputation for shocking his audience with movies like "Kids," "Gummo" and "Trash Humpers." Weren't you nervous about doing this film?

A: I was more excited and enticed. When I auditioned for Harmony, we talked about how he wanted to leave my lifestyle behind and have me go on this adventure with him. I knew it was going to be crazy, but I was comfortable with it.

Q: What do you mean by lifestyle? The squeaky clean Disney lifestyle which was totally flipped upside down in this movie?

A: It was more that Harmony wanted an innocence because he thought it would be creepier. I agree with him.

Q: You spend most of the film in a skimpy bikini. Did you feel self conscious?

A: When we did the spring break scenes, we were surrounded by hundreds of spring breakers in bikinis who wore even less, so that was okay. I was more uncomfortable in the scenes where I was (in a bikini) getting arrested, in jail and in the pool hall with strangers. It added vulnerability and helped me feel grossed out, which was what my character is supposed to feel.

Q: For someone who started her career on the pre-school show "Barney & Friends" and spent her teen years on the Disney Channel, this must have been unlike any other acting job.

A: It was completely liberating. (Up until this film), everything I've been a part of definitely has been a bit more processed, like how many pieces of jewelry I have on, what my hair looks like. With Harmony, I never wore makeup and he never cared about my hair.

Q: After an experience like that, you must come out the other side feeling like you've grown and changed somewhat.

A: I think that's a really good way of putting it because I feel like I did grow up shooting this. This was the first movie I shot by myself without my mom coming. It was the first time I got to improvise as much as I have.

And to work with someone like James Franco, it was the first time I was around someone of that acting caliber. Harmony believed in me and pushed me to be a better actor, so there's a special place in my heart for Harmony for sure.

Q: You've got a couple of other films in the can - the action film "The Getaway," a cameo in the horror film, "Aftershock." Now that your film career is taking off, why did you go back to Disney for a reunion with your "Wizards" cast?

A: I missed them. I missed the channel, I missed everybody on the show. It was a big part of my life that I'm thankful for. That's where I started so I wanted to go back.

Q: Your younger fans can't see "Spring Breakers." Was this TV movie your way of giving them something new as well?

A: It always made me happy that we got to bring families together every night. I love having that connection with the younger audience and I missed that feeling.

Q: How do you chart a film career from this point on?

A: I'm actually taking a complete turn now and going in to music. My album comes out this summer and I'll be touring. I always structure my music and tours in a way that is geared for my fans and supporters that have been there from the beginning. My music is definitely the kind I would want them to hear.

Q: How do you balance between moving forward into more adult roles while bearing in mind that you are role model to many young girls?

A: It's a very awkward transition to make. I want to challenge myself and (my choices) may not be appropriate for a young audience. I'm choosing movies that I feel are artistically fun and creative. I hope people are appreciative of the work I do. I feel like I'm doing the best I can and hopefully it works out.

(Reporting by Zorianna Kit; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Vicki Allen)

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David Bowie exhibition breaks box office records

By Mike Collett-White

LONDON (Reuters) - Ziggy played guitar. But as a new exhibition devoted to singer David Bowie's long and innovative career makes clear, he also wrote lyrics, checked every detail of his outlandish costumes, appeared in movies and helped design his own stage sets.

"David Bowie is", which runs from March 23 to August 11, has broken box office records at London's Victoria & Albert Museum, with 50,000 advance tickets sold.

Organizers at a press preview on Wednesday were at pains to point out that more tickets were available and the demand underlines 66-year-old Bowie's lasting impact on music, fashion, video and beyond.

It also coincides with the release just over a week ago of Bowie's new album "The Next Day", his first new material for a decade. The record hit number one in the British album charts at the weekend, marking his return to the top after 20 years.

"His radical innovations across music, theatre, fashion and style still resound today in design and visual culture and he continues to inspire artists and designers throughout the world," said Martin Roth, director of the V&A.

Drawing heavily on the David Bowie Archive, the show features more than 300 objects, with pride of place going to Bowie's stage costumes which allowed him to adopt alternative personas and create an aura of mystery and invention.

Among the recognizable outfits are a striped bodysuit by Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto for the Aladdin Sane tour in 1973 and the Pierrot costume by Natasha Korniloff which featured in the groundbreaking music video for "Ashes to Ashes".

"SEISMIC SHIFT"

Among the costumes on display from Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" phase is the blue, gold and red padded jumpsuit by Freddie Burretti that marked a turning point in Bowie's career.

He wore the suit for a performance of "Starman" on Britain's TV chart show "Top of the Pops" on July 6, 1972 complete with flame-orange hair, make-up and red patent boots, representing what organizers called a "seismic shift" in pop culture.

People were intrigued and appalled in equal measure at the sight of the otherwordly androgynous being, a bold new creation which has inspired performers ever since.

True to Bowie's multi-media experimentation, the show includes footage from famous concerts shown on giant screens as well as a mime show enacted by Bowie in 1969 which anticipates the downside of becoming famous.

His attention to detail can be seen throughout.

On a design sketch for an outfit to be worn on the U.S. "Saturday Night Live" show Bowie wrote: "may be I'm wrong about color? What do you think."

He also appeared not to take himself too seriously, describing a short bodysuit, designed by Yamamoto, as his "impossibly silly 'bunny' costume".

He soaked up culture and history wherever he went, including his stay in Berlin in the late 1970s where he absorbed Brecht, cabaret and Expressionist art and produced three acclaimed albums - "Low", "Heroes" and "Lodger".

He recorded a Mandarin version of his 1997 song "Seven Years in Tibet", reflecting his interest in the region and its Buddhist religion.

The track prompted one Chinese fan to write, in a note on display at the exhibition: "I think I am flying in the sky when I listen to your mandarin song, you know!"

The displays are accompanied by an impressive soundtrack that includes hits like "Space Oddity", "Changes" and "Under Pressure", which he released with Queen in 1981.

In fact, all that is missing from "David Bowie is" is the man himself. If he were to visit, it would most likely be incognito, as Bowie has shunned the limelight altogether for much of the last decade.

"We're really hoping David does appear at some point," said co-curator Geoffrey Marsh.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

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U.S. rapper Too Short arrested on alcohol, drug charges

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran U.S. rapper Too Short was arrested on Wednesday in Los Angeles on suspicion of drunken driving and narcotics possession, local police said.

The "Blow the Whistle" rapper, who was born Todd Anthony Shaw, was booked shortly after 3 a.m. after a traffic stop in Hollywood, Los Angeles Police officer Cleon Joseph said.

Joseph said the 46-year-old rapper, who is best known as a pioneer of West Coast hip hop in the late 1980s and 1990s, was still in custody but offered no other details.

Too Short was being held on $10,000 bail and charged with at least one felony, according to Los Angeles County jail records. A bail hearing had yet to be scheduled, the records indicated.

Local media reported that the Oakland, California, native tried to run away but was immediately apprehended.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Doina Chiacu)

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Justin Timberlake releases new album, announces follow-up

By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Justin Timberlake celebrated the release of his first album since 2006 with a lively show in Los Angeles, whetting fans' appetites by confirming media reports that he would release more new music soon.

At an intimate album release party for "The 20/20 Experience" on Monday, Timberlake took the opportunity to clear up media reports that he would be releasing a second volume of music later this year.

"I've got to clear up the rumors. This whole thing about this only being the first part ... is true. There is another half. I'm not giving you a release date," the singer said.

Earlier in the day, media outlets reported that Roots drummer Questlove said in an interview that Timberlake would release a second volume of music in November this year.

"The 20/20 Experience" marks the singer's return to the musical spotlight after taking time out to focus on his acting career, starring in films such as "The Social Network" and "Friends with Benefits."

Timberlake, 32, sang a few of his latest hits and earlier songs for the audience, and answered questions from fans about his new record, including why it took him six years to release a new album after his hugely successful 2006 "FutureSexLoveSounds," which featured the hit single "Sexyback."

"I definitely enjoy all the entertaining but music is definitely the most special thing to me, and that's probably why I wait so long in between records, because for me, no pun intended, it's an experience," the singer said in an interview with Ryan Seacrest between songs.

Timberlake has successfully transitioned from child star and member of boyband N'Sync to bona fide actor and solo singer.

The album marks a new chapter in the singer's life, following his marriage to actress Jessica Biel in October 2012.

Timberlake sang three songs from the new album - romantic ballad "Mirrors," smooth R&B track "Suit & Tie" and the Latin-infused "Let the Groove Get In" - showcasing the range of influences he explored on "The 20/20 Experience."

But it was the album's closing track, "Blue Ocean Floor," that Timberlake called the most "unique" on the album and inspired by British rock band Radiohead.

"I'm a huge Thom Yorke (Radiohead frontman) fan, and I was listening to some 'OK Computer' and 'Kid A' and this song just happened. This is probably the most unique so far and probably took me out of my comfort zone," the singer said.

Timberlake also played some of his most popular hits, including a medley of "Like I Love You," "My Love" and his breakup song "Cry Me A River."

The new album has been at the top of the iTunes album charts since it became available to stream and pre-order last week and is set to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart next week.

Audience members on Monday took note of the singer's penchant for formal wear, turning up in suits and dresses for the speakeasy-themed album release party at the historic El Rey Theater in Los Angeles.

Fan Amanda Wall, 18, and her mother Camille won tickets to the intimate gig on Seacrest's radio show and traveled from Atlanta to attend the singer's album launch.

"I've been a big Justin Timberlake fan, he's been my crush since I was 7, so this is huge," Amanda Wall told Reuters.

The singer will embark on a "Legends of the Summer" North American tour with rapper Jay-Z, kicking off in July.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Elaine Lies and Eric Walsh)

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Rapper Lil Wayne released from Los Angeles hospital

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rapper Lil Wayne has been released from a Los Angeles hospital after a mystery health scare and was returning home, the president of the singer's record label said.

"Thanks to Cedar Sinai (sic) for everything!!! (Lil Wayne) has been officially released and is headed home .... God is great," Mack Maine, a rapper and president of Young Money Entertainment, which Lil Wayne owns, said on Twitter late on Monday.

Celebrity website TMZ.com reported that Lil Wayne, 30, was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on March 13 after suffering a series of seizures and said that the "Lollipop" rapper spent several days in intensive care.

Lil Wayne's spokeswoman said last week that the rapper was "recovering" but declined to say what he was suffering from.

The rapper's publicist and record label did not return requests for comment on his condition on Tuesday.

Fellow rappers, including Nicki Minaj and Drake, were photographed entering the hospital over the weekend. Minaj was carrying a set of balloons into the hospital.

Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., has suffered several unexplained seizures in the past few months, including two in January while on a plane flight.

The New Orleans rapper began his professional career at the age of nine, when he became the youngest artist to be signed by Cash Money Records.

Lil Wayne has released nine studio albums over a two-decade career and has become one of the biggest names in rap music.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, editing by Jill Serjeant and Philip Barbara)

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Benjamin Alire Sáenz wins 2013 Faulkner Award for fiction

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Author Benjamin Alire Sáenz won the 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction for his collection of stories, "Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club," the PEN/Faulkner Foundation said on Tuesday.

Sáenz, a poet, essayist and American Book Award winner, was cited for his collection of seven short works set on the south Texas border. The stories examine the effects of geography, politics, violence and personal history on the characters' lives.

"Sáenz devotes impressive attention to rendering communities on the borders of the United States and Mexico, on the boundaries of sensual and sexual expression, on the edge of despair, and on the cusp of redemption," judge A.J. Verdelle said in a statement.

Sáenz will receive a $15,000 prize. Four other finalists, Amelia Gray for "Threats," Laird Hunt for "Kind One," T. Geronimo Johnson for "Hold It 'Til It Hurts" and Thomas Mallon for "Watergate," will each receive $5,000.

The judges considered more than 350 novels and short story collections by American authors published in the United States during 2012.

The finalists will read selections from their books at a ceremony on May 4 in Washington, D.C.

Sáenz is the chairman of the creative writing department at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Past winners of the PEN/Faulkner fiction award have included E.L. Doctorow, Ann Patchett, Philip Roth, John Updike and Annie Proulx.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Stacey Joyce)

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Danny Boyle on "Trance" and keeping sane during London Olympics

By Zorianna Kit

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After Danny Boyle's prominent role at last year's London Summer Olympics, the British filmmaker is back in the spotlight with his first film since 2010's "127 Hours."

"Trance," which had its world premiere in London on Tuesday, stars James McAvoy as Simon, a man who teams with a criminal (Vincent Cassel) to steal a painting. Simon suffers a blow to the head, which causes him to forget where he hid the painting.

Part caper, part psychological thriller, "Trance" is another radical departure from Boyle's previous work, which has ranged from the story of a Mumbai teen's rise from the slums in Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire," to a man trapped under a boulder in "127 Hours," to the 1996 drug drama "Trainspotting."

On Tuesday, Boyle confirmed he was planning a sequel to "Trainspotting," which he hoped would see the original cast reunite for a 2016 release.

"We'd love to be able to produce something that used the idea of it, not just as a sequel, but something that spoke to people about time passing," the director told Reuters Television at the London premiere of "Trance."

Despite his range as a filmmaker, Boyle feels his films are not all that different from one another.

"The truth is, they're all the same," he told Reuters in Los Angeles over the weekend. "Basically it's always about a guy who faces insurmountable odds and overcomes them. And that's where you get a lift at the end of the movies."

"Trance" will be released in the United Kingdom on March 27, and in the United States on April 5.

Boyle, 56, planned to shoot the film in New York before he was asked to be the artistic director for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.

Instead, he shot "Trance" in the British capital at night while working on the Olympics ceremony during the day.

LEVERAGING OSCAR AT OLYMPICS

Boyle said he had turned down the offer of a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth for his role in the Summer Games because the event was the work of thousands of people.

"I thought anything that picked me out like that wouldn't be appropriate to the spirit in which we'd gone into it. ... It felt like it wouldn't be appropriate compared to that kind of communal effort really," he told Reuters Television on Tuesday.

In an upcoming book about his Olympics experience, Boyle talks of chaos behind the scenes and arguments with organizers over penny-pinching on costumes and musical instruments, and a dispute over a sponsorship deal with Dow Chemical Co.

The memoir "Danny Boyle: Creating Wonder" will be published in April. According to excerpts that ran in Britain's Sunday Times newspaper last weekend, Boyle came close to walking away from the Olympics over a decision by Britain's Defense Ministry to deploy ground-to-air missiles on buildings close to the Olympic stadium in a crowded area of East London.

"There's so many people who are so paranoid and so corporate," Boyle told Reuters. "They want to head for safety first and you have to make sure they don't distort the show."

Boyle said he had to trot out his Oscar credentials in order to protect his vision.

"I did bash people over the head with the Academy Award (win for directing 'Slumdog')," he continued. "I was shameless. You wouldn't have recognized me in some of those meetings because I was not a very nice guy."

Ultimately, Boyle's vision - which included a much-talked about skit involving Queen Elizabeth and Daniel Craig as James Bond - prevailed and was the most-viewed Olympic opening ceremony in both the United States and Britain.

"'Trance' kept us sane," Boyle said of his schedule at that time. "It seems curious saying that about a film that's sort of about insanity in a way. But it was crucial to our sanity during the Olympics that we were able to do this film."

(Reporting by Zorianna Kit; editing by Jill Serjeant and Matthew Lewis)

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"It Takes a Thief" star Malachi Throne dead at 84

By Tim Kenneally

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Malachi Throne, who played Robert Wagner's boss Noah Bain in the 1960s series "It Takes a Thief" among many other roles during a long career, Throne's agent told TheWrap on Friday. He was 84.

"Supernatural" and "Justified" actor Jim Beaver, posted news of Throne's death on his Facebook page Thursday, writing, "My good friend Malachi Throne died last night. One of the finest actors and finest people I've been fortunate enough to know."

Theatre West, a Los Angeles-based theater company, also noted Throne's death, writing, "Theatre West says goodbye to our good friend and colleague Malachai Throne 1928-2013" on its website.

Neither Beaver or Theatre West stated the cause of Throne's death.

Born December 1, 1928 in New York City, Throne was an early convert to show business, first appearing on stage at age 10 as Huckleberry Finn, in a production of "Tom Sawyer" by the New York Parks Department.

He became a familiar face on television through numerous guest appearances on series including "Ben Casey, "The Fugitive," "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," "Hogan's Heroes" and "Mannix."

Throne's television roles also included the villain False Face on the "Batman" series, a character who used disguises when evil-doing and a semi-transparent mask when he wasn't committing crimes.

In later years, Throne would appear on "Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II" as well as "The West Wing." He would also provide voice work for series such as "Batman Beyond," "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "The New Batman Adventures."

(Editing by Chris Michaud)

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British actor Frank Thornton of "Are you Being Served?" dies, 92

LONDON (Reuters) - British actor Frank Thornton, who played the pompous Captain Peacock in the television department store sitcom "Are You Being Served?", has died aged 92, his agent said on Monday.

David Daly said Thornton died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Barnes, London, on Saturday.

Thornton, who mainly played comedy roles, was also known for his role as Truly in "Last of the Summer Wine" and starred in comedies such as "Hancock's Half Hour", "The Goodies" and "Steptoe and Son".

Thornton was best known for his role of Captain Stephen Peacock, an uptight store walker who bragged about his wartime exploits in "Are You Being Served?".

The sitcom, packed with double entendres and sexual innuendoes, ran for 13 years from 1972 and was based in the fictional London department store Grace Brothers.

The series became popular in the United States on PBS stations and on BBC America, as well as in many Commonwealth nations around the world.

Thornton is survived by his wife of 67 years, Beryl, daughter Jane and three grandchildren.

"I have been Frank's agent since 1986 and he has been the most wonderful client as well as being a great friend. He will be sorely missed," Daly said in a statement.

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith; Editing by Jon Hemming)

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Paternity suit dropped against basketball legend Michael Jordan

By David Beasley

ATLANTA (Reuters) - An Atlanta woman who says basketball legend Michael Jordan is the father of her 16-year-old son has dropped her paternity suit against him.

Pamela Smith, 48, filed a paternity suit against Jordan last month seeking child support. Jordan denies he is the father of the child and has also filed a counterclaim seeking sanctions against Smith for making false claims.

Smith acknowledged in a previous divorce proceeding that her now ex-husband is the father of the child, according to Jordan's lawyers.

The case has not been settled, Smith's attorney, Randy Kessler, told Reuters on Monday. His client has voluntarily dismissed the case "without prejudice" which means she can re-file it later if she chooses, Kessler added.

"She began this case without an attorney and did her best to file what she believed to be a legally appropriate case," Kessler said.

"She then hired our firm just before the first court appearance. Ms. Smith has relied on our advice and determined that dismissal at this time, without prejudice, is in her son's best interests," he said.

In a statement, Estee Portnoy, Michael Jordan's spokeswoman, confirmed that the suit has been dropped and said, "There has been no settlement or money paid to Ms. Smith."

Jordan, 50, is widely hailed as the best basketball player of all time and was a member of six NBA championship teams with the Chicago Bulls. He is majority owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats team.

John Mayoue, Jordan's attorney, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on the case.

Last week, Smith asked a Georgia court to force Jordan to submit to a DNA test to prove or disprove whether he is the father.

"My son has the right to know who his father is," Smith told reporters after the hearing. "He has had an issue with it over the years."

(Editing by David Adams and Andrew Hay)

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Lindsay Lohan avoids jail in plea deal, gets 90 days in rehab

By Eric Kelsey

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Lindsay Lohan avoided jail on Monday but was ordered to spend three months in a locked rehabilitation facility and undertake 30 days of community labor in a plea bargain over charges arising from a June car crash.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Dabney said Lohan, whose once promising Hollywood career has been wrecked by legal woes and erratic behavior, must also undergo psychotherapy for 18 months and sentenced her to two years' probation.

The plea deal was struck on the first day of a scheduled trial when the 26-year-old "Mean Girls" actress agreed to plead no contest to charges that she lied to police when she said she was not behind the wheel after her Porsche sports car smashed into a truck on June 8, 2012, in Santa Monica, California.

Lohan, who is still on probation for a 2011 conviction for stealing a necklace, had faced the prospect of being sent to jail if she was convicted on the latest charges, or if she was deemed to have violated the terms of her 2011 probation.

Under Monday's plea bargain, however, she was given a suspended 180 day jail term that will not be invoked unless she violates the terms of the agreement with prosecutors. It was announced after prosecutors and Lohan's attorney met with Dabney in chambers for more than two hours before the trial opened.

Dabney told Lohan, who spends much of her time in New York City, to stay out of cars and out of trouble.

"A suggestion: Don't drive. You're in New York, you don't need a car. ... This is it. If you violate your probation we're not going to be having these discussions," Dabney said after reading out the plea agreement.

LOHAN ATTORNEY HAPPY WITH DEAL

Lohan left court without speaking to reporters, but her attorney, Mark Heller, told reporters he was happy with the deal.

"I'm very, very satisfied with the results today ... I think that the prosecutors treated her fairly. I'm very confident that you won't be seeing Lindsay Lohan in any criminal courts any time in the future," Heller said.

"Today marks the first day of the rest of her life and her comeback is before her," he said.

Lohan's father, Michael, heckled Heller during his news conference and accused him of lying to the actress and keeping her in the dark about the plea agreement.

The actress has been jailed or placed under house arrest for short periods numerous times since 2007, including three times in 2011. She has also spent at least five periods in rehab in the last six years.

She underwent court-ordered psychological counseling in 2012, and has claimed in numerous TV and magazine interviews that she is a changed woman and understands her past mistakes.

Lohan arrived 45 minutes late for her trial on Monday after taking an overnight flight to Los Angeles from New York and dashing through rush-hour traffic to the courthouse.

She had previously pleaded not guilty to reckless driving, obstructing police, and lying to police about who was driving the car in Santa Monica in June 2012.

Lohan made her name as a cute, freckled 11-year-old in Disney's 1998 movie "The Parent Trap" and went on to find commercial and critical success in films like "Freaky Friday" and "Bobby."

But she has not made a feature film since the independent thriller "Machete" in 2010. Her last effort - a comeback performance as late actress Elizabeth Taylor in the TV movie "Liz & Dick" in November - was largely panned by critics.

(Reporting By Eric Kelsey, Editing by Jill Serjeant, Mohammad Zargham and Paul Simao)

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Rapper Lil Wayne says he is fine after health scare

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. rapper Lil Wayne said on Friday he was fine and thanked fans for their concern after a reported seizure that led celebrity website TMZ.com to claim he was in a medically induced coma and near death.

"I'm good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love," Wayne said in a Twitter message on his official account.

The 30-year-old rapper's spokeswoman Sarah Cunningham said in an email that "Lil Wayne is recovering," but did not specify what he was suffering from.

She was responding to a TMZ.com report citing unnamed sources which said Wayne was in critical condition, and near death, at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles.

Rapper Mack Maine said in a Twitter posting earlier that Wayne was "alive and well. We watching the Syracuse (basketball) game...thanks for the prayers and concern."

Maine said fans should not "believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe."

TMZ said the rapper was admitted to Cedars-Sinai for seizures and released on Wednesday. But the website said he was readmitted a few hours later after his bodyguard found him unconscious on the floor of his room. It said his mother was flying to Los Angeles on Friday to be at his bedside.

Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., has suffered several unexplained seizures in the past few months, including two in January while on a plane flight.

Wayne, a native of New Orleans, began rapping at the age of nine, when he became the youngest artist to be signed by Cash Money record label.

The "Got Money" rapper has released nine studio albums over a two decade career and has become one of the biggest names in rap music.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant and David Brunnstrom)

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TV journalist Anderson Cooper honored by gay media watchdog

By Chris Michaud

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pop star Madonna on Saturday presented CNN anchorman Anderson Cooper with a gay media watchdog's top honors in recognition of his stature and accomplishment as an openly gay journalist.

"Love thy neighbor as thyself," she said, decrying anti-gay bullying that sometimes has led to suicide. "It's an atrocity to me, and I don't accept it," she added to enthusiastic applause.

The annual Vito Russo Award is named after the activist and film historian who was one of the founding member of media watchdog group GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

"I am only here tonight because I've benefited from what they and so many others have done," said Cooper, who came out last summer, referring to activists like Russo and Larry Kramer.

The newsman said that "being gay is certainly one of the greatest blessings" of his life, adding that "it opened my head and heart in ways that I never could have predicted."

Past winners have included Suze Orman, Rosie O'Donnell, Elton John and Tom Ford.

Film director Bret Ratner received the ignoble Ally Award, a little over a year after he used a pejorative term for gays at a news conference promoting his stint producing the Oscars.

He quickly stepped down, then worked with GLAAD on a pro-gay public service announcement campaign.

In other awards handed out at the 24th annual ceremony, NBC's "Smash" was named outstanding television drama, and the film about 1980s AIDS activists, "How to Survive a Plague" won for outstanding documentary.

CBS' "The Amazing Race," which has been won by gay couples during its long run, received the award for reality program, while MSNBC's "Being Transgender in America" and "Good Morning America's report "Obama Endorses Marriage Equality" won awards for television journalism.

The Boston Globe, Rolling Stone magazine, City Pages' Andy Mannix, The New York Times' Frank Bruni and The Advocate/Out were among winners for print journalism. "The Whale" and "From White Plains" took the theater honors.

Awards also went to Spanish media including Telemundo, People en Español, voces.huffingtonpost.com and ElDiarioNY.com.

(Editing by Xavier Briand)

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Justin Timberlake puts the sexy into married life in new album

By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After making the transition from child star and boy band heartthrob to movie star, Justin Timberlake is returning to music with his first album since 2006, cementing his grown-up status with a record inspired by his new marriage.

Timberlake, 32, officially releases "The 20/20 Experience" on Tuesday. But the 10-track record of smooth love songs with a throwback R&B sound is already No. 1 on the iTunes charts after it was streamed online last week.

The album is Timberlake's first since "FutureSex/LoveSounds" which spawned hit pop singles "Sexyback" and "What Goes Around...Comes Around."

Although lead single "Suit & Tie," featuring rapper Jay-Z, failed to meet sales expectations on its first week of release in January, the album is expected to sell well following weeks of promotion including a Grammy Awards show performance and a stint by Timberlake on TV sketch show "Saturday Night Live."

Industry sources cited by Billboard said "The 20/20 Experience" could sell 500,000 copies in its first week, and easily give Timberlake the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 album charts.

"The 20/20 Experience" sees Timberlake embracing his status as a married man after his wedding to actress Jessica Biel in October 2012.

The singer draws on lazy summer romances for the majority of his songs, with slow-tempo swing rhythms on tracks such as "Pusher Girl Love," where Timberlake describes his addiction to a girl.

Jason Lipshutz at Billboard magazine gave the album an 88 out of 100 rating, saying that while the singer did not replicate the edgy pop sounds of earlier hits on his "FutureSex" album, he "has offered us something more complicated, although no less accessible."

Rolling Stone magazine's Jody Rosen praised the singer for being "such a charismatic and effortlessly appealing singer, dancer and showman," and called the album "Timberlake's neo-soul record."

FROM HEARTTHROB TO ENTREPRENEUR

Timberlake has barely put a foot wrong in his transition from child star in the "Mickey Mouse Club" to popular boy band N'Sync, through to solo entertainer, actor and entrepreneur.

He has appeared in movies "The Social Network" and "Bad Teacher;" launched his own record label, Tennman Records; added clothing designer to his credits with label William Rast; and invested in social networking site MySpace.

His all-rounder status was showcased last week on "Saturday Night Live," where he sang, danced and acted - and boosted ratings for the NBC show to a 14-month high.

In July he will embark on a "Legends of the Summer" tour of North American stadiums along with Jay-Z, and the pair will headline a London music festival in the same month.

While "Don't Hold The Wall" - a steamy dance floor track with explicit connotations - harkens back to Timberlake's "Sexyback" days, Biel is often at the forefront of the singer's mind in the new album. "That Girl" is a sweet throwback R&B love song, while new single "Mirrors" is an ode to his new wife.

Los Angeles Times reviewer Mikael Wood gave the album three out of four stars, saying "Timberlake holds (the album) together too, with lyrics that stay resolutely on the topic of romance."

Not all critics are swooning. Alexis Petridis of Britain's Guardian newspaper gave "The 20/20 Experience" three out of five stars, but slammed Timberlake's lyrics, which he called "awful."

"It's not that the lyrics are exclusively about sex; it's that Timberlake writes about it in a way that suggests he's desperate to add some kind of musical equivalent of the Bad Sex award to his six Grammys and four Emmys," Petridis said.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Mohammad Zargham)

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Rap artist Tone Loc collapses on stage in Iowa: reports

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Grammy-winning rapper Tone Loc reportedly collapsed on stage late Saturday night during a performance in Des Moines, Iowa.

Amateur video posted Sunday on the Des Moines Register newspaper website showed several emergency personnel kneeling over a prone body on a stage at the Bridge Bash, a St. Patrick's Day concert featuring Loc and other hip hop artists.

The condition of Loc, who was born Anthony Terrell Smith, was not known on Sunday. A representative did not immediately return a call for comment.

The newspaper said on Sunday that several news staffers attending the event reported that Loc completed a song and then fell onto the stage. The audience was ushered out of the stage area about five minutes later, according to the report.

The singer, whose hits include "Funky Cold Medina" and "Wild Thing," collapsed on stage in Florida in 2009 and in Atlanta in 2011, according to NBC News.

Loc burst onto the music scene in the late 1980s. He received two Grammys in 1990 for Best New Artist and Best Rap Solo Performance. He has also starred in more than a dozen movies, including "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "Heat."

(Reporting By Chris Francescani; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Bill Trott)

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Oprah named most influential celebrity for second year

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oprah Winfrey was crowned America's most influential celebrity for a second straight year on Friday, despite having dropped off daily television in 2011.

Forbes magazine ranked Winfrey, 59, ahead of Hollywood titans Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood and towering over other TV figures such as journalist Barbara Walters and financial guru Suze Orman.

Forbes said that 48 percent of people surveyed rated Winfrey as influential, down just one point from last year. The list was drawn from polls of Americans conducted by E-Poll Market Research, which ranks more than 7,500 celebrities based on 46 different personality attributes.

Winfrey ended her daily "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in May 2011 after 25 years to launch the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), which features lifestyle programming aimed at women.

After struggling in the ratings since its launch, OWN has seen audiences rise recently, thanks to Winfrey's January world exclusive with cyclist Lance Armstrong admitting to years of doping, and her wide-ranging interview with R&B singer Beyonce.

Forbes noted that Winfrey's magic had rubbed off as well, with one of her protégées, TV physician Dr. Mehmet Oz, ranking sixth on the list.

Film directing, however, seems to be the profession most associated with influence, as four directors, including Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese, crowded into the Top 10.

E-Poll Chief Executive Gerry Philpott said that while influence could mean different things to different people, most often it reflects someone's impact on the culture.

Reflecting on Spielberg's runner-up ranking, Philpott said "To this day, ask anyone what they think about before going in the ocean," referring to the filmmaker's 1975 blockbuster "Jaws."

Dropping out of the Top 10 entirely was last year's No. 2 finisher, actor Michael J. Fox, who has been out of the public eye of late.

Eastwood, who made headlines by addressing an empty chair at the 2012 Republican National Convention, rounded out the Top 10.

The Top 10 Most Influential Celebrities of 2013, according to Forbes are;

1. Oprah Winfrey

2. Steven Spielberg

3. Martin Scorsese

4. Ron Howard

5. George Lucas

6. Dr. Mehmet Oz

7. Barbara Walters

8. U2 frontman Bono

9. Suze Orman

10. Clint Eastwood

The full list can be seen at http://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2013/03/14/oprah-winfrey-tops-our-list-of-the-most-influential-celebrities/

(Reporting by Chris Michaud, editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Rapper Lil Wayne says he is fine after health scare

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. rapper Lil Wayne said on Friday he was fine and thanked fans for their concern after a reported seizure that led celebrity website TMZ.com to claim he was in a medically induced coma and near death.

"I'm good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love," Wayne said in a Twitter message on his official account.

The 30-year-old rapper's spokeswoman Sarah Cunningham said in an email that "Lil Wayne is recovering," but did not specify what he was suffering from.

She was responding to a TMZ.com report citing unnamed sources which said Wayne was in critical condition, and near death, at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles.

Rapper Mack Maine said in a Twitter posting earlier that Wayne was "alive and well. We watching the Syracuse (basketball) game...thanks for the prayers and concern."

Maine said fans should not "believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe."

TMZ said the rapper was admitted to Cedars-Sinai for seizures and released on Wednesday. But the website said he was readmitted a few hours later after his bodyguard found him unconscious on the floor of his room. It said his mother was flying to Los Angeles on Friday to be at his bedside.

Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., has suffered several unexplained seizures in the past few months, including two in January while on a plane flight.

Wayne, a native of New Orleans, began rapping at the age of nine, when he became the youngest artist to be signed by Cash Money record label.

The "Got Money" rapper has released nine studio albums over a two decade career and has become one of the biggest names in rap music.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant and David Brunnstrom)

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TV journalist Anderson Cooper honored by gay media watchdog

By Chris Michaud

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pop star Madonna on Saturday presented CNN anchorman Anderson Cooper with a gay media watchdog's top honors in recognition of his stature and accomplishment as an openly gay journalist.

"Love thy neighbor as thyself," she said, decrying anti-gay bullying that sometimes has led to suicide. "It's an atrocity to me, and I don't accept it," she added to enthusiastic applause.

The annual Vito Russo Award is named after the activist and film historian who was one of the founding member of media watchdog group GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

"I am only here tonight because I've benefited from what they and so many others have done," said Cooper, who came out last summer, referring to activists like Russo and Larry Kramer.

The newsman said that "being gay is certainly one of the greatest blessings" of his life, adding that "it opened my head and heart in ways that I never could have predicted."

Past winners have included Suze Orman, Rosie O'Donnell, Elton John and Tom Ford.

Film director Bret Ratner received the ignoble Ally Award, a little over a year after he used a pejorative term for gays at a news conference promoting his stint producing the Oscars.

He quickly stepped down, then worked with GLAAD on a pro-gay public service announcement campaign.

In other awards handed out at the 24th annual ceremony, NBC's "Smash" was named outstanding television drama, and the film about 1980s AIDS activists, "How to Survive a Plague" won for outstanding documentary.

CBS' "The Amazing Race," which has been won by gay couples during its long run, received the award for reality program, while MSNBC's "Being Transgender in America" and "Good Morning America's report "Obama Endorses Marriage Equality" won awards for television journalism.

The Boston Globe, Rolling Stone magazine, City Pages' Andy Mannix, The New York Times' Frank Bruni and The Advocate/Out were among winners for print journalism. "The Whale" and "From White Plains" took the theater honors.

Awards also went to Spanish media including Telemundo, People en Español, voces.huffingtonpost.com and ElDiarioNY.com.

(Editing by Xavier Briand)

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At Mass in Vatican parish, Pope Francis says don't condemn others

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis took on the role of a simple parish priest on Sunday, saying Mass for the Vatican's resident community and urging listeners to not to be so quick to condemn others for their failings.

Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, said Mass for a few hundred people in Santa Anna, a church just inside the Vatican walls that is used as the parish church for workers in the city-state.

Before he entered the tiny church, Francis stopped to greet cheering well-wishers who had lined up outside a nearby Vatican gate shouting "Francesco, Francesco, Francesco," his name in Italian.

He chatted and laughed with many of them before pointing to his black plastic wrist watch and saying: "It's almost 10 o'clock. I have to go inside to say Mass. They are waiting for me."

Wearing the purple vestments of the liturgical season of Lent, which ends in two weeks on Easter Sunday, he delivered a short homily in Italian, without notes, centered on the gospel story of the crowd that wanted to stone a woman who had committed adultery.

Jesus told them "let him among you who is without sin, cast the first stone" and then told the woman "go and sin no more".

"I think even we are sometimes like these people, who on the one hand want to listen to Jesus, but on the other hand, sometimes we like to stone others and condemn others. The message of Jesus is this: mercy," he said.

"I say in all humility that this is the strongest message of the Lord: mercy," Francis said, speaking in a soft voice.

The pope, who was due to give his first Sunday address and blessing from the window of the papal apartments to tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square, said people should be open to God's mercy, even those who have committed grave sins.

"The Lord never tires of forgiving, never! It is we who tire of asking for forgiveness," he said.

"Let us ask for the grace of never tiring of asking for forgiveness because he never tires of forgiving," he said.

At the end of the Mass, he waited outside the church and greeted people as they left the building, like a parish priest.

He asked many of them as they emerged: "Pray for me".

(Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

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