Celebrity
Piper Laurie, 3-Time Oscar Nominee With Film Credits Such As ‘The Hustler’ And ‘Carrie,’ Dies At 91
Early Saturday morning at her residence in Los Angeles, Piper Laurie, the determined Oscar-nominated actor who once renounced acting entirely in pursuit of a “more meaningful” existence, passed away. Laurie had appeared in several critically acclaimed roles. At the time, she was 91.
Marion Rosenberg, Laurie’s manager, emailed The Associated Press that she passed away of old age. Rosenberg described Laurie as “a marvelous human being and a phenomenal artist.”
Laurie, who was initially identified as Rosetta Jacobs upon her 1949 arrival in Hollywood, was immediately offered a contract with Universal-International, a studio she hated, which earned her a series of starring roles alongside, among others, Ronald Reagan, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis.
Subsequently, in 1986, she was nominated for an Academy Award for the romantic drama “Children of a Lesser God,” the film adaptation of Stephen King’s horror classic “Carrie,” and the 1961 poolroom drama “The Hustler.” She also appeared in several critically acclaimed roles on television and the stage, including the antagonistic Catherine Martell in David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” in the 1990s.
At seventeen, Laurie debuted in the film “Louisa” as Reagan’s daughter before appearing in “Francis Goes to the Races” opposite Francis the talking mule. She previously dated Curtis, with whom she collaborated on several films, including “Johnny Dark,” “The Prince Who Was a Thief,” “No Room for the Groom,” and “Son of Ali Baba.”
In 1955, she quit her $ 2,000-per-week job and vowed not to work again unless offered a respectable role.
She relocated to New York, where she secured the theatrical and live television drama roles she desired.
Emmy nominations for her performances in “Days of Wine and Roses,” “The Deaf Heart,” and “The Road That Led After” facilitated her return to the film industry, where she starred in “The Hustler,” an acclaimed production, as Paul Newman’s troubled fiancée.
After that, Laurie turned her back on acting for many years. She wed film critic Joseph Morgenstern, had a daughter named Ann Grace, and relocated to a Woodstock, New York estate. She later explained that the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War influenced her adjustment.
“I was disillusioned and searching for a more meaningful existence,” she recalled, adding that she has never regretted the decision.
She declared, “My life was full,” in 1990. “I have always enjoyed working with my hands, and I have always been an artist.”
Laurie gained recognition for her baking abilities when The New York Times published her recipes.
She participated in a tour of college campuses with a dozen musicians and actors in 1972 to support Sen. George McGovern’s presidential campaign. This was her only performance during that period.
Laurie was finally prepared to resume her acting career when director Brian De Palma contacted her regarding the role of Sissy Spacek’s deranged mother in “Carrie.”
Initially perceiving the script as unsatisfactory, she ultimately resolved to perform the role for amusement purposes. De Palma’s reprimand for imbuing a scene with humor made her realize he intended the film to be a suspense thriller.
“Carrie” was an Academy Award winner that sparked a trend toward films about adolescents in peril, and both Spacek and Laurie received Academy Award nominations.
Reinvigorated by her ambition to perform, Laurie resumed an extensive career spanning decades. She appeared in television series including “Murder, She Wrote,” “Matlock,” and “Frasier,” and on “ER” as the mother of George Clooney.
SOURCE – (AP)
Washington — On Friday, “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill visited the White House with President Joe Biden, leaving with a pair of the president’s aviator sunglasses and a newfound respect for the job.
“I love the merch,” he added, removing his glasses briefly at the White House daily press briefing following his meeting with Biden. Hamill, 72, famous for playing Luke Skywalker, joked with reporters that he’d answer a few questions as long as they weren’t about “Star Wars.”
AP – VOR News Image
‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’
“I was honored to be asked to come to the White House to meet the president,” he told reporters. He’d been to the White House previously, during the Carter and Obama administrations, but he’d never seen the Oval Office, which he described as impressive. According to Hamill, Biden displayed photographs and other memorabilia from the Oval Office.
Hamill claimed Biden told him to call him “Joe,” to which Hamill responded with an alternative suggestion: “Can I call you Joe-bi-Wan Kenobi?”
“He liked that,” said Hamill, who also portrayed the Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series.”
AP – VOR News Image
‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’
Both Mark and the White House were hazy about the cause for his visit. But Mark, a Democrat and Biden supporter with a sizable social media following, has been posting about the president’s reelection campaign this week.
“May 1 Not Quench Your Thirst For Biden’s Re-election!” he tweeted on May 1.
On Friday, he wrote, “May 3 be absurd that the guy who tried to steal a fair election is allowed to run again,” referring to Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
May 4 is unofficially known as “Star Wars” Day, partly due to the famous Jedi line “May the Force Be With You.” The pun is “May 4 be with you.”
AP – VOR News Image
‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’
Mark also provided his voice for “Air Alert,” a downloadable program linked to Ukraine’s air defense system. His voice warns citizens to take cover if Russia launches another aerial strike on Ukraine.
SOURCE – (AP)
Celebrity
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
LONDON — Kevin Spacey, the Oscar-winning actor, has denied new charges of inappropriate behavior by men who will appear in a British television documentary airing next week.
In an online interview with journalist Dan Wootton, Spacey stated that he has never done anything unlawful and has struggled to return to work since being convicted of criminal charges in a London court last year.
“I can’t go through this again, allowing myself to be baselessly attacked without defending myself,” he said in the “Kevin Spacey: Right Of Reply” interview, which aired late Friday on Wootton’s YouTube channel.
AP – VOR News Image
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
Last July, a London jury cleared Spacey of sexual assault charges stemming from 20-year-old allegations made by four men. The court triumph was his second since defending himself against a $40 million lawsuit filed in New York in 2022 by “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp.
The documentary “Spacey Unmasked” will be shown on Channel 4 in Britain on May 6 and 7 and on Max in the United States.
“I take full responsibility for my past behaviour and my actions, but I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologize to anyone who’s made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me,” said Spacey, who received Academy Award nominations for “The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty.”
“I’ve never told someone that if they give me sexual favors, then I will help them out with their career, never,” he said.
Rolling Stone – VOR News Image
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
Spacey, the creative director of the Old Vic Theatre in London from 2004 to 2015, said that he was a “flirt” with men in their twenties and occasionally made “clumsy” advances.
“I’ve clearly hooked up with some men who thought they might get ahead in their careers by having a relationship with me,” he went on to say. But there was no conversation with me. It was all part of their plan, a plan that was always destined to fail because I wasn’t in on the deal.”
The actor also stated on X, formerly Twitter, that he had “repeatedly requested” that Channel 4 give him more than seven days to reply to the claims brought against him in their program.
Spacey said that the network turned down his request “on the basis that they feel that asking for a response in 7 days to new, anonymized and non-specific allegations is a ‘fair opportunity’ for me to refute any allegations made against me.”
ABC – VOR News Image
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
Spacey said he had struggled to return to work since being acquitted of all criminal charges, characterizing the experience as a “life sentence.”
His acting career had suffered since 2017 when he was publicly accused of inappropriate behavior at the start of the #MeToo movement. He then lost his starring role as Frank Underwood in the Netflix thriller “House of Cards”.
SOURCE – (AP)
SAN FRANCISCO — The Securities and Exchange Commission charged an auditing firm hired by Trump Media and Technology Group only 37 days ago with “massive fraud” on Friday, but not for any work done for former President Donald Trump’s media company.
The SEC accused the accounting firm BF Borgers and its owner, Benjamin F. Borgers, of “deliberate and systematic failures” in over 1,500 audits.
CNN – VOR News Image
Trump Media’s Newly Hired Auditing Firm Was Just Busted By The SEC For ‘Massive Fraud’
The charges include failing to follow accounting regulations, falsifying documents to conceal flaws, and falsely claiming in audit reports that its work fulfilled audit criteria.
To settle SEC accusations, BF Borgers agreed to pay a $12 million fine, while its owner consented to pay a $2 million fine, according to the SEC. Benjamin Borgers did not immediately return a phone for comment.
BF Borgers and Benjamin Borgers both agreed to permanent sanctions, which will take effect immediately and prevent them from handling SEC-related matters as accountants.
According to the company’s most recent annual report filing, Trump Media appointed BF Borgers as its auditor on March 28. The business acknowledged that BF Borgers had similarly addressed its audits before its public offering by combining with a cash-rich shell company called Digital World Acquisition Corp.
The company had already hired at least two other auditors, one who resigned from the account in July 2023 and another who was fired by the board in March, just as it was rehiring BF Borgers.
Trump Media “looks forward to working with new auditing partners in accordance with today’s SEC order.”
AP – VOR News Image
Trump Media’s Newly Hired Auditing Firm Was Just Busted By The SEC For ‘Massive Fraud’
The SEC discovered that BF Borgers’ shortcuts included:
- Copying audit documents from the prior year.
- Changing the pertinent dates.
- Passing it off as current documentation.
In addition to inaccurately recording work that was never completed, the fake documentation detailed planning meetings with clients that never took place and “falsely represented” that both Benjamin Borgers and another reviewer had authorized the audit work.
AP – VOR News Image
Trump Media’s Newly Hired Auditing Firm Was Just Busted By The SEC For ‘Massive Fraud’
“Ben Borgers and his audit firm, BF Borgers, were responsible for one of the largest wholesale failures by gatekeepers in our financial markets,” stated Gurbir Grewal, the SEC’s enforcement director. “Thanks to the painstaking work of the SEC staff, Borgers and his sham audit mill have been permanently shut down.”
SOURCE – (AP)
‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’
Kevin Spacey Denies New Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior To Be Aired On UK Television Next Week
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The Kentucky Derby Is Turning 150 Years Old. It’s Survived World Wars And Controversies Of All Kinds
Trump Media’s Newly Hired Auditing Firm Was Just Busted By The SEC For ‘Massive Fraud’
Canada’s RCMP Charge 3 Indian Men Over Sikh Leaders Murder
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