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(AP)
Gibson Must Divulge "Passion" Details In Screenwriter's Lawsuit

A judge says Mel Gibson will have to answer questions about planning and filming "The Passion of the Christ" in response to a screenwriter's lawsuit.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory Alarcon on Tuesday ordered Gibson to appear for a deposition by mid-January. Gibson's attorneys had tried to keep him from having to answer questions regarding his blockbuster film about Jesus' last hours.

Screenwriter Benedict Fitzgerald is suing Gibson, claiming he was underpaid for his work on "Passion."

Fitzgerald's attorneys claimed Tuesday that his payments were eroded by Gibson's spending habits while filming the movie in Italy, including "tens of thousands" of dollars on his children's education and a $78,000 chiropractor bill.


Brian Williams, Solid Or Striped?

Each night after watching Brian Williams deliver the "NBC Nightly News," an English teacher in Ohio is moved to go to her computer and write -- about what Williams wore around his neck.

The Brian Williams Tie Report Archive isn't the weirdest thing you'll find online, but it's up there. It's a snarky, occasionally appreciative and flat-out funny read that will have you looking at Williams as never before.

"People must think 'This poor woman must be one of those stalker freaks,' but it can't be any further from the truth," said Nance Donnelly, author of the blog, who will only say she lives in northeast Ohio.

She's always found ties slightly ridiculous. Donnelly used to notice former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Fratello's neckwear, but after he left she transferred her attention to the usually impeccably dressed Williams.

The report has a sense of history, from Williams' "Mango Madness Episode" in summer 2007 to the memorable week she caught him wearing the same tie twice in four days.


Screen Actors Guild To Vote On Strike In December

The Screen Actors Guild says it will hold its strike vote next month.

President Alan Rosenberg made the announcement in an e-mail sent to members on Wednesday, and asked them to give the guild's board the authority to call a strike "only if it becomes absolutely necessary."

The vote could take more than a month and requires 75 percent approval to pass.

Mediated talks between the actors' union and the Hollywood studios broke down early Saturday.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers responded to the e-mail by saying the guild failed to explain why it deserves a better deal than other unions that have settled.

The producers also said SAG members will lose more in the first days of a strike than they could ever expect to gain.


"Gone With The Wind" 70th Anniversary Sparks Interest In Clark Gable's Ohio Hometown

Next year's 70th anniversary of the movie "Gone With the Wind" is bringing new attention to star Clark Gable's eastern Ohio hometown.

Producers from the A&E television network have been in Cadiz this week working on an updated A&E "Biography" program on the actor. The previous one was done in 2001.

Clark Gable Foundation Secretary Jackie Rocchi says on Tuesday the crew was at the museum established in the two-story home where Gable was born in 1901.

Rocchi says one local resident the show planned to interview was a woman whose mother lived to be 100 and had memories of Gable.

The foundation is planning an early May celebration in Cadiz marking the anniversary of both "Gone With the Wind and "The Wizard of Oz," also released in 1939.


P.R. Pop Star Kany Garcia Reflects On Her Father's Life Lessons

Puerto Rican pop star Kany Garcia says being the daughter of a former priest has taught her to "do everything with all my heart."

The 26-year-old says her father quit the Spanish priesthood when he fell in love with her mother.

Garcia made the comments Tuesday during a news conference in the Mexican port of Veracruz. Later, she appeared before 23,000 fans at a concert.

Garcia has been living in Mexico for three months, but will return to Puerto Rico for Christmas.

The singer-songwriter won two Latin Grammys this year for best new artist and best female pop album for "Cualquier Dia," or "Any Day."

Garcia said the first months of next year will be dedicated to recording material for a new album, due out in mid-2009.


French Rock Legend Johnny Hallyday Teams Up With Hong Kong Director

French rock legend Johnny Hallyday will star in a Hong Kong director's new thriller about a father who tries to avenge the death of his daughter's family.

Hallyday, the closest thing France has to Elvis, will play the lead character in Johnnie To's "Vengeance," Hong Kong film company Media Asia said in a statement sent to The Associated Press Wednesday.

"This is my first time ever in China. I'm very proud to be directed by a master such as Johnnie To," the statement quoted Hallyday as saying.

French actress Sylvie Testud, who appeared alongside Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose," will play the daughter in a cast that also includes Hong Kong actors Simon Yam and Anthony Wong, the statement said.

One of Hong Kong's most prolific and wide-ranging directors, To is best known for his stylish action thrillers like "Election," "Election 2" and "Exiled."

To's "Mad Detective" competed for the top prize at the Venice Film Festival last year and "Sparrow" was in the running at the Berlin Film Festival this year.

Shooting has already begun in Hong Kong and the movie is aiming for release in summer 2009, the statement said.
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