Singer Gloria Estefan, husband, plan Broadway show of their lives

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan and her music entrepreneur husband, Emilio, are developing a new Broadway show based on their lives, the show's producer said on Tuesday.

The couple is working with the Nederlander Organization on the show that will trace their lives from leaving Cuba to international stardom.

"The Estefans' journey of success, led by raw talent and passion, is captivating as it drove them from relative obscurity to global sensations," Jimmy Nederlander, the organization's president, said in a statement announcing the deal.

Estefan, one of the most successful Latin crossover stars, fled Cuba with her family as a toddler. She met her husband in Miami and became the lead singer of his band, which was renamed the Miami Sound Machine. The couple married in 1978.

She has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, won seven Grammy Awards and produced a list of hits including "Conga," "The Rhythm is Going to Get You," and "1,2,3."

Emilio, a music, television and film director, was instrument in his wife's career, and helped to develop stars such as Shakira, Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez.

"Sharing our life story through music will give us a new opportunity to honor our roots and, hopefully, to be able to inspire generations to come," the couple said in a statement.

The Nederlander Organization said no creative team has been announced yet.

(Reporting by Noreen O'Donnell; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Eric Walsh)

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Kiefer Sutherland named Hasty Pudding Man of the Year

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Kiefer Sutherland has gained his share of accolades throughout his acting career, but none quite like this.

The "24" star has been named 2013's Man of the Year by Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals student society, succeeding "The Muppets" actor Jason Segel, who received the honors last year.

Sutherland will be feted with a roast on Friday at Harvard's Farkas Hall, where he will receive his ceremonial Pudding Pot. If Hasty Pudding tradition is any indication, Sutherland will also dress at least partially in women's clothes at some point during the event. Which is presumably a rare event for the actor.

"Inception" actress Marion Cotillard, who was named 2013's Woman of the Year by the theatrical society, was honored at a January 13 ceremony, during which she led a parade through the streets of Cambridge, Mass.

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Beyonce's Super Bowl leather has PETA in a lather

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Beyonce Knowles can't seem to leave the house without catching flak from somebody these days.

First, the "Halo" singer was criticized last month for her less-than-live performance of the National Anthem at Barack Obama's inauguration.

Now, Knowles has attracted the ire of animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for wearing leather during her halftime performance at Sunday's Super Bowl.

According to the New York Times (which - who knew? - keeps track of such things), Knowles' outfit, which was conceived by New York designer Rubin Singer - consisted of a cropped leather motorcycle, matched with a leather bodysuit made with strips of python and iguana.

Knowles' use of all that animal hide, surprisingly, did not sit well with PETA, who accused the singer of being out of touch with shifting fashion trends.

"We would take a bet that if Beyoncé watched our video exposés ... she'd probably not want to be seen again in anything made of snakes, lizards, rabbits, or other animals who died painfully," PETA said in a statement. "Today's fashions are trending toward humane vegan options, and Beyoncé's Super Bowl outfit missed the mark on that score."

Of course, Knowles could have ditched the offending outfit altogether - at which point she'd have the Parents Television Council hounding her instead of PETA.

PETA did, however, show some love for Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs - even though he covets a leather-covered ball for a living.

"The game was great, however, and so is Baltimore Ravens linebacker and yesterday's Super Bowl champion Terrell Suggs, who has just joined PETA in protesting the fur industry by starring in PETA's 'Ink, Not Mink' campaign," the organization added.

A spokeswoman for Knowles has not yet responded to TheWrap's request for comment because, really, if you were her, would you willingly place yourself in the middle of this?

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A Minute With: Soderbergh about his new film "Side Effects"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh delves into the world of prescription drugs in his new film "Side Effects," a psychological thriller that opens on Friday.

Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum play a couple whose lives unravel when she begins taking a new anti-anxiety medication prescribed by her psychiatrist, played by Jude Law.

Soderbergh, 50, spoke with Reuters about his own experiences with prescription drugs, shooting in New York and what he plans to do on his self-imposed hiatus from film-making.

Q: "Side Effects" shows characters either taking medication or prescribing them. Have you ever needed to take medication for your mood, for example?

A: "Luckily, my equilibrium is fairly consistent, so I've never been in a position of wanting or needing something to stabilize my mood. The Inderal beta blocker, what they call the "speaking drug," is miraculous. I use that. A buddy of mine turned me on to it because I said, "I really hate getting up in front of people." He says, "You've got to try Inderal." It keeps you calm and keeps you from getting anxious. That's my only pill experience."

Q: No pain-killing drugs that have landed so many in rehab?

A: "I had kidney stones once, which were not fun. They give you (pain-killer) Oxycontin and I thought, 'Oh boy, this is the one.' People turn their lives upside down to try and get this stuff. But it did nothing for me."

Q: You shot "Side Effects" in New York, which is where you live. What were some of the challenges shooting there?

A: "I was really fascinated by how the paparazzi came around when we were shooting out on the street. The unwillingness on the part of the city to give you certain physical parameters to work within that allow some amount of privacy to do your work was shocking. There were times where I was literally bumping in to them while we were trying to work."

Q: You're officially taking a break from film. How are you staying busy?

A: "I'm still working on stuff, just not movies. I've got this website (Extension765.com) that's going to go up sometime in March or April where (personal and movie items will be) accessible to get or buy."

Q: Like what?

A: "I have closets full of memorabilia, slates, scripts with my notes in them, badges from film festivals ... I can auction it off (online) and give the money to charity. I will also have my photography and a whole line of film related T-shirts."

Q: What's the concept behind the T-shirts?

A: "When they were being designed, I would test them out by wearing them to the set to see if people knew the movie references. There was this one Black Pony Scotch shirt. That's a very, very obscure reference from a famous film noir from the 1940s where there is a five-second pan across a table and you see this bottle of Black Pony Scotch."

Q: What's the movie?

A: "Laura" (by director Otto Preminger).

Q: Is the name of your site another obscure film reference?

A: "'The Conversation.' Whenever Gene Hackman calls to find out what's going on, Harrison Ford answers the phone and says, 'extension 765.'"

Q: Are you up to anything else at the moment?

A: "Yes. I've also designed a pair of super high-end audiophile headphones - what will be limited edition. I've been work working (on them) with the RED (digital) camera people."

(Reporting By Zorianna Kit; Editing by Eric Kelsey, Patricia Reaney and Vicki Allen)

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California boy to be arraigned in "swatting" prank on actor Kutcher

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Prosecutors charged a 12-year-old boy on Thursday with making a false emergency call that sent police swarming to the home of actor Ashton Kutcher in a "swatting" prank.

The name of the boy, who was arrested by Los Angeles police in December, was withheld due to his age. He was scheduled to be arraigned in a juvenile court in Los Angeles on Friday.

The trend toward placing false emergency calls is known as "swatting" because SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) officers often are sent to the purported crime scenes. Authorities say such situations can be dangerous due to the risk of a misunderstanding between police and occupants of a building.

The boy has been charged with two felony counts each of making false bomb threats and computer intrusion in connection with the October 3 emergency call that drew police to the Hollywood Hills home of Kutcher, star of the sitcom "Two and a Half Men," and a similar call on October 10 that sent police to a Wells Fargo Bank.

Authorities have accused the boy of having reported men armed with guns and explosives in Kutcher's home and that several people had been shot. Dozens of emergency personnel were sent to the house. Kutcher was not home at the time.

Swatting calls in recent months have also sent police to the homes of singers Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Bill Trott)

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One year later, Grammys recall scramble over Whitney Houston death

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Grammy host LL Cool J called it a "death in our family" and it was he who suggested starting the Grammy Awards show last year with a prayer for Whitney Houston.

Behind the scenes, Grammy Awards producers had worked all night to re-shape the music industry's biggest night just 24 hours after the drowning death of the troubled superstar in a Beverly Hills hotel.

Producers and musicians tell the tale in a one-hour TV special "The Grammys Will Go On: A Death in the Family" to be broadcast on CBS on Saturday on the eve of this year's Grammy Awards ceremony.

The singer, known both for her soaring ballads and well-chronicled history of drug abuse, is also expected to be remembered at the annual pre-Grammy party hosted in Beverly Hills on Saturday by her mentor, record producer Clive Davis.

Earlier this week, Madame Tussauds museum unveiled four different wax figures of Houston at various stages of her 35-year career that will go on display at its attractions in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

Houston, 48, was found face down in a bathtub on February 11 2012, in what authorities later called an accidental drowning due to cocaine use and heart disease.

"My heart started racing. I started hyper-ventilating," recalls Grammy Awards show director Louis J. Horvitz in the TV special, as news reached Grammy rehearsals last year of Houston's death.

Producers realized immediately that despite months in the planning, the live TV ceremony the next day would have to reflect Houston's passing.

TEARS AND TOUGH TIMES

Scripts were re-written, clips of Houston's many previous Grammy performances were added, and the call went out to Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson to come in and perform Houston's signature song "I Will Always Love You."

"Moments later (after hearing news of Houston's death) I got the call to sing in her memory. I would do anything for Whitney," Hudson recalls in the TV special.

Rehearsal footage shows an emotional Hudson breaking into tears while practicing the song. "By the time she got to the end, there wasn't a dry eye in the house," said Horvitz of her rehearsal.

"We are used to tough situations," said veteran Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich, recalling how Aretha Franklin was called on to replace a sick Luciano Pavarotti in 1998 while the live Grammy show was on the air.

But the death of Houston, a six-time Grammy winner with some 200 million records sold, was something different.

It was rapper and Grammy host LL Cool J who suggested opening the awards telecast with a prayer for Houston. But he said his legs were shaking backstage with the pressure of balancing sorrow over her death with respect for all the other artists due to perform, and win awards that night.

"I was in this weird no-man's land between mourning and celebration," the rapper said.

The TV special also shows artists like Katy Perry, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney and Bruno Mars struggling to continue rehearsals, old footage of Houston in her prime, and clips of Davis telling guests at his annual music industry party that the singer had been found dead hours earlier in a hotel room in the same building.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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Actor Steven Seagal trains Arizona posse on school security

FOUNTAIN HILLS, Arizona (Reuters) - Action film star Steven Seagal, who racks up big body counts in his on-screen battles with bad guys, took on a new role on Saturday, training posse volunteers for controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio in how to use guns to protect schools in shooting incidents.

Arpaio, who styles himself as "America's Toughest Sheriff," enlisted Seagal to train his Maricopa County posse members at a school in Fountain Hills, a suburb northeast of Phoenix, with children used as stand-ins for scared students.

Seagal, a burly martial arts expert turned actor, guided 48 volunteers through various aspects of responding to a shooting, including room-to-room searches, and critiqued their work.

"I am here to try to teach the posse firearms and martial arts to try to help them learn how to respond quicker and help protect our children," Seagal said.

Arpaio, whose tough stances on crime and illegal immigration have made him a national figure, has dispatched the volunteer posse to patrol schools in response to the shooting rampage that killed 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut school in December.

Those killings touched off a renewed debate over gun violence in the United States. President Barack Obama proposed a sweeping package of gun-control measures, including a ban on assault weapons.

The National Rifle Association, which opposes the gun-control proposal, has advocated placing armed security guards in schools.

Arpaio's volunteers, some trained and qualified to carry the same guns as deputies, can intervene if there is an imminent threat to life. To add realism to the training event, guns firing non-lethal rounds that leave a color mark were used.

"It's important to help protect our children and our schools and we need to do that with whatever means we have," said Rick Velotta, a posse member and retired General Electric manager who attended the training.

About a dozen people protested the event.

"No gun should ever be in a school," said protester Cynthia Wharton, a Fountain Hills resident.

Arpaio's 3,450-strong posse of unpaid men and women has for years helped the sheriff target drunken drivers and illegal immigrants, and chase down fathers who are behind on child support.

Last year, Arpaio sent posse members to Hawaii to investigate the authenticity of Obama's birth certificate at the request of local Tea Party activists, a key Arpaio constituency.

A sometime resident of the Phoenix Valley and member of Arpaio's posse, Seagal, 60, starred in big-budget films in the 1980s and early 1990s, earning a reputation as an action star in movies like "Above the Law" and "Under Siege."

He more recently played a corrupt Mexican drug lord in the 2010 film "Machete."

Seagal also has been sworn in as a sheriff's deputy in a Texas county along the border with Mexico and appeared in a reality TV show detailing his work as a reserve deputy in New Orleans.

(Reporting by Aron Ranen; Writing by Tim Gaynor and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by David Bailey and Eric Beech)

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Chris Brown shows up at Grammys smiling after car crash

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B singer Chris Brown showed up smiling at the Grammy Awards show on Sunday, saying he was just a little banged up after crashing his car into a wall on the eve of the annual music industry awards.

"Little bit of bumps, I'm good though," Brown, 23, dressed in a white Lanvin suit, told E! News on the red carpet.

Brown crashed his Porsche into a wall in Beverly Hills on Saturday and told police he was trying to elude aggressive paparazzi.

"I'll get another one," Brown, laughing, told E! News on Sunday. "Insurance is good."

"Paparazzi tend to get out of hand. It's all good, though. No injuries," he added.

Brown's "Fortune" was nominated for best urban contemporary album at Sunday's Grammys, but Frank Ocean walked off with the award.

The crash came almost exactly four years after Brown assaulted his girlfriend, singer Rihanna, the night before the awards show in 2009.

Rihanna and Brown have recently rekindled their relationship, but the pair walked the red carpet separately on Sunday. Rihanna won a Grammy for Best Short Form Video for her hit "We Found Love" and performed during the awards show.

Brown pleaded guilty in 2009 to beating and punching Rihanna and is still on probation. Last week, a Los Angeles judge ordered a new report on the community service that Brown was told to carry out as part of his sentence after prosecutors alleged that he had cut corners.

(Reporting By Susan Zeidler; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Stacey Joyce)

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Trump may have trouble collecting on $5 million orangutan bet

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A comedian, a millionaire and an orangutan. It may sound like the beginning of a screwball joke, but Donald Trump isn't laughing.

The famously outspoken real estate magnate has sued famously outspoken television host Bill Maher, demanding the $5 million Maher offered to give to charity if Trump could prove his father is not an orangutan.

But legal experts say Trump is unlikely to get a dime from Maher, the host of the HBO series Real Time With Bill Maher, because his offer was clearly made in jest.

"It's parody," said Bryan Sullivan, a Los Angeles entertainment lawyer. "You know Bill Maher is a comedian and a satirist. The offer is so ridiculous."

Trump, however, has taken the comic at his word.

"Attached hereto is a copy of Mr. Trump's birth certificate, demonstrating that he is the son of Fred Trump, not an orangutan," Trump's lawyer, Scott Balber, wrote to Maher last month.

When Maher did not respond, Trump filed a breach of contract lawsuit last week in Los Angeles Superior Court.

A Maher spokeswoman referred to his show Friday, in which he ridiculed Trump's lawsuit.

"It's never a joke when someone reneges on a commitment that benefits worthy charities," said Michael Cohen, special counsel to Trump, in response. "The tone of Mr. Maher's diatribe on Friday evening suggests he is far more concerned with the lawsuit than he wants the public to believe."

Last year, during the presidential campaign, Trump offered to give $5 million to charity if President Barack Obama would release his college records. Trump, who flirted with a possible White House run, previously questioned Obama's citizenship and boasted that he prompted Obama to release his birth certificate.

As a guest on NBC's The Tonight Show last month, Maher offered to give $5 million to charity if Trump could prove he was not the son of an orangutan, since the ape's orange fur matches the color of Trump's trademark gravity-defying coiffure.

"He can donate to a charity of his choice," Maher said. "Hair Club for Men; the Institute for Incorrigible Douchebaggery. Whatever charity."

Under contract law, a verbal offer can create a contractual obligation. But courts make exceptions for obviously satirical offers.

In a New York federal case, Leonard vs. Pepsico, a man sued the soft drink maker after it refused to honor a TV advertisement "offer" of a fighter jet for redeemable Pepsi Points.

District Judge Kimba Wood in Manhattan said an offer made "evidently in jest" is not a contract and noted the commercial featured a teenager using the jet to get to school.

"This fantasy is, of course, extremely unrealistic," Wood wrote.

Trump's lawsuit alleges that Maher's show is political commentary, not comedy. In a Fox News appearance last week, Trump said he was certain Maher's offer was not a joke.

"That was venom," Trump said. "That wasn't a joke."

(Reporting by Joseph Ax. Editing by Andre Grenon)

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"Midnight Express" editor Gerry Hambling dead at 86

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Gerry Hambling, the British film editor whose credits include "Midnight Express," "Pink Floyd: The Wall" and "Mississippi Burning," died February 5 in England. He was 86.

Hambling, who entered the film industry at 16 as an editor's apprentice, was a longtime collaborator of director Alan Parker, editing 14 of his films.

"He was undoubtedly one of the finest film editors that the British film industry has produced," Parker remembered.

John Grover, vice chairman of the Guild of British Film Editors, which Hambling helped found in 1966, remembered Hambling as a man of "warmth and understanding."

"He was a hard working technician who loved loud music and fast action sequences; he was rather hard on equipment but never got used to editing electronically as he preferred to handle film, something he could 'see and feel,'" Grover said. "He will be missed by friends and colleagues for his warmth and understanding. It was an honor to have known him."

Hambling won three BAFTA Awards, and received the Career Achievement Award from the American Cinema Editors in 1998. He had also been nominated for six Oscars.

Hambling's last editing job was on the 2003 Parker drama "The Life of David Gale," starring Kate Winslet and Kevin Spacey.

Hambling died in Burwell, Cambridgeshire.

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