Jon Hamm treated for alcohol addiction
Mad Men star Jon Hamm has completed treatment for alcohol addiction. The actor had the support of his longtime partner, actress-filmmaker Jennifer Westfeldt, during his struggle, his publicist Annett Wolf said, adding that the couple asked for privacy and sensitivity. No further details were provided. The disclosure, first reported by the TMZ website, came just days before the final batch of episodes of the 1960s-set advertising agency drama begins on April 5 in the US. Hamm, 43, plays Don Draper, a hard-drinking, troubled advertising executive with a dark past. The role brought him stardom and repeated Emmy Award nominations.
Salman Khan ordered to attend court
A Mumbai sessions court said on Tuesday that actor Salman Khan must attend a hearing tomorrow in a 2002 fatal hit-and-run case. Khan is accused of driving a car over people sleeping on a pavement in a city suburb. One person died in the incident. The 49-year-old star is expected to record a statement after evidence is presented by the prosecution. Public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat said that judge D W Deshpande will “get an opportunity to question Khan”. Khan was not present at the Tuesday hearing. His sister Alvira appeared on his behalf.
X-Files returning to TV after 13 years
Cult sci-fi TV show The X-Files is returning with six new episodes, 13 years after David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson's last TV outing as agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. The Emmy-and Golden Globe-winning series – which ran for nine seasons and 202 episodes between 1993 and 2002 – will begin production in the summer with the original stars, the broadcaster Fox said. "I think of it as a 13-year commercial break," said the show's creator and executive producer, Chris Carter. "The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories." The series follows the adventures of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents Scully and Mulder, who investigate mysterious cases blamed on paranormal phenomena or aliens. The characters were last seen in 2008 in the big-screen movie The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Anderson will be a guest at the Middle East Film and Comic Convention, which is at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 9 to 11.
Henson says son switching university after profiling incident
The actress Taraji P Henson says her 20-year-old son is transferring to Howard University after being racially profiled by police at the University of Southern California. The Empire star made the comments in the latest issue of Uptown magazine. She said her son, Marcel, was stopped by police on the Los Angeles campus "for having his hands in his pockets", and he now plans to attend her alma mater, the historically black Howard University in Washington. The chief of USC's Department of Public Safety said that any allegation of unequal treatment by university officers would trigger an investigation. Chief John Thomas said he was racially profiled as a teenager and was "deeply disturbed" to learn that Henson's son felt profiled because of his race.
Super Troopers seeks crowdfunding for sequel
The makers of the cult film Super Troopers have launched a crowdfunding campaign to help bankroll a sequel. Broken Lizard made the 2001 police comedy and on Tuesday asked for US$2 million (Dh7.34m) in contributions to get Super Troopers 2 produced. Broken Lizard says Fox Searchlight has agreed to distribute the sequel in North America if the comedy troupe can fund the making of it. The call for contributions is posted on Indiegogo.com and has raised more than $1.1m. The campaign runs for a month. If the goal is met, shooting will start this summer. The campaign mirrors that of the Veronica Mars film Warner Bros. released last year after a Kickstarter campaign. Super Troopers is about five Vermont state police troopers. It made $23.2m worldwide
Nicklaus awarded highest US civilian honour
The United States Congress awarded its highest US civilian honour to golfing great Jack Nicklaus on Tuesday, who accepted the gold medal with a few tears, humility and humour. In a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, the House and Senate leadership bestowed the award on Nicklaus, winner of 18 major championships that Speaker and avid golfer John Boehner called the “gold standard”. The 75-year-old Nicklaus recalled the hard work of his parents, praised his family and paid tribute to his wife, Barbara. He recalled that when his son Jack was 6, he was asked what his father did for a living. The younger Nicklaus said: “Nothing, he just plays golf.”