newsmakers

newsmakers

Billy Joel surprises New York high school

NEW YORK

Billy Joel is back in high school.

The singer surprised an assembly full of students at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Queens, N.Y., on Thursday. Joel appeared with Tony Bennett, who opened the school in 2001 through his Explore the Arts program.

Joel performed some songs on piano and answered questions from students. One male student asked for a hug as the audience cheered on. Another had the 64-year-old sign his yearbook.

Joel said in an interview that his favorite moment in school was cutting class to go play the piano. Joel did not graduate with his class and instead was given a diploma 25 years later.

He has made a number of visits to colleges in recent years — including a recent trip to Vanderbilt that went viral.

Suit filed over crash during reality shoot

LOS ANGELES

The mother of a man killed when a helicopter crashed during a reality- television shoot is suing the aircraft’s operators and producers behind the show.

Darren Rydstrom was one of three people killed when a Bell 206B Jetranger helicopter crashed during an early-morning flight Feb. 10 in northeast Los Angeles County. His mother’s wrongful-death suit was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles.

The men were filming a scene for an untitled military-themed show being produced for the Discovery Channel, which is not named in the lawsuit.

The case’s defendants are Van Nuys Copters and Orbic Air, the companies responsible for the lease of the helicopters; the estate of pilot David Gibbs; and reality-television producers J.D. Roth and Todd Nelson.

DC marks Superman anniversary with logo

What to get Superman for his 75th birthday? DC Entertainment’s starting with a new logo.

The company, part of Warner Bros. Entertainment, unveiled the new logo Thursday in honor of Superman’s 75th anniversary. It ties in the iconic character’s familiar red and blue colors, along with his ever-present cape, and the legend “75 Years.”

Its first appearance is on the cover of “Superman Unchanged” by DC co-publisher Jim Lee and writer Scott Snyder on June 12, along with a new animated short being produced by Zack Snyder, portions of which will be shown at San Diego Comic-Con in July as a sneak-peak.

Snyder’s finished version, which will pay homage to Superman, will debut in full later this summer.

Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara said Thursday the new logo is part of a yearlong celebration of what he called the “first super hero” whose exploits have jumped from the pages of comic books to radio, television, movies (the latest incarnation, “Man of Steel,” is due out this summer) and video games, among other media.

Bette Midler’s show recoups investment

NEW YORK

Bette Midler is officially box-office gold — her one-woman Broadway show has recouped its $2.4 million investment in just over eight weeks.

On Broadway for the first time in 30 years, Midler is playing the wondrously snooty super talent agent in “I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers.”

Written by John Logan, the play is a straightforward biography of a girl with a heavy German accent who turned herself into a mover and shaker in Hollywood.

The show didn’t get a single Tony nomination but has been a tough ticket, pulling in $808,816 last week with only seven shows at full capacity.

Other shows this season that recouped include Tom Hanks’ “Lucky Guy,” the Al Pacino-led revival of “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “The Heiress” with Jessica Chastain.

Vindicator wire services