Film to focus on death of amateur bear expert

Film to focus on deathof amateur bear expert
SILVER SPRING, Md. -- The Discovery Channel's theatrical documentary unit will produce a film based on the life and death of amateur bear expert Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell, 46, of Malibu, Calif., and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, 37, were killed in October 2003 by a bear in Katmai National Park and Preserve.
Treadwell was an author and videographer who devoted himself to saving grizzlies after he said he had near-fatal experiences with illegal drugs. He said close encounters with bears inspired him to give up drugs, study bears and work for their protection.
He regularly spent summers among Katmai bears, a practice other bear experts called dangerous for him and the bears. Authorities believe Treadwell and Huguenard were killed by a 1,000-pound adult male grizzly. An audio recording of the attack was captured by Treadwell's video camera.
Phil Spector indictedon murder charges
LOS ANGELES -- Moments after he was indicted on murder charges in the 2003 death of a B-movie actress at his Alhambra mansion, music producer Phil Spector called prosecutors "reprehensible, unconscionable and despicable."
Spector, 64, railed at prosecutors after the indictment charging him with killing Lana Clarkson was read Monday in court. Outside, Spector compared District Attorney Steve Cooley to Adolf Hitler.
"The actions of the Hitler-like DA and his storm trooper henchmen are reprehensible, unconscionable and despicable," said Spector, who remains free on $1 million bail.
The charges were returned by a grand jury whose indictment superseded a murder case previously filed by prosecutors in November 2003, seven months after Spector's arrest.
A grand jury indictment would preclude the need for a preliminary hearing, in which prosecutors would have to present enough evidence to hold Spector for trial.
Clarkson, who was best known as the star of Roger Corman's cult film classic "Barbarian Queen," was working as a hostess at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip when she went home with Spector on the night she died.
Rock star to serve restof prison term in France
VILNIUS, Lithuania -- Bertrand Cantat, the French rock star convicted of manslaughter in the beating death of his actress-girlfriend, will serve the rest of his eight-year prison sentence in France.
Cantat's lawyer, Virginijus Papirtis, told The Associated Press on Monday that the musician left Vilnius on Tuesday. Lithuania sent documents in August outlining Cantat's return to France, which were approved by French officials.
French police arrived in Lithuania Monday and will escort Cantat on the Lithuanian Airlines flight to Amsterdam and then on to Paris.
Today's birthdays
Movie director Michelangelo Antonioni is 92. Actress Lizabeth Scott is 82. Actor Steve Forrest is 80. Actress Anita Ekberg is 73. Actor Eddie Barth is 73. Singer Jerry Lee Lewis is 69. Actor Ian McShane is 62. Jazz musician Jean-Luc Ponty is 62. Lech Walesa, the former president of Poland, is 61. Television-film composer Mike Post is 60. Actress Patricia Hodge is 58. TV personality Bryant Gumbel is 56. Rock singer-musician Mark Farner is 56. Rock musician Mike Pinera is 56. Country singer Alvin Crow is 54. Actor Drake Hogestyn is 51. Singer Suzzy Roche (The Roches) is 48. Actor-comedian Andrew "Dice" Clay is 46. Singer-musician Les Claypool is 41. Actress Jill Whelan is 38. Rhythm-and-blues singer Devante Swing (Jodeci) is 35. Actress Emily Lloyd is 34. Actress Natasha Gregson Wagner is 34. Actress Rachel Cronin is 33. Country musician Danick Dupelle (Emerson Drive) is 31. Country singer Katie McNeill (3 of Hearts) is 22.