newsmakers

newsmakers

NBC loses $223M on Winter Olympics

LOS ANGELES

The tally is in: NBC lost $223 million on the Winter Olympics in the first quarter.

That’s slightly better than the most-recent estimate of $250 million in losses. Advertising sales have improved a bit since NBC parent General Electric Co. made that projection in late January.

The Olympics did bring about $800 million in extra revenue to GE. But NBC had a lot of production and other expenses, including $820 million just to acquire the rights to carry the Vancouver Games on television and online.

Tea-party group to offer refunds

CINCINNATI

An Ohio tea-party group says it will offer refunds after Fox News host Sean Hannity canceled an appearance at its Tax Day rally.

The Cincinnati Tea Party said in a statement Friday that it will set up a special e-mail address to handle refund requests.

The group says nearly 10,000 people turned out Thursday evening for the rally along with a planned Hannity book-signing and taping of his television show at the University of Cincinnati basketball arena.

Fox News says Hannity’s appearance was canceled over admission fees. The network says the group was trying to profit from Hannity.

Girlicious member enters not-guilty plea

LOS ANGELES

A member of the pop group Girlicious has pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles courtroom to possession of cocaine with the intent to sell.

Natalie Nicole Mejia was riding in a Ford Mustang stopped for speeding March 9 by a Glendale police officer. The officer found more than a dozen bags containing cocaine in her Gucci purse.

The 21-year-old Diamond Bar singer, who has been free on $30,000 bail, pleaded not guilty to the felony charge Thursday. Glendale police say she told officers the drugs weren’t hers and she didn’t know how they got in her purse.

Patrons getting too touchy with nude art

NEW YORK

Some visitors to a new exhibit at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art are being asked to leave because they are touching nude performers.

The performers featured in Marina Abramovic’s new exhibition have complained of being pushed, prodded and poked by some patrons.

The museum acknowledges that it has had problems with some visitors touching the live art. It is declining to talk about specific cases but says visitors caught doing it are escorted out.

The exhibition opened March 14 and presents a view of Abramovic’s career over four decades.

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