newsmakers

newsmakers

George Lopez’s wife files for divorce

LOS ANGELES

George Lopez and his wife of 17 years are making their breakup official with her filing for divorce. Ann Serrano Lopez filed her petition, citing irreconcilable difference, on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

The pair announced their breakup in September and said they would remain partners in a charitable foundation. They have a 14-year-old daughter, and Ann Lopez is seeking physical custody. The filings do not offer any additional details about the split.

The pair were married in September 1993 and did not list a separation date.

Tokyo remains top gourmet city

TOKYO

Japan’s capital has retained its top spot in the world of gastronomy, according to Michelin Guides, with more top- rated restaurants than Paris for the second year in a row. The Tokyo metropolitan area, which unseated Paris from the No. 1 spot last year with 11 three-star restaurants, widened its margin this year with a stunning 14 receiving the highest rating, Michelin said in a statement Wednesday. The French capital scored 10.

Michelin Guides Director Jean-Luc Naret said the results proved once again that Tokyo was the world’s gastronomical capital.

The first Michelin Guide was published in 1900 as a handbook for French motorists. It made its Asia debut in Japan in 2007.

Tokyo’s victory included the debut of sushi restaurant Araki and the promotion of three Japanese restaurants that had been awarded two stars in the previous edition of the guide, including one that specializes in pufferfish, a delicacy known as fugu that can be highly poisonous if prepared improperly.

Rapper DMX appears in court in Phoenix

PHOENIX

Rapper Earl Simmons, also known as DMX, is denying he violated his probation. Simmons appeared in a Phoenix courtroom Wednesday and denied he used cocaine and OxyContin.

Court documents allege the 39-year-old performer failed to submit to drug testing and drove on a suspended license. He was arrested last Thursday and was being held without bond in the Maricopa County jail. Maricopa County court commissioner Christine Mulleneaux has set Simmons’ next hearing for Dec. 9. Simmons’ attorney said he had been working with his client and probation officials, and expected the arrest.

Simmons was placed on probation last year after convictions for attempted aggravated assault for throwing a food tray at a jail guard, and theft for trying to use a fake name to avoid paying a $7,500 hospital bill.