newsmakers
newsmakers
Rain washes out ‘Avengers’ filming
CLEVELAND
Rain has won a round against “The Avengers,” the Marvel Studios superheroes in the movie of the same name that has begun filming in Cleveland.
Cameras were supposed to start rolling Monday on a city street turned into something resembling a battleground, with crushed cars and pieces of buildings put in place by crews.
But The Plain Dealer reports heavy rain forced the first day’s shoot to move indoors.
A flood watch was in effect for the area.
Outdoor filming is expected to get under way today if the weather improves.
Marvel Studios has been tight-lipped about the movie’s plot.
It features the Marvel comics superheros, including Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.
Fans visit Graceland to remember Elvis
MEMPHIS, Tenn.
Fans of Elvis Presley are making their way to Graceland for a candlelight vigil to honor the 34th anniversary of the singer’s death.
Every year, thousands of people trek to Memphis from around the world to remember Elvis’ death Aug. 16, 1977.
The main event of “Elvis Week” is the solemn candlelight vigil at the stately mansion known as Graceland at midnight tonight.
Fans start lining up for the event during the day Monday along Graceland’s outer brick wall.
This year, fans have something else to commemorate. It was 55 years ago — 1956 — when the first two Elvis albums were released.
That year alone, Elvis sold 10 million singles and 800,000 LPs.
Rembrandt drawing stolen from hotel
LOS ANGELES
An art thief pulled off a heist of a small Rembrandt drawing worth $250,000 while the exhibition curator was distracted momentarily at a California luxury hotel known for its top-notch security, investigators said Monday.
The theft from a private exhibit in the lobby at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Marina del Rey occurred during a 15-minute window Saturday night.
“When the curator turned back to the Rembrandt, it was gone,” sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said. It’s unclear whether the person who distracted the curator was connected to the theft.
The Rembrandt was part of an exhibition in which art pieces were displayed to potential buyers. The hotel often hosts such events. “The Ritz-Carlton security is the best, maybe the best in the nation,” Whitmore said.
The Dutch master’s quill pen-and-ink drawing — which measures about 11 inches by 6 inches — is called “The Judgment.”
Detectives have a hotel surveillance videotape, but it’s not being made public — for now.
Vindicator wire services