newsmakers

newsmakers

Mel Gibson pleads to misdemeanor

LOS ANGELES

Gibson appeared in the Los Angeles Airport Courthouse on Friday and pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor spousal battery charge, closing his high-profile domestic violence case involving his ex-girlfriend.

Gibson thanked the judge and the prosecutor as the hearing ended.

The judge sentenced Gibson to 36 months of probation, a 52-week domestic violence counseling program and 16 hours of community service.

“He maintains his innocence,” his attorney, Blair Berk, told the judge. “He feels a plea is in the best interest of his children.”

He’s being served with a protective order Friday, which requires him to not harass or intimidate Oksana Grigorieva, his ex-girlfriend.

Sheen, wife reach deal on custody

SANTA MONICA, Calif.

Charlie Sheen and his estranged wife have struck an accord that settles any custody issues and ends the pursuit of a restraining order against the actor, according to their attorneys.

Sheen and Brooke Mueller “reached an agreement that resolves their differences,” lawyers for the pair said Thursday night.

The statement said the details of the arrangement were being kept confidential for the benefit of their twin sons.

Mueller obtained a temporary restraining order against Sheen earlier this month, claiming he threatened her on a recent trip to the Bahamas. A hearing had been scheduled for March 22.

‘Spider-Man’ to close for overhaul

NEW YORK

Producers of Broadway’s troubled “Spider-Man” musical say the show will shut down for a few weeks in the spring to overhaul the show.

Lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris said in a statement Friday that “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” would officially open June 14. The show has been in previews for more than 100 performances and has delayed opening six times.

Preview performances will be canceled from April 19 through May 11.

Producers said ticket-holders will be able to either exchange or return their tickets for a refund.

Koons ‘Pink Panther’ sculpture on the block

NEW YORK

Jeff Koons’ porcelain sculpture of a pink panther hugging a bare-breasted blonde is coming to a New York City auction. It’s estimated to bring $20 million to $30 million.

Sotheby’s is selling “Pink Panther” on May 10. There were three editions made of the work; the one up for auction is the artist’s proof.

One was sold at Christie’s in 1999 for $1.8 million, reportedly to the newsprint magnate Peter Brant. The others are in the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

Sotheby’s didn’t identify the seller of the artist’s proof. But The New York Times says it’s publisher Benedikt Taschen.

Koons’ “Balloon Flower Magenta” sold for $25.7 million in 2008 at Christie’s. It set a record for the artist.

Singer Ne-Yo creates show for cable network

NEW YORK

Ne-Yo has written many hit songs — and now he’s taking writing to a new level. The Grammy winner told The Associated Press in an interview Friday that he closed a deal with Cartoon Network to produce his own show.

The cartoon is called “I Heart Tuesdays,” and Ne-Yo said production starts soon. He said the show is about “a 16-year-old girl that inherits the curse of her bloodline, and she’s forced to save the world from the unknown evil every Tuesday for the rest of her life.”