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Special-effects man cleared in film death

LONDON

A British jury has cleared an Oscar-winning special- effects supervisor over the death of a cameraman during the making of “Batman: The Dark Knight.”

New Zealand-born Conway Wickliffe, 41, was killed when a vehicle he was filming from struck a tree during a test run for an action sequence near Chertsey, west of London, in September 2007.

The jury at Guildford Crown Court took less than two hours Monday to find Christopher Corbould, 53, unanimously not guilty of failing to ensure Wickliffe’s safety.

Corbould — who won an Oscar for his visual-effects work on “Inception” — has said he had followed safety procedures correctly and informed staff, including Wickliffe, of every detail of the stunt.

Bill O’Reilly bolder, fresher in new book

NEW YORK

Yes, it is possible: Bill O’Reilly is getting bolder and fresher.

The author and host of Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” has signed with New York-based Henry Holt and Co. to write a sequel to his best-selling memoir “A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity.”

Holt announced Monday that “Bolder and Fresher: The Factor Years” will come out this fall and will offer fans “a behind-the-scenes look at their favorite TV show” along with O’Reilly’s views on politics and culture.

O’Reilly already has committed to a second book this fall, “Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever.” That book also is coming from Holt.

Japan stops showing film with tsunami

TOKYO

A film distributor says it has decided to stop showing Clint Eastwood’s tsunami movie “Hereafter” in Japan in the wake of a catastrophic quake.

Warner Entertainment Japan Inc. official Satoru Otani says theaters no longer will show the film. He said Monday the terrifying tsunami scenes in the movie were “not appropriate” at this time.

“Hereafter” opened in Japan in late February at about 180 theaters. Warner Entertainment initially planned to show the movie until late March.

’60s LSD figure Owsley Stanley dies

CANBERRA, Australia

Owsley “Bear” Stanley, a 1960s counterculture icon who worked with The Grateful Dead and was a prolific LSD producer, died in a car crash in Australia, his family said Monday. He was 76.

Lyrics sung by The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa reference Stanley and his brushes with the law, underlining his influence.

Stanley produced an estimated pound of pure LSD, or roughly 5 million “trips” of normal potency of the hallucinogenic drug, after enrolling in 1963 at the University of California at Berkeley and becoming involved in the drug scene that underpinned the hippie movement, according to the BookRags.com website.

He was an accomplished sound engineer who worked for the psychedelic rock band The Grateful Dead and inspired the band’s dancing bear logo.

Charlie Sheen’s shows are hot ticket

NEW YORK

Charlie Sheen wants you to know the tickets are gone for his pair of live appearances next month.

The outspoken actor has tweeted: “Fastball; Detroit/Chicago sold out in minutes... Thanks to Sheen’s Cadre..!”

No details about the show have been disclosed, but it’s being billed as “Charlie Sheen Live: My Violent Torpedo of Truth.”

Sheen spokesman Larry Solters confirmed Sunday the April 2 and 3 appearances are sold out.

Sheen announced the show last week to his more than 2 million Twitter followers, calling it “the REAL story.”

Associated Press