newsmakers

newsmakers

Ashton Kutcher teases about joining ‘Men’

LOS ANGELES

Twitter king Ashton Kutcher is giving his followers a clue that he may be joining “Two and a Half Men” — or he’s punking them.

Kutcher tweeted Wednesday, asking “What’s the square root of 6.25?” The answer is 21/2.

His online message came amid reports that he’s nearing a deal to replace the fired Charlie Sheen on TV’s top-rated comedy.

Kutcher was negotiating with series producer Warner Bros., The Hollywood Reporter said Wednesday, citing unidentified sources. Earlier, Broadcasting & Cable reported Kutcher had emerged as a candidate for the CBS series.

Warner Bros. declined to comment, as did CBS.

Gibson’s rants might not be used in case

LOS ANGELES

A series of Mel Gibson’s racist and sexist rants might not be used as evidence during an ongoing child-custody dispute, an attorney for his ex-girlfriend told a judge Thursday. The disclosure comes a week after Oksana Grigorieva’s attorney, Daniel Horowitz, told the court that his client was dropping her claims that Gibson physically abused her for the purposes of a case over the custody and care of their infant daughter.

Horowitz’s comments came after Gibson attorney Stephen Kolodny complained that he had been trying to get access to the Russian musician’s laptop for nearly a year to find out more about the recordings. Horowitz noted that Grigorieva is no longer seeking a domestic-violence restraining order against Gibson and the rants were more important to those allegations than any other aspects of the case.

Mary Tyler Moore to undergo surgery

NEW YORK

A representative for Mary Tyler Moore, 74, says the veteran sitcom star will have surgery to remove a brain tumor. Spokeswoman Alla Plotkin says“ Moore’s doctors recommended the elective procedure after monitoring the tumor for some time. Plotkin did not say when the surgery would take place.

It would remove a meningioma, a slow-growing tumor in the membranes that cover the brain. Meningiomas usually occur in older adults and are mostly benign.

PBS’ Jim Lehrer to retire as anchor

NEW YORK

Jim Lehrer says he’s retiring as a regular anchor of PBS’ “NewsHour” broadcast after 35 years. After 52 years in journalism, Lehrer said Thursday that “there comes a time to step aside from the daily process, and that day has arrived.” His exit will take place the week of June 6.

Lehrer’s 77th birthday is next week. He said he still will appear many Fridays to moderate a weekly analysis feature with columnists Mark Shields and David Brooks.

Will Ferrell wins top humor prize

WASHINGTON

Will Ferrell, who honed his impression of President George W. Bush on “Saturday Night Live” and crossed over to make a career in movies, will win the nation’s top humor prize from the Kennedy Center in Washington. The 14th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor was announced Thursday. Ferrell will be honored Oct. 23.

In a written statement, Ferrell says he is honored and will begin cultivating a “Mark Twain-esque mustache” for the event.

Ferrell starred for seven seasons on “Saturday Night Live.” In 2007, he created the website FunnyorDie.com with collaborator Adam McKay. He has performed on Broadway and in movies including “Anchorman,” “Old School” and “Zoolander.”

Past honorees include Tina Fey, Bill Cosby and Steve Martin.

Vindicator wire services