newsmakers

newsmakers

Johnny Depp splits from Vanessa Paradis

LOS ANGELES

Johnny Depp and his longtime partner, Vanessa Paradis, have split.

A publicist for Depp said in a statement Tuesday that the two “have amicably separated.” The statement requested privacy for the former couple and their two children, 9-year-old son Jack, and 13-year-old daughter Lily-Rose.

Depp and Paradis met in 1998 but never married during their 14-year relationship. The American actor and the French model-singer lived together with their children in France.

Depp’s most recent film credits include “The Rum Diary” and “Dark Shadows.” He is set to star as Tonto in the big-screen take on “The Lone Ranger,” due next year.

Photographer says Alec Baldwin hit him

NEW YORK

A New York City newspaper photographer has accused groom-to-be Alec Baldwin of assaulting him outside a marriage-license bureau.

But the “30 Rock” star says he was only protecting himself.

The NYPD confirmed that Daily News photographer Marcus Santos had filed a complaint against Baldwin. The department says Santos claims he was punched while snapping photos of Baldwin and his fiancee, Hilaria Thomas.

A statement on Tuesday from Baldwin’s publicist accused the photographer of being the aggressor. It says the actor defended himself after the photographer assaulted him with a camera, and that no punches were thrown.

Photos on the newspaper’s website (http://nydn.us/M3XinW) appear to show Baldwin shoving the photographer.

An NYPD spokeswoman says no charges have been filed and that police are investigating.

16th-century queen’s pin found in toilet

PARIS

A hairpin belonging to 16th-century French Queen Catherine de Medici has been discovered at a royal residence outside Paris.

What has conservators scratching their heads is exactly where it was found: down a communal toilet.

Officials said it’s the first time in modern history that a possession of the Renaissance royal has been found at Fontaine-bleau Palace.

Though the queen was renowned across Europe for her lavish jewelry, much of her collection has been lost, sold or stolen over the centuries.

The rare, 3.5-inch pin was identified easily because it bore interlocking C’s — for “Catherine.” After the age-old soil was cleaned off, Fontainebleau Palace’s conservator Vincent Droguet also noted a finish of white and green, known to be Catherine’s colors.

Less easy for the experts, however, was to explain why the personal possession of a queen known for luxury would end up in a Renaissance-era communal toilet — as opposed to her royal one.

The artifact was found by accident as archeologists dug around the toilet to prepare the surrounding area for restoration.

Associated Press