newsmakers

newsmakers

Judge says Farrah Fawcett caregiver can testify

LOS ANGELES

One of Farrah Fawcett’s caregivers will be allowed to testify that the late actress told her an Andy Warhol portrait hanging in her home was owned by Ryan O’Neal.

The artwork’s ownership is at the center of a dispute between the Oscar-nominated actor and Fawcett’s alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin.

Superior Court Judge William MacLaughlin ruled that Maribel Avila should be allowed to testify in the case despite the fact she stepped forward as a possible witness just last month. Avila was a nurse’s assistant who worked for Fawcett in 2006 and 2007 while the actress was battling cancer.

Avila recounted to MacLaughlin that Fawcett told her a Warhol portrait that hung outside her bedroom door belonged to O’Neal, who was her longtime partner. Avila said she hadn’t heard about the lawsuit over the artwork until reading about it in the New York Post last month.

She contacted O’Neal’s lawyers, who want to use her as a witness in their case. She is expected to testify before jurors next week.

Spotify to unveil free mobile streaming service

LOS ANGELES

Spotify, the Swedish music-streaming service, is set to announce a new way for users to choose specific tracks and listen to them on mobile devices without paying a fee.

That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak about the feature, to be announced at an event in New York on Wednesday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on the free feature, saying it mostly will serve up music based on the user’s input.

The person says users can choose tracks and put them in a playlist. If the playlist is long enough, Spotify will shuffle the songs and play them back a limited number of times.

Associated Press