newsmakers

newsmakers

Actor James Cromwell pleads no contest

MADISON, Wis.

Actor James Cromwell has pleaded no contest to disrupting a University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents meeting last month while protesting cat experiments at the school.

The 73-year-old Cromwell and another activist, 27-year-old Jeremy Beckham, were charged with disorderly conduct after the meeting on the UW-Madison campus Feb. 7.

Both men held large signs showing a cat with metal implanted in its head at a campus lab while shouting about the treatment of cats.

Cromwell’s attorney, Marcus Jens Berghahn, entered no-contest pleas on both men’s behalf Monday. A court commissioner ordered each to pay $263 in forfeitures and costs.

Cromwell was nominated for an Academy Award for the 1995 film “Babe.” His film credits also include “L.A. Confidential” and “The Green Mile.”

American Legion accepts CBS’ apology

NEW YORK

The national commander of the American Legion says he accepts CBS’ apology for a passage on “The Amazing Race” where contestants visited the wreckage of an American B-52 bomber in Vietnam.

The segment aired March 17 and angered many veterans, particularly those who served in the Vietnam War. As part of its scavenger-hunt game, contestants on the show had to visit the site in Hanoi, which Vietnamese authorities turned into a memorial.

Before this Sunday’s edition of “The Amazing Race,” host Phil Keoghan read a statement apologizing to veterans and families who may have been offended.

American Legion National Commander James Koutz accepted the apology, saying he believed it was sincere and heartfelt.

MTV awards show taking trip to Brooklyn

NEW YORK

The Video Music Awards are taking a road trip to Brooklyn.

MTV’s showcase awards show traditionally takes place in Los Angeles or Manhattan.

This year, the show will take place Aug. 25 at the new Barclays Center, home of the New York Nets and the recent Rolling Stones and 12-12-12 concerts.

MTV will celebrate 30 years of the VMAs this year. From Kanye West and Taylor Swift to the Madonna-Britney Spears-Christina Aguilera kiss, the show has become known more for its pop- culture moments than the winners of its signature moonman trophies.

The VMAs last took place in New York in 2009 and have been in LA since.

5 jailed in UK for fake-movie tax scam

LONDON

Five people have been jailed in Britain for pretending to make a Hollywood movie in a scam to defraud tax authorities of millions of pounds.

The fraudsters were convicted earlier this month of attempting to bilk the government of $4.2 million in a plot reminiscent of the Academy Award-winning hit “Argo” — but without that movie’s heroic hostage rescue.

Prosecutors said the fraudsters claimed to be producing a made-in- Britain movie with unnamed A-list actors and a 19 million-pound budget. But officials say the project was a sham to claim back millions in taxes.

Bashar Al-Issa, described as the leader of the fraud, was jailed Monday for 61/2 years. The others were sentenced to about four years each.

Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Lewis dies

BOSTON

Two-time Pulitzer winner Anthony Lewis, whose New York Times column championed liberal causes for three decades, died Monday. He was 85.

Lewis was married to Margaret Marshall, former chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. She retired in 2010 to spend more time with her husband after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A court spokeswoman confirmed his death.

Lewis worked for 32 years as a columnist for The New York Times, taking up causes such as free speech, human rights and constitutional law.

Jolie combats rape in eastern Congo

GOMA, Congo

Angelina Jolie is meeting with women and girls in eastern Congo, where sexual violence is rampant.

Jolie, a special envoy for the U.N. refugee agency, traveled to the Nzulo camp near Goma on Monday along with British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

The International Rescue Committee says it’s provided care to more than 2,500 women and girls who have been raped or abused over the past year alone. The IRC is handing out kits with flashlights and whistles, as well as cleaning products so that women can avoid bathing at creeks where the risk of assault is higher.

Vindicator wire services