newsmakers

newsmakers

John Oliver to star in weekly HBO comedy

LOS ANGELES

HBO says that John Oliver is getting his own weekly show after his winning turn as substitute host for Jon Stewart.

Next year, Oliver’s new Sunday-night program will take a satirical look at current events for the week, HBO said Thursday.

HBO President Michael Lombardo said the channel wasn’t in the hunt for another weekly talk show. But Lombardo said in a statement Oliver’s handling of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” in Stewart’s absence this summer convinced HBO his “distinct voice” belongs on the channel.

Stewart was away directing a film.

Oliver thanked Stewart for teaching him everything he knows during his years with “The Daily Show” — then joked that if he fails it’s entirely Stewart’s fault.

The debut date and title for Oliver’s new show were not announced.

Gyllenhaal injured in intense movie scene

LOS ANGELES

Jake Gyllenhaal needed stitches after shooting an intense scene for his new film, “Nightcrawler.”

A spokeswoman for Gyllenhaal says the 32-year-old actor returned to work Thursday for a final day of filming after a few hours in the emergency room.

Mara Buxbaum said Gyllenhaal was in character Wednesday when he hit a mirror, which unexpectedly broke and cut his hand. She said it was “badly cut up” and required “numerous stiches.”

“Nightcrawler” is a crime drama also starring Rene Russo and Bill Paxton. The film is set for release next year.

Actress convicted of stalking Alec Baldwin

NEW YORK

Alec Baldwin’s wife says the couple is relieved at the conviction of a Canadian actress accused of stalking him.

Hilaria Baldwin released a statement through the actor’s publicist Thursday. She thanks prosecutors and the judge and says: “Now that it’s finally over, we feel safe.”

Hours earlier, a Manhattan judge found Genevieve Sabourin guilty of stalking and other charges.

He sentenced her to six months in jail. That’s on top of a month she’s already serving after she was found in contempt of court for her outbursts during the trial.

Baldwin says Sabourin harassed him after he took her to dinner just to give her career advice. She says they had a fling that soured, and all she wanted afterward was an explanation.

Rolling Stone writer penning Lou Reed bio

NEW YORK

Longtime music writer and Rolling Stone critic Anthony DeCurtis is writing a biography of Lou Reed.

Little, Brown and Co. announced Thursday that it had acquired a book by DeCurtis. The writer interviewed Reed numerous times and wrote the liner notes for an anthology of songs by the group Reed led in the 1960s, the Velvet Underground.

Reed, one of the most influential musicians of the past 50 years, died Oct. 27 at age 71. He was known for such songs as “Walk On the Wild Side,” “Heroin” and “Pale Blue Eyes.”

Associated Press