newsmakers

newsmakers

Alec Baldwin: Neighbor arrested this time, not me

NEW YORK

Police were called to Alec Baldwin’s New York City apartment building, but this time he wasn’t the one in trouble.

The volatile actor tells The New York Times that normally when police are called to his Greenwich Village building, “you could likely guess it’s about one particular person.”

But Tuesday, Baldwin says, his assistant and cleaning woman saw a neighbor hitting a woman over the head with a frying pan.

Neighbor Jaime McKeown was charged with assault.

Baldwin says people in his building told him McKeown was furious at the woman upstairs for making too much noise.

Baldwin’s recent brushes with the law have included face-offs with paparazzi and riding his bicycle the wrong way.

McKeown’s lawyer did not immediately comment on the case.

Mr. T pities criminals as he awaits jury duty

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill.

Lawrence Tureaud, better known as Mr. T, was in true form as he waited outside a suburban Chicago courthouse to be called for jury duty.

Sporting his usual Mohawk and wearing an FBI sweatshirt and hat, but not a gold chain, the star of “Rocky III” and TV’s “The A-Team” signed autographs and made his feelings known.

He said, “I pity the criminals today,” as he explained he had been designated a potential juror for a trial scheduled for Friday.

The Daily Herald in Arlington Heights reports the 62-year-old Tureaud said he never considered “playing hooky” after receiving the jury summons to the Rolling Meadows court.

Mr. T said he understood his duty and said it’s not his style to shirk responsibilities.

Tureaud wasn’t chosen as a juror.

Candlelight vigil marks Elvis’ death

MEMPHIS, Tenn.

Holding flickering candles, fans of Elvis Presley made a slow, nighttime walk past his gravesite at Graceland on Friday, marking the anniversary of his death 37 years ago.

Fans strolled quietly through the Meditation Garden at Graceland, Presley’s longtime Memphis, Tenn., home. Presley’s grave is in the garden, and his mother, father and grandmother are buried there.

The home is a museum and a centerpiece of the Graceland tourist attraction that draws about 500,000 fans each year from around the world.

People began arriving early in the day to get a spot in line outside Graceland’s gates. Tourists also watched Elvis tribute artists sing and dance, and visited gift shops and Elvis-related exhibits across the street from the home.

The scene is repeated each year on the anniversary of the death of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll. Presley died at age 42 on Aug. 16, 1977, of a heart attack, shocking and saddening his fans worldwide.

The vigil is a highlight of Elvis Week, an annual celebration of Presley’s career and his life. This year, other Elvis Week events have included an auction of authenticated Presley artifacts — which included a 1977 Cadillac Seville used by Presley — and the groundbreaking of a planned 450-room hotel at the Graceland tourist attraction.

Associated Press