newsmakers

newsmakers

Super Bowl telecast draws record 111.5M viewers

NEW YORK

Fox’s Super Bowl telecast of the Seahawks’ victory over the Broncos is the most-watched television event in U.S. history, drawing 111.5 million viewers Sunday night.

The Nielsen company said Monday the telecast broke a viewership record set by the Super Bowl two years ago between the New York Giants and New England Patriots. It’s the fourth time in five years that a Super Bowl game has set a viewership record. Last year’s game, with 108.6 million viewers, was the exception.

The game kept up its appeal to viewers despite being relatively non-competitive.

Fox said an estimated 2.3 million people watched its online stream of the game, peaking at the end of the third quarter.

Judge says Chris Brown should remain in treatment

LOS ANGELES

A judge says Chris Brown should remain in a rehabilitation facility and turned down a prosecutor’s motion to have the R&B singer jailed over an arrest in Washington, D.C., last year.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Brandlin says Brown appears to be making progress in a treatment facility and should remain there.

A prosecutor asked Monday to have Brown taken into custody over a misdemeanor assault case filed against Brown in D.C.

Brown remains on probation in Los Angeles over his 2009 attack on then-girlfriend Rihanna. Judge Brandlin revoked the singer’s probation in December but made no changes to his sentence during a brief hearing Monday.

The singer’s lawyer Mark Geragos asked the judge to allow Brown to remain in treatment and give time for the Washington case to be resolved.

Mavis Staples to perform at Newport Folk Festival

NEWPORT, R.I.

The Newport Folk Festival says gospel singer Mavis Staples will perform in this year’s line-up.

Staples is the first act to be announced for the 2014 festival, which will take place July 25-27. The festival says special guests will honor her birthday and “75 Years of Mavis” throughout the weekend.

Founder George Wein said Monday it’s a joy to honor Staples. He says her family’s band, The Staple Singers, was one of the first gospel groups to play at Newport and that they have appeared at both the folk and jazz festivals over the years.

The festival first took place in 1959 and has featured influential musicians such as Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and Johnny Cash.

Other musical acts will be announced later.

Associated Press