NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

‘Juno’ actress Ellen Page comes out as gay

LOS ANGELES

Ellen Page, who won the hearts of moviegoers as the pregnant teenager in the 2007 film “Juno,” has announced she’s gay.

The 26-year-old told a Las Vegas audience Friday, “I’m here today because I am gay.” She was speaking to a conference of counselors who work with teenagers who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual or queer.

A video of her speech was posted on the Los Angeles Times website.

Page says she suffered for years because she was afraid to come out. She told the audience, “I’m standing here today, with all of you, on the other side of all that pain.”

Page received an Oscar nomination for her performance in “Juno.” She also had major roles in “X-Men: The Last Stand” in 2006 and “Inception” in 2010.

Simon Cowell welcomes baby Eric

LOS ANGELES

Simon Cowell is a proud new father.

A spokeswoman for Cowell says he and socialite Lauren Silverman welcomed their baby son Friday evening, Valentine’s Day, in New York.

The spokeswoman, AnnMarie Thomson, says the infant weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and is named Eric, after Cowell’s father.

Cowell, of “American Idol” and “The X Factor” fame, posted a series of tweets about the happy event. He says the new mom is in “great shape” and says his new son is “healthy and handsome.”

‘Black Coal, Thin Ice’ wins prize in Berlin

BERLIN

Chinese director Diao Yinan’s “Black Coal, Thin Ice” has won the Berlin International Film Festival’s main Golden Bear prize.

The movie also picked up the best actor award, which went to Liao Fan for his role as a former policeman turned detective investigating a mysterious series of killings in a gritty industrial region.

“It’s really hard to believe that this dream has come true — a dream that I’ve had for such a long time and that didn’t come true for such a long time,” Diao said as he accepted the Golden Bear statuette. “It’s wonderful.”

Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” won the jury grand prize, which comes with a runner-up Silver Bear.

American filmmaker Richard Linklater won the best director honor for “Boyhood,” made over 12 years, which follows a boy and his family from first grade to college.

Japan’s Haru Kuroki was named best actress for her part in “The Little House,” from veteran director Yoji Yamada, a film about a covert love affair in Japan set against the backdrop of World War II.

Associated Press