‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ tops box office

‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ tops box office

LOS ANGELES

“Kung Fu Panda 3” kicked its way to the top of the North American box office with a respectable $41 million, according to Rentrak estimates Sunday.

The DreamWorks Animation film cost a reported $145 million to make and earned a strong “A” CinemaScore from audiences – 70 percent of whom were families.

The rest of the top five included: “The Revenant,” $12.4 million, second place; “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” $10.8 million, third place; “The Finest Hours,” $10.3 million, fourth place; and “Ride Along 2,” $8.3 million, fifth place.

At Vigoda’s funeral, he’s recalled as a class act

NEW YORK

Nobody who knew “The Godfather” and “Barney Miller” actor Abe Vigoda made mourners smile through their tears Sunday faster than comedian and friend Gilbert Gottfried.

“This is the 20th time we buried Abe Vigoda,” Gottfried announced to a memorial service audience of more than 100.

It was a reference to a running joke about whether Vigoda, the character actor best known for his portrayal of Mafia soldier Sal Tessio in “The Godfather,” was dead or alive – the result of a false report of his death decades ago.

The true end came Tuesday when Vigoda died in his sleep at age 94 at his daughter’s Woodland Park, N.J., home, where he went to escape the hazards of a blizzard.

“His big wish was not to be alone and not to die alone,” said the daughter, Carol Vigoda-Fuchs. “So I’m grateful he got what he wanted.”

Cosby calls himself a mentor and more to accuser in case

PHILADELPHIA

Bill Cosby says his attraction to the accuser in his pending sex-assault case began the day they met at Temple University.

Cosby describes their relationship as romantic. But her lawyers say he was only a mentor and trusted friend.

Their relationship will no doubt be explored in depth if a judge Tuesday allows the 12-year-old case to trial.

Defense lawyers say the 78-year-old Cosby had a deal with authorities that he should testify in Andrea Constand’s lawsuit because he would never be charged.

Former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor will testify for the defense Tuesday.

The current prosecutor, Kevin Steele, says he has no evidence of any immunity deal.

The sex-assault charge stems from a 2004 encounter at Cosby’s suburban Philadelphia home.

Associated Press