NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

George Lucas apologizes for calling Disney ‘white slavers’

LOS ANGELES

George Lucas has apologized for criticizing Disney’s handling of “Star Wars” and saying he had sold his characters to “white slavers” in a recent interview with Charlie Rose.

In a statement issued Thursday, Lucas says he misspoke and used a “very inappropriate analogy.” It’s not clear what he meant, and Rose didn’t ask a follow-up question on his PBS show that aired Dec. 24.

The “Star Wars” creator sold Lucasfilm to the Walt Disney Co. in 2012 for $4.06 billion, and the studio developed “The Force Awakens” with J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy.

Actor Wayne Rogers dies at age 82

LOS ANGELES

Wayne Rogers, whose Trapper John McIntyre on “M*A*S*H” was among the most-beloved characters on one of the most-popular shows of all time, died Thursday.

The actor was surrounded by family when he died in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia at age 82, his publicist and longtime friend Rona Menashe told The Associated Press.

Rogers was on the show for just the first three of its 11 seasons on CBS, but his run, and his character, are especially revered by show devotees.

Associated Press