US seizes 2,200 pieces of artwork in NJ

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A federal prosecutor in New Jersey says the government has seized more than 2,000 works of art that were used to launder money raised through fraud. They were appraised at nearly $16 million.The U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark announced Friday a Feb. 22 court filing seeking to force the owner to forfeit the works, including an Alfred Stieglitz photograph that sold for $675,000....

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Lawyer says Lohan committed to turning life around

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lindsay Lohan is committed to turning her life around and wants to record public service announcements on the dangers of domestic violence, alcohol abuse and drunken driving, her attorney said Wednesday.Mark Heller told The Associated Press that the actress' plans are independent of a criminal case that could return her to jail on charges that she lied to police about being a passenger...

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Mindy McCready's funeral held in southwest Florida

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — As her music played in the background, country music star Mindy McCready was remembered Tuesday by friends and family as a fun and talented singer who also "wanted to be healed" from her past.About 200 friends and family gathered in the 37-year-old singer's Florida hometown of Fort Myers. A large screen behind the altar of Crossroads Baptist Church was filled with her images...

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'Identity Thief' tops box office with $14 million

NEW YORK (AP) — A week after losing the box office title to Bruce Willis, Melissa McCarthy took it back again.McCarthy's road trip comedy "Identity Thief" topped the box office in its third week of release on Oscar weekend with $14 million for Universal. 20th Century Fox's "A Good Day to Die Hard," starring Willis, slid to fifth with $10.1 million.The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday...

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Oscars have clear favorites, wild-card MacFarlane

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Some firsts and other rarities are possible at Sunday night's Academy Awards. But if the Oscars could be just a little less predictable, the show might really be one for the record books.Ben Affleck's "Argo" looks like it will uniquely claim best picture without a directing nomination, while "Lincoln" filmmaker Steven Spielberg and star Daniel Day-Lewis are favored to join exclusive...

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Oscars expand social media outreach for 85th show

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is encouraging celebrities to tweet during the Oscars.The film organization has expanded its digital outreach for the 85th Academy Awards with a new feature that lets stars to snap photos of themselves backstage during Sunday's ceremony and instantly post them online.What Twitter calls a "Magic Mirror" will take photo-booth-style pictures...

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LA judge grants Jermaine Jackson name change

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jermaine Jackson has a new, brighter surname — Jacksun.A Los Angeles judge approved the change to singer's name Friday.The 58-year-old, who shared lead singing duties with his younger brother Michael in the Jackson 5, did not appear in court.He sought the name change for "artistic reasons" and says it has nothing to do with a recent rift in his family over the care of Michael Jackson's...

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'For Better or Worse' moves from TBS to OWN

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oprah Winfrey's cable channel says it will be the new home of the sitcom "For Better or Worse."Tyler Perry's comedy series will move from TBS to OWN for its third season, starting this fall. OWN announced Wednesday that it's also getting rerun rights for the show's first two years."For Better or Worse" is about three couples dealing with the challenges of dating and married life....

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Police say NY TV anchor threatened wife with death

Police say a New York City anchorman made a death threat against his wife as he was being arrested on charges of attacking her at their Connecticut home.The alleged threat was revealed in a court document released during Tuesday's arraignment of WCBS-TV's Rob Morrison.Meanwhile, New York City police said they were called to the couple's former Manhattan home 11 times between 2004 and 2009 because...

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APNewsBreak: Jenni Rivera memoir due in July

NEW YORK (AP) — Some final words from the late Mexican-American singer and TV star Jenni Rivera will be out this summer.Atria Books announced Monday it's publishing a memoir by the multimillion-selling artist, who died in a plane crash in December at age 43. "Unbreakable," coming out simultaneously in English and Spanish, is scheduled for July and has been authorized by Rivera's family.Rosie Rivera,...

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Discovery bets on 2 dope series about pot growers

NEW YORK (AP) — Cupcake makers, pawnbrokers and storage container raiders have all had their moments in reality television's spotlight. Now the time may be right for marijuana growers — and the people who chase them.The Discovery network debuts a six-episode series, "Weed Country," at 10 p.m. Wednesday and will replace it with "Pot Cops" in April. Both examine the marijuana trade in northern California.It...

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TV show with Pistorius' dead girlfriend airs

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Reeva Steenkamp's last wish for her family before she was shot dead at boyfriend Oscar Pistorius' home was for them to watch her in a reality TV show that went on air in South Africa on Saturday night, two days after her killing.Sharon Steenkamp, Reeva's cousin, told The Associated Press that the model and law graduate was "proud of being in the show" and reminded them in their...

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'Melrose' actress gets 3 years for deadly NJ crash

SOMERVILLE, N.J. (AP) — A former "Melrose Place" actress who was drunk when her SUV plowed into a car and killed a woman was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison, infuriating the victim's relatives, who had hoped for the 10-year maximum."What a travesty!" the victim's husband, Fred Seeman, yelled after the sentence was read."This is not justice," the victim's 26-year-old son, Ford Seeman, told...

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First lady plugs 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama on Wednesday gushed over the Oscar-nominated film "Beasts of the Southern Wild," calling it one of the "most powerful and most important" movies in a long time in a ringing endorsement delivered less than two weeks before this month's Academy Awards ceremony.The first lady commented during a Black History Month workshop at the White House for about 80 middle- and high-school...

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Alec Baldwin, wife expecting a baby this summer

NEW YORK (AP) — Alec Baldwin and his wife are expecting their first child together.Publicist Matthew Hiltzik confirmed Tuesday that Hilaria Baldwin is due late this summer.Alec Baldwin already is the father of a 17-year-old daughter, Ireland, from his previous marriage to actress Kim Basinger (BAY'-sing-ur). Hilaria Baldwin is a special correspondent for the TV show "Extra." The couple wed last June...

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'Identity Thief' grabs $34.6M to debut at No. 1

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy's "Identity Thief" has made off with the weekend box-office title with a $34.6 million debut.The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:1....

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Winners of the 2013 British Academy Film Awards

LONDON (AP) — Winners of the 2013 British Academy Film Awards, presented Sunday:Film — "Argo"British Film — "Skyfall"Director — Ben Affleck, "Argo"Actor — Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln."Actress — Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"Supporting Actor — Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"Supporting Actress — Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables"Rising Star — Juno TempleBritish Debut — Bart Layton and Dimitri Doganis, "The...

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Elton John shares Grammy stage with young rockers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Elton John still fills stadiums worldwide on his own, but he'll share the spotlight with a dozen other musicians at Sunday's Grammy Awards.The 65-year-old entertainer rehearsed Saturday at Staples Center alongside young Grammy nominees Mumford & Sons, Zac Brown, Ed Sheeran and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes.John prepared for two performances: a rousing rendition of the Band's...

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Tyler, Fleetwood push Hawaii celeb privacy bill

HONOLULU (AP) — Rock legends Steven Tyler and Mick Fleetwood have convinced a Hawaii Senate committee to approve a bill to protect celebrities or anyone else from intrusive paparazzi.The state Senate Judiciary Committee approved the so-called Steven Tyler Act Friday after the stars testified at a hearing.The bill would give people power to sue others who take photos or video of their private lives...

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Afghan boys from nominated film to walk red carpet

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Fawad Mohammadi has spent half his life peddling maps and dictionaries to foreigners on a street of trinket shops in Kabul. Now the 14-year-old Afghan boy with bright green eyes is getting ready for a trip down the red carpet at the Oscars.It will also be his first time out of the country and his first time on a plane.Mohammadi was plucked from the dingy streets of the Afghan...

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