Marcia Wallace dies, voice of 'Simpsons' Edna Krabappel

LOS ANGELES – Marcia Wallace, the voice of scoffing schoolteacher Edna Krabappel on "The Simpsons," whose wise-cracking characters on "The Bob Newhart Show" and other prime-time hits endeared her to generations of TV viewers, has died.

"Simpsons" executive producer Al Jean called said in a statement Saturday that her "irreplaceable character," the fourth-grade teacher who contended with Bart Simpson's constant antics, would be retired from the show. Wallace was 70.

"I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace. She was beloved by all at The Simpsons," Jean said. It's "a terrible loss for all who had the pleasure of knowing her."

The statement did not provide a date for her death, or a cause.

The longtime TV actress' credits ranged from playing a receptionist on "The Bob Newhart Show" to appearances on Candice Bergen's "Murphy Brown."

On "The Simpsons," Wallace provided the voice for world-weary Edna Krabappel, who smoked cigarettes, made sarcastic comments and finally found love in the arms of Simpson's neighbor Ned Flanders after fans voted online at the end of season 22 to keep the unlikely couple together.

Wallace's trademark "Ha!" punctuated Krabappel's frequent wisecracks, and her character was also known for the catchphrase, "Do what I mean, not what I say."

Harry Shearer, the voice of Ned Flanders on the show, said Wallace "brought this huge, positive energy" to her work on "The Simpsons."

"She was just a warm and wonderful person," Shearer told The Associated Press.

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Quincy Jones sues Michael Jackson estate for millions in back royalties

Music legend Quincy Jones is suing Michael Jackson's estate saying he's far from thrilled with the royalties he's received since the King of Pop's death.

Jones, 80, claims he is owed millions in back royalties on some of the superstar's biggest hits and was improperly deprived of a producer credit on music used in the "This Is It" film.

Jones' lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles seeks at least $10 million in damages from the Gloved One's estate and Sony Music Entertainment.

The suit claims Jackson's estate re-worked music he produced on Jackson's hit albums "Off The Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" and then used it in new ventures including the movie and a pair of Cirque du Soleil show without awarding him appropriate compensation.

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Jones is asking a judge to force the estate to fork over a full accounting of its proceeds to determine the full scope of his claim.

A lawyer for Jackson's estate said he did not believe the executors did anything wrong.
"The Estate of Michael Jackson was saddened to learn that Quincy Jones has filed a lawsuit seeking money from Michael's estate," Howard Weitzman said in a statement.

"To the best of (the estate's) knowledge, Mr. Jones has been appropriately compensated over approximately 35 years for his work with Michael," he said.

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Manna Dey was a colossal figure: Soumitra Chatterjee

Kolkata: Doyen of Bengali films Soumitra Chatterjee Thursday paid glowing tributes to legendary singer Manna Dey, saying the variety of his work made him like a banyan tree in the world of music. "He was such a colossal figure, there can be no alternative to Manna da. People like him evolve into banyan trees on the strength of their work. I am at a loss for words," said Chatterjee, who has lipped a large number of popular songs of Dey in Bengali films over the decades. The actor said while in college, he attended some functions where Dey accompanied his uncle - the celebrated singer Krishna Chandra Dey. "I heard several kirtans. I liked a song from Parineeta Chali Radhe Rani. It was a big hit."
Chatterjee said later when he took up film acting, he got to lip a large number of songs rendered by Dey. "Many of these songs have stood the test of time. I would like to mention two songs of the film 'Teen Bhubaner Pare' - Ke Tumi Nandini and Hoito Tomari Jonyo. They were such diverse songs, but he sang both of them so well. It only shows his versatility," said the septuagenarian actor. Veteran singer Dwijen Mukhopadhyay cherished the time he spent with the departed singer through the decades. "We knew each other for so many decades. We visited each other's house regularly. He rose to great heights in music. All music loving Indians are in grief." However, Mukhopadhyay felt the Indian government never gave Dey the recognition he deserved.

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The channel 4 news team is moving on up in new Anchorman 2 trailer: Watch it here

It’s a new decade and the team of misfit anchormen are taking on the metropolis, making the move to New York City and GNN to fight their way back to glory in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

Two new trailers, released Tuesday, provide some insight into a previously unanswered question: What happened to Ron’s relationship with Veronica Corningstone?

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He'll look good in sequins! Tom Hardy to play Elton John in new biopic Rocketman charting the singer's rise to stardom

Well known for playing macho roles in The Dark Knight Rises and Bronson, Tom Hardy will now take on something vastly different when he stars as singing legend, Sir Elton John.

Fans recently saw him play villain Bane in the Batman trilogy, which had audiences waiting with baited breath to see if he could be defeated, however his new role will see the British born actor in a new light.

According to Variety, Rocketman will follow the singer’s journey from a five-year-old piano prodigy to global superstar, based on a screenplay by War Horse and Billy Elliot writer, Lee Hall.

The 36-year-old will next be seen in Steve Knight’s Locke and in the reboot of the Mad Max franchise, which is out next year.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2474754/Tom-Hardy-play-Elton-John-new-biopic-Rocketman-charting-singers-rise-stardom.html#ixzz2idB3ctWA
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Pearl Jam Earns Fifth No. 1 Album On Billboard 200

Paul McCartney, the Avett Brothers and more score Top 10 debuts

Pearl Jam captures its fifth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 as "Lightning Bolt" strikes atop the chart, selling 166,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Pearl Jam's 'Lightning Bolt': The Billboard Cover Story

Pearl Jam also previously topped the Billboard 200 with "Backspacer" (2009), "No Code" (1996), "Vitalogy" (1994) and "Vs." (1993). It's also notched four No. 2-peaking albums with "Ten" (1992), "Yield" (1998), "Binaural" (2000) and "Pearl Jam" (2006).

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The band's last studio effort, 2009's "Backspacer," sold 189,000 in its first frame. The new album's launch is the smallest debut frame for any of Pearl Jam's studio releases. Still, it's the largest debut week for any rock album since last November, when Phillip Phillips' "The World From the Side of the Moon" bowed with 169,000.

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Pearl Jam's "Lightning Bolt" is also the 11th top 10 set for the act; all 10 of its studio efforts have reached the region. It also claimed a top 10 set with the soundtrack to the documentary "Pearl Jam Twenty" in 2011.

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Slain Boston Marathon bombing suspect linked to triple killings

(Reuters) - Slain Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev took part in a 2011 triple homicide in a nearby town, according to a Chechen immigrant who was himself killed when approached by investigators for questioning, federal prosecutors said on Monday in newly filed court papers.

Ibragim Todashev, 27, who has been identified as an acquaintance of Tsarnaev from their days as mixed martial-arts fighters in Boston, told investigators Tsarnaev participated in the murders of three men found stabbed to death in September 2011 in an apartment in Waltham, Massachusetts, according to the filing.

U.S. media had previously reported that one of the victims was a close friend of Tsarnaev and authorities believe the killings were drug related.

The FBI has said Todashev was shot and killed by a federal agent about a month after the marathon bombings when he suddenly turned violent while being questioned about possible links to Tsarnaev.

The latest disclosure about Tsarnaev came in a 23-page brief arguing against a motion by lawyers for his younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is in custody on federal charges related to the marathon bombing that carry the death penalty.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's lawyers are seeking to force the government to share with defense attorneys investigative materials pertaining to his deceased older brother, Tamerlan.

The two siblings, both ethnic Chechens, are suspected of planting two pressure-cooker bombs that detonated at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, killing three people and injuring 264 others.

After allegedly shooting a police officer to death in an ambush three days later, the pair went on to engage in a late-night gun battle with police in nearby Watertown that ended with Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, dead, and 20-year-old brother, Dzhokhar, escaping.

Police later captured the younger Tsarnaev after a daylong manhunt in which most of the Boston area was placed on a security lockdown.

Dzhokhar has since pleaded not guilty to charges related to the bombing and the policeman's slaying.

Lawyers for the younger Tsarnaev have argued that information about the investigation of his older brother's possible role in the Waltham murders might be a mitigating factor in the government's case against Dzhokhar. But prosecutors said disclosure of the materials sought by his defense could jeopardize the continuing investigation into the triple homicide.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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