Faces & Names: Kings withdraw divorce filings

Larry King's television reign may be ending, but his eighth marriage will go on.

Court records in Los Angeles showed King and his wife each filed Wednesday to end competing divorce petitions and that the cases have been dismissed.

The move comes nearly three months after the host of CNN's “Larry King Live” filed to end his nearly 13-year marriage to his seventh wife, Shawn King.

She also sought to end the marriage, but the couple soon reconciled.

King announced his retirement last month. He cited the desire to spend more time with his wife and two young sons as one of the benefits of ending his show after 25 years.

He will step down from the show this year, and CNN executives are searching for a replacement.

In a statement released Thursday, King said, “A lot of new things are happening to us, and we are happy to be together as a family with our children.”

Shawn King was treated for an apparent overdose of prescription drugs in Utah in May. Larry King’s spokesman said at the time that the couple would be staying together.

They were married in 1997, three days before Larry King underwent surgery to clear a clogged blood vessel.

King married one of his former wives twice.

Gibson focus of domestic inquiry

Mel Gibson is being investigated in a possible domestic violence incident involving his ex-girlfriend earlier this year, sheriff’s officials said Thursday.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department listed the actor-director as a potential suspect in the alleged attack on Russian singer Oksana Grigorieva at an undisclosed location in Malibu.

The two have been involved in a nasty custody dispute over their infant daughter — the subject of a confidential court case.

The actor has not publicly discussed the breakup with Grigorieva, 40. The former couple first revealed their relationship shortly after Gibson’s wife, Robyn, filed for divorce last April.

Whitmore said it may take a month to conclude the investigation. The results will then be turned over to the district attorney’s office, which will decide whether to pursue charges.

Ringo’s birthday salutes ‘Peace’

With a little help from his friends, Ringo Starr celebrated his 70th birthday in New York with a global “Peace and Love” moment.

Starr led the salute Wednesday in Times Square to throngs of spectators looking to catch a glimpse of the legendary Beatle. He told the crowd that being in New York was a “magical moment in 1964, and it’s still a magical moment.”

Earlier, Starr was honored at the Hard Rock Cafe with a cake and a chorus of “Happy Birthday.” He waited patiently for staff to bring a cake knife so he could cut his own cake, as is tradition in Liverpool.

Starr wants people from every part of the globe to say “Peace and Love” at noon everyday by word, e-mail or any form of communication.

Johnson wins ‘Bridges’ verdict

A Los Angeles jury has awarded Don Johnson

$23.2 million in profits from the TV series “Nash Bridges.”

The actor sued three entertainment companies in 2009, claiming he was owed millions in profits from the 1990s crime show.

Bart H. Williams is an attorney for one of the companies Johnson sued, Rysher Entertainment. Williams says the verdict is disappointing and will be appealed.

Rysher Entertainment contended during the trial that the show had lost money overall and that was why Johnson hadn’t been paid.

“Nash Bridges” aired for six seasons on CBS. Jurors also determined that Johnson owned half of the copyright of the series. In a statement, Johnson said he was “pleased” with the verdict and had waited 10 years for his stake in the show to be confirmed.

Judge sends Lohan to jailA judge sentenced Lindsay Lohan on Tuesday to 90 days in jail and an inpatient rehab program after finding the actress had violated her probation in a 2007 drug case by failing to attend alcohol education classes.

The actress burst into tears after the ruling.

Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel issued the sentence after listening to testimony from employees of an alcohol treatment program that Lohan had been ordered to attend.

Lohan missed seven classes since December, which led to the judge’s harsh rebuke moments after the “Mean Girls” star offered a tearful apology.

“I did do everything I was told to do and did the best I could to balance jobs and showing up,” Lohan told the judge. “It wasn’t vacation, it wasn’t some sort of a joke.”

Revel said she found Lohan’s apology insincere, comparing it to “somebody who cheats and thinks it isn’t cheating if she doesn’t get caught.”

Lohan was not immediately taken into custody and will be permitted to surrender on July 20.

Men at Work must pay up

A judge ordered Australian band Men at Work on Tuesday to hand over a portion of the royalties from their 1980s hit “Down Under,” after previously ruling its distinctive flute riff was copied from a children’s campfire song.

But the penalty — 5 percent of the song’s royalties — was far less than the 60 percent sought by publishing company Larrikin Music, which holds the copyright for the song “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree.”

“Down Under” and the album it was on, “Business As Usual,” topped the Australian, American and British charts in early 1983. The song remains an unofficial anthem for Australia and was ranked fourth in a 2001 music industry survey of the best Australian songs. Men at Work won the 1983 Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

Polanski extradition decision expected soon

Swiss officials say they will decide soon whether to extradite Roman Polanski to the U.S. to face prosecution in a 1977 sex case.

Justice Ministry spokesman Folco Galli said, “It won’t be long” before a decision on the extradition request. He declined to be more specific.

The 76-year-old director fled the U.S. on Feb. 1, 1978, the day he was to be formally sentenced for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

He was arrested on Sept. 26 as he came to receive a lifetime achievement award at a Zurich film festival. He has been under house arrest at his chalet in the resort of Gstaad since December, when he was released on $4.5 million bail.

Polanski would be allowed to appeal extradition.

King puts Idaho ranch back on market

Songwriter and singer Carole King has put her 128-acre central Idaho ranch back on the market with a reduced asking price of $16 million.

The Robinson Bar Ranch compound near Stanley includes a 7,300-square-foot lodge, a private residence, a caretaker’s home, a professional recording studio, guest cabins and horse barns.

King put the ranch up for sale in 2006 for $19 million. A listing agent says the ranch was taken off the market because of problems with a bridge on a U.S. Forest Service road that has since been repaired.

King’s signature album is 1971’s “Tapestry.”

'Twilight' makes it to $161 million

“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” is waning at the box office but still has gotten off to a blockbuster start with $161 million in its first five days, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The third chapter in Summit Entertainment’s vampire romance fell off sharply after debuting last Wednesday with $68.5 million. That was the second-best opening-day haul ever, behind its predecessor, last year’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” which opened with $72.7 million.

The weekend’s other new wide release, Paramount’s “The Last Airbender,” opened well with $40.7 million to finish at No. 2 for the three-day weekend. The movie took in $53.2 million since debuting Thursday.

Disney’s animated smash “Toy Story 3,” which had been No. 1 the previous two weekends, slipped to third-place with $30.2 million, raising its total to $289 million.

Grammer getting a divorce

Kelsey Grammer and his wife are divorcing after nearly 13 years of marriage.

Court records show Camille Grammer filed for divorce from the “Cheers” and “Frasier” star Thursday in Los Angeles.

Grammer and his wife were married in August 1997 and have two children, ages 8 and 5.

Camille Grammer is seeking physical custody of the children .

Etheridge also ends partnership

Court records show Melissa Etheridge has filed to make her breakup with former girlfriend Tammy Lynn Michaels official.

The singer filed to dissolve her domestic partnership with Michaels on Friday in Los Angeles. They announced their separation in April, and the rocker told Oprah Winfrey it was mutual, but “sad.”

The two held a commitment ceremony in 2003 and registered a domestic partnership in August 2005. Michaels gave birth to twins from an anonymous sperm donor in 2006.

The 49-year-old Etheridge is asking to share joint custody of their 3-year-old children.

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