Tom Cruise, magazine publisher reach settlement
The publisher of two tabloid magazines said it never intended to imply that Tom Cruise had cut all ties to his daughter after his divorce and announced Friday that it had reached a settlement with the actor over two stories it published.
Bauer Publishing and Cruise’s lawyer wrote in a joint statement that the terms of the settlement were confidential.
“Bauer Publishing, as well as In Touch and Life & Style magazines, never intended to communicate that Tom Cruise had cut off all ties and abandoned his daughter, Suri, and regret if anyone drew that inference from anything they published,” the statement read.
Cruise sued the company over stories published in its Life & Style and In Touch magazines in 2012 that claimed the actor hadn’t been in contact with his daughter for several weeks after his divorce from actress Katie Holmes. The actor sued Bauer in October 2012 seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages.
His lawyer, Bert Fields, called the stories outrageous and said that Cruise spoke to his daughter frequently while working on a pair of movie shoots that kept him overseas.
Domino named parade grand marshal
The music of rock ’n’ roll Hall of Fame performer Fats Domino will “float” through the streets of New Orleans this Carnival season. Domino has been named honorary grand marshal of the Krewe of Orpheus, the star-studded Carnival club that traditionally parades the night before Mardi Gras.
Although Domino won’t be riding in the March 3 parade, his eldest son, Antoine Domino III, is expected to ride on a float equipped with a piano and speakers to perform his father’s greatest hits, such as “Blue Monday,” “The Fat Man,” “Blueberry Hill” and “Walking to New Orleans.”
Domino, 85, moving a little slow and his speech low, smiled for friends, family and a handful of news media who gathered Friday in his suburban New Orleans living room as he was honored by the Krewe of Orpheus with a medallion proclaiming him honorary grand marshal.
Domino has been asked to participate in Mardi Gras for years, but this is the first time in recent history he’s agreed.
“It’s jaw-dropping,” said Michael Murphy, an officer for Orpheus. “It’s the biggest blessing that we could ever ask for. We are extremely honored.”
Domino, born in New Orleans in February 1928, sold more than 65 million records between 1950 and 1963, making Billboard’s pop chart 77 times and its rhythm and blues chart 61 times. The pianist, singer and songwriter is regarded as one of the forerunners of rock music, beloved by musicians including the Beatles, Elvis Presley and Billy Joel.
The birthday bunch
Actor Ed Nelson is 85. Talk show host Phil Donahue is 78. Actress Jane Fonda is 76. Singer Carla Thomas is 71. Musician Albert Lee is 70. Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas is 69. Actor Samuel L. Jackson is 65. Actress Jane Kaczmarek is 58. Actor-comedian Ray Romano is 56. Actor-comedian Andy Dick is 48. Actor Kiefer Sutherland is 47.