Petraeus to command a classroom at USC
David H. Petraeus, the former four-star U.S. Army general who resigned as head of the CIA last year after confessing to an extramarital affair, will teach part-time at the University of Southern California and help mentor students who are veterans, officials announced Thursday.
Petraeus, who commanded coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, will teach and participate in seminars on such issues as international relations, government, leadership, information technology and energy, according to the university. The retired general last month also accepted a visiting faculty position at the City University of New York.
Petraeus, who earned his bachelor’s degree at West Point and has a doctorate from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, has written extensively on international relations and national security.
Spielberg to direct ‘American Sniper’
Steven Spielberg has his sights set on his next project, a movie about former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle.
A spokeswoman for DreamWorks Studios says the filmmaker will direct Bradley Cooper in an adaptation of the best-selling book “American Sniper.”
“Spread” screenwriter Jason Hall wrote the script based on the autobiography of Kyle, who was killed along with a friend earlier this year while at a North Texas gun range. An Iraq war veteran who they were trying to help deal with PTSD is charged with the killings.
Kyle is considered to be the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history.
Kutcher’s company settles with DMV
Ashton Kutcher’s production company has settled a lawsuit against the California Department of Motor Vehicles over a planned reality series focusing on the agency’s offices.
Court records in Los Angeles show Kutcher’s production company, Katalyst Media Inc., has settled its case for undisclosed terms. The company sued the DMV in June claiming it reneged on a reality show deal worth at least $1.4 million.
The lawsuit stated the DMV backed out of the reality show on claims it was no longer in the agency’s best interests, but it had already been promised to the TruTV channel.
The birthday bunch
Folk singer Pete Seeger is 94. Actress Ann B. Davis is 87. Singer Frankie Valli is 79. Sports announcer Greg Gumbel is 67. Pop singer Mary Hopkin is 63. Singer Christopher Cross is 62. Actor Bobby Cannavale is 43. Actress Christina Hendricks (TV: “Mad Men”) is 38. Actor Dule Hill is 38. Dancer Cheryl Burke (TV: “Dancing with the Stars”) is 29. Soul singer Michael Kiwanuka is 26. Actress Jill Berard is 23.