Tilda Swinton honored on birthday at museum
Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton has been honored with a star-packed bash at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
Singer David Bowie, actor Ralph Fiennes, designer Karl Lagerfeld, Vogue editor Anna Wintour and Mayor Michael Bloomberg were just a few of the celebrities who paid tribute to the actress Tuesday at the sixth annual MoMA Film Benefit.
The actress, who won the best supporting actress Oscar in 2008 for her portrayal of a ruthless attorney in “Michael Clayton,” told the crowd it was her 53rd birthday and that the last time she’d had a birthday party was when she was 9 years old. She said this was a better party.
Airline denies actor’s complaint
US Airways denies crew members used racial slurs against actor Brandon T. Jackson, who was kicked off a flight at a Phoenix layover because of unruly behavior.
Jackson, best known for his role in “Tropic Thunder,” had been drinking on the New York City to Phoenix flight Monday night and became upset when flight attendants stopped serving him alcohol.
He sent out 21 tweets about the experience and said a flight attendant “called me the N-word.”
Phoenix police escorted Jackson out of the terminal at Sky Harbor International Airport. Officers said they determined that no crime had been committed so they let Jackson go. The 29-year-old actor then took another flight to Burbank, Calif.
ABC reports Vargas in alcohol rehab
Veteran ABC News reporter and “20/20” anchor Elizabeth Vargas is in treatment for alcohol dependency, the network said Wednesday.
Vargas, who is 51 and married to singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, last appeared on ABC in October. The network confirmed a New York Daily News story that said she has been in a treatment facility for a few weeks and has a few weeks more to complete the program.
“Like so many people, I am dealing with addiction,” Vargas said. “I realized I was becoming increasingly dependent on alcohol.”
She said she was grateful to her family, friends and employers for support. She and Cohn have two children.
Vargas has worked in network news since 1993, first with NBC and then ABC. Besides her newsmagazine work, she was named co-anchor of “World News Tonight” with Bob Woodruff following the death of Peter Jennings, but that pairing was cut short when Woodruff was seriously injured in an explosion while reporting in Iraq.
The birthday bunch
Singer Johnny Rivers is 71. Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is 70. Actor Christopher Knight (“The Brady Bunch”) is 56. Actress Yunjin Kim (“Lost”) is 40. Singer Lorde is 17.