It was a dark night, indeed
Even as the new Batman movie has been demolishing box-office records, its star’s reputation has taken a serious hit.
Christian Bale, star of “The Dark Knight,” denied assaulting his mother and sister Tuesday after being questioned by London police for four hours and released on bail.
British media reported that Bale’s mother and sister told police he assaulted them at a London hotel on Sunday night, a day before attending the movie’s European premiere.
The Daily Telegraph said on its Web site that he allegedly pushed one of them in an argument over a long-running family dispute.
His lawyer said in a statement that the 34-year-old, Wales-born actor “gave his account in full of the events in question and has left the station without any charge being made against him by the police.”
The Telegraph quoted his mother Jenny, a former circus clown and dancer, and sister Sharon as saying an “incident” had occurred and that police were dealing with it.
It quoted Jenny Bale as adding, “We didn’t call the police to the scene. I can’t say any more, but we didn’t call the police.”
Rock cops to waffle battery
Kid Rock has been sentenced to a year’s probation and fined $1,000 over a fight at an Atlanta-area Waffle House last October.
The 37-year-old singer also was ordered to undergo six hours of anger management counseling and perform 80 hours of community service after pleading no contest to one count of simple battery.
Rock’s tour bus stopped at the Waffle House at about 5 a.m. after a performance. An exchange of words with a customer escalated into a fight that spilled into the parking lot.
A faux father confessor
Jennifer Garner is indeed expecting, according to her former TV dad.
Victor Garber, who played Garner’s father on “Alias,” confirmed that she’s pregnant with her second child by husband Ben Affleck.
Garner, 36, has been wearing loose-fitting tops of late, fueling rumors.
That’s two Bens up
Goodbye, Ebert and Roeper – hello, Lyons and Mankiewicz.
Ben Lyons, a Hollywood reporter and film critic for “E! News,” and Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz will take over TV’s “At the Movies” this fall.
Roger Ebert, who co-founded the show with the late Gene Siskel, and Siskel’s successor, Richard Roeper, resigned this week over concerns about the program’s direction.
New segments will be added, including a “critics roundup” featuring other reviewers from around the country, producers said. A new set, music and graphics also are planned.
The birthday bunch
Actress Gloria DeHaven is 83. Radio personality Don Imus is 68. Actress Belinda Montgomery (“Doogie Howser, MD”) is 58. Actor Woody Harrelson is 47. Actor Eriq Lasalle (“ER”) is 46. Guitarist Slash (Velvet Revolver, Guns N’ Roses) is 43. Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is 41. Model Stephanie Seymour is 40. Singer/fiddler Alison Krauss is 37. Actor-comedian Marlon Wayans is 36. Actor Omar Epps is 35. Singer Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child) is 28. Actor Daniel Radcliffe (“Harry Potter”) is 19.