In brief: Plane safely lands on NYC highway

New York – A small plane traveling to Connecticut after taking a tour of the Statue of Liberty made an emergency landing Saturday on a New York City interstate highway, startling drivers but touching down safely with no serious injuries to anyone aboard or on the ground, officials said.

The aircraft, a Piper PA-28, set down at around 3:20 p.m. on the northbound side of the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx.

The Federal Aviation Administration said three people were on board. Police and fire officials said neither the male pilot nor two female passengers appeared to have been badly hurt. All were taken to a Bronx hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The FAA said damage to the aircraft was minor.

‘English Patient’ producer dies at 92

San Francisco – Saul Zaentz, a music producer whose second career as a filmmaker brought him best-picture Academy Awards for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Amadeus” and “The English Patient,” has died. He was 92.

Zaentz died Friday at his San Francisco apartment after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, Paul Zaentz, the producer’s nephew and longtime business partner, said.

Zaentz was never a prolific movie producer, but he took on classy productions, specializing in complex literary adaptations that Hollywood studios generally find too intricate to put on film.

Since moving into film at age 50 with 1972’s low-budget country-music drama “Payday,” Zaentz made just 10 movies, giving him a remarkable three-for-10 batting average on best-picture wins at the Oscars.

Among Zaentz’s other films were the 1978 animated version of “The Lord of the Rings,” which later paved the way for the blockbuster live action trilogy.

After plane crash, boat rescues 2

Avalon, Calif. – A single-engine airplane experienced engine failure and went down Saturday off the Southern California coast near Catalina Island, but both people aboard survived and were rescued by a passing boat, authorities said.

The plane crashed about six miles northeast of Catalina around 1 p.m., according to Allen Kenitzer, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Coast Guard and lifeguard boats and helicopters were quickly sent to the scene, but a recreational boat was in the area, reached the pair first and pulled them aboard.

Jorge O’Leary, manager of the Airport in the Sky in Avalon, said the plane was among a group of three piloted by friends traveling to have lunch on the island.

Film critics honor ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’

New York – The National Society of Film Critics chose “Inside Llewyn Davis” as the best picture of 2013 at its annual meeting Saturday.

The society’s 56 voting members are movie critics from around the country.

The group also presented its best director award to Joel and Ethan Coen. They directed “Inside Llewyn Davis,” the story of a fictional folk singer in Greenwich Village in 1961.

The group named Oscar Isaac best actor for “Inside Llewyn Davis.” Cate Blanchett was named best actress for the Woody Allen film “Blue Jasmine.”

The meeting was dedicated to the memory of two members who died in 2013: Roger Ebert and Stanley Kauffmann.