People: Trevorrow will helm ‘Star Wars IX’
Disney chairman Alan Horn says “Jurassic World” director Colin Trevorrow has been slated to direct the ninth installment in the “Star Wars” saga.
Members of the audience in a 7,500-seat hall at Disney’s D23 fan convention were the first to hear the news Saturday.
Trevorrow was previously known for the indie “Safety Not Guaranteed” and broke box office records this summer with the fourth installment in the “Jurassic Park” series. The film has earned more than $1.6 billion worldwide.
Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 and has a slew of “Star Wars” films and spin-offs set for the next few years. The first is director J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which will hit theaters Dec. 18. Rian Johnson is writing and directing “Star Wars: Episode VIII” for 2017.
‘Situation’ lawyer quits tax case
A lawyer representing former “Jersey Shore” reality TV show star Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino has withdrawn from a federal tax fraud case against him.
A judge in Newark on Friday gave The Situation until mid-October to get a new attorney and declined his request for a court-appointed attorney.
The Situation and his brother Marc Sorrentino were charged last year with filing bogus tax returns on nearly $9 million and claiming millions of dollars in personal expenses were business expenses. They’ve pleaded not guilty.
Attorney Richard Sapinski, who represented Michael Sorrentino until Friday, said in an email he wished his former client well and “when all the facts come out it will be clear Michael did not criminally violate the tax laws.”
The Situation appeared on all six seasons of MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” which focused on the escapades of a group of young Italian-Americans at a shore house and ran from 2009 to 2012. His housemates included Pauly D, Snooki and JWoww.
The birthday bunch
Actress Ann Blyth is 87. Actor Bob Balaban is 70. TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford is 62. Movie director James Cameron is 61. Singer Madonna is 57. Actress Angela Bassett is 57. Actor Steve Carell is 53. Country singer Emily Robison (The Dixie Chicks) is 43. Singer Vanessa Carlton is 35. Actress Cristin Milioti is 30. Actress Rumer Willis is 27.