ANDREW DALTON Entertainment Writer, Author at The Rapid City Post

Jane’s Addiction bandmates sue each other over onstage fight that ended tour

July 17, 2025

The members of alternative rock band Jane’s Addiction have filed dueling lawsuits after an onstage scuffle last year prompted the cancellation of the band’s tour. Guitarist Dave Navarro and two other members sued singer Perry Farrell in Los Angeles Superior Court. They say Farrell’s behavior on tour was unacceptable and that he punched Navarro both on stage and backstage at a Boston concert in September. Farrell sued in the same court Wednesday, alleging a “yearslong bullying campaign” against him by the other band members. The singer says he was blindsided by the other members’ decision to cancel the remaining 15 shows of the tour and break up.

Disney sues Hong Kong company it says is selling illegal Mickey Mouse jewelry

July 16, 2025

The Walt Disney Co. is suing a Hong Kong jewelry company it accuses of selling illegal Mickey Mouse jewelry. The international entertainment conglomerate filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the Red Earth Group, which sells jewelry online under the name Satéur. Disney says the marketing and branding of the rings, necklaces and earrings in Satéur’s “Mickey 1928 Collection” violate its trademark rights. The lawsuit alleges the Hong Kong company is trying to fool customers into thinking the pieces are official merchandise. A message seeking comment from the Red Earth Group wasn’t immediately answered. Although the earliest version of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain last year, the company still holds trademarks to the character.

The Emmy nominations are here. ‘Severance,’ ‘The White Lotus’ and ‘Adolescence’ could have a big day

July 14, 2025

The Emmy nominations are nearly here, and “Severance” seems to be the show to beat. The Apple TV+ split-personality series is very likely to get nominations for best drama with lead acting nominations for stars Adam Scott and Britt Lower. “Severance” could get serious competition from fellow dramas “The Pitt” and “The White Lotus.” On the comedy side, another Apple show, Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire “The Studio,” will vie for reconition with Emmy veterans “Hacks” and “The Bear.” And among limited series, Netflix’s acclaimed “Adolescence” seems likely to dominate both nominations and the awards when they’re handed out on CBS in September.

FILE - This undated photo combination provided by the Los Angeles Police Department shows Mei Haskell, left, and her parents, YanXiang Wang and Gaoshan Li. (Los Angeles Police Department via AP, File)

Los Angeles man dies in jail while awaiting trial for killing and dismemberment of wife, her parents

July 14, 2025

Authorities say a Los Angeles man accused of killing and dismembering his wife, her mother and her stepfather has died in jail while awaiting trial. The LA County district attorney says in a statement Monday that 37-year-old Samuel Bond Haskell was found dead Saturday in his cell in a downtown Los Angeles jail and died by suicide. Haskell is the son of Sam Haskell, a prominent television producer. He had pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder. Prosecutors say he killed the three family members in a house they all shared with his three children. They say Haskell dismembered the bodies and disposed of them in trash bags.

FILE - Former President Barack Obama speaks at the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum, Dec. 5, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)

Larry David teams with the Obamas for HBO US history sketch show for the nation’s 250th

July 10, 2025

Larry David will bring his grumbly sensibility to U.S. history in a team-up with Barack and Michelle Obama for an HBO sketch show. The network announced the new, not-yet-named limited series on Thursday. David, the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” creator and “Seinfeld” co-creator, will act as executive producer, writer and star of the limited series. It will consist of six half-hour episodes and be produced by the Obamas’ company, Higher Ground. David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” showrunner Jeff Schaffer will co-write and direct episodes. HBO did not give a premiere date, but the show is meant to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary next year.

FILE - Attorney Tom Girardi smiles outside the Los Angeles courthouse, July 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Former celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi gets 7 years in prison for stealing millions from clients

June 3, 2025

A federal judge sentenced disbarred celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi to seven years and three months in prison for embezzling tens of millions of dollars from his clients, including several with severe physical injuries and families of people killed in accidents. The judge also ordered the 86-year-old Girardi to pay a $35,000 fine and $2.3 million in restitution to former clients. A jury in August found him guilty of four counts of wire fraud. He could have been sentenced to up to 80 years. Girardi is the estranged husband of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne and appeared on the show himself dozens of times.

Marc Maron to end his ‘WTF’ podcast after 15 years of interviewing comics, actors, musicians, Obama

June 2, 2025

Comic and actor Marc Maron says he’s ending his popular and influential podcast “WTF with Marc Maron” after nearly 16 years. Maron said on the show released Monday that the final episode will drop in the fall. Maron says he and longtime producing partner Brendan McDonald are “burnt out” but “utterly satisfied with the work” they’ve done. Maron was a veteran standup comic who had dabbled in radio when he started the show in 2009. It stood out with its thoughtful, probing longform interviews of cultural figures and reached a peak when then-President Barack Obama visited Maron’s makeshift Los Angeles garage studio for an episode in 2015.

Alf Clausen, Emmy-winning composer who wrote music for ‘The Simpsons’ for 27 years, dies at 84

May 30, 2025

Al Clausen, the Emmy-winning composer who provided the music for “The Simpsons” for 27 years, has died at age 84. Clausen’s daughter says he died in Los Angeles on Thursday. Clausen began providing the music for the animated antics of “The Simpsons” in its second season in 1990, and wrote the scores for nearly 600 episodes. He won two Emmys and was nominated for 30. He also composed the music for the TV series “Moonlighting” and “Alf.” “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening once called Clausen “one of the unacknowledged treasures of the show.”

Jimmy Wayne Carwyle appears during an arraignment in Los Angeles, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, Pool)

Judge finds man charged with stalking Jennifer Aniston is mentally incompetent to stand trial

May 29, 2025

A man charged with stalking Jennifer Aniston and crashing his car through the front gate of her home has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial. A Los Angeles County judge made the ruling at a hearing Thursday. It came after a second doctor found 48-year-old Jimmy Wayne Carwyle not mentally fit to face charges of felony stalking and vandalism. Carwyle has pleaded not guilty. He’ll now undergo more comprehensive examinations to determine how and where he’ll be held and treated, and Aniston or her lawyer will be able to speak at a hearing in June. The incompetence finding is not permanent. A standard criminal process can resume later.

Man charged with stalking Jennifer Aniston found mentally incompetent for trial

May 22, 2025

A man charged with stalking Jennifer Aniston and crashing his car through the front gate of her home has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial, but he has demanded a second opinion at a court hearing. Jimmy Wayne Carwyle a 48-year-old from Mississippi, appeared at a Hollywood courthouse that specializes in mental health cases on Thursday. He had a long, gray beard and wore blue suicide-prevention jail clothing. He has pleaded not guilty to felony stalking and vandalism. His attorney told a judge that one psychiatrist found Carwyle incompetent, but he’s exercising his right to an evaluation from another doctor.

ANDREW DALTON Entertainment Writer.