PM Prep-Segue

CHERYL BOONE ISAACS HONORED AT PRE-OSCAR EVENT

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Some of the top names in Hollywood have turned out for a tribute to the woman who until this year was in charge of the motion picture academy. Among those paying honor to Cheryl Boone Isaacs at an event last night were Halle Berry, Common, Kobe Bryant, Nia Long, Terry Crews, Dennis Haysbert and Oscar nominee Yance Ford. Berry noted that Boone Isaacs saw the academy through a period when it earned the derisive hashtag #OscarsSoWhite to a time when the academy is more inclusive — and that is being reflected in the variety of Academy Award nominees and winners. One attendee, music producer Quincy Jones, says Boone Isaacs’ impact on show business “will be felt for many years to come.”

DIVERSITY IN HOLLYWOOD STUDY RELEASED

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest look at diversity in the movie and TV industry is out. And the study by UCLA’s Bunche Center finds the more diverse the audience is, the bigger the chances are that a movie or TV show will be a hit. It notes movies and TV shows that have the most diversity in casting tend to generate the most buzz — and bigger audiences. For example, it finds that minorities account for the majority of ticket buyers for five of the top 10 films at the global box office.

MEGHAN MARKLE SPEAKS OUT ABOUT BECOMING ROYALTY

LONDON (AP) — Meghan Markle says she is still warming to the task of being a member of the British royal family. But she says by time she marries Prince Harry in May, she expects to be up-to-speed on the pomp and circumstance that comes with being considered royalty. Markle says she feels it’s “very important to hit the ground running” — once the nuptials are done. The 36-year-old American actress says one thing she plans to focus on is the #MeToo and Time’s Up campaigns. She says those movements indicate there’s “no better time” than to help women become empowered and supported.

ROSE McGOWAN SEEKS DISMISSAL OF DRUG CASE

LEESBURG, Va. (AP) — Rose McGowan is one of the women who says ousted movie mogul Harvey Weinstein raped her. Now, her attorneys are suggesting they wouldn’t put it past Weinstein to set McGowan up for a drug bust. The actress was arrested last year, months after she flew into Washington, D.C. for a woman’s rally last January. Authorities say they found cocaine in a wallet she left aboard the aircraft when it landed in suburban Virginia. In a motion seeking dismissal of the case, McGowan’s lawyers claim the arrest may be tied to the actions of what they call the Weinstein “Machine” — a network of contacts in the movie industry set up to cast doubt on allegations made by women against Weinstein.

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Sound:

012-v-31-(Shirley Smith, AP correspondent)–One of the women accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse is hoping to get a drug charge dismissed. AP correspondent Shirley Smith reports. (28 Feb 2018)

<<CUT *012 (02/28/18)££ 00:31

013-v-33-(Shirley Smith, AP correspondent)–A lawyer says a drug charge against an actress who spoke out against producer Harvey Weinstein should be dismissed because the drugs could have been planted to “silence” her. AP correspondent Shirley Smith reports. (28 Feb 2018)

<<CUT *013 (02/28/18)££ 00:33

014-c-18-(Shirley Smith, AP correspondent)-“the same place”-AP correspondent Shirley Smith reports actress Rose McGowan’s drug possession charge, stemming from an incident at Dulles International Airport, should be tossed out. (28 Feb 2018)

<<CUT *014 (02/28/18)££ 00:18 “the same place”

MEGHAN McCAIN REMARKS ON TRUMP’S ATTACKS ON HER DAD

NEW YORK (AP) — Meghan McCain says she just doesn’t get it. She doesn’t know why President Donald Trump continues to heap scorn on her dad, Arizona Senator John McCain — even as her dad battles brain cancer. The younger McCain, who’s a co-host on “The View,” says it was incredibly hurtful to hear Trump put her dad down at a conservative conference last week. She also says when she talked with Trump last year, she was led to believe the attacks on her dad would end. She now says she was naive to believe that.

MINNESOTA TWINS – PRINCE

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins baseball team says it will continue efforts to honor Prince this season. The club says it will be selling Prince-themed merchandise all season at the ballpark. Many of the items will feature the color purple, Prince’s symbol — and the team’s own logo. A team rep says Prince’s family has signed off on the deal.

FLORIDA MARLINS – STATUE

MIAMI (AP) — The park where the Florida Marlins play their home games has some unique features — like the fish tanks behind home plate and a nightclub beyond the left field fence. Now, team officials are trying figure out what to do with one item that imposes over games played there: the huge sculpture beyond the centerfield wall. The 73-foot-tall artwork, named Homer, will be back this season, despite suggestions that it may go along with many of the team’s high-priced talent. But the team’s new CEO isn’t exactly giving it a ringing endorsement. Asked what he thought of the sculpture, big-league star Derek Jeter could say only: “It’s big, It’s big. It’s big.”

by Oscar Wells Gabriel II

Follow Oscar Wells Gabriel II on Twitter at <a target=”&mdash;blank” href=”https://twitter.com/OWGabriel2″>https://twitter.com/OWGabriel2</a>

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