Majority of New Line employees laid off
LOS ANGELES, April 15 (UPI) -- Time Warner has announced it is cutting 450 jobs as part of its plan to absorb the independent film studio New Line into Warner Bros.
New Line is to keep between 40 and 50 employees and about 40 others are being offered jobs within Warner Bros., Variety.com reported.
The layoffs began this week.
Under the new agreement, New Line is to maintain its own development, creative and production teams, as well as its own marketing, publicity and business affairs staff, the trade paper said.
New Line is to continue making six to eight movies a year, which Warner Bros. will distribute.
Rowling takes stand in copyright lawsuit
NEW YORK, April 15 (UPI) -- British author J.K. Rowling said in a New York courtroom Monday that a lexicon based on her "Harry Potter" books is sloppy and incorrect.
Warner Bros. and Rowling are suing RDR Books for copyright infringement for attempting to publish Steven Vander Ark's unauthorized reference book, the "Harry Potter Lexicon," The Wall Street Journal said on its Web site. Rowling and Warner Bros. are seeking to permanently halt publication of the volume.
"Should my fans be flooded with a surfeit of substandard books -- so-called lexicons -- I'm not sure I'd have the will or heart to continue," the Journal quoted Rowling as saying in court.
The report said she also described Vander Ark's book as "sloppy," "lazy" and "incorrect."
Rowling later issued a statement explaining it gives her "no pleasure to take legal action" against the publishers.
"I feel very strongly about an important issue that affects everyone and not just me," she said. "If books that plagiarize other works are permitted, authors, fans and readers stand to lose. There are lots of books in many languages that comment on or criticize 'Harry Potter,' and that's fine. But the book in this case is different. It provides no analysis and virtually no commentary. It takes far too much and it offers precious little in return."
Flatts, Pickler pick up CMT awards
NASHVILLE, April 15 (UPI) -- The band Rascal Flatts and singer Kellie Pickler were among the winners Monday night at the 2008 CMT Music Awards ceremony in Nashville.
Rascal Flatts picked up the prize for group video of the year for "Take Me There," while Pickler, whose career began after she was on "American Idol," won the award for breakthrough video for her song "I Wonder."
Speaking by satellite, Pickler said: "This is the first time I ever won anything in my life. I'm so excited. ... Thank you to 'American Idol.' You are the rocket that launched my career."
Taylor Swift won the award for best female video and video of the year for "Our Song."
LeAnn Rimes and Jon Bon Jovi earned the award for collaborative video for their duet "Till We Ain't Strangers No More."
Sugarland won the award for duo video of the year for their song "Stay."
British rocker Robert Plant and singer Alison Krauss won the wide open country video award for their video "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On.)" The prize honors a song and video that push the boundaries of country music.
Trace Adkins won the award for male video of the year for his song "I Got My Game On."
Father-and-daughter singers Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus were the CMT show's hosts.
Report: Ashlee Simpson expecting a baby
LOS ANGELES, April 15 (UPI) -- U.S. recording artist Ashlee Simpson is expecting her first child with fiance Pete Wentz, a source confirmed for Usmagazine.com.
Simpson is the younger sister of singer and actress Jessica Simpson. Wentz is a member of the pop group Fall Out Boy.
The pair announced their engagement last week.
"We are thrilled to confirm their engagement and congratulate this happy couple," the couple's representative told Usmagazine.com. "Beyond that there is nothing to say."
