'Knight' star Bale arrested for assault
LONDON, July 22 (UPI) -- Christian Bale, whose "The Dark Knight" movie is breaking box-office records, was arrested Tuesday in London for allegedly assaulting his mother and sister.
A police spokesman told People magazine Bale, 34, was arrested in the morning and released from the precinct station in the afternoon.
In England, suspects are arrested before they are questioned in a possible crime. Bale hasn't been formally charged and is due back at the station in September, the police representative told People.
The Sun newspaper said Bale's mother and sister filed the complaint against him Monday. However, police decided to wait until after the gala London premiere of his new Batman film, "The Dark Knight," took place Monday night before questioning Bale about an alleged incident at the Dorchester Hotel Sunday evening, The Sun said.
Bale plays the comic book's Caped Crusader in the film, which is a blockbuster in the United States.
"It was a very difficult situation but it would have been wrong to have wrecked the premiere over a complaint which we don't yet know is founded in truth," a source told The Sun before Bale's arrest. "But Mr. Bale will be contacted at the earliest opportunity and be asked to provide an account of anything that happened."
Balthazar Getty confirms split with wife
LOS ANGELES, July 22 (UPI) -- U.S. actor Balthazar Getty has confirmed he and his wife Rosetta have separated after eight years of marriage.
The couple have four children together, including a daughter who was born last October.
Getty, who is part of the ensemble on the TV series "Brothers & Sisters," issued the statement addressing the status of his marriage after he was photographed kissing actress Sienna Miller.
"The breakdown of a marriage is a very difficult and painful experience especially when children are involved," E! Online quoted Getty as saying in his statement Monday. "In light of the fact that many pictures have surfaced in print and on the Internet, which has caused myself and my family great embarrassment, I felt it necessary to at least acknowledge publicly that, yes indeed, my wife and I have separated, and I will not be commenting any further."
Okereke: I was attacked by 'Pistols' crew
LONDON, July 22 (UPI) -- British rocker John Lydon has denied allegations that members of the Sex Pistols' entourage assaulted and racially abused singer Kele Okereke.
The BBC said Okereke, fron tman for the British indie rock group Bloc Party, accused members of the crew for Lydon's band of attacking him after he approached Lydon backstage at the Summercase music festival in Barcelona and asked Lydon if he had considered reforming his old band, Public Image Ltd.
Okereke told the BBC the assault, which included punches to his face and head, was "unprovoked" and left him with a split lip and bruises.
He also described Lydon as "intimidating and aggressive," and said someone in Lydon's group told him, "Your problem is your black attitude."
"I feel very sorry for a man that needs to lie about what was a perfect evening," Lydon, who goes by the stage name Johnny Rotten, said in a statement issued to the BBC.
"After the show, John Rotten and management remained behind to sign autographs, which we did for four solid hours without incident and had a great time talking to other Spanish bands. This seems to have sparked jealousy in certain bands. The trouble was brought to us, resulting in those causing the trouble being physically removed by festival security."
Downey praised for playing black actor
LOS ANGELES, July 22 (UPI) -- Robert Downey Jr. is earning praise for his portrayal of a white actor who plays an African-American character in the movie within a movie in "Tropic Thunder."
"To be honest, he played a black dude better than anybody I've seen," Downey's African-American "Tropic Thunder" co-star Brandon T. Jackson told People.com. "When I first read the script, I was like: What? Black face? But when I saw (Downey act) he, like, became a black man."
Directed by Ben Stiller and co-starring Jack Black, the big-screen comedy features Downey as an Oscar-winning actor who takes on a role in the most expensive Vietnam war movie in cinematic history, then dyes his skin when he hears his character was originally written as an African-American.
"It was just good acting," Jackson told People.com. "It was weird on the set because he would keep going with the character. He's a Method actor."
Downey also starred in the recent blockbuster "Iron Man."
