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'Pulp' scribe charged in fatal crash

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Roger Avary, the man who co-wrote "Pulp Fiction," has been charged with gross vehicular manslaughter in a Jan. 13 car crash in Ojai, Calif.

The 43-year-old screenwriter, who also penned the film "Beowulf," is accused of driving drunk when he crashed his Mercedes sedan into a telephone pole, seriously injuring his wife Gretchen and killing his 34-year-old passenger Andreas Zini, an Italian newlywed who was visiting the Avarys with his bride while on their honeymoon. Zini's wife Maria was not in the vehicle at the time of the wreck. Avary's wife has since recovered from her injuries.

The Los Angeles Times said Avary recently pleaded not guilty in a Ventura courthouse to manslaughter and two felony counts of causing bodily injury while intoxicated -- charges stemming from the fatal, late-night collision. He is out on bail while he awaits trial.

Avary's lawyer Mark Werksman said his client remains distraught over the incident and hopes to resolve the case quickly.

The Times said a pretrial conference has been scheduled for Feb. 20.

Avary and Quentin Tarantino won the Oscar for best screenplay for "Pulp Fiction."

Hospital to pay $750K settlement to Quaid

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Actor Dennis Quaid has agreed to a $750,000 settlement in his case against the Los Angeles hospital that accidentally overdosed his newborn twins with Heparin.

People.com said the agreement that would settle Quaid's and his wife Kimberly's lawsuit against Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, regarding the 2007 blood-thinner mishap, is pending the approval of a Los Angeles judge.

"The settlement is the result of extensive negotiations between the parties and their respective legal representatives, and is intended to avoid the time, expense and uncertainty of litigation," said papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Monday.

Quaid's lawyer declined to comment on the matter when contacted by People magazine.

Although the mistake nearly cost Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace Quaid their lives, the actor's children have since recovered from the overdose and are now healthy, the magazine said on its Web site.

The hospital has apologized and promised to train its staff better to avoid mistakes like this in the future. The California Department of Public Health has also fined the facility $25,000, People.com noted.

'Mamma Mia!' is top-grossing film in U.K.

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Universal Pictures said Tuesday its movie musical "Mamma Mia!" is now the highest-grossing movie ever to be released in the United Kingdom.

"Titanic" had been the country's box-office titan for a decade before "Mamma Mia!" -- a movie chock full of ABBA hits and featuring a cast led by Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan -- came along and sank it.

"For 'Mamma Mia!' to make history in this way and beat 'Titanic,' which has held the record in the U.K. since 1998, is truly phenomenal," David Kosse, president of Universal Pictures International, said in a statement. "This film has exceeded our expectations and delighted audiences around the world since it opened in July. This box-office record is a tribute to producer Judy Craymer, director Phyllida Lloyd, writer Catherine Johnson and our brilliant cast who worked so hard on this film."

Nielsen/EDI said "Mamma Mia!" has earned $105,642,501 at the box office, while "Titanic" earned $105,573,999 and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" $101,087,337 during their theatrical runs.

"Mamma Mia!" has also been the No. 1 film of the year in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Cyprus, Iceland, Slovenia and Sweden.

It recently crossed the $570 million mark worldwide becoming one of Universal's top grossing and most profitable movies ever, the studio said.

The film was released on DVD in the United States Tuesday.

Nicholson, Seuss new Calif. Hall of Famers

SACRAMENTO, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Jane Fonda, Quincy Jones, Jack Nicholson and the late Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel were among those inducted into the California Hall of Fame Monday night.

Also inducted by California Gov. and former film star Arnold Schwarzenegger, and First Lady Maria Shriver during the ceremony at The California Museum in Sacramento were Dave Brubeck, Robert Graham, Jack LaLanne, Dorothea Lange, Julia Morgan, Linus Pauling, Leland Stanford and Alice Waters.

The California Museum's California Hall of Fame is a program created by Shriver to celebrate Californians "who embody the state's spirit of inspiration and innovation," the museum said.