Report: 'Slumdog' child star beaten by dad
MUMBAI, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- A 10-year-old actor who appeared in the Oscar-winning film "Slumdog Millionaire" was allegedly beaten Friday by his father in Mumbai, witnesses claim.
Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, who played young Salim in the movie, attended the Oscars in Los Angeles earlier this week. He and his co-stars charmed Hollywood's elite at the awards ceremony and parties afterward, then went to Disneyland the next day.
Azharuddin and his 9-year-old co-star Rubina Ali have received additional media attention because they are still living in the slums of Mumbai after the worldwide success of the movie.
Indian housing officials have offered the two child stars' families new free homes but have said they aren't sure when they will be able to move in. Rubina's family reportedly lives in a one-room shack and Azharuddin's in a tent.
The Sun newspaper said Azharuddin allegedly suffered a vicious beating Friday at the hands of his father when he complained he was tired from the long flight from Los Angeles and all the excitement and said he didn't want to talk to well-wishers and media anymore.
Azharuddin's father, Mohammed Ismail, allegedly kicked and slapped the child in the face, as his mother pleaded with him to stop. Azharuddin cowered in a corner, then ran off crying, the newspaper said.
"Azharruddin's father was upset that he was asking to be left alone because he was tired," an onlooker told The Sun. "He didn't attend school today so that he could recover from his long flight from LA and simply wanted all the attention to stop. However, when Azharuddin put his foot down and said that was it and there was to be no more talking, Ismail just flipped. It was like a scene out of 'Slumdog Millionaire.'"
No penalties for Piven play departure
NEW YORK, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- No action was taken against Jeremy Piven, who abruptly left a Broadway play mid-run, at an actors' union hearing in New York Thursday.
Piven quit the revival of David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow" in December, claiming his doctors advised him to do so because high levels of mercury were found in his blood.
The producers of the play filed a complaint regarding how Piven handled his departure and the matter went before a grievance committee comprised of five members of the Actors' Equity Association and five members of the Broadway League.
The New York Times said the actors' union sided with Piven, finding he did not violate his contractual obligations by leaving the play due to illness. However, the League representatives backed the producers, who said they didn't believe Piven's explanation that he got mercury poisoning from eating too much sushi, and suspected he left the play because he was bored.
Because of the split decision, Piven avoided potential union penalties for his early exit, however, the producers have the right to proceed to arbitration, The Times said.
The "Entourage" Emmy winner tearfully told the newspaper he tried his best to push through his sickness and continue with the play. He also said rumors that he was exhausted from partying and not really ill are untrue.
"At times I was incapable of getting enough oxygen to get my lines out on stage, and sometimes I'd forget where I was in the play," Piven said. "This misconception that I was out partying was wrong."
'Superman' comic could fetch $400K
NEW YORK, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- A copy of the original "Superman and Friends" comic book is expected to sell for about $400,000 in an online auction, a U.S. comic expert said.
The "unrestored" copy of Action Comics No. 1 went up for auction Friday through Comic Connect, an Internet liaison between comic book buyers and sellers.
Comic Connect owner Stephen Fishler told CNN the copy of "Superman," which sold for a dime when it debuted in 1938, is the "Holy Grail of comic books."
"Of the 100 existing copies, 80 percent have been restored but people want an untouched copy," Fishler told CNN.
He went on to say one bidder attempted to trade his $375,000 Ferrari for the comic book as part of an under-the-table deal.
"I couldn't see myself trading in my Toyota Prius," Fischler quipped, adding the auction, which runs through March 13, will remain public. No minimum price has been set for the book.
Bundchen and Brady marry in California
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 27 (UPI) -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen have married in a private ceremony at a church in Santa Monica, Calif.
Sources told People magazine the couple, who have been dating since 2006, wed shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday at St. Monica's church, then had a small celebration afterward at their Brentwood, Calif., home.
Usmagazine.com said Bundchen wore an ivory lace, strapless Dolce & Gabbana gown with a trumpet skirt, long train and a floor-length veil. Her three dogs also wore matching Dolce & Gabbana floral lace collars.
John Edward Thomas Moynahan, Brady's 18-month-old son with his former girlfriend, actress Bridget Moynahan, attended the event, People.com said.
This is the first marriage for both Brady and Bundchen.
Bundchen previously dated movie star Leonardo DiCaprio.
