SHORT SHOTS

Mariah dances around romance

Mariah Carey has a vision of love for her backup dancer Bryan Tanaka. Carey, who posted an Instagram picture with her and Tanaka drinking champagne in a tub on Valentine’s Day, confirmed the romance in an interview with AP on Wednesday, though she declined to say much more than that. “I’m just going to be like ‘I really don’t talk about my personal life.’ Because that’s what I used to do and it really worked for a minute, back, a while ago,” she said, smiling. “I just don’t feel comfortable talking about my personal life ... Me and my boyfriend don’t want to do that.”

Judge dismisses lawsuit against Cosby

A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Bill Cosby by an actress who claimed he raped her, ruling that the comedian acted within his rights when he proclaimed himself innocent of the crime. The civil lawsuit is one of a slew of cases brought against the actor, best known for playing the father in the 1980s television hit “The Cosby Show,” by about 50 women who say he sexually assaulted them, often after plying them with drugs and alcohol, in a series of alleged attacks dating back decades.

Jackman noses ahead

Hugh Jackman arrived at the premiere of Logan with a small bandage on his nose after taking to Twitter to announce he had been treated for skin cancer once again.

But Jackman insisted he’s OK. “It is fine, it is all done, all fixed, all out. Thank you for asking,” he said at the Friday night debut of the film at the Berlin Film Festival.

Jackman revealed Monday that he had another basal cell carcinoma on his nose, and tweeted out a picture of his bandaged nose, and urged people to wear sunscreen.

‘La La Land’ seen as Oscars banker

La La Land is set to sweep the Oscars, but the race to be crowned Hollywood’s leading man is going down to the wire, say bookmakers who are seeing record bets on the Academy Awards this year. Casey Affleck, star of Manchester by the Sea, had been the favourite to win the best actor statue for several months. But his odds tightened as a flood of money flowed to Denzel Washington after he took home the Screen Actors Guild award in January for Fences.