Smith posts apology video for slapping Rock
Will Smith again has apologized to Chris Rock for slapping him during the Oscars telecast in a new video, saying that his behavior was “unacceptable” and that he had reached out to the comedian to discuss the incident but was told Rock wasn't ready. “There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” Smith said in the fiveplus minute video posted online Friday. “I am deeply remorseful and I'm trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself.” To Rock, he said, “I'm here whenever you're ready to talk.” Smith, seated in a polo shirt and white ball cap, spoke directly to a camera, answering preselected questions about his behavior at the March 27 Academy Awards, when he slapped presenter Rock after the comedian made a reference about the hairstyle of Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith's wife. Smith also apologized to Rock's family and especially his mother, Rosalie, who was horrified to see her son hurt and told US Weekly, “When he slapped Chris, he slapped all of us. He really slapped me.” Smith also apologized to Tony Rock, Chris' younger brother. “I didn't realize how many people got hurt in that moment,” Smith said.
Neither the apology or timing impressed crisis and PR expert Eric Schiffer, who called it “bizarre, strange and grossly overrehearsed.”
Cranston, `Breaking Bad' honored in Albuquerque
Bronze statues of mythical methamphetamine cookers Walter White and Jesse Pinkman were installed at a convention center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday to celebrate the “Breaking Bad” TV series and its entertainment legacy, winning applause in a city that played its own gritty supporting role. Local politicians including Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller mixed with “Breaking Bad” stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul and director Vince Gilligan to help unveil the artwork, donated by Gilligan and Sony Pictures.
The 2008-13 show and its ongoing prequel, “Better Call Saul,” helped fuel a renaissance in filmmaking across New Mexico while also cutting close to Albuquerque's real-life struggles with drug addiction and crime. Gilligan said he recognized in the statues “two fictional, infamous meth dealers” won't be universally cherished in New Mexico.
Pavarotti will get star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Opera star Luciano Pavarotti will be honored with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced Friday. The ceremony will take place Aug. 24and will be attended by his daughter, Cristina Pavarotti. Also on the list of speakers is Cinzia Salvioli and conductor James Conlon.