Cromwell’s sticky protest
Actor and activist James Cromwell has gone from Uncle Ewan on “Succession” to real-life supergluin’ — pasting his hand to a midtown Manhattan Starbucks counter on Tuesday to protest the coffee chain’s extra charge for plant-based milk.
The 82-year-old Oscar nominee, known for “Babe: Pig in the City” and “L.A. Confidential,” channeled his role as the crotchety, anti-capitalist brother of a billionaire media mogul for the protest organized by the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Cromwell sat on the Starbucks counter wearing a “Free the Animals” Tshirt and read a statement denouncing the surcharge for vegan milk alternatives.
“When will you stop raking in huge profits while customers, animals and the environment suffer?” he demanded as fellow activists streamed the protest on Facebook.
Cromwell glued his hand to the counter, then later used a knife to scrape it off. Police said there were no arrests.
Starbucks outlets in the United States charge 50 cents to $1 more for drinks made with plant-based milks.
“Customers can customize any beverage on the menu with a non-dairy milk, including soy milk, coconut milk, almond milk, and oat milk for an additional cost (similar to other beverage customizations such as an additional espresso shot or syrup),” a Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement. “Pricing varies market by market.”
The spokesperson said Starbucks respects customers’ right to voice their opinions “so long as it does not disrupt our store operations.”
Cromwell, nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the farmer in “Babe,” is a veteran protester who was charged with trespassing in 2017 for interrupting an orca show at Sea World in San Diego.
Batali not guilty in misconduct case
Mario Batali was acquitted Tuesday of allegedly groping a fan in 2017 at a Boston bar.
The celebrity chef, 61, was found not guilty of indecent assault and battery in a trial that lasted less than two days during which he did not testify.
His accuser, 32-year-old Natali Tene, testified that she asked Batali for a selfie at Towne Stove and Spirits in March 2017, only to be assaulted while she posed smiling.
“His right hand was all over my breast. All over my rear end. He was grabbing me in a way that I had never been touched before. Squeezing in between my legs. Squeezing me in my vagina to pull me closer,” Tene testified Monday.
“It was all happening so quickly and it was happening essentially the whole time . ... I shouldn’t even say in which order. But there was touching of my breasts. Touching my sensitive feminine areas in between my legs. Touching all over my face. His lips on the side of my face. His tongue in my ear. Just a lot of touching.”
Batali’s attorney argued that Tene had limited credibility, specifically pointing to her attempts to get out of jury duty by pretending to be clairvoyant.
Batali’s lawyer, Anthony Fuller, also claimed that Tene only came forward as a money grab after other women made similar allegations against Batali. Tene is also suing the chef for $50,000 in damages in a separate lawsuit.
“Photos and video don’t lie. They don’t have a financial motivation,” Fuller said. “But she does.”
Batali settled misconduct cases with at least 20 men and women for about $600,000 in New York last year, cut ties with all of his restaurants in 2019 and stepped down from “The Chew,” which he co-hosted from 2011 to 2017.
Tyson not charged in punching incident
Authorities will not file criminal charges against former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson after he was recorded on video last month punching a fellow first-class passenger aboard a plane at San Francisco International Airport, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office said it has closed the case and decided against pursuing charges based on “the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.”
“These include the conduct of the victim leading up to the incident, the interaction between Mr. Tyson and the victim, as well as the requests of both the victim and Mr. Tyson that no charges be filed in this case,” District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said in a statement. Police previously said that the victim had provided few details about the altercation and refused to cooperate with the investigation.
Representatives for Tyson previously said the boxer was on a flight with “an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat.”