Publication has been halted for a disputed book about the atomic bombing of Japan at the end of World War II. Charles Pellegrino’s “The Last Train From Hiroshima’’ had received strong reviews and had been optioned for a possible film by “Avatar’’ director James Cameron. But publisher Henry Holt and Co. said yesterday that Pellegrino “was not able to answer’’ several concerns, including whether two men mentioned in the text actually existed. Doubts were raised about the book a week ago after Pellegrino acknowledged that one of his interview subjects had falsely claimed to be on one of the planes accompanying the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima in August 1945. Holt had initially promised to send a corrected edition. But further doubts about the book emerged. The publisher was unable to determine the existence of a Father Mattias (the first name is not given) who supposedly lived in Hiroshima at the time of the bombing, and John MacQuitty, identified as a Jesuit scholar presiding over Mattias’s funeral. (AP)
Hyundai pulls Bridges
Korean automaker Hyundai has pulled
Jeff Bridges’s voice from its ads airing Sunday night because of a rule limiting the use of nominees in Oscars ads. Bridges was nominated for best actor for his role in “Crazy Heart.’’ The stars replacing Bridges Sunday will be
Catherine Keener,
Kim Basinger,
David Duchovny,
Richard Dreyfuss,
Michael Madsen,
Mandy Patinkin, and
Martin Sheen. (AP)
TLC drops pageant
Miss America’s three-year run on TLC is over after the cable network chose not to renew its television contract with the beauty pageant. TLC declined yesterday to say why it was cutting ties with the 89-year-old competition after the pageant’s broadcast attracted 4.5 million viewers in January - the best showing ever for the pageant on cable. (AP)
‘Shrek’ Tribeca-bound
The annual Tribeca Film Festival will open with the world premiere of “Shrek Forever After’’ on April 21. The fourth film in the “Shrek’’ series stars
Mike Myers,
Eddie Murphy,
Cameron Diaz, and
Antonio Banderas. (AP)
Quite vocal
‘I copied it to digital to preserve it, I have it on my computer and yes, of course, I use it a lot.’
Singer Juanes, talking about a cassette containing vocal exercises that Tony Bennett gave him years ago.
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