PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Movie fans are lining up for the end of the world, with the disaster tale “2012” hauling in $65 million domestically to debut at No. 1.

“2012” has added $160 million overseas for a worldwide total of $225 million.

The Sony Pictures action saga tells the story of a scramble to save remnants of humanity aboard giant arks as the earth’s crust shifts and flood waters pour over most of the planet.

“Disney’s A Christmas Carol” slipped to No. 2 in its second weekend with $22.3 million. The Jim Carrey holiday adventure raised its 10-day total to $63.3 million.

Lionsgate’s acclaimed drama “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” broke into the Top 10 as it expanded from limited release and took in $6.1 million.

Oh, no, not Ohio. ‘The Boss’ botches his intro

Bruce Springsteen bellowed “Hello, Ohio!” to his fans at the Palace of Auburn Hills. That’s in Michigan.

The 60-year-old rock legend referred to the neighboring state several times Friday night until E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt whispered in his ear.

A visibly embarrassed Springsteen grinned and said such a mistake was “every front man’s nightmare.”

The Detroit Free Press says Springsteen rocked the forgiving audience for nearly three hours with new and old hits, including a complete performance of his album “Born to Run.”

Home searched in Crawford scheme

BERLIN (AP) — German police said Sunday that they had searched a home in connection with an alleged extortion scheme targeting former supermodel Cindy Crawford and her family.

U.S. authorities had said Thursday that a German man had been charged in the U.S. with trying to extort $100,000 from Crawford and her entrepreneur husband Rande Gerber over a photo of their daughter, then 7, bound to a chair and gagged. He was accused of threatening to sell or release the photo to the media.

The daughter told her parents, who were unaware of the photo, that her former nanny took the picture as part of a “cops and robbers” game, according to an affidavit.

U.S. authorities say the suspect, 26-year-old Edis Kayalar, was taken into federal custody in the U.S. for an immigration violation three months ago and deported to Germany. He was believed to be in the Stuttgart area.

German authorities would not say where the suspect is or whether he had been charged in Germany.

Several items were confiscated from the apartment in Kirchheim/Teck in the Stuttgart area but nobody was arrested in the search on Saturday, a police spokesman said.

He was charged in the U.S. with one count of extortion. If convicted, he could face up to two years in prison in the U.S. It was not clear if he has an attorney in the U.S.

Bacall, Corman among early Oscar winners

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Without the burden of a live worldwide broadcast, members of the film academy threw themselves a lively yet relaxed dinner party to honor the first Oscar winners of the season.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences broke with tradition and presented its honorary Oscars off-camera Saturday night, months ahead of the televised ceremony in March.

Actress Lauren Bacall, B-movie king Roger Corman and “Godfather” cinematographer Gordon Willis each received Oscar statuettes during the black-tie banquet at the Grand Ballroom above the Kodak Theatre, the same room where the annual post-Academy Awards Governors Ball is held.

In addition, producer John Calley was honored with the Irving J. Thalberg Memorial Award, recognizing career accomplishments that include “Catch-22,” “The Remains of the Day” and “The Da Vinci Code.”

Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, Annette Bening, Morgan Freeman and Steven Spielberg were among the 600 invited guests at the inaugural Governors Awards event.

“We’re gathered here together, all artists, celebrating excellence without any television cameras — isn’t it great?” said veteran producer Norman Jewison.

Warren Beatty agreed: “It’s so much better ... that nobody’s worrying whether 36.5 million people are watching us or 29.2,” he said.

Guests drank Champagne and dined on filet mignon as each honoree was celebrated with tributes, toasts and a generous montage of film clips — leisurely elements not possible in previous years when special-Oscar presentations were built into the already-crowded Oscar broadcast.

Corman, 83, was the first to be honored Saturday night. The longtime producer-director was lauded for being a champion of independent and efficient filmmaking and for promoting women to positions of leadership long before it was popular.

Quentin Tarantino said the man behind films such as “Bloody Mama” and “X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes,” inspired him to become a filmmaker. He praised Corman for his “undeniable impact on the industry, both as a business and as an art form.”

Ron Howard credited Corman with giving him his start as a filmmaker, saying working for Corman was “a badge of honor.”

Kirk Douglas honored Bacall, his friend for more than 60 years, and confessed that he once tried to seduce her — “without success.”

Ever feisty, the 85-year-old actress shooed away an escort who tried to help her to the podium to accept her Oscar.

She spoke of her late husband, “my great love” Humphrey Bogart, and her dashing leading men: Douglas, Gregory Peck and Henry Fonda.

‘Gidget’ director Wendkos dies at 84

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul Wendkos, who directed over 100 films and television shows during a 50-year career, including the 1959 surf movie “Gidget,” has died. He was 84.

Family spokeswoman C. Christie Craig says Wendkos died Thursday in Malibu of a lung infection that followed a stroke.

“Gidget,” starring Sandra Dee as an all-American surfer girl, was a hit and led to two sequels for Wendkos.

His other films include the 1957 drama “The Burglar,” starring Jayne Mansfield, and 1969’s “Guns of the Magnificent Seven.”

For television, he directed series such as “The Rifleman” and “Hawaii Five-O.” His made-for-TV movies include “The Legend of Lizzie Borden” and “The Ordeal of Patty Hearst.”