World Cup soccer match draws Web crowd
ESPN said 1.1 million people watched at least some of the United States’ dramatic World Cup victory over Algeria as it was streamed on an ESPN website Wednesday. The match, which was also watched on ESPN and Univision by 8.6 million people, lasted from 10 a.m. to noon EDT, during working hours for most of the United States.
The network says it was the biggest online audience for a sporting event, beating the Duke-Butler NCAA championship basketball game on a Monday night from earlier this year.
The U.S. team moved on to the World Cup’s final 16 when Landon Donovan scored a goal with about two minutes to spare for a 1-0 victory.
— Associated Press
Film academy adds members
Adam Sandler, Bono and James Gandolfini are among 135 people invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Also on the list announced Friday are several Oscar winners from this year, including Mo’Nique, supporting actress for “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”; Christoph Waltz, supporting actor for “Inglourious Basterds”; and Mark Boal, writer and producer of “The Hurt Locker.”
The list also includes previous nominees such as Carey Mulligan, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga and “District 9” writers Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell.
Documentary makers Davis Guggenheim, who won for “An Inconvenient Truth,” and Morgan Spurlock also are listed.
They’ll all be honored at a reception in September.
— Associated Press
Bin Laden hunter on ‘Late’
Gary Faulkner, the American detained in Pakistan while on his self-imposed mission to kill Osama bin Laden, will appear on the “Late Show With David Letterman” Monday night.
Faulkner, 50, made headlines when he was arrested June 13 while attempting his one-man crusade — armed with a pistol, sword, night-vision goggles and a map — to cross into Afghanistan from northern Pakistan. The construction worker from Greeley, Colo., told police he was on a quest to avenge the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by killing Bin Laden.
He was moved to Islamabad and then released without charges Wednesday.
—Yvonne Villarreal
NEA honorees include Glass
The National Endowment for the Arts’ $25,000 NEA Opera Honors lifetime achievement awards for 2010 will go to composer Philip Glass, soprano Martina Arroyo, opera executive David DiChiera and music director Eve Queler.
Ceremonies will be Oct. 22 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, with a video tribute to each recipient and a concert produced by the Washington National Opera.
— Mike Boehm
Wesley Snipes seeks new trial
A federal appeals panel is considering whether the arrest of actor Wesley Snipes’ former financial advisor could pave the way for a new trial on tax evasion charges.
Snipes was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison in 2008, but his attorneys asked the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta to allow a new request to dismiss the movie star’s conviction or grant him a new trial.
The motion centers on the arrest of Kenneth Starr, the onetime financial adviser to Snipes and other celebrities.
He was a key witness in Snipes’ 2008 trial but was charged in May with securities fraud worth $59 million.
— Associated Press
L.A. muralist gets art award
Americans for the Arts announced Thursday that Los Angeles muralist Judy Baca is receiving the 2010 Public Art Network Award that recognizes “innovative and creative contributions and commitment in the field of public art.”
Baca is co-founder of the Social and Public Art Resource Center, a Venice-based organization committed to using public art as a means of bringing communities together. Baca has had a hand in creating numerous murals, but her most famous remains the Great Wall of Los Angeles, a 2,735-foot-long historical mural in the San Fernando Valley that the artist designed in 1976 and that was executed by various community groups.
On Sept. 30, Baca will participate in a rededication of her mural “La Memoria de Nuestra Tierra: California 1996” at USC.
— David Ng
Ballet winner
is from China
Dancers from China, Portugal and South Korea received top awards Friday at the USA International Ballet Competition in Mississippi.
Dancers ages 15 to 18 competed in the junior division while those 19 to 26 competed in the senior division.
The senior women’s gold medalist is Cao Shuci of China.
— Associated Press