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By Jane Ross and Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES, Dec 16 (Reuters) – Prosecutors in Los Angeles were weighing possible criminal charges on Tuesday for the son of Hollywood actor-director and political activist Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, who were found slain in their home over the weekend. Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested and jailed on Sunday night as a suspect in his parents' murders. Prominent Los Angeles defense attorney Alan Jackson, representing Reiner, said his client would not make a court appearance on Tuesday as he had not yet been medically cleared to do so.  "He will be here hopefully tomorrow," Jackson said outside of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, where suspects typically are arraigned.  The Los Angeles County District Attorney planned to hold a news briefing at 1 p.m. PT (2100 GMT) to provide details about the case. The Los Angeles Police Department's homicide investigators presented their findings to prosecutors on Tuesday, and they were under review, the DA's office said. Police and prosecutors have revealed few details about the circumstances of the killings, and autopsy results have yet to be released. But various news outlets, citing unnamed sources, have said that Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, 70, appeared to have been stabbed or slashed. Local media reported that Nick Reiner had been seen quarreling with his parents on Saturday night at a holiday party hosted by comedian Conan O'Brien.  Nick Reiner has publicly acknowledged battles with drug addiction and periods of homelessness that occurred when he refused to seek treatment for substance abuse, saying he entered rehab for the first of many instances at age 15. Those experiences inspired the movie "Being Charlie," co-written by Reiner and his father. "It was the most personal thing I've ever been involved in," Rob Reiner told podcaster Marc Maron in 2016. FROM MEATHEAD TO ACCLAIMED FILMMAKER As an actor, Rob Reiner was best remembered for his role on the TV comedy "All in the Family" as Mike "Meathead" Stivic, the son-in-law and liberal foil of the lead character, working-class bigot Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O'Connor. Reiner went on to a prolific Hollywood career as a filmmaker, directing such popular movies as "This Is Spinal Tap," "The Princess Bride," "When Harry Met Sally…," "Stand by Me," "A Few Good Men," "Misery" and "The American President."   A sequel to the mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap" was released this year, 41 years after the original. His wife, Michele, was at one time a photographer who captured the image of Donald Trump that appears on the cover of his book "Trump: The Art of the Deal." Rob Reiner, a native of New York City and son of the late comedy writer and actor Carl Reiner, also was well known for his political activism and as a supporter of the Democratic Party.         (Reporting by Jane Ross and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Andrew Hay and Brad Brooks; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Jane Ross and Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES, Dec 16 (Reuters) – Prosecutors in Los Angeles were weighing possible criminal charges on Tuesday for the son of Hollywood actor-director and political activist Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, who were found slain in their home over the weekend. Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested and jailed on Sunday night as a suspect in his parents' murders. Prominent Los Angeles defense attorney Alan Jackson, representing Reiner, said his client would not make a court appearance on Tuesday as he had not yet been medically cleared to do so.  "He will be here hopefully tomorrow," Jackson said outside of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, where suspects typically are arraigned.  The Los Angeles County District Attorney planned to hold a news briefing at 1 p.m. PT (2100 GMT) to provide details about the case. The Los Angeles Police Department's homicide investigators presented their findings to prosecutors on Tuesday, and they were under review, the DA's office said. Police and prosecutors have revealed few details about the circumstances of the killings, and autopsy results have yet to be released. But various news outlets, citing unnamed sources, have said that Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, 70, appeared to have been stabbed or slashed. Local media reported that Nick Reiner had been seen quarreling with his parents on Saturday night at a holiday party hosted by comedian Conan O'Brien.  Nick Reiner has publicly acknowledged battles with drug addiction and periods of homelessness that occurred when he refused to seek treatment for substance abuse, saying he entered rehab for the first of many instances at age 15. Those experiences inspired the movie "Being Charlie," co-written by Reiner and his father. "It was the most personal thing I've ever been involved in," Rob Reiner told podcaster Marc Maron in 2016. FROM MEATHEAD TO ACCLAIMED FILMMAKER As an actor, Rob Reiner was best remembered for his role on the TV comedy "All in the Family" as Mike "Meathead" Stivic, the son-in-law and liberal foil of the lead character, working-class bigot Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O'Connor. Reiner went on to a prolific Hollywood career as a filmmaker, directing such popular movies as "This Is Spinal Tap," "The Princess Bride," "When Harry Met Sally…," "Stand by Me," "A Few Good Men," "Misery" and "The American President."   A sequel to the mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap" was released this year, 41 years after the original. His wife, Michele, was at one time a photographer who captured the image of Donald Trump that appears on the cover of his book "Trump: The Art of the Deal." Rob Reiner, a native of New York City and son of the late comedy writer and actor Carl Reiner, also was well known for his political activism and as a supporter of the Democratic Party.         (Reporting by Jane Ross and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Andrew Hay and Brad Brooks; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Hanna Rantala LONDON, Dec 15 (Reuters) – A decade after making his feature film debut with acclaimed drama "Masaan", Indian director Neeraj Ghaywan returns with a second movie that seeks to give a voice to people who feel invisible. Based on true events, "Homebound" tells the story of two childhood friends from a northern Indian village whose sights are set on police officer jobs they believe will improve their standing in the world.  Shoaib, a Muslim, and Chandan, a Dalit, once called "untouchables", are among the 2.5 million applicants competing for 3,500 jobs in the police. Their bond gets tested during the wait for the entrance exam results, as each weighs his prospects, under pressure to support their families.      Inspired by Basharat Peer's 2020 New York Times article "Taking Amrit home", the film also looks at the plight of the country's large migrant population and the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.     "I saw big potential in speaking about a lot of things that contemporary India is shying away from showing in mainstream spaces, especially the marginalised community people, who are often looked at only in statistics," Ghaywan said.     Depicting the social issues and the discrimination the two friends face made the project personal for Ghaywan, who included his own experiences of growing up as a Dalit in the film.     "I masqueraded myself as an upper caste member for a very long time and it created a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety inside me. I worked through that shame for a very long time and then put it behind me when I publicly came out with my identity," Ghaywan, 45, said.     Ahead of filming, actors Ishaan Khatter (Shoaib) and Vishal Jethwa (Chandan) spent time in northern India's Barabanki, with locals inviting them into their homes and sharing their meals.     "This film, in many ways, is the story of millions of Shoaibs and millions of Chandans and that is what we try to stay true to," Khatter said. It was selected as India's contender for best international feature film at the 98th Academy Awards – a country by country list that gets whittled down to the five Oscar nominees.     "Homebound", which is executive produced by Martin Scorsese, is streaming on Netflix. (Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Alison Williams)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Dec 16 (Reuters) – Radio host Howard Stern has renewed his contract with SiriusXM Holdings for three more years, the satellite radio company said on Tuesday, extending a partnership that has been central to its identity and subscriber growth for nearly two decades. The renewal keeps Stern, 71, one of the most popular "shock jocks" in radio history and one of the company's most prominent and costly on-air talents, as a flagship SiriusXM personality. Executives often cite him as a cornerstone of the company's premium subscription offering as SiriusXM seeks to retain subscribers and attract new ones amid intensifying competition. He joined SiriusXM in 2006 after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission repeatedly fined his former employers millions of dollars over his controversial on-air content. The financial terms of the new deal were not disclosed. Stern, who has frequently appeared on Forbes' lists of the highest-paid entertainers, last renewed his contract with the company in 2020 in an agreement reportedly worth up to $600 million. (Reporting by Arnav Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Francois Murphy VIENNA, Dec 16 (Reuters) – The host broadcaster of the next Eurovision Song Contest, Austria's ORF, will not ban the Palestinian flag from the audience or drown out booing during Israel's performance as has happened at previous shows, organisers said on Tuesday. The 70th edition of the contest in May will have just 35 entries, the smallest number of participants since 2003, after five national broadcasters including those of Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands said they would boycott the show in protest at Israel's participation. What is usually a celebration of national diversity, pop music and high camp has become embroiled in diplomatic strife, with those boycotting saying it would be unconscionable to take part given the number of civilians killed in Gaza as part of Israel's retaliation to the October 7 attack by Hamas in 2023. "We will allow all official flags that exist in the world, if they comply with the law and are in a certain form – size, security risks, etc," the show's executive producer, Michael Kroen, told a news conference organised by ORF. " … we will not sugarcoat anything or avoid showing what is happening, because our task is to show things as they are," Kroen said. AUSTRIA SUPPORTED ISRAEL PARTICIPATING The broadcaster will not drown out the sound of any booing from the crowd, as happened this year during Israel's performance, ORF's director of programming Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz said. "We won't play artificial applause over it at any point," she said. Israel's 2025 entrant, Yuval Raphael, was at the Nova music festival that was a target of the Hamas-led attack. The CEO of Israeli broadcaster KAN had likened the efforts to exclude Israel in 2026 to a form of "cultural boycott". ORF and the Austrian government were among the biggest supporters of Israel participating over the objections of countries including Iceland and Slovenia, which will also boycott the next contest in protest. ORF Director General Roland Weissmann visited Israel in November to show his support. This year's show drew around 166 million viewers, according to the European Broadcasting Union, more than the roughly 128 million who Nielsen estimates watched the Super Bowl. The war in Gaza began after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seized 251 hostages in an attack on southern Israel. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 70,700 Palestinians, most of them civilians, health officials in Gaza say. (Reporting by Francois Murphy; Additional reporting by John Revill in Zurich; Editing by Alison Williams)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Francois Murphy VIENNA, Dec 16 (Reuters) – The host broadcaster of the next Eurovision Song Contest, Austria's ORF, will not ban the Palestinian flag from the audience or drown out booing during Israel's performance as has happened at previous shows, organisers said on Tuesday. The 70th edition of the contest in May will have just 35 entries, the smallest number of participants since 2003, after five national broadcasters including those of Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands said they would boycott the show in protest at Israel's participation. What is usually a celebration of national diversity, pop music and high camp has become embroiled in diplomatic strife, with those boycotting saying it would be unconscionable to take part given the number of civilians killed in Gaza as part of Israel's retaliation to the October 7 attack by Hamas in 2023. "We will allow all official flags that exist in the world, if they comply with the law and are in a certain form – size, security risks, etc," the show's executive producer, Michael Kroen, told a news conference organised by ORF. " … we will not sugarcoat anything or avoid showing what is happening, because our task is to show things as they are," Kroen said. AUSTRIA SUPPORTED ISRAEL PARTICIPATING The broadcaster will not drown out the sound of any booing from the crowd, as happened this year during Israel's performance, ORF's director of programming Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz said. "We won't play artificial applause over it at any point," she said. Israel's 2025 entrant, Yuval Raphael, was at the Nova music festival that was a target of the Hamas-led attack. The CEO of Israeli broadcaster KAN had likened the efforts to exclude Israel in 2026 to a form of "cultural boycott". ORF and the Austrian government were among the biggest supporters of Israel participating over the objections of countries including Iceland and Slovenia, which will also boycott the next contest in protest. ORF Director General Roland Weissmann visited Israel in November to show his support. This year's show drew around 166 million viewers, according to the European Broadcasting Union, more than the roughly 128 million who Nielsen estimates watched the Super Bowl. The war in Gaza began after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seized 251 hostages in an attack on southern Israel. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 70,700 Palestinians, most of them civilians, health officials in Gaza say. (Reporting by Francois Murphy; Additional reporting by John Revill in Zurich; Editing by Alison Williams)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Francois Murphy VIENNA, Dec 16 (Reuters) – The host broadcaster of the next Eurovision Song Contest, Austria's ORF, will not ban the Palestinian flag from the audience or drown out booing during Israel's performance as has happened at previous shows, organisers said on Tuesday. The 70th edition of the contest in May will have just 35 entries, the smallest number of participants since 2003, after five national broadcasters including those of Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands said they would boycott the show in protest at Israel's participation. What is usually a celebration of national diversity, pop music and high camp has become embroiled in diplomatic strife, with those boycotting saying it would be unconscionable to take part given the number of civilians killed in Gaza as part of Israel's retaliation to the October 7 attack by Hamas in 2023. "We will allow all official flags that exist in the world, if they comply with the law and are in a certain form – size, security risks, etc," the show's executive producer, Michael Kroen, told a news conference organised by ORF. " … we will not sugarcoat anything or avoid showing what is happening, because our task is to show things as they are," Kroen said. AUSTRIA SUPPORTED ISRAEL PARTICIPATING The broadcaster will not drown out the sound of any booing from the crowd, as happened this year during Israel's performance, ORF's director of programming Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz said. "We won't play artificial applause over it at any point," she said. Israel's 2025 entrant, Yuval Raphael, was at the Nova music festival that was a target of the Hamas-led attack. The CEO of Israeli broadcaster KAN had likened the efforts to exclude Israel in 2026 to a form of "cultural boycott". ORF and the Austrian government were among the biggest supporters of Israel participating over the objections of countries including Iceland and Slovenia, which will also boycott the next contest in protest. ORF Director General Roland Weissmann visited Israel in November to show his support. This year's show drew around 166 million viewers, according to the European Broadcasting Union, more than the roughly 128 million who Nielsen estimates watched the Super Bowl. The war in Gaza began after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seized 251 hostages in an attack on southern Israel. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 70,700 Palestinians, most of them civilians, health officials in Gaza say. (Reporting by Francois Murphy; Additional reporting by John Revill in Zurich; Editing by Alison Williams)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)