NEW YORK (Reuters) - "Battle for Haditha" dramatizes one of the most controversial incidents of the Iraq war -- the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines -- but former Marine Elliot Ruiz who stars in the film says it doesnt give the Marine Corps a bad name.
"Were not going after those Marines; this film doesnt blame those Marines for what happened. Its not really putting the blame on anybody," Ruiz told Reuters in an interview ahead of the films release in New York on Wednesday.
"It puts the situation out there and lets you decide for yourself whos responsible."
The film is based on real events that happened in November 2005 in Haditha, west of Baghdad. A convoy of U.S. Marines was hit by a roadside bomb, killing a popular officer, and 24 Iraqi civilians were shot dead in the aftermath.
Eight Marines were charged in the case but charges have been dropped against five. Three, including accused ringleader Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, still face court-martial.
Iraqi witnesses say angry Marines massacred unarmed civilians after a popular comrade, Lance Cpl. Miguel "TJ" Terrazas, was ripped in half by the roadside bomb. Defense attorneys maintain that the civilians were killed during a pitched battle with insurgents in and around Haditha.
Ruiz, who fought in the initial invasion of Iraq, said he spoke to his Marine Corps buddies before taking the part of Cpl. Ramirez, who is based on a real character but with the name and many other details changed.
"I didnt want to do anything that was going to give the Marine Corps a bad name," he said.
British director Nick Broomfield says when he first met the Marines who were in Haditha, "I was probably much more judgmental."
Then, he said, he heard firsthand the stories of young men from underprivileged backgrounds who signed up fresh out of high school and were not given enough support or psychological help even after enduring traumatic combat experiences.
"(I) realized they were still traditional cannon fodder," Broomfield told Reuters.
SEEING IRAQI CHARACTERS
The two Iraqi insurgents who plant the roadside bomb that sparks the killing are also presented in a way that U.S. audiences may find surprisingly sympathetic.
"You need to understand where theyre coming from, and their point of view hasnt been represented in any way in the press over here," Broomfield said. He met Iraqi insurgents in Jordan, where the film was shot, in an effort to hear their side of the story as he was writing the script.
In the film, one of the insurgents is an aging former Iraqi army officer driven by patriotism and frustration after U.S. authorities disbanded the military following the March 2003 invasion. It shows how he is used by al Qaeda fighters seeking to stir up anti-American feeling, a goal that succeeds beyond their expectations with the killing of the 24 Iraqis.
"People in the States know nothing, really, about Iraqis," Broomfield said, adding that he believed this was the first feature film with Iraqi characters.
"Some of the documentaries are great but I think an American audience needs to see proper Iraqi characters in feature films," he said.
The film will play at New Yorks independent Film Forum before going on limited release starting in San Francisco and Chicago.
Much of the dialogue in the film was improvised by Ruiz and other former servicemen who play the U.S. Marines. Other details were pieced together from Iraqi witnesses and a U.S. military report, as well as the interviews with Marines.
"Its not saying this is a forensic examination of exactly what happened on that day in Haditha," Broomfield said. "Its saying how do things like Haditha happen? What are the circumstances of war that produce Hadithas?"
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Rabu, 07 Mei 2008
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling wins privacy case appeal (AP)
LONDON - A court ruling in favor of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has set the stage for a trial on whether publication of photos taken of her young son violates his privacy.
The Court of Appeal in London says children of famous parents have the same right to expect privacy as children of parents who aren't well-known.
The ruling Wednesday sets aside an earlier finding in favor of Express Newspapers and Big Pictures, an agency that took the photos with a long telephoto lens.
Rowling and her husband, Dr. Neil Murray, brought the case on behalf of their 5-year-old son David. The photos in question were taken when David was 18 months old.
The judge says the case should now go to trial unless it can be settled.
The Court of Appeal in London says children of famous parents have the same right to expect privacy as children of parents who aren't well-known.
The ruling Wednesday sets aside an earlier finding in favor of Express Newspapers and Big Pictures, an agency that took the photos with a long telephoto lens.
Rowling and her husband, Dr. Neil Murray, brought the case on behalf of their 5-year-old son David. The photos in question were taken when David was 18 months old.
The judge says the case should now go to trial unless it can be settled.
K-Fed lawyer: Spears' expanded visits recognize 'progress' (AP)
LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears will have expanded visits with her sons following a child-custody hearing that went off without a hitch Tuesday, capping a three-month period of relative calm and stability for the troubled pop star and mother of two.
The longer visits are "recognition of the progress that has been made, a progress in structure and stability," said Mark Vincent Kaplan, lawyer for Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline. At a post-hearing press conference, Kaplan said Federline retains custody of 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James, but that Spears would be allowed to see them for longer periods.
Surrounded by lawyers and her parents, Spears smiled slightly, looked straight ahead and did not respond to questions as she left the hearing, which was closed to reporters. Federline left a few minutes later, smiled at everyone, but also did not comment.
"We are so pleased with Britney's progress and we are very appreciative of the court's recognition of this progress," Spears' parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, said in a statement read by court spokesman Allan Parachini.
Federline spokesman Elliot Mintz said his client is "extremely pleased with the way things went today."
Kaplan said one of the major changes is that "there are not daily events" to undermine the situation, and that he expected to see further progress from Spears. He said "the children are doing great," adding that Federline hopes they will one day have a more constant relationship with their mother.
"Consistently, we've said that Kevin's goal and hope is that his children will have the benefit sometime in the future of having two parents actively participating in their lives," he said.
A hearing was set for July 15 to get a progress report on the new arrangement.
It was clear from the beginning that Tuesday's hearing would be different from past courthouse spectacles, which included screaming fans with banners, frenzied paparazzi and Spears dressed in cocktail-party attire. The collection of photographers, reporters, sheriff's deputies and prospective jurors who witnessed Spears' arrival in the front of a white Land Rover didn't compare to the circus at a January hearing, when she showed up in a black minidress and gold platform shoes, then bolted before entering the courtroom.
On Tuesday, a somber Spears entered court wearing a brown polka-dot dress and white sweater. Federline arrived about 15 minutes later in a beige pinstriped suit. Moments after Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon swore them in, Spears attorney Stacy Phillips asked that the hearing be closed, and Gordon ordered reporters out.
It's been three months since Spears left a psychiatric ward a week ahead of schedule and stirred up a paparazzi car chase, a scene that looked like the beginning of even more erratic behavior. But in the weeks that followed, she lay low and largely avoided the cameras, spent time with family members and even found success in a cameo appearance on CBS' "How I Met Your Mother."
During that time, the 26-year-old pop star has been under the conservatorship of her father. The court-ordered arrangement put James Spears in control of his daughter's personal and financial affairs.
Federline has had full custody of his two sons by Spears since January, when police were called to Spears' home and taken by ambulance to UCLA Medical Center after she refused to relinquish one of the boys to a Federline bodyguard. Her visitation rights were suspended at the time, but have been gradually restored in recent months.
Spears was a constant media presence before the conservatorship took effect. Photographers captured her every visit to Starbucks and gas stations around Los Angeles, and documented a bout of bizarre behavior that included appearing in public without underwear, shaving her own head and beating a car with an umbrella.
Since James Spears took over her affairs, the pop star has been relatively invisible to photographers, only occasionally snapped shopping or having dinner with her mother, Lynne. A traffic accident last month turned out to be a minor bump in which no one was injured, and for which no one was cited.
Spears' public face has been limited to the "How I Met Your Mother" cameo, which was received well enough that she reprised it during a taping last week. The episode is set to air May 12.
"We're thrilled to have Britney joining us once again," series executive producer and co-creator Craig Thomas said in a statement last month. The show's audience increased by a million viewers the week Spears appeared.
The pop star also made news last month when she took on full-time exercise and nutrition coaches from Bally Total Fitness. Once known for her flawless figure, Spears was widely ridiculed for her flabby form in September during a universally panned performance on the MTV Video Music Awards that was meant to herald her comeback.
___
AP writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this story.
The longer visits are "recognition of the progress that has been made, a progress in structure and stability," said Mark Vincent Kaplan, lawyer for Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline. At a post-hearing press conference, Kaplan said Federline retains custody of 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James, but that Spears would be allowed to see them for longer periods.
Surrounded by lawyers and her parents, Spears smiled slightly, looked straight ahead and did not respond to questions as she left the hearing, which was closed to reporters. Federline left a few minutes later, smiled at everyone, but also did not comment.
"We are so pleased with Britney's progress and we are very appreciative of the court's recognition of this progress," Spears' parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, said in a statement read by court spokesman Allan Parachini.
Federline spokesman Elliot Mintz said his client is "extremely pleased with the way things went today."
Kaplan said one of the major changes is that "there are not daily events" to undermine the situation, and that he expected to see further progress from Spears. He said "the children are doing great," adding that Federline hopes they will one day have a more constant relationship with their mother.
"Consistently, we've said that Kevin's goal and hope is that his children will have the benefit sometime in the future of having two parents actively participating in their lives," he said.
A hearing was set for July 15 to get a progress report on the new arrangement.
It was clear from the beginning that Tuesday's hearing would be different from past courthouse spectacles, which included screaming fans with banners, frenzied paparazzi and Spears dressed in cocktail-party attire. The collection of photographers, reporters, sheriff's deputies and prospective jurors who witnessed Spears' arrival in the front of a white Land Rover didn't compare to the circus at a January hearing, when she showed up in a black minidress and gold platform shoes, then bolted before entering the courtroom.
On Tuesday, a somber Spears entered court wearing a brown polka-dot dress and white sweater. Federline arrived about 15 minutes later in a beige pinstriped suit. Moments after Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon swore them in, Spears attorney Stacy Phillips asked that the hearing be closed, and Gordon ordered reporters out.
It's been three months since Spears left a psychiatric ward a week ahead of schedule and stirred up a paparazzi car chase, a scene that looked like the beginning of even more erratic behavior. But in the weeks that followed, she lay low and largely avoided the cameras, spent time with family members and even found success in a cameo appearance on CBS' "How I Met Your Mother."
During that time, the 26-year-old pop star has been under the conservatorship of her father. The court-ordered arrangement put James Spears in control of his daughter's personal and financial affairs.
Federline has had full custody of his two sons by Spears since January, when police were called to Spears' home and taken by ambulance to UCLA Medical Center after she refused to relinquish one of the boys to a Federline bodyguard. Her visitation rights were suspended at the time, but have been gradually restored in recent months.
Spears was a constant media presence before the conservatorship took effect. Photographers captured her every visit to Starbucks and gas stations around Los Angeles, and documented a bout of bizarre behavior that included appearing in public without underwear, shaving her own head and beating a car with an umbrella.
Since James Spears took over her affairs, the pop star has been relatively invisible to photographers, only occasionally snapped shopping or having dinner with her mother, Lynne. A traffic accident last month turned out to be a minor bump in which no one was injured, and for which no one was cited.
Spears' public face has been limited to the "How I Met Your Mother" cameo, which was received well enough that she reprised it during a taping last week. The episode is set to air May 12.
"We're thrilled to have Britney joining us once again," series executive producer and co-creator Craig Thomas said in a statement last month. The show's audience increased by a million viewers the week Spears appeared.
The pop star also made news last month when she took on full-time exercise and nutrition coaches from Bally Total Fitness. Once known for her flawless figure, Spears was widely ridiculed for her flabby form in September during a universally panned performance on the MTV Video Music Awards that was meant to herald her comeback.
___
AP writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this story.
'Dancing With the Stars' eliminates another celebrity (AP)
LOS ANGELES - It was the 100th episode of "Dancing with the Stars" -- but the last for Mario. The 21-year-old R&B singer and his professional partner, Karina Smirnoff, were eliminated during Tuesday's results show, which also served as a special celebration of the ABC dancing competition's 100th episode.
Mario and Smirnoff performed a Viennese waltz and a jive during Monday's performance show, earning 53 out of 60 points. The judges crowned Mario "a new prince" following his ballroom dance but called his feet "bloody ugly" after his Latin dance. Mario came in third place following the judges' scores Monday.
Top-scorer Christian De la Fuente dropped partner Cheryl Burke last week when he ruptured a tendon in his biceps. Burke choreographed the couple's tango and mambo routines this week so that the Chilean actor mostly used his good arm -- including the lifts, which were allowed for the first time this round.
De la Fuente, NFL player Jason Taylor, Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and Broadway star Marissa Jaret Winokur remain and will compete in next week's semifinals.
In honor of the popular reality series' 100th episode, host Tom Bergeron announced there were 100 fans -- two from each state -- in the audience as well as several former contestants, such as Kelly Monaco, Jane Seymour, Vivica A. Fox, Jerry Springer, Mark Cuban, Drew Lachey, Ian Ziering, Sabrina Ryan and Lisa Rhinna.
Three former contestants returned to the dance floor.
Fourth season winner Apolo Anton Ohno and fifth season runner-up Melanie Brown separately danced with their former professional partners during performances by Rascal Flatts. Third season runner-up Mario Lopez, who's currently starring in "A Chorus Line" on Broadway, also performed a high-kicking routine with the cast from the musical revival.
___
ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.
___
On the Net:
ABC:
http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars
Mario and Smirnoff performed a Viennese waltz and a jive during Monday's performance show, earning 53 out of 60 points. The judges crowned Mario "a new prince" following his ballroom dance but called his feet "bloody ugly" after his Latin dance. Mario came in third place following the judges' scores Monday.
Top-scorer Christian De la Fuente dropped partner Cheryl Burke last week when he ruptured a tendon in his biceps. Burke choreographed the couple's tango and mambo routines this week so that the Chilean actor mostly used his good arm -- including the lifts, which were allowed for the first time this round.
De la Fuente, NFL player Jason Taylor, Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and Broadway star Marissa Jaret Winokur remain and will compete in next week's semifinals.
In honor of the popular reality series' 100th episode, host Tom Bergeron announced there were 100 fans -- two from each state -- in the audience as well as several former contestants, such as Kelly Monaco, Jane Seymour, Vivica A. Fox, Jerry Springer, Mark Cuban, Drew Lachey, Ian Ziering, Sabrina Ryan and Lisa Rhinna.
Three former contestants returned to the dance floor.
Fourth season winner Apolo Anton Ohno and fifth season runner-up Melanie Brown separately danced with their former professional partners during performances by Rascal Flatts. Third season runner-up Mario Lopez, who's currently starring in "A Chorus Line" on Broadway, also performed a high-kicking routine with the cast from the musical revival.
___
ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.
___
On the Net:
ABC:
http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars
Miley Cyrus performs at Disney but doesn't address photo (AP)
ORLANDO, Fla. - Miley Cyrus returned to the stage for a concert in Orlando, Fla., but did not say anything about the recent controversy over her Vanity Fair portrait.
The 15-year-old star of Hannah Montana performed several songs at the Saturday concert that will be included in the Disney Channel Games series on the Disney Channel.
Cyrus didn't attend Friday's red-carpet party for the games at Disney's Epcot Center, where she would have faced questions from the media.
Cyrus has said she was embarrassed by the photo, which shows her wrapped in a sheet with her back exposed.
She spotted a sign in the crowd Saturday that said "Miley I'm praying for you," and she responded: "I can't be more appreciative of that."
Saturday's concert also featured performances by the Jonas Brothers and the Cheetah Girls.
The 15-year-old star of Hannah Montana performed several songs at the Saturday concert that will be included in the Disney Channel Games series on the Disney Channel.
Cyrus didn't attend Friday's red-carpet party for the games at Disney's Epcot Center, where she would have faced questions from the media.
Cyrus has said she was embarrassed by the photo, which shows her wrapped in a sheet with her back exposed.
She spotted a sign in the crowd Saturday that said "Miley I'm praying for you," and she responded: "I can't be more appreciative of that."
Saturday's concert also featured performances by the Jonas Brothers and the Cheetah Girls.
'The Carla Effect': the French president's new style coach (AFP)
PARIS (AFP) - In three months, Carla Bruni has metamorphosed from catwalk femme fatale into Frances first lady, giving up her high-heels, rustling up a new wardrobe oozing understated chic -- and shelving her steamy talk of polygamy.
As President Nicolas Sarkozy wraps up a roller-coaster first year in power humbled by a collapse in popularity, the 40-year-old supermodel-turned-singer has proved a hit with the French public in her new role at his side.
People-watchers even see Bruni as the driving force behind Sarkozys recent style makeover, coaching him to shed the "Bling-Bling" tag earned for his flashy tastes and tone down his impetuous character to seem more statesmanlike.
"It is too soon to measure the wifes influence on her husband. But there is no doubt it is strong," said political analyst Philippe Braud, of Sciences Po institute in Paris. "She brings him stability."
The couples jet-setting romance and marriage in February, coming three months after Sarkozys divorce from his second wife Cecilia and set against a French mood of deepening economic gloom, was blamed for sending his ratings into a tailspin to a record low of 32 percent.
But as the first lady skilfully choreographed her first state visits -- from curtseying for Queen Elizabeth II to cradling orphans in Tunisia -- French commentators have started to talk admiringly of a "Carla Effect".
"She has scored points in the last few months," said Braud. "The trip to London was the turning point. She didnt put a foot wrong."
Armed with the know-how of her catwalk days, Bruni went for a demure, retro dress style -- complete with flat pumps to avoid showing up the shorter Sarkozy -- that drew admiring comparisons with Jackie Kennedy in the British press.
In recent months, observers suggest she has gently nudged the 53-year-old Sarkozy towards better-tailored suits, elegant shirts -- and away from his much-mocked luxury wristwatches and aviator sunglasses.
After weeks of hyper-exposure in the media, they are now keeping their private life private: their weekend getaways -- to Marrakesh or Brunis sumptuous Riviera villa at Cap Negre -- are kept hidden from the paparazzi.
Bruni even coaxed her pop-culture loving husband to watch a high-brow play at the Comedie Francaise in Paris -- where the pair were spotted slipping in as the lights went down, and leaving before the curtain call.
"Nicolas Sarkozys advisors are relying on Carla to make the turbulent president more calm and respectable" wrote the celebrity magazine Gala.
"I think she is teaching him some manners," quipped Braud.
Bruni is still a fleeting presence at the presidential palace: she and Sarkozy spend weekday evenings at her Paris mansion where she is recording her new album, due out this summer, after which she plans to take up her Elysee offices and focus on humanitarian work.
Polls suggest the first lady, who openly backed Sarkozys left-wing rival in the election last May, has conquered the French public on both sides of the political divide with nine in 10 describing her as "elegant" and "modern."
The French president himself seems in awe of his wifes beauty, her culture and knowledge of five languages, and regularly sings her praises in public.
And the French press -- with the exception of a gently mocking spoof "Diary of Carla B." in the satirical Canard Enchaine -- has so far been kind to her.
But despite her apparent coaching, there is so far no sign of Brunis popularity rubbing off on the president.
Experts say the rapid sequence of divorce and remarriage, together with an undignified incident in which Sarkozy insulted a bystander at a farm show, made him appear erratic and vulnerable, just as the French needed reassurance about the faltering economy.
"Even people who were ardently pro-Sarkozy are furious, terribly disappointed, they feel he wasted his victory," said political analyst Jean-Luc Parodi, predicting the global economic crisis and unpopular reforms would keep Sarkozy in negative ratings for the foreseeable future.
"Bruni has very cleverly chosen a strategy of discretion and modesty. But we cannot expect all that was spectacularly destroyed in the past few months to be rebuilt from one day to the next."
As President Nicolas Sarkozy wraps up a roller-coaster first year in power humbled by a collapse in popularity, the 40-year-old supermodel-turned-singer has proved a hit with the French public in her new role at his side.
People-watchers even see Bruni as the driving force behind Sarkozys recent style makeover, coaching him to shed the "Bling-Bling" tag earned for his flashy tastes and tone down his impetuous character to seem more statesmanlike.
"It is too soon to measure the wifes influence on her husband. But there is no doubt it is strong," said political analyst Philippe Braud, of Sciences Po institute in Paris. "She brings him stability."
The couples jet-setting romance and marriage in February, coming three months after Sarkozys divorce from his second wife Cecilia and set against a French mood of deepening economic gloom, was blamed for sending his ratings into a tailspin to a record low of 32 percent.
But as the first lady skilfully choreographed her first state visits -- from curtseying for Queen Elizabeth II to cradling orphans in Tunisia -- French commentators have started to talk admiringly of a "Carla Effect".
"She has scored points in the last few months," said Braud. "The trip to London was the turning point. She didnt put a foot wrong."
Armed with the know-how of her catwalk days, Bruni went for a demure, retro dress style -- complete with flat pumps to avoid showing up the shorter Sarkozy -- that drew admiring comparisons with Jackie Kennedy in the British press.
In recent months, observers suggest she has gently nudged the 53-year-old Sarkozy towards better-tailored suits, elegant shirts -- and away from his much-mocked luxury wristwatches and aviator sunglasses.
After weeks of hyper-exposure in the media, they are now keeping their private life private: their weekend getaways -- to Marrakesh or Brunis sumptuous Riviera villa at Cap Negre -- are kept hidden from the paparazzi.
Bruni even coaxed her pop-culture loving husband to watch a high-brow play at the Comedie Francaise in Paris -- where the pair were spotted slipping in as the lights went down, and leaving before the curtain call.
"Nicolas Sarkozys advisors are relying on Carla to make the turbulent president more calm and respectable" wrote the celebrity magazine Gala.
"I think she is teaching him some manners," quipped Braud.
Bruni is still a fleeting presence at the presidential palace: she and Sarkozy spend weekday evenings at her Paris mansion where she is recording her new album, due out this summer, after which she plans to take up her Elysee offices and focus on humanitarian work.
Polls suggest the first lady, who openly backed Sarkozys left-wing rival in the election last May, has conquered the French public on both sides of the political divide with nine in 10 describing her as "elegant" and "modern."
The French president himself seems in awe of his wifes beauty, her culture and knowledge of five languages, and regularly sings her praises in public.
And the French press -- with the exception of a gently mocking spoof "Diary of Carla B." in the satirical Canard Enchaine -- has so far been kind to her.
But despite her apparent coaching, there is so far no sign of Brunis popularity rubbing off on the president.
Experts say the rapid sequence of divorce and remarriage, together with an undignified incident in which Sarkozy insulted a bystander at a farm show, made him appear erratic and vulnerable, just as the French needed reassurance about the faltering economy.
"Even people who were ardently pro-Sarkozy are furious, terribly disappointed, they feel he wasted his victory," said political analyst Jean-Luc Parodi, predicting the global economic crisis and unpopular reforms would keep Sarkozy in negative ratings for the foreseeable future.
"Bruni has very cleverly chosen a strategy of discretion and modesty. But we cannot expect all that was spectacularly destroyed in the past few months to be rebuilt from one day to the next."
NY lawsuit seeks damages for use of Rockwell illustration (AP)
NEW YORK - The owner of Norman Rockwell's "Bottom of the 6th" -- showing three umpires looking skyward as first raindrops fall -- is steaming over the use of the classic illustration in the television series "The Bronx is Burning."
Curtis Publishing Co. Inc. has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan seeking to stop ESPN Inc. from rebroadcasting the series about the 1977 New York Yankees until it withdraws use of the painting.
Curtis sent an e-mail to ESPN lawyers notifying them that ESPN did not have a license to use the painting and was committing willful copyright infringement, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit claims Curtis will suffer damage to its business, including loss of its reputation for exclusive ownership of its copyrighted catalog of illustrations.
According to the court papers, Curtis was notified in mid July that "Bottom of the 6th" was shown full screen in the second episode of the series, titled "Team in Turmoil." Since then, the series has been sold in DVD and VHS format, it said.
Lawyers for ESPN, which first aired the eight-part series last summer, did not immediately return telephone calls for comment. Colleen Lynch, an ESPN spokeswoman, said she could not immediately comment on the lawsuit, which was filed on April 22.
"Bottom of the 6th" first appeared in the April 23, 1949, issue of "The Saturday Evening Post." The original was donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, where it has been viewed by millions of visitors, the lawsuit said.
Rockwell, who died in 1978 at age 84, was known for capturing the snapshot moments of everyday life with his brushes.
Among more than 300 covers he did for The Saturday Evening Post were one of a boy watching his father shave, another of family members enjoying a spiritual moment over a Thanksgiving turkey and one of a young girl having a dress fitting.
Curtis Publishing Co. Inc. has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan seeking to stop ESPN Inc. from rebroadcasting the series about the 1977 New York Yankees until it withdraws use of the painting.
Curtis sent an e-mail to ESPN lawyers notifying them that ESPN did not have a license to use the painting and was committing willful copyright infringement, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit claims Curtis will suffer damage to its business, including loss of its reputation for exclusive ownership of its copyrighted catalog of illustrations.
According to the court papers, Curtis was notified in mid July that "Bottom of the 6th" was shown full screen in the second episode of the series, titled "Team in Turmoil." Since then, the series has been sold in DVD and VHS format, it said.
Lawyers for ESPN, which first aired the eight-part series last summer, did not immediately return telephone calls for comment. Colleen Lynch, an ESPN spokeswoman, said she could not immediately comment on the lawsuit, which was filed on April 22.
"Bottom of the 6th" first appeared in the April 23, 1949, issue of "The Saturday Evening Post." The original was donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, where it has been viewed by millions of visitors, the lawsuit said.
Rockwell, who died in 1978 at age 84, was known for capturing the snapshot moments of everyday life with his brushes.
Among more than 300 covers he did for The Saturday Evening Post were one of a boy watching his father shave, another of family members enjoying a spiritual moment over a Thanksgiving turkey and one of a young girl having a dress fitting.
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