Danny Puff

(Reuters) - Porn actor Harry Reems, who made his name starring opposite Linda Lovelace in the 1972 movie "Deep Throat", has died at the age of 65, according to his wife Jeanne.

She told the New York Times that her husband died on Tuesday in hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was reported to have been battling multiple health issues, including pancreatic cancer.

His death comes just months before the release of "Lovelace", a biographical film starring Amanda Seyfried in the title role and Adam Brody as Reems which will put the spotlight back on one of the 1970s' most active porn actors.

Reems's rollercoaster life off set reads like a script for a Hollywood movie as he transitioned from the marines to porn movies to alcoholism and then to religion and suburban life.

He was born Herbert Streicher into a Jewish family from Brooklyn, New York, and joined the Marine Corps after school.

After leaving the marines, he struggled to make a career as a stage actor in New York so, needing money, worked in a number of pornographic films.

But his breakthrough came when director Gerard Damiano hired him as lighting director on "Deep Throat". The original male lead failed to show up so Reems stepped in, playing a doctor helping Lovelace with a sexually sensitive area in her throat.

"Deep Throat" was the first porn film widely shown in theatres and made an estimated $600 million at the box office -- although Reems claimed he only received $800 for his role.

It also became the nickname for a source who helped Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein investigate the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation.

But the film also caused much outrage and Reems was convicted of obscenity in 1976. He admitted that the prospect of a five year jail sentence and trial put him under enormous pressure and set him on a path to alcoholism.

He launched a high-profile appeal backed by celebrities including Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty and the conviction was eventually overturned.

Reems, with a bushy black moustache and hairy chest exposed by his open shirts, went on to star in several other porn movies after "Deep Throat" but demand for his services started to wane by the 1980s as his battles with alcohol increased.

By the mid-1980s he was bankrupt, drinking heavily and homeless. It was not until 1989 that he sobered up, converted to Christianity, obtained a real estate license and married Jeanne in 1990.

In a 2005 interview with the Guardian, Reems described his battle with alcohol, his regret at going into the porn industry and the way his life had changed since he became sober.

"I'm happier today than ever. I saved my own life. I'm content with the way I conduct myself with my marriage, my home, my business," said Reems.

"I live in a small town where everybody knows everybody and nobody thinks of me as a porn actor."

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith)

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yoko Ono has taken up arms against gun violence with a raft of Twitter postings, including a photograph of blood-stained glasses apparently worn by John Lennon when he was shot and killed more than 30 years ago.

"Over 1,057,000 people have been killed by guns in the USA since John Lennon was shot and killed on 8 Dec 1980," Ono, the former Beatle's widow, tweeted.

Below the message she included a photo of what appears to be Lennon's blood-stained eyeglasses, perched on a ledge with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop.

Lennon was shot and killed outside the Dakota apartment building in Manhattan as he and Ono returned to their home. Ono still lives there.

The bold text above the graphic photo is black, except for the words "Over 1,057,000" and "John Lennon," which appear in bright red.

Ono posted several more messages, including: "The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience. After 33 years our son Sean and I still miss him. Yoko Ono Lennon," and "31,537 people are killed by guns in the USA every year. We are turning this beautiful country into a war zone."

Earlier this week, Ono tweeted filmmaker Michael Moore asking for his support.

"Michael Moore @mmflint Join me to kick off a mass movement against gun violence from your living room on Sat March 23 - Yes! love, yoko".

In other Twitter messages Ono, 80, linked an Oxfam video about global arms and the ammunition trade, a newspaper article on actors joining the anti-gun movement and a YouTube video of the parents of girl killed in a shooting.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Maureen Bavdek)

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WASHINGTON (AP) Simon and Garfunkel's song "Sounds of Silence," which was written amid the turmoil following President John F. Kennedy's assassination, will join Chubby Checker's 1960s dance hit "The Twist" as two of 25 recordings selected for preservation at the Library of Congress.

These are just a few sounds of the 20th century being added to the National Recording Registry on Thursday for long-term preservation due to their cultural, artistic and historic importance. The library said Checker's rendition of "The Twist" became a symbol for the energy and excitement of the early 60s after "American Bandstand" host Dick Clark chose Checker to record a new version of the song.

Later, the 1966 album "Sounds of Silence" by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel was a hit in its day but not before the duo struggled and split early on. Their song "The Sound of Silence" from the aftermath of President Kennedy's assassination 50 years ago this year had initially flopped but it became a hit after it was re-edited as a single. That prompted the duo to reunite and quickly record another album under a similar title.

Garfunkel, 71, told The Associated Press he's thrilled and flattered to have his work preserved in the Library of Congress. He said the hit album was a life changer for him and Simon. "Da da dee, da dee, da dee," he sang in an interview.

"There's something fundamentally appealing about the simplicity of those lines," Garfunkel said.

"When you look at the little mesh, wire microphone ... and you address people on the other side of the mic, you hope that your performance will be special, and you hope that it will have lasting power," he said, adding that he remembers thinking in the 60s that "if we do really good and give a very special performance to these great Paul Simon songs, we might last right into the next century and be appreciated."

Their words and their tune have taken on special significance in American culture. Hearing Simon sing "The Sound of Silence" on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, NBC newsman Tom Brokaw briefly struggled for composure. The music, he said, evokes memories.

This is the kind of impact the library was looking to preserve, "to celebrate the richness and variety of our audio heritage," said Librarian of Congress James Billington in announcing the selections.

The recording that received the highest number of public nominations for this year's registry was Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon." The library said it was notable as an example of "brilliant, innovative production in service of the music."

Other selections included the original 1949 cast album for "South Pacific" and the soundtrack to the popular 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever," starring John Travolta and featuring the Bee Gees, which revived the disco craze.

The selections span from 1918 to 1980 and represent nearly every musical and recording category.

Recordings by Will Rogers, Jimmie Davis and President Dwight D. Eisenhower capture part of the political climate of their eras. In 1931, Rogers' radio broadcast at a low point in the Great Depression included a folksy chat with President Herbert Hoover to kick off a nationwide unemployment relief campaign. Davis' 1940 recording of "You Are My Sunshine" became his election campaign theme song while running for governor of Louisiana. It became one of the most popular country songs of all time and the state song of Louisiana in 1977.

Eisenhower's voice was carried in a prerecorded message in 1958 carried by the first communications satellite launched on a U.S. rocket. Eisenhower's message of peace to the world transmitted from space was touted as a victory in the space race after the Soviet Union launched a satellite the year before.

Van Cliburn's Cold War piano performance in Moscow when he won the prestigious Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition at 23 also was selected. At the time in 1958, Time magazine noted his appearance and tour of the Soviet Union "has had more favorable impact on more Russians than any U.S. export of word or deed since World War II."

Earlier this year, the Library of Congress unveiled an extensive plan to help libraries and archives nationwide preserve recorded sound to guard against losing historic recordings. It's proposing 32 recommendations to Congress on actions to preserve endangered audio.

For his part, Garfunkel said he's still working, writing poems, putting together a book and singing. He said he's working to regain his voice after having vocal troubles. And he said he's ramping up to get back to the stage and wouldn't rule out a reunion with Simon when the time is right.

"Who knows what the future brings?" Garfunkel said. "This is my old buddy, the first friend I made in life."

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Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/

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Follow Brett Zongker on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DCArtBeat .

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LOS ANGELES (AP) For a moment, Lily Tomlin was 73 going on 40.

In the comedy "Admission," starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, Tomlin plays the young-at-heart seventy-something feminist mother of Fey's university admissions officer.

"When we first sat down, I think I'm their age," Tomlin recalled. "They started asking me about 'Nine to Five' and '(The Incredible) Shrinking Woman.' Ha ... they were like 10, 12 years old (when I did those things)."

Like "Admission," which opens Friday, Tomlin's story is very much that of a daughter and mother. Born Mary Jean Tomlin, the comic and actress has been paying homage to her mom since the start of her career, when she adopted "Lily" as a stage name.

"(She) lived to be 91 and was somewhat infirmed by the time she was in her late 80s," Tomlin said. "But she still was funny and wonderful and sweet, so I doubt she felt that old, either."

On her current ABC sitcom "Malibu Country," Tomlin plays the swingin' mother of a newly single daughter (played by Reba McEntire). Tomlin said she asked that her character be renamed Lillie Mae. "I wanted to play someone that age who was just full of life."

Much of Tomlin's life has been spent with writer and life partner Jane Wagner.

Contrary to recent reports, talk-show legend Johnny Carson "didn't out me or try to out me," Tomlin clarified. "He was just being a host and saying conventional stuff. You know: 'You're not married. Don't you want to have children?' ... (These were things) they would ask a female in the early '70s."

Being out, at least within showbiz circles, certainly hasn't hurt Tomlin's career, which includes five Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, two Peabody Awards and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

"I was speaking at (the late Texas governor) Ann Richards' school in Austin," Tomlin remembered, noting that the youngsters only knew her as the voice of the inspirational Ms. Frizzle on the 1990s kids cartoon show "The Magic School Bus."

"One little girl stands up, she had to be 9 years old, and she said, 'Well, what do you think you've contributed to the world with your work?' And I was just stopped dead cold. And I finally said to her, 'I hope that I've made people feel connected to one another.'

"And I'd so hoped that she'd had more knowledge of my career so she could say, 'Well, frankly, here's what I think,'" Tomlin added, with a laugh.

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Follow Michael Cidoni Lennox on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeCLennox

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NEW YORK (AP) Famed director Martin Scorsese wants New York's mean streets to keep some of their grittiness.

The "Gangs of New York" director has joined an effort to curb redevelopment of the Bowery. That's the former skid row near where Scorsese grew up.

Scorsese wrote to New York City Planning Commission Chairwoman Amanda Burden last week. He praises the neighborhood's grittiness, ambience and vivid atmosphere.

Scorsese is backing a plan that would limit the height of new development on the east side of the Bowery to eight stories. The plan also calls for preservation of several historic buildings.

Planning Department spokeswoman Rachaele Raynoff tells the Daily News (http://nydn.us/148vMyr ) the agency has not made a ruling. She says the department recognizes and appreciates the Bowery's historic value.

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Information from: Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) Thirteen minutes into the movie, CIA agent Tony Mendez asks supervisor Jack O'Donnell what happened to a group of Americans when the U.S. Embassy was stormed in Tehran.

"The six of them went out a back exit," O'Donnell tells Mendez, played by Ben Affleck. "Brits turned them away. Kiwis turned them away. Canadians took them in."

That's the only mention of New Zealand in "Argo," but it is rankling Kiwis five months after the Oscar-winning film was released in the South Pacific nation. Even Parliament has expressed its dismay, passing a motion stating that Affleck, who also directed the movie, "saw fit to mislead the world about what actually happened."

New Zealand joins a list of other countries that have felt slighted by the fictionalized account of how a group of Americans was furtively sheltered and secreted out of Iran during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. But nations such as Iran and Canada were much larger participants in the historical event the movie depicts.

The strong reaction in New Zealand indicates the country remains insecure about its own culture, said Steve Matthewman, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Auckland. People are prone to bouts of unwarranted outrage when somebody from abroad says something bad about the country, he said, and simpering enjoyment when they say something good.

"It's touched a really raw nerve," Matthewman said. "We do seem in New Zealand to be oversensitive to how the rest of the world perceives us."

The movie's New Zealand reference may not be totally fair but has an element of truth.

Some in New Zealand have taken those words "Kiwis turned them away" as implying the country did nothing to help. Published interviews indicate that diplomats from Britain and New Zealand did help by briefly sheltering the Americans, visiting them and bringing them food, even driving them to the airport when they left.

Yet those interviews also indicate that both countries considered it too risky to shelter the Americans for long. That left the Canadians shouldering the biggest risk by taking them in.

Lawmaker Winston Peters, who brought last week's uncontested motion before Parliament, said New Zealanders are unfairly portrayed as "a bunch of cowards," an impression that would be given to millions who watch the movie.

"It's a diabolical misrepresentation of the acts of courage and bravery, done at significant risk to themselves, by New Zealand diplomats," he said.

During Oscar media interviews last month, Affleck told reporters: "Let me just start by saying I love New Zealand, and I love New Zealanders." He added that "I think that it's tricky. You walk a fine line. You are doing a historical movie and naturally you have to make some creative choices about how you are going to condense this into a three-act structure."

Affleck could not be reached for comment this week.

Matthewman said the reference may have provoked New Zealanders because the country prides itself on being generous and hospitable. People have a reputation for doing things like picking up hitchhikers and inviting them into their homes for a week, he said.

Small countries like New Zealand that are far from the world's centers of power are often shaped by bigger countries like the U.S. and often look to them for affirmation, Matthewman said. It's interesting to note the different reaction Affleck got in Britain, Matthewman said, which was arguably equally maligned in the movie.

"They give the guy a BAFTA in Britain and bash him in New Zealand," he said, referring to the best director prize Affleck won at the British Academy Film Awards.

Some in Britain, however, have criticized "Argo's" reference to that country, and some in Canada are upset the CIA gets credit at the expense of the Canadians, a claim backed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. And Iran is planning to sue Hollywood for the movie's alleged "unrealistic portrayal" of that country, according to Iranian media reports.

Yet while Iran and Canada are central parts of the movie, the New Zealand reference could easily be missed at least by outsiders.

Patrick Gower, the political editor for TV3, one of two main television news stations in New Zealand, wrote in a blog that Affleck should apologize after he "deliberately slammed" the country.

"Some people will say I'm being oversensitive here," he wrote. "But in my opinion, what Affleck has done just isn't right."

The controversy was not reflected in box-office receipts. "Argo" has done well in New Zealand, earning just over $1 million. As of this week, the film has earned $92.3 million internationally and $135 million in North America.

National carrier Air New Zealand has even extended an olive branch to Affleck by offering to fly him to the country as its guest. Airline spokeswoman Marie Hosking said this week it has yet to hear back from him.

Prime Minister John Key, meanwhile, has tried to sound a note of reason.

"New Zealand, I think, sees itself as a country that always wants to lend a hand to help people," he told reporters recently. "But in the end, this is Hollywood, and they do make movies. And a bit like when they transfer a book to a movie, often it's a little bit different. So, look, I think we've made our point and we should probably move on."

But the country doesn't seem ready to move on quite yet.

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Follow Nick Perry on Twitter at http://twitter.com/nickgbperry

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TORONTO (Reuters) - Shares of BlackBerry rose more than 7 percent on Wednesday after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock and doubled its price target for shares of the smartphone maker, as it sees the company's new BlackBerry 10 devices boosting margins.

The brokerage firm did a double upgrade on BlackBerry's stock, bumping it to "over weight" from "under weight," saying that it now believes the firm's handset unit can support itself moving forward and will no longer have to rely on its services arm to support it.

Morgan Stanley analyst Ehud Gelblum, who raised his price target on the company to $22 from $10, said he still believes that BlackBerry will remain a niche player, mostly selling to its existing base of Blackberry users.

"However, in contrast to our prior thinking, we now believe there may be room in the handset market for niche midrange players." said Gelblum in a note to clients.

Blackberry shares were up 7.8 percent at $16.20 in afternoon trading on Nasdaq, while it's Toronto-listed shares rose by a similar margin to C$16.62.

BlackBerry is expected to report its fiscal fourth-quarter results on March 28, giving investors a glimpse of the kind of traction its new Z10 touchscreen device is generating.

The device is currently on sale in over 20 countries, but is only set to begin launching with major U.S. carriers at the end of this week.

(Reporting by Euan Rocha; Editing by Bob Burgdorfer)

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(Reuters) - Intertrust Technologies Corp, a software firm owned by a group that includes Sony Corp and Royal Philips Electronics, said on Wednesday it has sued Apple Inc for infringing 15 patents relating to security.

The lawsuit covers devices such as the iPhone and iPad, Mac computers and laptops, Apple TV and services including iTunes, iCloud and the Apple App Store, Intertrust said in a statement that gave no dollar figure associated with the lawsuit.

Silicon Valley-based Intertrust develops and licenses digital rights management (DRM) software, which is used to protect and manage content rights for companies that distribute music, movies and other digital content.

The company listed major tech companies, from Microsoft Corp and Samsung Electronics to Nokia and HTC among its licensees. On its website, it said it became a joint venture owned by Sony, Philips and Stephens Inc in 2003.

"Apple makes many great products that use Intertrust`s inventions," Talal Shamoon, Intertrust`s chief executive officer, said in the statement. "We find it regrettable that we are forced to seek Court assistance to resolve this matter."

Apple declined to comment.

(Reporting by Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bangalore and Poornima Gupta in San Francisco; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Dan Grebler)

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By Eric Kelsey

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Lindsay Lohan avoided jail on Monday but was ordered to spend three months in a locked rehabilitation facility and undertake 30 days of community labor in a plea bargain over charges arising from a June car crash.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Dabney said Lohan, whose once promising Hollywood career has been wrecked by legal woes and erratic behavior, must also undergo psychotherapy for 18 months and sentenced her to two years' probation.

The plea deal was struck on the first day of a scheduled trial when the 26-year-old "Mean Girls" actress agreed to plead no contest to charges that she lied to police when she said she was not behind the wheel after her Porsche sports car smashed into a truck on June 8, 2012, in Santa Monica, California.

Lohan, who is still on probation for a 2011 conviction for stealing a necklace, had faced the prospect of being sent to jail if she was convicted on the latest charges, or if she was deemed to have violated the terms of her 2011 probation.

Under Monday's plea bargain, however, she was given a suspended 180 day jail term that will not be invoked unless she violates the terms of the agreement with prosecutors. It was announced after prosecutors and Lohan's attorney met with Dabney in chambers for more than two hours before the trial opened.

Dabney told Lohan, who spends much of her time in New York City, to stay out of cars and out of trouble.

"A suggestion: Don't drive. You're in New York, you don't need a car. ... This is it. If you violate your probation we're not going to be having these discussions," Dabney said after reading out the plea agreement.

LOHAN ATTORNEY HAPPY WITH DEAL

Lohan left court without speaking to reporters, but her attorney, Mark Heller, told reporters he was happy with the deal.

"I'm very, very satisfied with the results today ... I think that the prosecutors treated her fairly. I'm very confident that you won't be seeing Lindsay Lohan in any criminal courts any time in the future," Heller said.

"Today marks the first day of the rest of her life and her comeback is before her," he said.

Lohan's father, Michael, heckled Heller during his news conference and accused him of lying to the actress and keeping her in the dark about the plea agreement.

The actress has been jailed or placed under house arrest for short periods numerous times since 2007, including three times in 2011. She has also spent at least five periods in rehab in the last six years.

She underwent court-ordered psychological counseling in 2012, and has claimed in numerous TV and magazine interviews that she is a changed woman and understands her past mistakes.

Lohan arrived 45 minutes late for her trial on Monday after taking an overnight flight to Los Angeles from New York and dashing through rush-hour traffic to the courthouse.

She had previously pleaded not guilty to reckless driving, obstructing police, and lying to police about who was driving the car in Santa Monica in June 2012.

Lohan made her name as a cute, freckled 11-year-old in Disney's 1998 movie "The Parent Trap" and went on to find commercial and critical success in films like "Freaky Friday" and "Bobby."

But she has not made a feature film since the independent thriller "Machete" in 2010. Her last effort - a comeback performance as late actress Elizabeth Taylor in the TV movie "Liz & Dick" in November - was largely panned by critics.

(Reporting By Eric Kelsey, Editing by Jill Serjeant, Mohammad Zargham and Paul Simao)

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NEW YORK (AP) Sheryl Sandberg has the ear, and the eyes, of the country's book buyers.

Sandberg's "Lean In" sold 140,000 copies its first week of publication, has gone back to press seven times for additional printings and now has 400,000 copies in print, publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced Wednesday.

It has been at No. 1 on Amazon.com's best seller list since coming out March 11 and will be No. 1 on the hard cover and e-book nonfiction lists appearing in the March 31 edition of the New York Times. It also has placed high on lists for Barnes & Noble and independent sellers, topping the nonfiction list for IndieBound, a list for independent stores.

Facebook's chief operating officer is hoping to create a national movement to help women advance in the workforce and her book became the focus of intense debate well before publication.

"'Lean In' is resonating with readers and animating conversations across the country," said Knopf's head of publicity, Paul Bogaards, who noted that sales have been strong despite just a brief promotional tour by Sandberg.

She also appears to be helping sales of other books. Since her recent praise of "Now, Discover Your Strength," by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, the hardcover edition of the 12-year-old book has moved into the top 300 on Amazon. Fred Kofman's "Conscious Business," which she has cited as essential for executives, also jumped into the top 300 on Amazon and currently is out of stock. The book first came out in 2006.

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