Bale brushes off questions | Crow puts rumours to rest
Batman star Christian Bale asked for privacy Thursday in Barcelona, Spain, in his first comments since it was alleged that he assaulted his mother and sister at a London hotel.
The Welsh-born actor brushed off questions about the alleged family dispute, saying he preferred to focus on the blockbuster movie, The Dark Knight, which had its Spanish premiere on Wednesday.
"It's a deeply personal matter," Bale said at a news conference at a luxury hotel in Barcelona. "I would ask you to respect my privacy in the matter." The star looked relaxed, dressed casually in a black long sleeve shirt and khaki pants.
Bale, 34, spent four hours talking to British police on Tuesday following allegations he assaulted his mother and one of his three sisters in his suite at London's Dorchester Hotel two days earlier. He was released on bail, but not charged.
Bale has said through his lawyers the assault allegations are false.
British media reported that Bale's mother and sister told police he assaulted them at the hotel a day before attending the European premiere of The Dark Knight. The Sun newspaper said the complaint was filed by sister Sharon Bale and mother Jenny Bale.
The drama unfolded even as the movie broke records and was met with critical acclaim. It set a box-office record with $158.4 million (U.S.) during its opening weekend in the U.S. last week, and is expected to do well in Europe.
Also present at the news conference were actors Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart and producer Charles Roven.
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Sheryl Crow is putting the "Rumours" to rest: she's not making a record with or joining Fleetwood Mac - not any time soon at least.
"No, that was those 'Rumours' - to quote the album," she joked Wednesday, referring to the group's 1977 hit album.
"I'm a huge fan and have a great relationship with Stevie (Nicks), and actually with all of them. I just absolutely adore them," Crow said during a question-and-answer session with college students in Nashville as part of a Grammy Foundation event.
"I think their next album may be while I'm on the road. Hopefully in the future we'll have some kind of collaboration, but not at this time," she said.
Crow, 46, reportedly told the AOL music website Spinner.com last spring that she and the band "definitely have plans for collaborating in the future, and we'll see what happens."
Afterward, Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham told Billboard.com, "I think we were all surprised (Crow) was announcing to the world with such certainty. We have talked about bringing another woman into the scene to kind of give Stevie a sort of foil and shake it up a little bit. (Crow) was certainly a name that has come up. We'll have to see."
Nicks has been Fleetwood Mac's sole female member since Christine McVie left in the late '90s.
Buckingham has said the band plans to go on tour in early 2009 and follow it with an album, their first since 2003's Say You Will.
Crow, who has recorded and performed with Nicks, is on tour supporting her recent album, Detours.
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DMX rapped for reporters outside a Phoenix courtroom after pleading not guilty to felony charges of theft and identity theft.
Then he plugged his new album.
Authorities allege the 37-year-old rapper gave the name "Troy Jones" and an incorrect Social Security number to a Scottsdale hospital in April to avoid paying $7,500 (U.S.) in medical expenses.
Following a hearing on Thursday, DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, rapped: "If you ever fall down, get back up."
The theft and identity theft charges come after months of trouble for Simmons, who also faces multiple charges of drug possession and cruelty to animals in Maricopa County.
He is due in court Aug. 12 for a conference relating to those charges.
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