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Oilman's Ansel Adams photo gets $988,000 at auction
DALLAS -- A West Texas oilman's mural-sized print of an Ansel Adams photo has sold for nearly $1 million at an auction.
Sotheby's New York, the auction house, said Tuesday that "The Grand Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming" sold for $988,000, a record price for Adams at auction.
The photograph, taken on commission for the Department of Interior in 1942, shows a view of the mountains over Jackson Hole. Sotheby's said it's believed to be one of less than 10 mural-sized prints of the image in existence and was acquired from the photographer's descendants.
The photo was among 115 works by Adams, including single prints and portfolios, that sold at auction Monday for $6.4 million, Sotheby's said. They were all part of David Arrington's collection.
Sotheby's said Arrington, 60, has been interested in photography since he was a teen. Arrington said in a video posted on the auction house's website that he's collected 650 of Adams' photographs, and that it was time to let go of some.
"I've been asked numerous times: How come you collected so many of one artist? And the only thing I could come up with was: I'm a Texan, and we overdo everything," Arrington said in the video.
UK agency agrees not to photograph Duchess, family
LONDON -- A news and photography agency has agreed not to take pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their son, Archie, the High Court in London was told at a hearing Friday.
The agreement is part of a settlement between the former Meghan Markle and U.K. company Splash News and Picture Agency of a case she filed in March over photos of her and her son taken in a Canadian park in January. The agency has since gone into administration, a type of bankruptcy protection.
A spokesman for Schillings, legal representatives for Prince Harry and his wife, called the settlement "a clear signal that unlawful, invasive and intrusive paparazzi behavior will not be tolerated and that the couple takes these matters seriously -- just as any family would."
A similar claim against Splash US, a sister company to Splash UK, is continuing in the British court system, the spokesman added.
Under the agreement announced Friday, Splash UK undertakes not to photograph the duke, duchess or their son in the future if the agency comes out of administration.
In a separate privacy case, Meghan is suing Associated Newspapers, publisher of The Mail On Sunday and MailOnline, over publication of a letter the duchess wrote to her estranged father, Thomas Markle.
Meghan and Harry stepped down from their royal duties at the end of March and are now based in Los Angeles.
Parents lose lawsuit over destruction of porn stash
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. -- A man who sued his parents for getting rid of his pornography collection has won a lawsuit in Western Michigan and can seek compensation.
U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney ruled in favor of David Werking, who said his parents had no right to throw out his collection. He lived at their Grand Haven home for 10 months after a divorce before moving to Muncie, Ind.
Werking said boxes of films and magazines worth an estimated $29,000 were missing.
"There is no question that the destroyed property was David's property," Maloney said Monday. "Defendants repeatedly admitted that they destroyed the property."
Werking's parents said they had a right to act as his landlords.
"Defendants do not cite to any statute or caselaw to support their assertion that landlords can destroy property that they dislike," the judge said.
Maloney told both sides to file briefs on the financial value of the collection.
"The court does not intend to hold an evidentiary hearing," he said.
On a mission: Tom Cruise insists on social distancing
LONDON -- Tom Cruise has launched an expletive-laden rant at colleagues on the set of his latest "Mission: Impossible" movie, after he reportedly spotted two workers failing to respect social distancing rules.
In audio released by the Sun tabloid, the 58-year-old Hollywood star can be heard warning that anyone caught not following the rules to stay at least more than 6.5 feet away from others will be fired.
"If I see you doing it again, you're f---ing gone and if anyone on this crew does it, that's it," he is heard saying on the audio recorded during filming in Britain. "That's it. No apologies."
During his outburst at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, which is around 30 miles north of London, Cruise catalogued the difficulties he and everyone in the film industry are facing during the coronavirus pandemic. The timing of the outburst was not clear, though the Sun said production of the movie returned to Britain two weeks ago.
Many movies have either been delayed until after the pandemic is over or because of COVID-related delays on set, including the seventh instalment of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise.
During his outburst, Cruise notes the higher costs for insuring a movie in these times. He also voices his concerns about the direct impact on families and their ability to pay bills if the movie shuts down.
"That's what I sleep with every night," he said. "Do you understand the responsibility that you have?"
Cruise's publicist didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Warren's book 'Persist'
to come out in April
NEW YORK -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren has a book coming out about six key experiences and perspectives. The title should be familiar to those who have followed the Massachusetts Democrat's career: "Persist."
Henry Holt and Co. announced Wednesday that "Persist," which the publisher calls "a deeply personal book and a powerful call to action," will be released April 20. "Persist" will refer to Warren's recent bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, won by Joe Biden, but is not a campaign memoir.
"I wrote 'Persist' because I remain as committed as ever to fighting for an America that works for everyone," Warren, whose previous books include "A Fighting Chance" and "This Fight is Our Fight," said in a statement. "I've written a dozen books, but this one is especially personal: I bring the pieces of who I am to the fight for real change, and I passionately believe that we are in a moment when extraordinary changes are possible."
Financial terms for the deal were not disclosed. Warren was represented by Robert Barnett and Daniel Martin of Williams & Connolly, where clients have ranged from former President Bill Clinton to a political rival of Warren's, Sen. Mitch McConnell. A portion of author proceeds from "Perisist" will be donated to the Greater Boston Food Bank, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the Worcester County Food Bank, and the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.
Warren became associated with the word "Persist" after a 2017 confrontation with McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and Senate majority leader. Warren was giving a speech on the Senate floor, denouncing then-attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions, when Republicans invoked an obscure rule to silence her.
"Sen. Warren was giving a lengthy speech," McConnell said. "She had appeared to violate the rule. She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted."
Clinton's daughter, Chelsea Clinton, has collaborated with illustrator Alexandra Boiger on a handful of picture books that use McConnell's expression, including "She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World" and "She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game."
By The Associated Press