• Roman Polanski asked a judge Friday to restore his membership in the organization that bestows the Academy Awards nearly a year after he was expelled from it for sexual misconduct. Lawyers for the 85-year-old fugitive director petitioned Los Angeles Superior Court to compel the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to make him a member in good standing again. In May, the academy made the rare move of expelling Polanski and Bill Cosby, months after ending the membership of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Polanski appealed the decision, and in January the academy rejected his appeal. Friday's five-page filing states that by not giving Polanski sufficient notice of his expulsion, and not giving him or his lawyer a chance to argue his case in person during the appeal, the academy "failed to comply with its own rules, policies and regulations." The academy responded with a brief statement saying, "The procedures taken to expel Mr. Polanski were fair and reasonable. The Academy stands behind its decision as appropriate." The filing also alleges that the expulsion violated a California law that requires corporations to give a fair hearing before removing a member, calling it a "prejudicial abuse of discretion." Polanski's attorney Harland Braun said at the time that Polanski was "blindsided" by his removal, and learned of it through media reports. The filing says that the academy's decision is final and the director has no recourse for reconsideration outside of the courts. Polanski, who won a best-director Oscar for The Pianist in 2003, remains a fugitive after pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in 1977 and fleeing the United States the next year. He has been living in Europe since.
• Adele and her husband Simon Konecki have separated. The pop singer's representatives Benny Tarantini and Carl Fysh confirmed the news Friday in a statement. "Adele and her partner have separated," the emailed statement said. "They are committed to raising their son together lovingly. As always they ask for privacy. There will be no further comment." Adele gave birth to their son, Angelo, in 2012. The Grammy-winning British superstar has been private about her relationship, but confirmed in 2017 that she had married Konecki. In her Grammy acceptance speech when she won album of the year, she said: "Grammys, I appreciate it. The academy, I love you. My manager, my husband and my son -- you're the only reason I do it." Konecki co-founded Life Water, an eco-friendly brand of bottled water in the U.K. Funds from the company assist the charity that Konecki runs, Drop4Drop, which provides clean water to countries in need.
A Section on 04/21/2019