SCREEN PEOPLE | Celebs: Rafael Nadal tries his hand at some disco tennis

     A new format called Fast4, which some have dubbed disco tennis, was again on display this week with a recovering Rafael Nadal happy to be on the dance floor.
The occasion was the official opening of the newly renovated Margaret Court Arena that will give the Australian Open, which starts on Monday, its third stadium with a retractable roof.
On Wednesday, 7,500 fans crammed into the arena for a benefit night for the Rafa Nadal Foundation, which assists socially disadvantaged youth.
It also showcased the Australian-developed Fast4, which features major rule variations to speed up the action for players and fans — no advantage scoring, lets are played, and the first to win four games wins the set.

HOLLYWOOD – Ex-prosecutor: Don’t pardon Mark Wahlberg for racist attacks

A former state prosecutor who secured a civil rights injunction against a young Mark Wahlberg after he hurled rocks and racial epithets at black schoolchildren says he shouldn’t be pardoned for attacks on two Asian men two years later.
Judith Beals, a former Massachusetts assistant attorney general, said Tuesday she believes in “forgiveness and reconciliation” but Wahlberg’s request should be denied because he hasn’t acknowledged the racial element of his crimes in documents he filed with the state last November.
“That acknowledgement of the crime and that facing of history is absolutely critical in the issuing of a pardon,” she said.
Wahlberg, who became a rapper and then an A-list actor nominated for an Oscar, acknowledged in his pardon application that he was high on marijuana and drugs at the time. He said he’s dedicated himself to becoming a better person as an adult.
“I’ve been looking for redemption (since) the day I woke up

TV – Ann Curry to exit NBC News after a quarter-century

Longtime NBC News correspondent and anchor Ann Curry is leaving her full-time job with the network after a quarter-century.
But she will still be seen on NBC platforms, the company said this week in announcing a partnership with her and the media venture she will launch, to be “seeded” by NBCUniversal.
The arrangement will allow Curry to report on any platform or network, in or out of NBC News. Her startup will generate content of national and global importance with a multi-platform distribution approach, NBC said.
“This is about reaching for the edge of the future in journalism,” Curry said. “I am excited about working to become a valuable link between traditional media and what is to come.”

SPORTS – Ched Evans rape case could see new conduct rules in EPL

The English Football Association is considering new rules governing conduct and eligibility in response to the case of a player trying to resume his career after serving prison time for rape.
Although Ched Evans was released from jail in October and is eligible to play, clubs have rejected the chance to sign the former Manchester City and Sheffield United striker in the face of protests by fans and sponsors.
Evans was convicted of raping a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room in 2011 in a case that led to criticism of the lifestyle of some footballers and their conduct on nights out. Prosecutors said the hotel room was booked in Rhyl, Wales, by Evans with the “purpose of procuring a girl or girls that night.”

POLANSKI – Prosecutor probes director on US extradition motion

Filmmaker Roman Polanski has been questioned by a prosecutor in Poland concerning a U.S. request for his extradition on 1977 sex charges, an official said yesterday.
Boguslawa Marcinkowska, spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office in Krakow, southern Poland, said the prosecutor questioned the director late Wednesday and was writing a report for the court that will decide whether to extradite Polanski. She refused to divulge any details of the questioning. In line with Poland’s privacy laws, she identified Polanski only as Roman P.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker is in Poland preparing for a movie he wants to film here in July.
His movements are restricted by an Interpol warrant in effect in 188 countries, but he is avoiding extradition by traveling only between France, Poland and Switzerland, which in 2010 refused to extradite him. He has Polish and French passports.

CAMERON – ‘Avatar’ sequel delayed until late 2017

Director James Cameron said that writing three “Avatar” sequels is such a complex job he’s delaying the first new film a year and it will now be released in late 2017.
Cameron plans to film the highly-anticipated sequels at one time and then release the three films over consecutive years.
The first had been due in late 2016, but he said the writing process had proved to be “very involved” and that the initial target date was probably too ambitious.
“There’s a layer of complexity in getting the story to work as a saga across three films that you don’t get when you’re making a stand-alone film,” he said in Wellington, New Zealand, where he was helping promote the local film industry with other directors including Peter Jackson.