Web posted on:
Friday, January 08, 1999 4:17:23 PM EST

• Report: 'Civil Action' author sued by book's character
• 007 belongs to MGM, appeals court rules
• Rod Stewart, Rachel Hunter separated
• Three Tenors to sing in Motown

Actor John Travolta in "A Civil Action"

BOSTON (CNN) -- As the Hollywood adaptation of the bestseller "A Civil Action" hits movie screens, author Jonathan Harr is apparently being sued for libel by one of the book's real-life characters. John Riley, who sold a tannery to one of two companies later accused of poisoning groundwater, filed a lawsuit in New Hampshire alleging he was falsely portrayed in "A Civil Action" as having committed perjury, according to The Boston Phoenix weekly newspaper.

"That's clearly untrue," his son and lawyer, Peter Riley, told the Phoenix. Random House, the book's hardcover publisher, and Random House's Vintage Books subsidiary, which published the paperback version, were also sued, the newspaper said. Random House is a subsidiary of Bertelsmann AG. No specific damage amount is sought in the case. The movie version starring John Travolta and Robert Duvall opened Friday.

Pierce Brosnan as James Bond

SANTA MONICA, California (CNN) -- The battle over Bond continues. A federal appeals court has upheld an injunction barring Sony Pictures from making movies based on fictional spy James Bond, clearing a way for a trial in the battle over rights to Bond movies, rival studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. said Thursday. A trial date is expected to be set within 60 to 90 days.

The case stems from Sony Pictures' assertion that under an agreement with former Bond producer Kevin McClory, it has the right to make Bond movies. MGM and its affiliated production company, Danjaq LLC, have collaborated on about 18 Bond movies that in total have raked in over $3 billion in box office receipts. They claim ownership of exclusive rights to the Bond movie franchise.

Stewart

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- British rocker Rod Stewart and his wife Rachel Hunter have split up, their agents said. The couple, who have two children, Renee, 4, and Liam, 6, have no immediate plans for a divorce. Stewart, who will turn 54 on January 10, started his career with the British pop group the Faces but burst on the music scene as a solo performer in 1971 with his smash hit "Maggie May."

He later moved to Los Angeles, where he established himself as a rock superstar with such hits as "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy," "Forever Young" and "I was Only Joking." Stewart met Hunter, a blond model from New Zealand who was then 22, in 1990, and the two were married after a whirlwind romance. It was her first marriage. Stewart has been married on other time, to Alana Hamilton.

The Three Tenors

DETROIT (CNN) -- Opera superstars Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras -- also known as the Three Tenors -- will perform July 17 in Detroit at a concert sponsored by Ford Motor Co., the Detroit Free Press reported Friday. Other details -- including the site and ticket prices -- were not available, said an assistant with the trio's production company, the Rudas Organization. The Three Tenors first performed together in 1990. Other appearances scheduled this year are Saturday in Tokyo and April 18 in Pretoria, South Africa.

Reuters Limited contributed to this report.