Names and faces

Credit-card receipts, telephone records and production schedules show that X-Men franchise director Bryan Singer was not in Hawaii when a lawsuit claims he sexually abused a 17-yearold on the islands, a defense attorney said Friday. Singer was mainly in Toronto working on the first X-Men movie from August through October 1999, defense attorney Marty Singer said. A lawsuit filed by a former child model, Michael Egan III, says Bryan Singer abused him several times over those three months as well as earlier in California as part of a Hollywood sex ring led by another man convicted of luring minors across state lines for sex. “This was Bryan’s first studio film,” said Marty Singer, who is not related to Bryan Singer. “Clearly, he’s not going to take a break in the middle of this movie while you’re shooting and prepping it to go to Hawaii.” Egan said Thursday that he was abused by Bryan Singer and others starting when he was 15.The Associated Press does not typically name purported victims of sex abuse but is naming Egan because he is speaking publicly about his allegations. Singer has directed three films in the blockbuster X-Men franchise, including the fifth installment, X-Men: Days of Future Past, to be released next month. A judge in Hawaii set a July 21 scheduling hearing in Honolulu for the lawsuit.

Prince now owns the rights to the music he recorded on Warner Bros. Records after years of disputes and battles with the record label. Warner Bros. announced Friday that it had reached an agreement with the pop icon, who was signed to the label from 1978 to the mid-1990s, during which time he released projects such as Purple Rain, 1999, Diamonds and Pearls and Around the World in a Day. Prince’s new partnership will include the release of “previously unheard material” from his tenure on the label. Also, a 30th-anniversary edition of Purple Rain will be released this summer. Prince, 55, said in a statement that he’s “pleased with the results of the negotiations” and looks “forward to a fruitful working relationship.” The agreement comes years after Prince’s relationship with Warner Bros. soured as he failed to gain possession of the music he recorded for the label. After Warner, Prince began releasing music in 1996 over the Internet but didn’t match his previous successes. He struck deals with Arista Records and Columbia Records, where he saw a comeback with the Grammy-winning Musicology in 2004. The singer also has released albums through his own label, NPG Records.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 04/20/2014

Upcoming Events