People
NEW YORK — The private treasures of Frank Sinatra and his wife, Barbara, were a multimillion-dollar hit at auction.
Sotheby's reported Friday that the couple's entertainment memorabilia, art, jewelry, books and other personal items sold for $9.2 million — about twice their pre-sale estimates.
Nine paintings by the legendary crooner went for more than $850,000, against a high estimate of $120,000.
The 20-carat diamond engagement ring Sinatra presented to his fiancee in a glass of champagne fetched nearly $1.7 million, surpassing a top $1.5 million estimate.
And a Jewish skullcap with Frank's name embroidered on it shot past a high estimate of $500, selling for more than $9,000.
Some of the proceeds will benefit the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., which counsels victims of physical, sexual and emotional abuse.
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WarnerMedia owns the show, which aired on NBC for 10 years ending in 2004. It won six Emmy Awards, including a best comedy actress Emmy for Aniston.
LOS ANGELES — The dust is still settling from the fallout of comedian Kevin Hart's short stint as host of the 91st Academy Awards.
Hart said he was bowing out of the gig after outrage over old anti-gay tweets. Faced with declining ratings and a critical viewership, hosting the Oscars is referred to by many in Hollywood as the most thankless job in town.
Now, everyone is speculating as to who will take on the hosting duties for the Feb. 24 telecast. Names being proposed include Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Hanks and Ellen DeGeneres, who hosted one of the highest rated Oscars shows in recent years.
The Academy has been weathering the pressure of being a focal point for the shortcomings of the entertainment industry at large.
LOS ANGELES — Jennifer Aniston calls it “amazing” that “Friends” still has an audience big enough to prompt multimillion dollar business deals to keep it from disappearing on Netflix.“I find it amazing that it's continued to have such love and such an audience and such an appetite for it,” Aniston told The Associated Press at the premiere of her Netflix film “Dumplin'.”After an outcry from fans, Netflix announced that it was keeping the adventures of Ross, Rachel, Phoebe and Joey available to subscribers through 2019 — at a reported $100 million price tag to the streaming service.“I think it says a lot about the show. Especially since it takes place at a time where it's so different from now. You know, people actually spoke to each other and hung out with each other and talked,” Aniston said.
