Def Leppard drummer recovering from attack outside hotel

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen says he is recovering from an attack earlier this month outside a Florida hotel.

Allen, who was in South Florida to perform a show at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, was attacked while taking a smoke break outside the the Four Seasons hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Police arrested a 19-year-old man, but said they don't have a motive for the attack. They did not identify either the suspect, or Allen, in the police report.

But in a social media post, Allen, 59, said he's thankful for all the support he has received from this fans. He said he's also relieved that his wife, Lauren, wasn't with him when the incident occurred, and that they are now “working on recovering in a safe space.”

Police said the assailant was hiding behind a pillar outside the hotel while Allen was smoking a cigarette. The man ran at Allen, knocking him to the ground.

According to the police report, a woman saw Allen fall and ran to help him, and the man then attacked her.

The man then ran to another hotel and started breaking car windows until he was stopped by witnesses and police arrived. He was arrested and charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abusing an elderly or disabled adult.

Allen lost his left arm in an accident in 1984.

In a photo posted on Instagram, Allen was wearing a blue Fort Lauderdale police t-shirt.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen says he is recovering from an attack earlier this month outside a Florida hotel.

Allen, who was in South Florida to perform a show at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, was attacked while taking a smoke break outside the the Four Seasons hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Police arrested a 19-year-old man, but said they don't have a motive for the attack. They did not identify either the suspect, or Allen, in the police report.

But in a social media post, Allen, 59, said he's thankful for all the support he has received from this fans. He said he's also relieved that his wife, Lauren, wasn't with him when the incident occurred, and that they are now “working on recovering in a safe space.”

Police said the assailant was hiding behind a pillar outside the hotel while Allen was smoking a cigarette. The man ran at Allen, knocking him to the ground.

According to the police report, a woman saw Allen fall and ran to help him, and the man then attacked her.

The man then ran to another hotel and started breaking car windows until he was stopped by witnesses and police arrived. He was arrested and charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abusing an elderly or disabled adult.

Allen lost his left arm in an accident in 1984.

In a photo posted on Instagram, Allen was wearing a blue Fort Lauderdale police t-shirt.

Doctors expected to testify in Gwyneth Paltrow's ski trial

PARK CITY, Utah — More witnesses are expected to testify on Wednesday in a trial about a 2016 ski crash between Gwyneth Paltrow and a retired Utah man suing her and claiming her recklessness left him with lasting injuries and brain damage.

On the opening day of the trial , Paltrow and retired optometrist Terry Sanderson appeared across the courtroom from each other, looking nonplussed to hear arguments that have become familiar over the past seven years of legal proceedings. Since Paltrow and Sanderson’s skis intertwined on what they expected to be an enjoyable day on the slopes with friends and family, the two have been tangled in a lengthy legal drama about what really happened on a beginner’s run that day at one of the most upscale ski destinations in the United States.

The mountain, Deer Valley Resort, has among the region’s most expensive lift tickets and is known for its après-ski champagne yurts and proximity to Park City — a posh resort town known for hosting the Sundance Film Festival .

Though the court is not publishing a witness list, attorneys said Wendell Gibby and Sam Goldstein — a radiologist and neuropsychologist — would likely be called to testify on Wednesday. Sanderson’s lawyers said they expected to call four witnesses total on Wednesday and left the possibility open that one could be Paltrow, depending on when others expected to testify arrive in Park City.

Gibby and Goldstein have previously appeared as expert witnesses for Sanderson, who has said he broke ribs and sustained brain damage from the crash. Attorneys have argued over whether Sanderson’s medical problems stemmed from the crash or were merely a byproduct of aging.

Both parties blame the other for the collision and claim they were crashed into from behind, relying on a little-known Utah law stipulating that whoever is downhill has the right of way when skiing and snowboarding. Paltrow's attorney have asked Judge Kent Holmberg to enact special restrictions throughout the actor-turned-wellness tycoon's trial, while she has used a blue notebook to shield her face from view when entering and exiting the courtroom.

They called Sanderson's story “utter B.S.” building off earlier claims from court filings and previous depositions where they accused him of suing to exploit the Oscar-winning star of “Shakespeare in Love's” wealth and celebrity.

Sanderson's attorneys have attempted to paint her as a negligent celebrity with little care for the injuries inflicted upon the 76-year-old military veteran. They called Sanderson's ex-girlfriend and a ski companion who was nearby during the crash to testify on Tuesday. Karlene Davidson said the crash had “changed” Sanderson and contributed to the demise of their romance. Craig Ramon testified that Paltrow hit Sanderson and said that afterward, one of her family's ski instructors came up to him and said “Your buddy just took out Gwyneth Paltrow.”

The trial underway in Park City is the latest development in the seven-year case and follows Sanderson's decision to amend an earlier lawsuit after a $3.1 million complaint that named Paltrow and Deer Valley was dismissed. Paltrow subsequently filed a counterclaim for $1 and attorney fees.

'Winnie the Pooh' film pulled from Hong Kong cinemas

HONG KONG — Public screenings of a slasher film that features Winnie the Pooh were scrapped abruptly in Hong Kong on Tuesday, sparking discussions over increasing censorship in the city.

Film distributor VII Pillars Entertainment announced on Facebook that the release of “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” on Thursday had been canceled with “great regret” in Hong Kong and neighboring Macao.

In an email reply to The Associated Press, the distributor said it was notified by cinemas that they could not show the film as scheduled, but it didn't know why. The cinema chains involved did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

For many residents, the Winnie the Pooh character is a playful taunt of China's President Xi Jinping and Chinese censors in the past had briefly banned social media searches for the bear in the country. In 2018, the film “Christopher Robin,” also featuring Winnie the Pooh, was reportedly denied a release in China.

The film being pulled in Hong Kong has prompted concern on social media over the territory’s shrinking freedoms.

The movie was initially set to be shown in about 30 cinemas in Hong Kong, VII Pillars Entertainment wrote last week.

The Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration said it had approved the film and arrangements by local cinemas to screen approved films “are the commercial decisions of the cinemas concerned." It refused to comment on such arrangements.

A screening initially scheduled for Tuesday night in one cinema was canceled due to “technical reasons," the organizer said on Instagram.

Kenny Ng, a professor at Hong Kong Baptist University’s academy of film, refused to speculate on the reason behind the cancellation, but suggested the mechanism of silencing criticism appeared to be resorting to commercial decisions.

Hong Kong is a former British colony that returned to China's rule in 1997, promising to retain its Western-style freedoms. But China imposed a national security law following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019, silencing or jailing many dissidents.

In 2021, the government tightened guidelines and authorized censors to ban films believed to have breached the sweeping law.

Ng said the city saw more cases of censorship over the last two years, mostly targeting non-commercial movies, such as independent short films.

“When there is a red line, then there are more taboos,” he said.