Reality-TV star Caitlyn Jenner could face a vehicular manslaughter charge, after investigators found she was driving unsafely when she caused a crash in which a woman died in February. Investigators determined Jenner was driving at a speed “unsafe for the prevailing road conditions”, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said. Jenner was hauling an off-road vehicle on a trailer behind her Cadillac Escalade on February 7 when she steered to avoid cars slowing for a traffic light in front of her on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. She was unable to stop in time and her SUV rear-ended two cars, pushing a Lexus into oncoming traffic and also hitting a Toyota Prius. The Lexus driver, 69-year-old Kim Howe, was killed when her car was struck head-on by a Hummer. The investigation found enough evidence to support a vehicular manslaughter count, Nishida said. If convicted, Jenner could face up to a year in jail. Investigators will present their findings to the district attorney by the end of this month. The crash happened just months before Caitlyn Jenner’s transition. She was formerly known as Bruce Jenner, the 1976 Olympic decathlon champion, and Kim Kardashian’s stepfather. Howe’s stepchildren have filed a lawsuit against Jenner claiming they’ve suffered enormous damages. Jessica Steindorff, who was driving the Prius, has also filed a suit seeking unspecified damages. – AP
Silence of the Lambs house put up for sale
Celebrate your purchase of a lovely four-bedroom Victorian home with some fava beans and a nice drink. The house that was used as the home of psychotic killer Buffalo Bill in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs is up for sale. The production crew took six weeks to turn the three-storey house into the squalid home of the killer played by Ted Levine. A film crew spent three days shooting in the foyer and dining room of the home near Perryopolis, about 30 miles south-east of Pittsburgh. The owners, Scott and Barbara Lloyd, both 63, were married in that foyer on February 13, 1977, a couple of months after buying the house. "It's rather bittersweet," Barbara told the Pittsburgh Tribune- Review. "We got married in this home, we raised our son in this home, but we are ready to move on." The Lloyds are asking US$300,000 (Dh1.1 million) for the house. Estate agent Dianne Wilk is hopeful that the 1910 home's spooky pedigree will attract rather than repel buyers – and could see someone turning it into a bed-and-breakfast with a horror theme. "People love to be scared," Wilk said. "I could see somebody doing something fun with this." – AP
Banksy unveils Dismaland exhibition
Elusive British graffiti artist Banksy has unveiled his latest project – a parody of a seaside theme park called Dismaland, complete with a derelict castle, a dead Cinderella and a Grim Reaper in a bumper car. The artist, best known for his subversive, stencilled street art, said it was a “festival of art, amusements and entry-level anarchism”. He added: “I guess you’d say it’s a theme park whose big theme is theme parks should have bigger themes.” While Banksy said it was “not a swipe at Disney”, it’s difficult to ignore the reminders of Disneyland – from a grey castle and the skewed sculpture of Ariel the mermaid in front of it, to Cinderella in her carriage – only this princess hangs out of her crashed carriage, apparently dead, as paparazzi look on. The project, staged in a rundown site in England’s Weston-super-Mare, is Banksy’s biggest show to date. It includes new works, as well as art galleries featuring about 50 artists, including Damien Hirst. Musical performances and arcade games complete the experience. The exhibits also include a sculpture of a woman attacked by a cloud of seagulls, a killer whale leaping out of a toilet bowl and a pond where visitors can steer model boats crammed with migrants. The park opened to the public yesterday and runs until September 27. – AP
Hunger Games star is world’s top-paid actress
Jennifer Lawrence raked in US$52million (Dh191m) last year to top the list of the world’s highest-paid actresses. The Hunger Games and X-Men star easily surpassed the $35.5m (Dh130m) earned by second-place Scarlett Johansson, according to Forbes magazine’s annual estimates. Melissa McCarthy was third with $23m (Dh84m). At 25, Lawrence is one of the youngest stars in Hollywood. She won an Oscar for her role in the 2012 comedy Silver Linings Playbook. – AFP
Hip-hop mogul says sorry for hurting women
Dr Dre has issued a statement to the New York Times apologising to “the women I’ve hurt”, without specifying the reason for the apology. The 50-year-old rapper and music mogul said that he “deeply regret[s] what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives”. Dre pleaded no contest to criminal battery charges over allegations he attacked journalist Dee Barnes in 1991. Barnes published a story online this week about the assault. Other women, including Dre’s former girlfriend Michel’le, have also claimed he was violent towards them. Attention on the decades-old charges resurfaced after last week’s release of the biopic Straight Outta Compton, which omits mention of the Barnes incident or any violence against women. – AP
Cops investigate abuse claims at Kiss star’s home
Los Angeles police say a task force investigating internet crimes against children have served a search warrant at the home of Kiss rocker Gene Simmons, but neither he nor anyone in his family is suspected of any involvement in the case. Lt John Jenal said the warrant was served on Thursday at the Simmons home in Benedict Canyon near Beverly Hills. Jenal says the detectives want to emphasise that Simmons and his family were “extremely cooperative” and none of them are suspected of any crime, but no further information was given. Simmons, 65, has been a member of Kiss since the early 1970s. His family was the subject of a reality TV series that was shown for several years. – AP
