Joel Schumacher, the eclectic and brazen filmmaker who shepherded the Brat Pack to the big screen in "St. Elmo's Fire" and steered the Batman franchise into its most baroque territory in "Batman Forever" and "Batman & Robin," has died after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 80.
His entry to film came first as a costume designer. Schumacher, who attended Parsons School of Design, dressed a pair of Woody Allen movies in the 1970s: "Interiors" and "Sleeper." He also penned the screenplays to "The Wiz" and "Sparkle."
As a director, he established himself as a filmmaker of great flair, if not often good reviews, with a series of hits in the '80s and '90s. To the frustration of critics but the delight of audiences, he favored entertainment over tastefulness — including those infamous Batman and Robin suits with visible nipples.
The success of his first hit, "St. Elmo's Fire," with Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy made Schumacher in-demand in Hollywood. He followed it up with 1987's "The Lost Boys," with Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Kiefer Sutherland and Corey Feldman. His other films include "Flatliners," with Julia Roberts; John Grisham adaptations "The Client" and "A Time to Kill", and "Falling Down," with Michael Douglas.
Harvard professor wins $500,000 prize
The author and educator Danielle Allen has received a $500,000 prize from the Library of Congress. Allen won the John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity. Allen is a Harvard University professor whose initiatives include the Democratic Knowledge Project for grades K-16 and whose books include "Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality." "We are proud to honor Danielle Allen, a leading expert on justice, citizenship and democracy, with the Kluge Prize as she helps to lead a timely national conversation on how we find our common purpose," Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said.
Recovering: Laine Hardy, the 2019 winner of "American Idol," said he has been diagnosed with COVID-19 but his symptoms are mild and he is recovering under home quarantine. The 19-year-old singer from Livingston, La., had performed Friday at swearing-in ceremonies for Parish Sheriff Jason Ard. Hardy also recently completed a virtual tour that was watched by more than 2 million viewers.
Under review: Comedian Bill Cosby has won the right to fight his 2018 sexual assault conviction before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Cosby, 82, has been imprisoned in suburban Philadelphia for nearly two years. He's serving a three- to 10-year sentence. The court agreed to review the decision to let prosecutors call other accusers and introduce evidence that Cosby had given quaaludes to women in the past. And the court will examine Cosby's argument that he had an agreement with a former prosecutor that he'd never be charged in the case.
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