MAD magazine to leave newsstands
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — Long-running satirical publication MAD magazine will be leaving newsstands this fall. Really.
The illustrated humor magazine will still be available in comic shops and through mail to subscribers — but after its fall issue it will just reprint previously published material.
The only new material will come in special editions at the end of the year.
DC, the division of Warner Brothers that publishes the magazine, said MAD will pull from nostalgic cartoons and parodies published over the magazine’s 67-year run.
The company also said it would still publish MAD special collections.
Illustrators and comedians, including one-time guest editor “Weird Al” Yankovic, mourned the magazine’s effective closure online.
“It’s pretty much the reason I turned out weird,” he said on Twitter.
French Jackson fans sue accusers
PARIS (AP) — Three Michael Jackson fan clubs in France are suing two men who accused the singer of sexual abuse in the HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland.”
The lawsuit accuses Wade Robson and James Safechuck of unfairly harming the reputation of the King of Pop, who died 10 years ago.
A lawyer for the fan clubs, Emmanuel Ludot, said he is seeking conviction under a French law against the public denunciation of a dead person.
The fan clubs are asking for one euro each in symbolic damages.
A court in the French city of Orleans held a hearing Thursday. A lawyer represented Robson and Safechuck, who in the documentary described years of alleged sexual abuse when they were boys and teens.
Jackson’s estate denies the allegations and sent a letter supporting the lawsuit.
Actress charged for catching giant clams
BANGKOK (AP) — A South Korean actress has been charged in Thailand with catching endangered giant clams while participating in a reality TV show.
Actress Lee Yeol-eum cheered as she caught the three giant shellfish in a Thai national marine park in March on the survival TV show “The Law of the Jungle.” Participants in the show then ate the clams. The episode aired on June 30.
Thai authorities say the actress has been charged with hunting the protected clams, scientifically known as tridacna gigas, and could face up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $1,200.
The show places South Korean celebrities into groups that are sent out to test their survival skills in remote locations.
The show’s broadcaster has apologized for the incident.
