Former Bankia executives reject blame for bank's fall

MADRID (Reuters) - Former chiefs of nationalised Spanish lender Bankia denied blame for its fall at court hearings, as they attempted to fend off a lawsuit from small shareholders who lost out in the company's stock market flotation.Rodrigo Rato, a former International Monetary Fund head and the last of 33 former executives accused of fraud, price-fixing and falsifying accounts, appeared before the...

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White House TV comedy aims for laughs, not politics

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - There is a crazy family living at the White House, but it's not the Obamas. It's the Gilchrists, whose never-ending follies pulse and push upcoming TV comedy romp "1600 Penn."Starring Bill Pullman as U.S. President Dale Gilchrist and Jenna Elfman as his first lady, the show's co-creator Josh Gad said on Friday that there is plenty of precedent for family madness at the Oval...

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Roll Up! "Magical Mystery Tour" gets U.S. TV debut

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Give four pop stars turned hippies a movie camera in 1967 and what do you get? The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" film, which will receive its long-awaited U.S. broadcast television debut on Friday on PBS.Long a curiosity in the United States, the film will be accompanied by a new documentary about its making. A restored version was released on DVD and blu-ray in October.The...

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Hulu Plus doubles subscribers to 3 million

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Hulu Plus more than doubled the number of subscribers who pay for access to its premium content in 2012. The streaming service now numbers 3 million paid subscribers, Hulu CEO Jason Kilar announced in a blog post Monday.That's a far cry from the nearly 30 million subscribers the company's main rival Netflix attracts, but it is a sign that Hulu is moving in the right direction....

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"X Factor" judge L.A. Reid quitting TV talent show

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - L.A. Reid, "The X Factor" judge, says he is leaving the TV talent show next season after two years on the panel.Reid, 56, chairman and chief executive of Epic Records, told "Access Hollywood," the television program and website, he has decided to leave the Fox reality singing show to return to the record label full time."I have decided that I will not return to 'The X Factor'...

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"Best Funeral Ever" premiere delayed after Newtown school shootings

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Fans of death-centric reality TV will have to wait a little longer to dig into TLC's "Best Funeral Ever."TLC has pushed back the premiere of the special to January 6 at 10/9c in light of the school shootings in Newtown, Conn. last week."Best Funeral Ever" was initially scheduled to premiere on December 26 at 8/7c."Best Funeral Ever" centers around the Golden Gate Funeral...

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Bounty ruling for players finally at hand

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — More than nine months after the NFL first disclosed its bounty investigation of the New Orleans Saints, four players will finally get a ruling on whether their initial suspensions are upheld, reduced or thrown out.Former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who was appointed to handle a second round of player appeals to the league, has informed all parties he planned to rule by Tuesday...

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No. 12 Oklahoma 24-17 win at TCU for Big 12 share

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Landry Jones and Oklahoma  treated their regular-season finale like a championship game — and finished wearing caps and T-shirts declaring the 12th-ranked Sooners the Big 12 champions.The Sooners have to share their eighth Big 12 title since they didn't get any help later from archrival Texas."Sharing it or not sharing it, winning the conference championship is great,"...

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Miami bound: No. 2 Alabama holds off No. 3 Georgia 32-28 in thrilling SEC championship game

ATLANTA - Alabama got a hand on the ball, which wobbled into the arms of a Georgia receiver who wasn't supposed to catch it.Before the Bulldogs could get off another play, the clock ran out.The Crimson Tide is heading back to the national championship game.By a mere 5 yards.AJ McCarron threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper with 3:15 remaining and No. 2 Alabama barely held on at the end,...

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Spectator falls from stands at ACC Championship

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A 22-year-old man is in critical condition after sustaining life-threatening injuries after falling about 40 feet off a fourth-floor ramp outside Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night at the ACC Championship between No. 13 Florida State and Georgia Tech.The Charlotte Observer reported that Charlotte-Mecklenburg police identified the victim as Sean Michael Powers, a resident...

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