IBT Staff Reporter

Dick Clark Productions Chief Executive Officer Mark Shapiro had to admit in Los Angeles District Court late this week that he employed bluffs and half-truths to get NBC to agree to an $150 million deal to air the Golden Globes.

Penelope Ann Miller, Michael Shannon and Zoe Saldana are the first confirmed presenters for this year's Film Independent Spirit Awards, Film Independent announced exclusively to TheWrap on Friday.

The dazzling line-up of entrepreneurs and sporting figures vying to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers has been whittled down, with some of the bidding groups already notified that they had made the cut, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The doctor convicted of killing Michael Jackson asked on Friday to be released from jail, pending an appeal that could take a year to be heard.

Hundreds of mourners gathered at a Los Angeles-area church on Saturday to remember rhythm-and-blues singer Etta James, saying she overcame great personal and professional hurdles to sing the times that she lived.

Irish voters would narrowly back a proposed European Union treaty to tighten budget rules if it were put to a referendum, an opinion poll showed on Saturday, but about one-quarter of those questioned said they were still undecided.

Irish voters would narrowly back a proposed European Union treaty to tighten budget rules if it was put to a referendum, an opinion poll showed on Saturday, but a quarter of those questioned said they were still undecided.

Greece and its private creditors said on Saturday they were piecing together the final elements of a debt swap, and they expected to have a deal ready next week, which would be essential for sealing a new bailout and avoiding an uncontrolled default.

Top Goldman Sachs Group Inc executives received previously restricted stock awards that are now worth $47.7 million, according to regulatory filings, though the executives are still limited in selling most of their Goldman stock.

Exxon Mobil plans to sell a large part of its 50 percent stake in TonenGeneral Sekiyu KK <5012.T> back to its Japanese refining partner in a deal that could be worth about 300 billion yen ($3.9 billion), and will make an announcement as early as Monday, four sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde led a global push on Saturday for the euro zone to boost its financial firewall, saying if it is big enough it will not get used.

Budding bankers expecting the bumper bonuses of years gone by will have to think again, with only the top performers likely to be paid top dollar.

Royal Bank of Scotland's Chairman Philip Hampton will not pick up a 1.4 million pound ($2.2 million) stock bonus, the bailed-out bank said, following public anger and political squabbling over a 1 million pound bonus for its chief executive.

The breakup of Switzerland's oldest bank Wegelin on Friday shows the need to settle a dispute with U.S. authorities over tax cheats hiding cash in secret Swiss accounts, the finance minister said on Saturday.

The break-up of Switzerland's oldest bank Wegelin on Friday shows the need to settle a dispute with U.S. authorities over tax cheats hiding cash in secret Swiss accounts, the finance minister said on Saturday.

Greece and its private creditors head back to the negotiating table on Saturday to put together the final pieces of a long-awaited debt swap agreement needed to avert an unruly default.

Germany is pushing for Greece to relinquish control over its budget policy to European institutions as part of discussions over a second rescue package, a European source told Reuters on Friday.

Germany is pushing for Greece to relinquish control over its budget policy to European institutions as part of discussions over a second rescue package, a European source told Reuters on Friday.

Lab-manufactured blood vessels may soon replace riskier bypass surgeries for heart attack patients after a team of researchers from the Cambridge University successfully developed the three main types of cells that make up the wall of a blood vessel.

Europeans are making progress in overcoming the Eurozone crisis, but they need to do more to bolster their financial firewall, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Saturday, adding that the IMF is ready to help.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is in "serious talks" to poach veteran Bloomberg LP executive Lex Fenwick to run its Dow Jones publishing business, which houses The Wall Street Journal, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is in serious talks to poach veteran Bloomberg LP executive Lex Fenwick to run its Dow Jones publishing business, which houses the Wall Street Journal, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

In his final act before departing the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, the agency's inspector general, David Kotz, criticized how the agency analyzes the economic impact of some of its Dodd-Frank rules.

Fitch downgraded the sovereign credit ratings of Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Slovenia and Spain on Friday, indicating there was a 1-in-2 chance of further cuts in the next two years.

Hotel companies and real estate firms are optimistic that deal transactions will pick up this year despite concerns about Europe's economy and challenges in obtaining debt financing.

January has turned out strong for equities with just two trading days to go. If you're afraid to miss the ride, there's still time to jump in. You just might want to wear a neck brace.

Research In Motion Ltd.'s Thorsten Heins plans to waste no time in his new job. The BlackBerry maker's CEO said he will present the board with his plans for company's future in just a matter of weeks. The German-born executive, who took over last weekend, said his plans for RIM would be significant.

Research in Motion's Thorsten Heins plans to waste no time in his new job. The BlackBerry maker's chief executive said he will present the board with his plan for company's future in just a matter of weeks.

The names of a top executive at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and a board member at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. surfaced on Friday as potential witnesses in the insider-trading trial of Rajat Gupta, a former director of Goldman, the Procter & Gamble Co., and other companies.