Edward Norton breaks three vertebrae during filming

Washington – Edward Norton says he broke three vertebrae during a horse-riding accident on the set of his new romantic drama, “The Painted Veil.”

Norton said a horse threw him off while he was galloping before filming a scene for the movie, directed by John Curran, which was shot entirely in China.

“One of those horses chucked me off pretty badly,” the 37-year-old actor told AP Radio News in a recent interview. “I broke my spine in like three places. I broke my back. I broke three vertebrae in my back.”

“I felt like my back was horribly wrenched but I sort of assumed I was OK, and I didn’t actually find out I had broken it until I went to Hong Kong,” he said. “I cracked my 10th, 11th and especially my 12th thoracic vertebrae.”

Norton, who received Oscar nominations for “American History X” and “Primal Fear” and starred opposite Brad Pitt in 1999’s “Fight Club,” is fine now. Rest, massages and swimming helped him recover.

McCartney working on stage show about his early life

London – Paul McCartney is collaborating with a cousin on a stage show about his early life, The Daily Telegraph has reported.

Actress Kate Robbins was quoted as saying that she and McCartney were cooperating on an adaptation of the ex-Beatle’s “Liverpool Oratorio.”

McCartney worked with Carl Davis to produce that work in 1991 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. The Beatles grew up and first came to prominence in Liverpool.

The stage version will feature a character based on McCartney, the newspaper said Sunday. It gave no indication when the show might be ready.

Paul Freundlich, McCartney’s New York-based publicist, had no immediate comment Thursday on the report.

He and his wife, Heather Mills McCartney, 38, announced their separation in May after four years of marriage and began divorce proceedings in July. They have a 3-year-old daughter, Beatrice.

Gyllenhaal siblings forced to flee fire during vacation

Inverness, Calif. – A fire destroyed a Northern California lodge popular with celebrities, abruptly halting holiday vacations for Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal and a dozen or so other guests.

The fire at Manka’s Inverness Lodge began about 3 a.m. Wednesday after a tree fell and hit a water heater, and there were no injuries, authorities said. Co-owner Daniel DeLong said the Gyllenhaals were supportive despite having to brave the wind and cold.

“Jake was helping me pull things out of the fire,” DeLong said.

The Marin County lodge and its restaurant were a popular destination for VIPs. Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, dined at Manka’s last year.

It was not clear whether Maggie Gyllenhaal’s months-old daughter, Ramona, was with her, or whether other family members had joined the siblings at the lodge.

Jake Gyllenhaal was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as a heartsick cowboy in “Brokeback Mountain.”

Screen credits for Maggie Gyllenhaal include roles in “Mona Lisa Smile” and Oliver Stone’s “World Trade Center.”