Broadway negotiations to resume today

New York – No, negotiations between striking Broadway stagehands and theater producers have not run as long as “Cats.” It only seems that way.

Two days of back-to-back marathon sessions have not produced a settlement between Local 1 and the League of American Theatres and Producers, but both sides will return to the bargaining table today to try again.

Progress reportedly has been slow in solving the thorny dispute that has shut down most of Broadway since Nov. 10, although some headway apparently has been made in lengthy discussions held Sunday, Monday and into Tuesday.

“Talks ended this morning (Tuesday) at 7:30 a.m. without a deal after 13 hours of hard bargaining in what I can only describe as a ‘rain delay’ in the ninth inning of the seventh game of the World Series,” Bruce Cohen, a union spokesman said. “The rainy weather should clear up when talks resume (today).”

Socialite’s son indicted

New York – The son of the late philanthropist and Manhattan socialite Brooke Astor was charged Tuesday with taking advantage of her diminished mental state to swindle her estate out of millions of dollars.

Anthony D. Marshall, a former diplomat and Tony Award-winning producer, faces multiple charges – including falsifying records, scheming to defraud and grand larceny – according to the indictment. If convicted, Marshall, 83, could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Marshall’s former attorney, Francis X. Morrissey Jr., has been charged with participating in forging a signature on Astor’s will.

Marshall surrendered to Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday; Morrissey was out of town and was expected to be arraigned later in the week.

Bam! ‘Emeril Live’ gets canceled

New York – Food Network is kicking Emeril Lagasse down a notch.

The celebrity chef’s “Emeril Live,” which has been on the air for 10 years, will cease production Dec. 11, Food Network publicist Carrie Welch told The Associated Press.

“However, Emeril is under contract with Food Network,” Welch said Tuesday. “We love him, we support him and look forward to a long partnership with him.”

Asked why the show was canceled, she told the AP: “The only reason would be that it hit a ton of television milestones and, you know, all good things come to an end.”

The Food Network will continue producing Lagasse’s “The Essence of Emeril,” and he will take part in “specials and other development opportunities in the future,” Welch said.

Erik Estrada maintaining reserve officer status

Muncie, Ind. – Erik Estrada is back in Muncie this week for training to keep up the reserve police officer status he earned as part of the canceled CBS reality show “Armed & Famous.”

“When I make a commitment to be somewhere, it’s done, like gold,” Estrada, 58, told The Star Press in an interview Monday. “And I’ll be here next year too, and the year after that.”

“And I hope, 30 or 40 years from now, God willing, that when it’s time to put me in my grave, I’ll go in my Muncie uniform and badge,” he said.

Estrada will spend the week participating in various training events and will ride with officers again while on duty, said Police Chief Joe Winkle. He said an eight-hour monthly service requirement would be waived for Estrada.

The former “CHiPs” star also intends to help with the Muncie Police Department’s annual “Shop with a Cop” charity event.

‘Last Call with Carson Daly’ to resume taping

New York – NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” is about to become the first late-night talk show to defy the writers strike and resume production.

Daly, who is not a member of the Writers Guild, will begin taping new episodes of his Burbank-based show this week for airing next week, an NBC spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

The half-hour “Last Call” airs at 12:35 a.m. CST weeknights, but whether Daly’s first new episode would air next Monday or Tuesday was initially unclear. No guests were disclosed.

Writers fail to reach deal with producers

Los Angeles – Striking movie and television writers failed to reach a deal with producers after meeting into the evening Tuesday on a second day of renewed contract talks.

Both sides agreed to reconvene at 10 a.m. today, said a person familiar with the contract negotiations who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.

Both the writers union and the group representing studios declined to comment on the negotiations and would not reveal their location.

The Writers Guild of America went on strike Nov. 5 over payment for work aired on the Web.

After weeks of writers picketing in front of studios and bitter words traded on both sides, producers and writers had agreed to restart negotiations Monday.

Helio Castroneves wins ‘Dancing with the Stars’

Los Angeles – Race-car driver Helio Castroneves upset Spice Girl Melanie Brown to capture the fifth “Dancing With the Stars” mirrorball trophy on Tuesday night.

“It will look so good between my two Indy 500 trophies,” he said.

Castroneves and his partner, Julianne Hough, earned a perfect score of 30 for their final dance Tuesday, a quickstep.

They came into the final contest in second place, one point behind competitors Brown and Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

Judges’ scores were combined with viewer votes to determine the winner.