Bale off the hook in assault case

Christian Bale won’t be charged in an alleged assault on his mother and sister, in part because they didn’t want to press the matter but also for lack of sufficient evidence, prosecutors said Thursday.

Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service ordered police not to take any further action, saying there was insufficient evidence to make a conviction realistic.

Bale said through his spokeswoman, Jennifer Allen, that he was relieved the issue had been settled.

His family had previously declined to comment, saying the issue was a personal matter.

British media had reported that Bale’s mother and sister told police he assaulted them at his suite at the luxury Dorchester Hotel on July 20, a day before he attended the European premiere of his film “The Dark Knight.” Bale has denied the accusation.

Awkward love triangle: Kate, Leo, Sam

It was more than a little awkward for Kate Winslet to film sex scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio in front of husband Sam Mendes, who directed the stars in the upcoming drama “Revolutionary Road.”

“I just kept saying, ‘This is too : weird,”‘ Winslet tells Entertainment Weekly magazine. “And Leo was like, ‘Oh, get over it.’ And I’m going, ‘Yeah, a little reminder: You’re my best friend. He’s my husband.”‘

Mendes, who directed “American Beauty” and “Road to Perdition,” says, “I will admit it was quite bizarre to direct my wife in how to make love.”

It’s been 11 years since Winslet, 32, and DiCaprio co-starred in the Oscar-winning blockbuster “Titanic.”

“I hadn’t realized how much my chemistry with him since ‘Titanic’ would still stick,” Winslet says. “It’s great to discover we can just slip right into it, like muscle memory.”

They play suburban couple Frank and April Wheeler in “Revolutionary Road,” based on Richard Yates’ 1961 novel. It is slated for release in December, in time for Oscar consideration.

‘Harry Potter’ flick moves to summer

It’s summer school for Harry Potter.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” the sixth installment in the blockbuster film franchise about boy wizard Harry, is moving from its planned Nov. 21 release to July 17, 2009, distributor Warner Bros. said Thursday.

The move was made to take advantage of an open weekend in Hollywood’s busy summer season, said Alan Horn, Warner Bros. president and chief operating officer. The change was not due to any production snags, he said.

The switch will mean a two-year lag between the film adaptations of books five and six in J.K. Rowling’s fantasy series. But it will shorten fans’ wait between “Half-Blood Prince” and the final two installments, to be shot simultaneously next year.

Brown fumes over leak of unfinished song

New Chris Brown music has been popping up on the Web – and the singer is not happy about it.

“I’m mad that it’s leaked,” the 19-year-old told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “The record’s not finished. It’s supposed to be me and Rihanna’s duet.”

“Electric Guitar” would be yet another collaboration between Brown and his rumored girlfriend. He appeared on a remix to her smash hit “Umbrella” last year, and he’s listed as a co-writer on her latest No. 1 hit, the dance song “Disturbia.”

Brown is still riding high off the success of his second album, “Exclusive,” released last year. It was rereleased in June with new material, including the song “Forever,” which is now No. 2 on the chart, a notch below Rihanna.

Voice of a lion among Bernie Mac’s last works

In one of his final roles, Bernie Mac roars.

In the upcoming “Madagascar” sequel, the comedian and actor voices the lion Zuba, father of Ben Stiller’s fey, city-loving lion Alex.

“He brought so much heart and soul,” Jeffrey Katzenberg, head of DreamWorks Animation SKG, told The Associated Press on Wednesday after previewing footage from the film for reporters.

Katzenberg said animation would continue for another month and additional production would take two months. The movie, titled “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa,” is set for release Nov. 7.

Mac died Saturday in the Chicago area from pneumonia-related complications.

Cassandra Wilson takes fresh look at standards

There’s nothing standard about the way Cassandra Wilson went about making her first album of standards in nearly a decade.

On “Loverly,” she returns to the roots of jazz in West African rhythms.

Wilson, who has always acknowledged the blues as “a powerful influence” on her jazz singing, worked for the first time with the Nigerian-born percussionist Lekan Babalola, a priest of the Yoruban religion.

During one rehearsal, when she played the blues on her guitar, he showed her its “direct connection” with the sakara rhythm of West Africa.