Bruce Willis being sued for $4 million

Los Angeles — Actor Bruce Willis and his production company are being sued in Los Angeles for $4 million for breach of contract.

The lawsuit filed Friday alleges Willis Brother Films agreed on a contract with three companies to produce the feature film “Three Stories About Joan,” which Willis was to star in and direct.

The lawsuit alleges that on Sept. 29 Willis quit as director without notice in violation of the agreement.

Phone calls to Willis’ publicist and attorney were not immediately returned.

Henry Gradstein, attorney for the companies suing Willis, says the courts will resolve the matter. He had no further comment.

The plaintiffs include Foresight Unlimited, Signature Entertainment Group and Three Stories Productions.

Coen brothers take aim at ‘clean coal’

Los Angeles — The Coen brothers, who won Academy Awards for “Fargo” and “No Country for Old Men,” have turned their sardonic sights on the coal industry.

Joel and Ethan Coen directed a TV commercial attacking the notion that coal can be an environmentally safe way to produce electricity.

About 600 coal-burning plants supply nearly half the nation’s power, but critics say coal is a major contributor to global warming.

The commercial, which began airing Thursday on cable TV channels, plays like an air freshener ad. A smiling pitchman extolls the virtues of a black spray can labeled “clean coal.” But when a suburban housewife uses it, the can spews a black cloud that gives her family coughing fits. The ad ends with the line, “In reality, there’s no such thing as clean coal.”