Wells Fargo agrees to proposed settlement on shareholder actions

(Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co would pay up to $2.5 million in attorneys' fees and implement certain corporate governance changes under a proposed settlement of lawsuits brought by shareholders on behalf of the company, according to a securities filing by Wells on Friday.The suits were filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California in 2010 on behalf of Wells Fargo and its shareholders against...

Read More..

California jobless rate dips below 10 percent

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — After a long twilight, business is booming again at Matt Construction as high-end orders come in for hotels and office complexes.The Los Angeles-area company increased hiring by about 20 percent this year, adding 30 employees as more construction jobs — and bigger ones — piled up.Such stories are a major reason California's jobless rate dipped below 10 percent last month...

Read More..

Wall Street ends lower after "fiscal cliff" setback

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks finished lower on Friday after a Republican plan to avoid the "fiscal cliff" failed to gain sufficient support on Thursday night, draining hopes that a deal would be reached before 2013.Still, stocks managed to rebound from the day's lows near the end of the session, and for the week, the three major U.S. stock indexes still ended higher, with the S&P 500 gaining...

Read More..

Obama tries to rescue fiscal talks for post-Christmas deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Friday tried to rescue stalled talks on a fiscal crisis after a Republican plan imploded in Congress, but there was little headway as lawmakers and President Barack Obama abandoned Washington for Christmas.In remarks before flying to Hawaii for a break, Obama suggested reaching a short-term deal on taxes and extending unemployment insurance to avoid the worst...

Read More..

Wall Street Week Ahead: A lump of coal for "Fiscal Cliff-mas"

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street traders are going to have to pack their tablets and work computers in their holiday luggage after all.A traditionally quiet week could become hellish for traders as politicians in Washington are likely to fall short of an agreement to deal with $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts due to kick in early next year. Many economists forecast that this "fiscal cliff"...

Read More..

National Geographic marks anniversary with "Exploration" of Titanic, Lighting Strikes, Genghis Khan

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - The National Geographic Channel is celebrating the 125th anniversary of the National Geographic Society with a new "Night of Exploration" on Fridays that will look at Titanic, Stonehenge, Easter Island, and more of the world's fascinating places and mysteries.Beginning January 11, the network will air programs about exploration every Friday night from 8 to 10 p.m. On that...

Read More..

Joss Whedon's "S.H.I.E.L.D." pilot adds 'Nashville' star Chloe Bennet

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Chloe Bennet is moving from "Nashville" and into far stranger territory.Bennet, who has a recurring role on the ABC drama "Nashville" as Hailey, has been cast in Joss Whedon's superhero pilot "Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D.," which is being written by "Avengers" writer-director Whedon, his brother Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen ("Dollhouse").Bennet, who also goes by the name...

Read More..

Twilight Zone" reboot in the works from Bryan Singer, CBS Television Studios

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Bryan Singer is about to enter "The Twilight Zone."The "X-Men" director is working on a reboot of Rod Serling's television series with CBS Television Studios, a spokeswoman for CBS Television Studios told TheWrap. Singer will develop and executive-produce the project, and could direct.The project is currently in the very early stages.The original "Twilight Zone" ran on...

Read More..

Michael Kors replaced by Zac Posen as "Project Runway" judge

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Michael Kors is out at "Project Runway."Fashion designer Kors will not be a judge on the Lifetime reality competition when it returns for its 11th season on January 24, Lifetime said Tuesday. Instead, designer Zac Posen will join Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia and Tim Gunn as a featured judge.Lifetime told TheWrap that Kors is vacating his judge's position due to scheduling conflicts."Due...

Read More..

Anderson Cooper Reveals He's Gay

After years of speculation about his sexuality, Anderson Cooper has revealed that he's gay.The 45-year-old CNN anchor came out in an email to the Daily Beast's Andrew Sullivan that was published on Sullivan's blog this morning. Cooper was responding to an Entertainment Weekly article about how gay public figures are increasingly coming out in more restrained ways than in the past."The fact is, I'm...

Read More..