'Big Bird' costume creator Kermit Love dies of heart failure at 91
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The man who helped Jim Henson create the beloved "Sesame Street" character Big Bird has died from congestive heart failure. He was 91.
Kermit Love died Saturday. He was a prolific costume designer for some of ballet's most prominent choreographers, including luminaries like Twyla Tharp, Robert Joffrey and George Balanchine. His work creating costumes and masks caught Jim Henson's attention.
Henson designed the original sketches of Big Bird and Love then built the three-metre-tall yellow-feathered costume for "Sesame Street," which was first televised in the U.S. in 1969. It was Love's idea to add a few feathers designed to fall off, to create a more realistic feel.
Love also helped design costumes and puppets for Mr. Snuffleupagus, Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster, among other "Sesame Street" characters. He even appeared on the show himself as Willy, the fantasy neighborhood's resident hot dog vendor.
According to the New York Times, Love always insisted he wasn't the namesake of Henson's famous frog.
Love also designed costumes and puppets for theatre, film and advertising, including the Snuggle bear from the fabric softener commercials.
Anne Hathaway's ex-boyfriend arrested on fraud charges
NEW YORK (Reuters) - An Italian businessman who had been the long-time boyfriend of actress Anne Hathaway was arrested on Tuesday on charges of operating a fraudulent real estate scheme that he claimed was linked to the Vatican, U.S. authorities said.
Raffaello Follieri, 29, was charged with conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering in a criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. He was expected to appear in court later in the day.
Follieri is accused of operating a scheme in which he led investors to believe that he had close connections with the Vatican that enabled him to buy the Catholic Church's unwanted U.S. real estate properties at a discount, according to federal prosecutors and the FBI.
Follieri and others used the investors' money for expensive clothes and restaurant meals, a $37,000-a-month Manhattan apartment, dog-walking services and other personal expenditures including medical expenses for his girlfriend at the time, according to the complaint. Authorities did not identify the girlfriend.
For four years, Follieri had dated Hathaway, who starred in "Get Smart," "The Devil Wears Prada" and other movies. Last week, Britain's The Daily Mail reported that the two had split.
The complaint said Follieri, of Foggia, Italy, had made false representations that included claims that the Vatican formally appointed him to manage its financial affairs and that he met with the Pope when he visited Rome.
WITNESSES
In reality, according to the complaint, Follieri did not have any connections that allowed him to buy Church real estate at below-market rates.
The complaint cites witnesses who said Follieri kept various ceremonial robes at his office in New York, including those of senior clergymen. In one instance, according to the complaint, Follieri asked a monsignor who was traveling with him to change out of his robes "and put on the robe of a more senior clergyman in order to create the false impression that Follieri had close ties to the Vatican."
When asked for comment, Follieri's lawyer, Flora Edwards, said: "It's a little premature at this time. I am hopeful we will be able to resolve everything."
The complaint contends Follieri got millions of dollars in investment money from an unspecified private equity firm based on his misrepresentations. The fraudulent scheme lasted from June 2005 through June 2007, according to the complaint.
According to published reports, California supermarket mogul Ron Burkle has previously sued Follieri in Delaware of misusing money from a joint real estate venture involving buying and reselling properties owned by the Catholic Church.
In the complaint, Follieri was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, and five counts of money laundering.
If convicted, he could face as much as five years in prison for conspiracy, 20 years for wire fraud and 20 years in prison for money laundering, plus fines.