NEW YORK (Reuters) – Fans of “Nurse Jackie,” “Weeds,” and “The Big C” will recognize the quirky lead of “The English Teacher” as she steps out of her straight-laced life to encounter unexpected consequences, the movie’s director said in an interview.

In “The English Teacher,” which has its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Friday, lead character Linda Sinclair, played by Julianne Moore, tries to mount a high school production of a play written by a former student (Michael Angarano) who has returned to his small hometown in Pennsylvania.

NEW YORK, April 25 (Reuters) – Fans of “Nurse Jackie,”
“Weeds,” and “The Big C” will recognize the quirky lead of “The
English Teacher” as she steps out of her straight-laced life to
encounter unexpected consequences, the movie’s director said in
an interview.

In “The English Teacher,” which has its world premiere at
the Tribeca Film Festival on Friday, lead character Linda
Sinclair, played by Julianne Moore, tries to mount a high school
production of a play written by a former student (Michael
Angarano) who has returned to his small hometown in
Pennsylvania.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The dark comedy “Trust Me,” playing at the Tribeca Film Festival, paints an uncomfortable picture of backstabbing and subterfuge in the film industry that drew from all – and none – of creator Clark Gregg’s personal experiences.

As the film’s screenwriter, lead actor and director, Gregg said he had started out writing a big ensemble movie with several story lines, one of which became “Trust Me,” about the travails of agent Howard Holloway.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Superstorm Sandy shifted the sands of the New Jersey shore’s summer rental landscape, where some resort towns are suffering lasting effects of the barrage and others are, as they say, cleaning up.

Summer rentals are a backbone of the tourist season along the 127-mile stretch of coastline and barrier islands, where vacationers flock to the beaches and boardwalks that are convenient to New York and Philadelphia and more affordable than the celebrity-studded Hamptons on New York’s Long Island.

By Ellen Wulfhorst

(Reuters) – Fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer died on Sunday in Palm Beach, Florida, at age 81, her company said.

Pulitzer was known for her bright, cheerful print shift dresses that were popular with socialites and evoked a lifestyle of affluence in Florida and New York’s Hamptons resorts.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Manhattan nanny accused of fatally stabbing two young children in her care has been found fit by two psychiatrists to stand trial, prosecutors said on Friday.

A psychiatric examination report was filed in court that found Jocelyn Ortega is able to participate in her own defense, according to a spokesman for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

By Ellen Wulfhorst

(Reuters) – A human head discovered on a New Jersey golf course 24 years ago has been identified and is believed to be the first victim of serial killer Joel Rifkin, according to police.

The head belonged to Heidi Balch, who was murdered and dismembered at age 25 in New York, according to a statement issued on Monday by the Hopewell Township, New Jersey police.

AVON-BY-THE-SEA, New Jersey (Reuters) – As the spring sun glinted off the Atlantic Ocean at the tiny resort town of Avon-by-the-Sea, a small brown and white dog raced gleefully down the empty beach.

“He’s the only one getting anything done,” muttered a scowling hard-hat worker, frustrated over the pace of rebuilding the town’s boardwalk, which was demolished by Superstorm Sandy.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, considered a front-runner to be New York’s next mayor, officially launched her candidacy on Sunday for the job that would make her the city’s first female and first openly gay mayor.

The Democratic Quinn, 46, made her announcement on Twitter, saying: “It’s official. I’m running for mayor to fight for the middle class.”

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A New York City man with a lengthy criminal record surrendered to police on Wednesday, ending a manhunt for the driver who fled a hit-and-run car crash that killed a young Orthodox Jewish couple and whose baby was later delivered by C-section but then died, police said.

Julio Acevedo, 44, of Brooklyn, surrendered shortly after 5 p.m. EST to New York City detectives in the parking lot of a convenience store in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, said New York City Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne.