Ambulance Was Turned Away After Richardson Accident

Sarah Burke's case puts spotlight on US system

(NEWSER) - Fans of iconic freestyle skier Sarah Burke were shocked by her death in Utah earlier this month —and horrified by the huge bill she racked up during her nine days in a coma . The Canadian star's insurance did not cover the event where she was fatally injured and observers north and south of the border see her bill—initially thought to be $550,000, but now believed to be around $200,000—as an example of the problems with the US health care system, MSNBC reports. But fans and supporters from around the world have picked up the tab, donating more than $300,000 as of yesterday. More»

Grief 'hits me in the middle of the night'

(NEWSER) - Nearly two years after his wife's death , Liam Neeson is finally ready to talk about Natasha Richardson. In Esquire , Tom Chiarella offers a touching account of his interview with Neeson. Highlights:

• On Neeson's arrival at the hospital after the accident: "I walked into the emergency ... and for the first time in years, nobody recognizes me. Not the nurses. The patients. No one. And I've come all this way, and they won't let me see her." Finally, a nurse recognized him and directed him to Richardson's room. "I'll tell you, I was so f***ing grateful—for the first time in I don't know how long—to be recognized. ... So I get there, just in time. And all these young doctors, who look all of eighteen years of age, they tell me the worst. The worst."
• Why he went back to work right after her death: "I just think I was still in a bit of shock. But it's kind of a no-brainer to go back to that work. It's a wee bit of a blur, but I know the tragedy hadn't just really smacked me yet. I think I survived by running away some. Running away to work."

Neeson spotted twice with English businesswoman, mom of 2

(NEWSER) - A year and a half after the tragic death of his wife , Liam Neeson may have found love again. He's been spotted twice with English businesswoman Freya St. Johnston: once enjoying a hand-in-hand walk after dinner in London, the second time having another cozy dinner together in New York. The New York Post helpfully notes that St. Johnston, the first woman Neeson's been seen with since Natasha Richardson's death last March, looks a lot like Richardson. More»

Linney reflects on love and loss in NYT profile

(NEWSER) - Laura Linney is nice—so nice that Frank Bruni tries to force her to be mean, by bringing up onetime costar Alicia Silverstone. (Linney studied at Juilliard; Silverstone starred in Aerosmith videos.) But no such luck: “Oh, I love her,” Linney says, with not a trace of sarcasm. “She’s a really great actress who’s not been respected.” Bruni fears his New York Times magazine profile on Linney will be “the fluffiest of the puffiest of articles”—instead, it provides insight into the celebrated actress who has managed to keep her feet on the ground. More»

Actress buried in same cemetery as mother, Natasha Richardson

(AP) - Friends and family said final goodbyes to Lynn Redgrave yesterday and laid the 67-year-old actress to rest near her mother amid the rolling hills of upstate New York. The star of Georgy Girl died Sunday at her home in Kent, Conn., surrounded by her children. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. At a private funeral near her Connecticut home yesterday morning, pall bearers carried a basket-weave casket adorned with flowers through a light drizzle into the First Congregational Church of Kent. More»