LOS ANGELES — A Livonia, Mich., man says the price of movie theater popcorn is ridiculously high. Same goes for the sodas and candies sold by movie concessionaires.

So Joshua Thompson is taking the issue to a higher authority: He’s filed suit to end what he says is price gouging.

Thompson used to bypass the high prices charged for theater popcorn, soda and candy by bringing in his own treats, said his attorney, Kerry Morgan. But Thompson arrived at his local theater outside Detroit recently to find a sign telling customers they were no longer allowed to bring in their own goodies.

“He called me and said, ‘Can they do that?’ ” Morgan told the Los Angeles Times. The attorney said he began doing a little legal research and came across the Michigan Consumer Protection Act, a statute designed to prevent price gouging.

And a lawsuit was born.

The lawsuit, which seeks refunds in a class action on behalf of moviegoers who were overcharged, was filed last week in Wayne County Circuit Court against AMC Theatres.

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An AMC spokesman said he couldn’t comment on pending litigation.

Obese man’s plea for aid draws high-profile support

LIVERMORE, Calif. — A morbidly obese Northern California man whose tearful, videotaped plea for help became a YouTube sensation may be getting the support he wanted.

The “Dr. Phil” show and former contestants from “The Biggest Loser” have reached out to Robert Gibbs since he posted his three-minute video last week, the Contra Costa Times reported.

Gibbs, 23, of Livermore mentioned both programs in his clip, which has been viewed more than a million times.

He estimates his weight to be 600 to 700 pounds. On the video, Gibbs says he fears he won’t live long enough to see his nephew and niece grow up or to have a family of his own.

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Prince Harry ‘beats’ world’s fastest man

KINGSTON, Jamaica — It wasn’t much of a race, but then it really couldn’t have been as the world’s fastest man and Britain’s Prince Harry met up on a track Tuesday in the Jamaican capital.

Wearing a track suit emblazoned with Jamaica’s colors of green, black and gold, the prince got off to a blatant false start and was about 50 meters down the track as Usain Bolt bent over with laughter. The Olympic medalist then jogged up to a grinning Harry, making one of his signature skyward points for a crowd of onlookers at the University of the West Indies in the Jamaican capital.

Harry then joined Bolt for a few pointing poses to an appreciative crowd.

Later, they exchanged pleasantries and discussed running for a small audience. Harry noted Jamaica’s global reputation as a track and field powerhouse and said it was impressive for a small nation of nearly 3 million.

“Don’t go running off to America because you have a clear talent your country needs,” he told a group of up-and-coming Jamaican athletes as he sat beside Bolt.

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Harry is touring the Caribbean as part of a Diamond Jubilee tour in honor of Queen Elizabeth II as she celebrates 60 years on the throne. The prince, who made earlier stops in the Bahamas and Belize, arrived by private jet and received a 21-gun salute from members of the Jamaica Defense Force.

Harry also met with the new prime minister, Portia Simpson Miller, who repeated her position that Jamaica should sever ties with the British monarchy after a lighthearted lunch with Harry and several guests at a 19th-century Georgian-style mansion. Jamaica has been independent from Britain since 1962 but still recognizes the queen of England as the titular head of state.

“This is just another phase in our political history,” she said after the lunch, offering no deadline for a possible change.

Though many older Jamaicans are fond of the woman affectionately called “Mrs. Queen,” pro-republic sentiment on the island has increased in recent years.

But Simpson Miller stressed that Jamaica would continue to have very close ties with Britain and that she harbored no bad feelings toward the queen.


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