People talk 6/26/03

Lee must post bond in lawsuit against Viacom

NEW YORK -- Spike Lee, who's suing to stop Viacom International from renaming its TNN cable channel as "Spike TV," must post a $2.5 million bond to cover the media giant's costs if it wins the case, a Manhattan judge said.

Lee had posted a $500,000 bond June 13 after winning a temporary injunction against Viacom's plan to rename TNN. State Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub gave him until Thursday to post the additional $2 million.

The 46-year-old director of films including "Malcolm X" and "Do the Right Thing" got the injunction after claiming that Viacom, owner of the CBS network, MTV and Showtime, was renaming TNN in a deliberate attempt to hijack his name, image and reputation.

On Tuesday, the judge revised the amount of Lee's bond after hearing testimony from TNN vice president Kevin Kay that the network had lost millions of dollars since the injunction and could lose millions more before the case goes to trial Aug. 18.

'N Sync singer Fatone makes wedding plans

LOS ANGELES -- Joey Fatone of 'N Sync, who has appeared on Broadway in "Rent" and is hosting the talent search show "Fame," is preparing for a new role -- husband.

Fatone said Tuesday he asked his longtime girlfriend, Kelly, to marry him June 18 in Orlando, Fla. He told host Craig Kilborn on CBS's "The Late Late Show" that the two have been dating for 10 years and have a 2-year-old daughter together.

The 26-year-old singer said his girlfriend had wanted to get engaged at the picturesque Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco but had never been there, so he draped a billboard of the building over the front of his house.

"So when I drove up I said, 'What's the one place that I didn't take you?"' Fatone said. "She saw the 'Palace of Fine Arts' ... I went on my knees, got all teary-eyed and I just froze for a second. So I was like, 'Hey, will you marry me?"'

Fatone's fiancee's full name was not released and no wedding date was available.

Lou Reed honored for musical contributions

LOS ANGELES -- Lou Reed took a walk on the wild side down to Hollywood's RockWalk, where he placed his handprints and signature outside the Guitar Center music store on Sunset Boulevard.

"I think that's fantastic," he said of the honor Tuesday. "I'm very, very surprised and really get a kick out of this."

Best known for the 1972 hit "Walk on the Wild Side," Reed recently came out with a compilation spanning 35 years in music called "NYC Man -- The Ultimate Lou Reed Collection." Other albums from the founding member of the seminal avant-garde rock group the Velvet Underground include "Berlin," "Metal Machine Music" and "Transformer."

Comedian's trial over casino fight delayed

NEW ORLEANS -- Comedian Jamie Foxx's trial on charges from a fight with guards at Harrah's casino was delayed Wednesday until Sept. 8.

Police have said Foxx, his sister, Diedra Dixon, and others in the entertainer's 10-person entourage refused a guard's order to show identification when they entered the casino near the French Quarter on April 26.

Police said Foxx splashed water from a fountain, cursed loudly, refused to leave when security guards asked and fought with officers. Dixon was accused of hitting a police officer while partially handcuffed, sending the officer to the hospital.

Foxx pleaded innocent to the misdemeanor charges. Dixon, of Tarzana, Calif., also pleaded innocent to misdemeanor battery on a police officer and resisting arrest charges.

The 35-year-old comedian was not in New Orleans municipal court on Wednesday.

Foxx, who lives in Hollywood, had been in town to film "Unchain My Heart," in which he stars as Ray Charles. He created and starred in "The Jamie Foxx Show" (1996-2001) and has appeared in other television shows and movies, including 1999's "Any Given Sunday."

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NEW YORK -- Kid Rock is mum on the state of his love life, but he wants to spread the word about supporting American troops in Iraq after he performed there as part of a USO tour.

"It was just unbelievable to be there and have the sense of kind of what was really important in life, like a respect, an appreciation for the people who were there putting their life at risk for our way of life, our country," he told The Associated Press Tuesday.

The 32-year-old rock-rapper went to Kuwait and Iraq last week to meet soldiers, along with John Stamos and his wife, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, the rap group Nappy Roots and other celebrities.

Kid Rock arrived at a military hangar in Baghdad expecting to just sign autographs. But when the thousands of troops started cheering him on, he gave an impromptu concert, using instruments on stage designated for a military band.

"I grabbed the guitar and started singing a cappella," he said. "John Stamos played the drums."

The entertainer said a few of the troops he talked to were worried that some Americans were upset over the war.

"I told them that 'the people I know, my loved ones, my family, my friends, we're all behind you guys 100 percent,"' he said. "If people are behind their troops, they really should be vocal about it, because it means the world to these kids who are putting their lives on the line for us."

While Kid Rock eagerly talked about his USO trip, he declined to discuss the state of his relationship with Pamela Anderson; although the two had been engaged, she recently described herself as being "free."

"I have no comment," he said.

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On the Net:

http://www.kidrock.com/

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LONDON -- Mohammed Al Fayed, owner of the Harrods department store, asked a Scottish court to review a decision turning down his request for a public inquiry into the death of his son in a Paris car crash that also killed Princess Diana.

Al Fayed's son, Dodi, and Diana died on Aug. 31, 1997.

Lawyers acting for Al Fayed submitted a petition to the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Scotland, an official said Tuesday.

Lord Drummond Young, a judge at the court, granted permission for the Egyptian-born tycoon to pursue the case, the British news agency Press Association reported.

Last year, France's highest court upheld the dismissal of manslaughter charges against nine photographers and a press motorcyclist, ending court battles over who was responsible for Diana's death. A judge ruled that drugs and alcohol taken by the car's driver, who died at the wheel, as well as excessive speed, caused the deaths.

Al Fayed's spokesman, Chester Stern, said the petition called for a judicial review of an earlier decision in Scotland not to hold a public inquiry there.

In February, Al Fayed, who owns an estate in Scotland, had written to the region's justice minister, Jim Wallace, calling for an inquiry. But he was told that such a hearing was beyond Scottish jurisdiction.

Stern said Al Fayed believes the French inquiry was "inadequate" and thinks Scottish courts will be fairer.

"All he wants to achieve is to have all the evidence and circumstances thoroughly investigated and aired in open court," Stern said. "He wants a forum whereby witnesses can be cross-examined and the proper judicial processes observed."

Al Fayed previously has suggested the deaths were a murder conspiracy plotted by people who disapproved of Diana's relationship with his son. He also has alleged a cover-up in the circumstances of the crash.

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HILTONS, Va. -- Johnny Cash says it's painful to play without his wife, June Carter Cash, who died last month. But getting back onstage is "a healing thing," especially when he can sing about his love of 40 years.

Carter Cash, who was born in the community of Maces Spring, died May 15 after complications from heart surgery. She would have been 74 on Monday.

"I don't know hardly what to say tonight about being up here without her," the 71-year-old singer told a crowd of more than 1,000 people who packed the Carter Fold Saturday.

"The pain is so severe there is no way of describing it," he said. "It really hurts."

Cash, wearing his trademark black, sang several of his hits, including "Folsom Prison Blues," "Ring of Fire" and "I Walk the Line." He was accompanied onstage and in song by his son, John Carter Cash, and daughter-in-law, Laura Cash.

"It's been a pleasure," Cash said before finishing. "It's been a painful experience ... but a healing thing to come back here to this wonderful place with you. (June) loved this valley and all these people and all you people. I wish I could share it more -- how we felt about each other."

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On the Net:

http://www.johnnycash.com/

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HONG KONG -- Hong Kong is turning to action star Jackie Chan to help draw visitors back to the territory after the SARS outbreak.

Hong Kong was removed Monday from the World Health Organization's list of SARS-infected territories, and officials immediately announced tourism incentives and events intended to restore glitz to Hong Kong.

Chan -- star of the "Shanghai Noon" and "Rush Hour" films -- will appear in a TV ad designed to refurbish Hong Kong's image, Tourism Board chairwoman Selina Chow told a news conference Monday.

"We're going to polish the Hong Kong brand until it's sparkling shiny," Chow said.

She didn't provide details, and Chan's office didn't immediately respond to a reporter's queries about the ad, part of a $51.3 million package to revive tourism.

Economic Development and Labor Secretary Stephen Ip said about 320,000 people visited Hong Kong during the first 15 days of June, a 73 percent jump from the same period in May.

But Chow cautioned that a full recovery to pre-SARS levels could take a year. Two hundred and ninety-six people have died from severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong.

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On the Net:

http://www.jackie-chan.com/