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Pop singer pleads guilty after incident at pub

LONDON -- Pop singer Adam Ant pleaded guilty on Tuesday to brawling after he threatened pub patrons with a starting pistol for laughing at his clothing.

The 47-year-old appeared at the Old Bailey court under his real name of Stuart Goddard to face a single charge over the incident at the Prince of Wales pub in north London on Jan. 12.

The prosecution dropped three other charges of criminal damage, assault causing actual bodily harm and possession of an imitation firearm. Ant was released on bail until Oct. 2 for sentencing.

In an earlier hearing, prosecution lawyers told the court that Ant's appearance in the pub wearing a "cowboy" ensemble of combat jacket and matching flat cap caused customers to laugh and hum the theme song from the spaghetti Western "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly."

Ant left the bar but returned later armed with a starting pistol that he said was a wartime heirloom belonging to his father, lawyer David Tomlinson said.

After Ant threw a car alternator through the pub window, hitting a local musician, some of the patrons chased him down the street.

The singer was spotted a half hour later hailing a cab, and police arrested him.

The singer, famous for his painted face and flamboyant wardrobe, scored a string of hits in the '80s including "Stand and Deliver," "Prince Charming," and "Goody Two Shoes." He'd been scheduled to headline a nostalgia tour this spring.

Actor urges president to attend EarthSummit

LOS ANGELES -- Calling the United States the world's biggest polluter, Leonardo DiCaprio urged President Bush to make a statement in favor of the environment by attending the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, later this month.

"Mr. Bush, we're asking for your support, to be the president that looks towards the future," DiCaprio said Monday at a rally organized by Global Green USA, an affiliate of Green Cross International.

Bush hasn't said whether he'll join some 100 world leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Mexican President Vicente Fox and French President Jacques Chirac, at the summit.

The 27-year-old "Titanic" star also complained that the Bush administration has opted out of the Kyoto Protocol, an international climate treaty with mandatory controls for industry "despite the fact that we are the biggest economy and the biggest polluter."

Soap star takes former accountant to court

NEW YORK -- Soap opera actress Eileen Fulton sued her former accountant and his firm for $1.1 million, claiming they were negligent in seeing that her taxes were paid and returns were filed.

Fulton, who plays Lisa Miller on "As the World Turns," filed the lawsuit Monday in state Supreme Court in Manhattan against Ed Weisel and the accounting firm of Silver, Laski and Weisel.

According to court papers, Eiful Productions, of which Fulton is president, hired Weisel and his firm to do accounting before 1995. That work included preparing tax returns, filing them and paying all due taxes from Eiful's income.

The lawsuit alleges that in 1996 and 1997, the defendants failed to pay the full amount of taxes due. In 1998 and 1999, the defendants didn't file returns or pay taxes, and Eiful was assessed more than $60,000 in tax, interest and penalties, the lawsuit said.

-- From wire reports