Buzz Briefs: Rapper DMX, Tyler Perry
Rapper DMX Arrested In Miami On Warrant
Rapper DMX is back behind bars in Miami after he was arrested by federal authorities for allegedly skipping out on a court appearance.
The 37-year-old, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was arrested Tuesday afternoon on a warrant issued by a Phoenix judge after he wasn't in court Friday. Attorney Charles Kozelka says the entertainer had been in and out of rehab in Florida for a couple of weeks.
DMX was being held at the Miami-Dade County jail. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of drug possession, identity theft and animal cruelty in Arizona.
He will be returned to Phoenix, where bond is set at $120,000.
Tyler Perry Wins Suit Over Copyright Infringement
A woman who accused actor-screenwriter Tyler Perry of stealing material from her play for his movie "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" lost her federal lawsuit against the entertainer on Tuesday.
Jurors in the East Texas town of Marshall found Donna West did not present evidence that supported her claim of copyright infringement.
In the lawsuit filed in May 2007, West argued that Perry lifted material from her "Fantasy of a Black Woman." The play was performed three times in 1991 in Dallas and West contended Perry could have gained access to the script in 1998 when he presented his plays at the Dallas Black Academy of Arts and Letters.
Perry, who testified during the trial, insisted that his screenplay is an original work. His work on the film gained him several awards and nominations.
Attorneys for West plan to seek a new trial.
Belafonte's Ownership Of Historic MLK Jr. Docs Questioned
The estate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is objecting to Sotheby's planned auction of three historic King documents. The estate says the papers being offered for sale by singer-actor Harry Belafonte are actually the property of the estate.
In a statement Wednesday, the estate said the papers are part of a collection that Belafonte "wrongly acquired" through a Beverly Hills, Calif., auction house. Belafonte says that the papers, which include King's handwritten draft of his first anti-Vietnam war speech in 1967, were given to him by King or his wife, Coretta, after King's assassination in 1968.
Screen Actors Guild Sets Strike Vote On Jan. 2
The Screen Actors Guild plans to send strike authorization ballots to its 120,000 members on Jan. 2.
The votes will be counted on Jan. 23, which will not be in time to potentially disrupt the Golden Globe Awards like the writers' strike did last year.
Approval by 75 percent of members is required to pass the measure. If approved, the SAG national board can call a strike.
Guild President Alan Rosenberg said in a statement Wednesday that the future of professional actors is at stake.
The guild is at odds with Hollywood studios over the treatment of Internet productions and over the benefits that actors can get when earthquakes or other unforeseen events shut down productions. For instance, actors have an outstanding claim for payments they say they are due for work lost during the 100-day strike by writers last year.
King Of Pop's Famous Glittery Glove For Sale
Michael Jackson's glittery glove is going on the auction block.
The glove, which inspired countless copycats, quips and Halloween costumes after it was unveiled in the 1983 video for Jackson's hit "Billie Jean," will be part of a five-day auction next year, Julien's Auctions announced Wednesday.
Jackson is also unloading the grandiose gates that once led to his Neverland Ranch, along with more than 2,000 other personal items.
The King of Pop's possessions will be on display before the auction begins on April 21. Bids will be accepted in person and online. The sale is to be broadcast live on Auction Network.
Jackson plans to donate a portion of the proceeds to MusiCares, a charitable organization founded by the Recording Academy to help musicians in need.
Paula Abdul: Fox, "Idol" Producers Went Too Far
Paula Abdul says the Fox network and "American Idol" producers knew Paula Goodspeed had stalked her, and allowed the woman to audition for the show anyway.
"I said, 'This girl is a stalker of mine and please do not let her in,'" Abdul said Monday during an interview with Barbara Walters on her Sirius XM radio show.
Goodspeed was found dead of an apparent suicide in a car near Abdul's home in November.
Abdul said "Idol" producers ignored her protests and brought Goodspeed on the show "for entertainment value."
Fantasia's N.C. Home Up For Auction
"American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino is again finding that, like the title of her autobiography, life is not a fairy tale.
Court documents obtained Tuesday show one of Barrino's houses in Charlotte is up for auction by a company that said Barrino failed to repay money it loaned her to cover her taxes in 2006.
The Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office is scheduled to sell the home, valued at $1.1 million, in January. The home isn't in foreclosure, but rather is being used to compensate the company that loaned Barrino money to cover taxes.
Barrino, whose autobiography is titled "Life is Not a Fairy Tale," has rapidly ascended to stardom after winning the third season of "American Idol" in 2004.