News

In a statement posted on Erasure's Web site, Bell, 40, said he had been diagnosed with the virus that causes AIDS in 1998 after falling ill with pneumonia on a trip to the Spanish island of Mallorca.

Bell, who recently had a double hip replacement, said he remained healthy and was "feeling fine -- in fact I have never felt better."

"Being HIV does not mean that you have AIDS. My life expectancy should be the same as anyone else's, so there is no need to panic," he said.

"There is still so much hysteria and ignorance surrounding HIV and AIDS. Let's just get on with life, i.e. music, doing a live tour and generally having a good time."

Bell and former Depeche Mode and Yazoo keyboardist Vince Clarke formed Erasure in 1985 and have had hits including "A Little Respect," "Sometimes" and "Ship of Fools."

Fire destroys 'Love Shack'

The tin roof and a burned-out frame are all that remain of a cabin in Athens, Ga., believed to have inspired the B-52's '80s party hit "Love Shack."

Athens-Clarke County fire officials said Thursday they considered the fire that gutted the unoccupied five-room cabin set back in a field "suspicious" and hadn't ruled out arson.

Fire Inspector Reginald Hunter said Monday's early morning fire couldn't have been caused by faulty electrical wiring or a gas leak because the cabin wasn't hooked up for utilities. He said building supplies used for renovating the house had been stolen.

Other properties near Athens -- where the quirky band known for towering beehive wigs and catchy, oddball pop songs formed in 1976 -- also have been credited with being the Love Shack. But it's known that singer Kate Pierson lived in the cabin in the 1970s.

"I just was in touch with the B-52's," said Allisa Huestis of Atlanta, who had planned to move into the renovated house next week. "They said it was the original Love Shack and was where they created 'Rock Lobster,"' the popular song from the band's 1979 self-titled debut album.

B-52's publicist Bradford Cobb said Pierson wasn't available for comment.

"Love Shack," released in 1989, became the B-52's first Top 10 hit, rising to No. 3 on the Top 40 charts.

Hugh Grant to judge literary competition

Organizers of the Whitbread Book of the Year Award in London have named Hugh Grant to the panel of judges for the 2004 prize.

Sponsor Whitbread PLC announced Wednesday that the 44-year-old star of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill" would join a panel that includes broadcasters Trevor McDonald and Mariella Frostrup, lawmaker Michael Portillo and Lord Hattersley, a former deputy leader of the Labour Party.

On the award's Web site, Grant -- who studied English at Oxford University -- cited Kingsley Amis' "Lucky Jim," Philip Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint," Vladimir Nabokov's "Speak, Memory" and "The Blessing" by Nancy Mitford as his favorite books.

The annual Whitbread Book Awards were established in 1971 and are Britain's longest-running literary competition. They are open to residents of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

Winners in each of five categories -- novel, first novel, biography, poetry and children's book -- will be announced Jan. 6. One of the five, selected by Grant and his fellow judges, will win the $58,000 book of the year prize on Jan. 25.

Previous celebrity judges have included model Jerry Hall and actor Ralph Fiennes.

Motley Crue singer accused of assault

Motley Crue singer Vince Neil is accused of knocking out an employee of a Dallas nightclub after a disagreement over sound levels during a concert.

An arrest warrant for misdemeanor assault was issued Wednesday for Neil in the fight at Gilley's Dallas during an Oct. 30 show.

Gilley's soundman Michael Talbert was knocked unconscious by a punch allegedly thrown by Neil that pushed him to the floor. A CAT scan showed a mild concussion, Talbert told The Dallas Morning News for a story in Thursday's editions.

According to a police report attached to the warrant, the singer motioned for more guitar volume but bolted across the stage as Talbert adjusted it. The affidavit said Neil jumped onto the soundboard, kicked at Talbert, then punched him in the face.

The soundman was knocked unconscious for about 45 seconds, the warrant said.

Motley Crue members have announced a reunion tour.

Dallas police and prosecutors said if Neil doesn't contact them about the warrant, they probably will wait to act on it when he returns to the area.

Police had given the 43-year-old singer a criminal-trespass warning before he left the club and headed to Houston for a Halloween show.

Don Johnson climbs out of debt

Don Johnson can breathe easy again.

All the creditors listed on bankruptcy petitions involving the former "Miami Vice" and "Nash Bridges" star have been paid off, Denver lawyer Lee Kutner said Tuesday.

Kutner said Johnson's companies should be emerging from bankruptcy soon.

"He has obtained new financing," Kutner said.

Los Angeles-based City National Bank sued Johnson in March, seeking to force an auction of his 17-acre ranch near Aspen, Colo., to recoup $930,000 it claimed he owed. The ranch was put up for sale for $21 million, but Johnson ended up paying the debt in time.

Other bills paid include Aspen Valley Hospital ($7,345), the Of Grape & Grain liquor store ($377), Aspen's Isberian Rug Co. ($1,228), Planted Earth in Carbondale ($764) and the Aspen law firm of Garfield & Hecht ($2,787).

"He paid his bill and he paid it in full," said Joan Boyles, owner of Carbondale Crystal River Valley Spas, which was owed $4,966.

Johnson's well-documented grocery bill of $5,740 to Clark's Market, which sued him earlier this year and won, has also been paid, according to court papers filed last week in Pitkin County Court.

The grocery tab saga was the stuff of gossip for supermarket tabloids. The Woody Creek Tavern, near Johnson's estate, at one point had a tip jar asking for contributions to bail him out.

Michael Jackson's ex-wife seeks visitation rights

Michael Jackson's ex-wife Deborah Rowe is seeking visitation rights with their children, according to court documents.

Jackson lawyer Thomas Hall said in the Los Angeles Superior Court filing Wednesday that he is preparing an appeal of a recent decision by a retired judge regarding the matter. Hall plans to file documents from the case and asks that they be sealed because they contain information about Jackson's assets and liabilities.

The lawyer says that while the issue is separate from Jackson's criminal case in Santa Barbara County, that matter has "exponentially increased the press attention on the parties and their lives."

Rowe's lawyer, Iris Finsilver, who participated by speakerphone in a hearing Wednesday, opposed the request.

Judge Robert Schnider continued the case until Feb. 2.

Rowe and Jackson were married in 1996 in Sydney, Australia, after they announced that Rowe, who worked as a nurse for Jackson's plastic surgeon, was carrying the pop star's child.

The marriage ended in 1999 after Rowe filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Their two children, Paris, who is 5 or 6, and Prince Michael, who is 8, reportedly live with Jackson.

Rowe gave up all parental rights in 2001, but applied for custody of the children two years later, after which both sides agreed to have retired Superior Court Judge Stephen Lachs preside over the case.

Lachs denied custody but also voided the order terminating Rowe's parental rights. Rowe then filed applications, including one seeking "settlement" terms with Jackson. All were all denied by Lachs, according to court documents.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

• Most Read
• Most E-mailed
• Latest News