Rapper being sued

Rapper being sued

NEW YORK — Busta Rhymes has been sued by a man who alleges the rapper and his crew beat him after he spit on one of their cars. In the lawsuit filed Monday in Manhattan state Supreme Court, Roberto LeBron, 20, charged that he was kicked in the head after an encounter with Rhymes and his nine bodyguards in August 2006. Rhymes’ attorney, Scott Leemon, said he hadn’t seen the lawsuit. The 35-year-old rapper, whose real name is Trevor Smith, faces trial in the assault of a fan after an Aug. 12, 2006, performance at a music festival on Randalls Island. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the lawsuit was connected to that matter. Rhymes also faces separate trials on charges that he drove drunk, drove with a suspended license, and beat and kicked a former employee.

Singer faces jail

LONDON — Pete Doherty must prove his desire to quit drugs within a month or face a jail sentence, a judge warned Tuesday. The 28-year-old lead singer of Babyshambles has admitted possessing quantities of crack cocaine, heroin, cannabis and ketamine, as well as to two driving offenses. Judges ordered him to take part in a detoxification program, but a review of his progress Tuesday found he had tested positive for drugs in initial tests. “If he does not show his motivation, it’s prison, as simple as that,” Judge Davinder Lachlar said at the review hearing. “Depending on what information I have when you next come to court, the decision will be made.” Doherty, best known as the ex-boyfriend of supermodel Kate Moss, has been undergoing drug treatment under court order because of previous convictions.

Musician hospitalized

VIENNA, Austria — Joe Zawinul, who performed and recorded with Miles Davis, has been hospitalized with an undisclosed illness, officials said Tuesday. Zawinul, 75, was admitted to Vienna’s Wilhelmina Clinic on Sunday, the Viennese Hospital Association said. The group declined to confirm reports by Austrian public broadcaster ORF that Zawinul was seriously ill, saying the musician had requested that his rights as a patient and a private person be respected. Zawinul won widespread acclaim for his keyboard work on chart-topping Davis albums such as “In a Silent Way” and “Bitches Brew.” He was a leading force behind the so-called “Electric Jazz” movement. Zawinul is credited with bringing the electric piano and synthesizer into the jazz mainstream.

Today’s birthdays

Producer Dino DeLaurentiis is 88. Actress Esther Williams is 86. Actor Richard Anderson is 81. Joan Mondale (wife of former Vice President Walter F. Mondale) is 77. Actress Nita Talbot is 77. Singer Mel Tillis is 75. Actor Dustin Hoffman is 70. Actress Connie Stevens is 69. Country singer Phil Balsley (The Statler Brothers) is 68. Actor Larry Wilcox is 60. Actor Keith Carradine is 58. Rhythm-and-blues singer Airrion Love (The Stylistics) is 58. Country singer Jamie O’Hara is 57. Movie director Martin Brest is 56. Actor Donny Most is 54. Rock musician Dennis Drew (10,000 Maniacs) is 50. TV personality Deborah Norville is 49. Actor-singer Harry Crosby is 49. Rock musician The Edge (U2) is 46. Rock musician Rikki Rockett (Poison) is 46. Rapper Kool Moe Dee is 45. Rock musician Ralph Rieckermann is 45. Rock singer Scott Stapp is 34. Country singer Mark Wills is 34. Actor Kohl Sudduth is 33. Rock musician Tom Linton (Jimmy Eat World) is 32. Singer JC Chasez (*NSync) is 31. Rhythm-and-blues singer Drew Lachey (98 Degrees) is 31. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marsha Ambrosius (Floetry) is 30. Actress Countess Vaughn is 29. Actress Meagan Good is 26. Britain’s Princess Beatrice of York is 19.