Paramedic charged in Travolta extortion plot

January 27, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

NASSAU, Bahamas — A paramedic has been charged in an alleged plot to extort $25 million from John Travolta after his teenage son suffered a seizure and died at the family’s home in the Bahamas.

Magistrate Carolita Bethel says 47-year-old Tarino Lightbourne pleaded not guilty Monday to attempting to extort and conspiracy to extort from the actor. Details of the alleged scheme have still not been made public.

Prosecutor Bernard Turner is objecting to bail. He says police are looking for a “certain document” and believe they may not find it if Lightbourne is released. A Bahamian senator also accused of extortion has resigned and vowed to prove her innocence.

Travolta’s 16-year-old son Jett died Jan 2.

Liens are filed against Tyler Perry’s property

ATLANTA — Six construction companies have filed liens against actor-screenwriter Tyler Perry’s home and movie studio, claiming they are owed thousands of dollars in unpaid bills.

Fulton County court documents show the companies claim they are owed nearly $200,000 for work on Perry’s 30,000-square-foot home and production studio in Atlanta.

Perry tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he withheld payment from the companies for undocumented charges or sloppy work. He tells the newspaper he is being treated unfairly because he is a celebrity.

The 39-year-old Perry has a new movie, “Madea Goes to Jail,” debuting Feb. 20.

‘Thriller’ the musical coming to Broadway?

NEW YORK — Producer James L. Nederlander says he has acquired the rights for a stage version of “Thriller,” Michael Jackson’s iconic music-video spoof of horror films. The show will include songs from two of the pop king’s best-selling albums, “Thriller” and “Off the Wall.”

“The Nederlanders and Michael Jackson represent live theater and musical excellence, so let the music begin,” Tohme Tohme, a spokesman for Jackson, said Monday in a statement.

“I love the idea of making ‘Thriller’ a musical. Girl meets boy, they fall in love, boy has big secret, now what?” said Nederlander, head of the company that owns nine Broadway theaters.

Prince got dumped on Facebook site

LONDON — Britain’s News of the World tabloid says Chelsy Davy announced the end of her relationship with Prince Harry by changing her status on Facebook to: “Relationship: Not in One.”

The couple met in 2004, and their reported breakup marks the end of a five-year relationship. According to the News of the World, the relationship became strained because the pair spent long periods apart.

Davy is studying law at Leeds University in northern England while Prince Harry is training to become a helicopter pilot.

West End theaters set sales mark in ’08

LONDON — London’s West End theaters defied a tide of economic gloom with record ticket sales in 2008, according to figures released Monday.

The Society of London Theatre, an industry group, said box office revenue for London’s 52 main commercial and government-subsidized theaters was more than $652 million in 2008, the highest figure ever and a 3 percent increase from the year before.

Attendance was 13.8 million, 1 percent more than in 2007.

The bulk of the tickets sold — just over 9 million — were for musicals, which included such popular shows as “Dirty Dancing,” “Billy Elliot,” “Hairspray” and “Wicked.” Almost 3 million people saw plays, and 1.8 million attended opera, dance and other live performances.

Today’s birthdays

Singer Bobby “Blue” Bland is 79. Actor James Cromwell (“Babe”) is 69. Drummer Nick Mason of Pink Floyd is 64. Singer Nedra Talley of The Ronettes is 63. Dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov is 61. Actress Mimi Rogers is 53. Guitarist Janick Gers of Iron Maiden is 52. TV commentator Keith Olbermann is 50. Country singer Tracy Lawrence is 41. Rapper Tricky is 41.