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Published: August 16, 2008
■ Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne does not want Sen. John McCain running on anything fueled by his lyrics. He sued McCain and the Ohio and national Republican committees in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Thursday, accusing them of using his song "Running on Empty" in an ad without his permission. The lawsuit says that the use of the song was an infringement of his copyright and will lead people to conclude that he endorses McCain. The suit says that Browne is a lifelong liberal who is as well-known for his music as for being "an advocate for social and environmental justice."
■ Donald Trump will soon be Ed McMahon's landlord. Trump said Thursday that he would save McMahon's Beverly Hills mansion from foreclosure by buying it for an undisclosed amount and leasing it to McMahon. He told the Los Angeles Times that he does not know McMahon personally, but acted out of compassion because helping out "would be an honor." McMahon, 85, who was Johnny Carson's sidekick on the Tonight show for 30 years, has not worked for about 18 months because of a neck injury. He defaulted on $4.8 million in mortgage loans with Countrywide Financial Corp. "When I was at the Wharton School of Business, I'd watch him every night," Trump told the Times. "How could this happen?" The home was listed at $4.6 million last weekend.
■ Hip-hop entrepreneur Percy Miller, aka Master P, is starting a family-friendly cable network. Named Better Black Television, the network will provide "positive content for a black and brown culture," the company said. BBTV, scheduled to start in 2009, will be a general-entertainment channel running a wide range of scripted, unscripted and news programming, including drama and comedy series, movies, animation, reality, politics, sports and entertainment news, children's educational, and teenage programming, as well as "responsible hip-hop music and videos." The BBTV advisory board members include Oscar winner Denzel Washington, NBA player Derek Anderson and hip-hop pioneer DJ Kool Herc.
■ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth installment in the blockbuster film franchise about boy wizard Harry, has been moved from its planned Nov. 21 release to July 17, 2009, distributor Warner Bros. said Thursday. The move was made to take advantage of an open weekend in Hollywood's busy summer season, said Alan Horn, Warner Bros. president and CEO. The change will mean a two-year gap between the film adaptations of the fifth and sixth books in J.K. Rowling's fantasy series. But it will shorten fans' wait between Half-Blood Prince and the final two installments, based on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which will be shot simultaneously next year and released in November 2010 and summer 2011.
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