By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer 35 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - Sean “Diddy” Combs has denied a report by the Los Angeles Times that his associates were responsible for the 1994 robbery and shooting of Tupac Shakur at a New York recording studio, and that he knew about the attack in advance.

“The story is a lie,” the hip-hop mogul said in a statement Monday. “It is beyond ridiculous and completely false. Neither (the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.) nor I had any knowledge of any attack before, during or after it happened. … I am shocked that the Los Angeles Times would be so irresponsible as to publish such a baseless and completely untrue story.”

The 1994 shooting triggered the celebrated feud between East and West Coast rappers that led to the killings of Shakur and B.I.G.

The Times said its story was based on FBI records, interviews with people at the scene of the 1994 shooting, and statements to the FBI by an informant. None of the sources were named. The story said that Combs — who was overseeing B.I.G.’s white-hot career at the time — and others lured Shakur to the studio because of his disrespect toward them.

The story said that talent manager James Rosemond and promoter James Sabatino arranged the assault. They and Combs declined to be interviewed for the story, which appeared on the Los Angeles Times Web site but not in its paper publication.

It was not clear why the story, written by Chuck Philips, was only published online. Telephone and e-mail messages to the Times were not immediately returned.

Rosemond called the story a “libelous piece of garbage.”

“In the past 14 years, I have not even been questioned by law enforcement with regard to the assault of Tupac Shakur, let alone brought up on charges,” he said in a statement. “Chuck Philips, the writer … has reached a new low by employing fourth-hand information from desperate jailhouse informants along with ancient FBI reports to create this fabrication. I simply ask for all rap fans and fans of Tupac to analyze this fiction for what it is.”

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On the Net:

http://www.latimes.com

By The Associated Press 17 minutes ago

Text of statement released by the Family Court on the financial settlement for Heather Mills in her divorce from Paul McCartney:

This is a summary of the judgment handed down today (17 March 2008). It is not a summary of every issue in the judgment. This summary forms no part of the judgment. The court ruled that the judgment should be published but upon Ms. Mills’ application granted a stay of such publication pending her appeal to the Court of Appeal.

1. The fundamental issue was what financial provision should be made for Ms. Mills. She sought an award of almost 125 million pounds ($250 million). Sir Paul proposed that the wife should exit the marriage with assets of 15.8 million pounds ($31.6 million) inclusive of any lump sum award.

2. The judge decided that the husband should pay the wife a lump sum of 16.5 million pounds ($33 million) which together with her assets of 7.8 million pounds ($15.6 million) (which include her current properties) means that she exits her marriage with total assets of 24.3 million pounds ($48.6 million) inclusive of a deemed figure of 500,000 pounds ($1 million) referable to her overspending in the period of separation.

3. The judge found that the total value of all the husband’s assets, including his business assets, was about 400 million pounds ($800 million). There was no evidence at all before him that he was worth 800 million pounds ($1.6 billion).

4. The judge found that although the parties met in 1999 and formed a relationship, the parties did not cohabit from March 2000 but did so from the date of the marriage (11 June 2002). The parties separated in April 2006. The length of the marriage was just under four years.

5. The judge refused to permit either party to raise as an issue the alleged conduct of the other on the broad ground that it was irrelevant.

6. The judge, in undertaking the exercise prescribed by section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act, 1973, decided that the needs of the wife were a factor of magnetic importance.

7. The lump sum of 16.5 million pounds ($33 million) is made up of a sum of 14 million pounds ($28 million) as the capitalized figure for the wife’s income needs, which the judge assessed at 600,000 pounds ($1.2 million) per annum, and a sum of 2.5 million pounds ($5 million) for the wife to buy a property in London.

8. Financial provision for Beatrice consists of a periodical payments order of 35,000 pounds ($70,000) per annum, the husband agreeing to pay for her nanny and her school fees.

9. The court made an order in the following terms:

Save for the release of the judgment and Order dated 17 March 2008 the Wife and the Husband and any persons acting on their behalves are strictly prohibited from publishing, disclosing, or in any way revealing without the consent of the other, the evidence, correspondence, transcripts, judgments or Orders in the proceedings concerning (a) the child of the family, (b) the main suit, (c) the cross-applications for ancillary relief, and (d) any marital confidences. If consent is not forthcoming then the party seeking publication shall be entitled to seek the permission of a Family Division Judge to do so.

10. The judge expressed his confidence that the media would respect the privacy and confidentiality of the Children Act and ancillary relief proceedings, including evidence and submissions (oral and in writing) given within both sets of proceedings.

Josh Grossberg Mon Mar 17, 7:11 AM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Ola Brunkert, a former drummer for ABBA and one of only two musicians to play on all of the Swedish pop superstars' albums, died in a freak accident at his home on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

According to authorities, Brunkert fell into a glass door in his dining room and slashed his throat. He apparently attempted to stanch the blood flow with a towel and apparently went outside to call neighbors for help. But he lost consciousness and collapsed.

According to published reports, a neighbor discovered Brunkert 's body, in a pool of blood, in the garden outside the musician's home Sunday evening.

The 62-year-old had sustained major cuts to his neck. An autopsy later confirmed investigators' findings that he died accidentally.

A renowned session drummer, Brunkert's tenure with ABBA began with the famed foursome's 1973 debut album, Ring Ring, and lasted through their swan song, 1981's The Visitors.

He played on all of ABBA's memorable hits—"Waterloo," "Fernando," "Dancing Queen" and "Take a Chance on Me"—and also provided the beats when the band toured.

"I remember him as a good friend when we worked together in the mid-1970s," ABBA cofounder Björn Ulvaeus told the Swedish newspaper Expressen. "He was a very creative musician who contributed a lot when we toured together and worked in the studio."

Fellow ABBA mastermind Benny Andersson said the loss of Brunkert was "tragic," calling the drummer "one of the best."

Per the band's Website, Brunkert was a jazz drummer who got his start with a blues outfit called Slim's Blues Gang and the pop act Science Poption in the mid-1960s. He segued into session work and collaborated with ABBA on its very first single, "People Need Love."

He and bassist Rutger Gunnarsson were a key part of the quartet's rhythm section, playing on all the studio albums and touring with the band in 1977, 1979 and 1980.

Ulvaeus, Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad broke up in 1982.

Brunkert and his wife, Inga—who passed away less than a year ago—retired to Arta, on the eastern end of the Mediterranean island, where he occasionally played with a jazz troupe.

ABBA remain as popular as ever. Thanks in part to the hugely successful musical Mamma Mia!, (a movie starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan is due out in October), the band sells about 3 million albums annually, with total sales to date in excess of 350 million.

Sarah Hall Mon Mar 17, 10:05 AM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Kevin Federline's attorney is the latest addition to the Britney Spears payroll.

Court Commissioner Scott Gordon on Monday ordered the embattled pop star to give her ex $375,000 to cover his legal fees in their ongoing child custody dispute. (View the court documents.)

Federline's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, had asked for nearly $500,000 during a hearing last week.

Spears' attorney, Stacy Phillips, argued that Kaplan was overbilling and that Federline's expenditures—including a recent $2,000 tip on a restaurant bill of $365—showed that he was capable of covering some of his own fees.

However, Gordon ruled that Spears' actions were directly responsible for running up Federline's legal bills and that she should pick up the tab as a result.

Federline has previously claimed in court documents that he has no source of steady income, while Spears pulls in somewhere in the neighborhood of $700,000 a month.

Meanwhile, in another development in the ongoing saga of Spears' day-to-day existence, the singer's former confidante and sometime manager Sam Lutfi has agreed to keep his distance from her for at least another month.

A temporary restraining order against Lutfi had been scheduled to expire Monday; by agreeing to an extension, he postponed a hearing on whether to make the order permanent.

"There is an agreement between Sam Lutfi and the conservatorship for the next 30 days," Lutfi spokesman Michael Sands said in a statement. "Both parties are happy and will continue to work together to further resolve any issues that may have come up in the past."

A judge was expected to approve the agreement Monday.

The restraining order was put into action last month after Lynne Spears alleged that Lutfi had drugged her daughter, held her hostage in her own home and assumed control of her finances.

A Superior Court commissioner subsequently ordered Lutfi to stay at least 250 yards away from Spears and her home.

Joal Ryan Mon Mar 17, 10:16 AM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Well, Amanda Overmyer's hair is about as big as Sanjaya's…

The comparison between the hard-rocking nurse and the most infamous American Idol contestant ever would end there, except for one other thing: Like Sanjaya, Overmyer has won the endorsement of Vote for the Worst.

"She mumbles through her song, does crazy dancing and basically makes a mockery of the competition by singing every song the same way," the Idol-subverting site declared. "This is why we love her."

To Idol blogger Rickey Yaneza of Rickey.org, Vote for the Worst's selection only proves producers' contentions that this year's batch of contestants are, on the whole, "good to go."

"She has a limited vocal range. But she's not a total trainwreck," Yaneza said Monday of Overmyer. "She's not the ideal Worster. But the pickings are slim this year."

Vote for the Worst originally threw its lot behind the love-him, hate-him Danny Noriega and the model Amy Davis. Davis' elimination in the first semifinals round left the site looking for a new female champion, which it found the following week in Overmyer.

"Her rendition of 'Carry on My Wayward Son' was one of the worst vocals on Idol. Ever," the site judged on Feb. 27.

With Noriega eliminated March 6, Overmyer, hailed for her "striking style" and "rawness" by rock journalist and Los Angeles Times blogger Ann Powers, became the last Vote for the Worst candidate standing.

If the site was really trying to rid the show of its weakest link, it'd be gunning for Syesha Mercado or Kristy Lee Cook, according to Yaneza.

"The worst right now is Syesha," Yaneza said. "At least with Kristy Lee, she's hot."

"Unfortunately, they [Vote for the Worst] hate her. They think she's a plant."

True enough, the site has called the teenage singer "a plant," as in a ringer, for her onetime Nashville record deal. And plants, not bad singers, are what Vote for the Worst seems to most hate. The site, after all, is dedicated to drumming up votes for contestants who "the producers are rooting against." Hence, it's season-five endorsement of the Simon Cowell loathed Taylor Hicks, the eventual winner.

In the case of Cook, who was picked apart by the judges last week for her frenetic country rendition of "Eight Days a Week," the site has decided "she's too marketable and slightly boring compared to Amanda's wild chile."

So Overmyer it is.

And if the Vote for the Worst votes keep the licensed practical nurse from Indiana safe this week and earn her a spot in Idol's Top 10 summer tour, well, worse things have happened.

5 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears was ordered by a court commissioner Monday to pay ex-husband Kevin Federline $375,000 to cover his attorney fees in their child-custody dispute.

Mark Vincent Kaplan, Federline’s lead attorney, had asked for nearly $500,000.

Commissioner Scott Gordon issued the order in response to arguments presented last week.

Spears’ attorney Stacy Phillips argued that Kaplan was overbilling and that Federline can pay his own legal bills, but Gordon wrote that Spears’ actions led to a great majority of the litigation and delays in the case.

Meanwhile, Spears’ friend Sam Lutfi agreed to stay away from the pop star for at least another month, delaying a hearing that could have made a restraining order against him permanent.

Lutfi and conservators for Spears’ estate agreed to have the restraining order extended for 30 days, Lutfi spokesman Michael Sands said Sunday.

“There is an agreement between Sam Lutfi and the conservatorship for the next 30 days,” Sands said. “Both parties are happy and will continue to work together to further resolve any issues that may have come up in the past.”

A judge was expected to approve the agreement Monday.

Phone messages and e-mails to lawyers for Spears, 26, and her estate co-conservators, which include her father, weren’t immediately returned.

A Superior Court commissioner last month ordered Lutfi to stay 250 yards from Spears and her home.

Spears’ mother, Lynne, requested the order based on allegations that Lutfi — Spears’ frequent companion and sometime manager — had held the singer hostage in her own home, drugged her and taken over her finances.

Spears’ father, James, was named one of two co-conservators of her estate after the singer was hospitalized twice in January. The conservatorship has been extended until July 31.

Conservatorships are granted for people deemed unable to take care of themselves or their affairs.

Before her hospitalization, Spears had shown increasingly erratic behavior. She shaved her head, was seen in public without underwear, ran over a celebrity photographer’s foot and attacked a vehicle with an umbrella.

Spears has since had very limited contact with her two toddler sons, who are under the sole physical and legal custody of Federline.

3 minutes ago

LAS VEGAS - Donnie and Marie Osmond will host the upcoming Miss USA pageant.

The Miss Universe Organization says the brother-and-sister, song-and-dance stars will perform on the NBC Universal show April 11 from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The network owns the pageant with real estate mogul Donald Trump.

The rival Miss America pageant crowned its 2008 queen in the same casino in January.

Pageant executives say the telecast will represent the first time Donny and Marie Osmond have hosted a prime-time show together since 2000.

Marie Osmond recently competed in ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.” Donnie Osmond is appearing in “College Road Trip,” a Disney comedy starring Martin Lawrence and Raven Symone.

The current Miss USA, Rachel Smith of Tennessee, was crowned last year in Los Angeles.

34 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - Radiohead allowed fans to choose a price for their latest tunes. Now, the best-selling band is hoping fans will make them a music video, too.

TBD Records, Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and animation Web portal Aniboom.com are sponsoring an online contest inviting Radiohead fans to produce an animated music video for any song from “In Rainbows,” the band’s popular 2007 album that was originally available for download at an optional price.

Online voters and a panel of judges will select finalists with Radiohead choosing a winner who will receive a $10,000 prize to produce a full-length animated music video. The competition began Monday and continues through April 27.

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Time Warner Inc. owns the Cartoon Network.

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On the Net:

Aniboom:

http://aniboom.com/radiohead

26 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Elton John will help Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton raise cash for her presidential campaign with a solo concert next month at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

“I’m not a politician but I believe in the work that Hillary Clinton does,” the British musician said in a statement released by the Clinton campaign Monday.

Tickets for the “Elton and Hillary: One Night Only” performance April 9 go on sale Wednesday. Prices start at $125 for mezzanine seats, $250 for seats near the orchestra.

Last October, Clinton held a star-studded fundraiser to celebrate her 60th birthday. Comedian Billy Crystal and rockers Elvis Costello and the Wallflowers headlined the event at New York’s historic Beacon Theater, which raked in more than $1.5 million for Clinton’s presidential bid.

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On the Net:

http://www.HillaryClinton.com/Elton

Sarah Hall Mon Mar 17, 3:11 AM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Paul McCartney's millions can't buy him love, but they can finance his way out of a bad marriage.

The ex-Beatle was ordered Monday to shell out $48.7 million to his estranged wife Heather Mills, putting an end to their lengthy and extremely bitter divorce battle.

High Court Justice Hugh Bennett delivered the ruling in a London courtroom, with both halves of the pair looking on.

Outside the courthouse, Mills told reporters she was "very, very, very pleased" with the outcome.

She said that McCartney had offered her a settlement of $31.6 million, including property, which she turned down.

Still, the hefty payout shouldn't affect McCartney's bottom line overmuch, as the artist's fortune is estimated at a staggering $1.6 billion.

McCartney and Mills tied the knot in 2002—notably, without a prenuptial agreement in place.

They separated four years later and McCartney filed for divorce in July 2006.