Fox, Ali fight for funding

Washington Actor Michael J. Fox and former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali told Congress on Wednesday that more money is needed to turn scientific findings into a cure for Parkinson’s disease.

“The promise is so real and the need is so real … and we really feel that we can get this done,” Fox, the former “Spin City” and “Family Ties” star, told a Senate subcommittee on health.

Fox and Ali who both struggle with the neurological degeneration caused by Parkinson’s joined a panel of scientists to discuss the progress of research as well as the shortfalls of an initiative by Congress to boost spending on Parkinson’s research by $1 billion by 2005.

Parkinson’s affects about 1 million Americans.

Ryder’s hearing again delayed

Beverly Hills, Calif. A judge on Wednesday again delayed a preliminary hearing in the shoplifting case against actress Winona Ryder.

Superior Court Judge Elden S. Fox rescheduled for June 3 the hearing to determine whether Ryder will stand trial, after Ryder’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, requested the delay because it conflicted with his court appearance in a murder case he’s handling. Geragos is also an attorney for Rep. Gary Condit, D-Calif.

The actress was arrested Dec. 12 for allegedly stealing about $4,800 in clothing from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. Police said she also possessed the painkiller oxycodone, a morphine derivative, without a prescription. She has pleaded innocent to all charges.

Ryder has made fun of her brush with the law, appearing on the cover of the June issue of W magazine wearing one of the “Free Winona” T-shirts that have become cult favorites. She also joked about the arrest Saturday while appearing as the host of “Saturday Night Live.”

McCarthy a new mom

Los Angeles It’s a boy for actress Jenny McCarthy and her husband, director John Asher.

McCarthy, 29, gave birth to Evan Joseph Asher on Saturday, spokesman Scott Tejerian said Tuesday. The baby weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces.

The boy is the first child for McCarthy and Asher, who were married in September 1999.

Grateful Dead resurrected

Despite tremors of infighting since the death of Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead have been reincarnated.

The surviving members of the jam band announced Tuesday they were reuniting as The Other Ones for a two-day concert in East Troy, Wis.

“Terrapin Station A Grateful Dead Family Reunion” will mark the first time Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir have given a concert since Garcia, the Dead’s leader and founder, died in 1995 of a heart attack.

The festival, which takes its name from the 1977 Grateful Dead album, will be held Aug. 3-4. The concerts will feature performances by the four surviving members as a band and also with their separate projects: Phil Lesh & Friends, Weir’s Ratdog, Hart and Bembe Orisha, and Kreutzmann’s TriChromes.