Mother of alleged victim in Jackson case testifies

Santa Maria, Calif. — The mother of the alleged victim in the Michael Jackson molestation case said Friday she did not remember a private investigator telling her that he was working for one of the pop star’s attorneys.

The 36-year-old woman, who came face to face with Jackson on Friday for the first time since the case began, also claimed she did not know why she was called to testify and that she believed the purpose of the hearing was “just to bring me more torture.”

The accuser’s mother glanced briefly at Jackson, whom she had called “the devil” at a grand jury hearing earlier this year. Jackson, 46, stared at her throughout her testimony.

Jackson’s attorneys are trying to show that the accuser’s mother and prosecutors should have known private investigator Bradley Miller was working for Jackson’s then-attorney Mark Geragos when authorities seized items from Miller’s office.

The defense wants to exclude those items from evidence on grounds of attorney-client privilege.

Affleck backs up for president

New York — He’s not former President Clinton, but Ben Affleck will do.

Although Clinton was invited, Affleck will host the 30th season premiere of “Saturday Night Live” with musical guest Nelly on Oct. 2, NBC announced this week.

Clinton had been invited to host the not-ready-for-prime-time show, but turned down the offer, NBC said last month. No reason was given for Clinton declining to appear on the show.

The former president has since undergone open-heart surgery.

Affleck, 32, recently made headlines when he boisterously appeared throughout the Democratic National Convention in Boston, his hometown.

Rapper Nelly will perform songs from his new CDs, “Sweat” and “Suit.”

The hosting gig marks Affleck’s third appearance on the live sketch-comedy show. It will be Nelly’s second.

Culkin arrested on drug charges

Oklahoma City — Former child star Macaulay Culkin was arrested on drug charges Friday during a traffic stop, authorities said.

The 24-year-old actor, best known for his role in the “Home Alone” movies, was taken into custody on complaints of possession of a controlled dangerous substance without a valid prescription and possession of marijuana, according to the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s office.

Culkin, who lives in New York City, was booked into the Oklahoma County Jail and released after posting $4,000 bond, a jailer said.

Authorities confiscated about 17 grams of marijuana from a vehicle in which Culkin was a passenger. Officers also found 16 milligrams of prescription medications used to control anxiety and seizures, according to a police report.

Culkin was in a vehicle driven by a 22-year-old New York City man who was stopped for driving 70 mph in a 60-mph speed zone and for making an improper lane change. After receiving a verbal warning, the driver allowed police to search the vehicle.

It was not clear why Culkin was in Oklahoma City.