Artist not sure imitations are meant as form of flattery

Los Angeles – They say imitation is a form of flattery, but the artist who’s been called Japan’s “Andy Warhol” isn’t convinced.

Pop artist Takashi Murakami – who designed the pastel-hued flowers that appear on Louis Vuitton handbags – said the thousands of knockoffs sporting his design leave him uneasy.

“Sometimes I’m happy about it, sometimes I’m not happy about it,” Murakami said through a Japanese interpreter on Saturday during a visit to a Los Angeles art gallery.

“I don’t always take it as a compliment,” said Murakami, 43.

Murakami was in Los Angeles to promote the works of Chiho Aoshima, a 30-year-old artist who works at his Kaikai Kiki production studio outside of Tokyo.

Murakami also curated an exhibition of contemporary Japanese art at the Japan Society in New York as part of his effort to promote contemporary Japanese art abroad.

Mobile phone ring may leave Coldplay out cold

London – A cell phone ring tone appeared set to top the British singles chart Sunday, outselling the new single by the band Coldplay by nearly four to one, a music retailer said.

“Crazy Frog Axel F,” a ring tone based on the sound of a revving Swedish mo-ped, is the first tune being used on mobile phones to cross into mainstream music charts, said Gennaro Castaldo, a spokesman for HMV, the British music retailing chain.

Coldplay had hoped to go straight to No. 1 on this Sunday’s British singles chart with its new song, “Speed of Sound.” But by Saturday, it appeared that the ring tone – which is available for digital download and as a compact disc single – would prevail, said Castaldo.

The ring tone was expected to replace the Oasis tune “Lyla” as the No. 1 hit on the list released Sunday by the Official UK Charts Co. The weekly singles chart, which has been released since 1952, is based on the sales of 5,600 retail shops across Britain.

While “Crazy Frog” and other ring tones do not appear to be much of a hit among adults, so many youngsters are personalizing the sound of their cell phones that such digital music could change world music markets.

The ring tone is based on a song that was recorded in Sweden nearly a decade ago by 17-year-old Daniel Malmedahl, using the high pitched revving of a two-stroke motorcycle, The International Herald Tribune reported Saturday.

NFL player offers support to high school namesake

Flint, Mich. – Just days after 16-year-old Ahmad Rashad’s mother died of pancreatic cancer, he got a phone call from his namesake, the former NFL star.

The other Ahmad Rashad, now a television sports broadcaster, offered condolences and encouragement to the teen during their five-minute phone conversation in the high school’s athletic office on Friday.

“He told me how sorry he was for my loss and also that his mom died of the same type of cancer,” the high school junior told The Flint Journal.

“He told me I was doing really well in track. He saw some articles about me,” the track standout said.

The younger Rashad won the long jump and 200-meter dash at the Big Nine meet a day after his mother’s death.

Ronda Miller, the school’s athletic secretary, said someone who read a newspaper article on the student told the older Rashad about the situation.

Director has garage sale

North Little Rock, Ark. – Actress Joey Lauren Adams is having a yard sale.

Adams has finished filming her directorial debut, “Come Early Morning” starring Ashley Judd, and began selling pieces of the movie’s set on Saturday in a North Little Rock hotel parking lot.

Film producers say the sale will let locals own a piece of movie history.

Mitchell Patterson, who was in charge of purchasing items for the set, said most came from second-hand stores and flea markets and a few were bought at Target.

Most of the items – couches, coffee tables and cooking utensils – are priced at 10 percent of the original cost for quick sale.

“We’d have to store it,” Patterson said. “So we’re selling it for real cheap.”

Shooting began in April on the independent release film by Adams, an Arkansas native who has appeared in films including “Chasing Amy” and “Big Daddy.”

“Come Early Morning” is about a woman who has never committed to a serious relationship. It is set to debut in January at the Sundance Film Festival.

Oakland residents angered over sale of mayor’s home

Oakland, Calif. – Mayor Jerry Brown has angered some of his neighbors by selling his multimillion dollar home to a group that wants to make it into a homeless shelter.

The two-time governor and three-time presidential candidate’s 7,000-square-foot warehouse home is in Jack London Square, where lofts sell for $700,000. Covenant House officials are preparing to convert it into a shelter for 30 young adults.

Fears about safety, damage to property values and future development were voiced at a hearing on the project in May. The zoning board will consider the proposal Wednesday.

Brown’s spokesman, Gil Duran, said the property had been on the market for about six months and sold for between $3 million and $4 million. He called the controversy a “back-fence spat with a disgruntled neighbor.”

Brown, once satirically dubbed Gov. Moonbeam for his futuristic thinking, moved to the warehouse in 1995 and lived there with a with a revolving group of roommates, including political activists, writers, artists, friends and intellectuals.

He moved in with his longtime girlfriend two years ago and they recently announced plans to marry.