Beach Boys auction canceled after memorabilia stolen

Los Angeles – An auction of Beach Boys memorabilia was canceled after representatives of the band told the auction house the items had been stolen.

The band’s record company learned of the auction planned by London-based CooperOwen when the items were listed on the Internet, said Edwin McPherson, of Brother Records, the band’s corporate entity.

He said Thursday’s auction was canceled “with about 30 minutes to spare.”

The 28 lots of items included original sheet music written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love.

Police confirmed a report had been filed about the alleged theft from a North Hollywood warehouse but wouldn’t elaborate.

Rapper arrested, charged with disorderly conduct

Greensboro, N.C. – The Game has been arrested, accused of causing a scene at a mall and refusing to remove a Halloween mask.

“I got arrested for signing autographs,” the 25-year-old rapper told WFMY-TV after he was released on $500 bail. “Signing a little girl’s autograph got me arrested.”

But police said The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor, and a group of companions behaved disruptively and were swearing Friday at Four Seasons Town Centre. He was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. At one point, police said, his companions were sprayed with pepper spray when they surrounded officers in a threatening manner.

Mall security officers said the rapper was wearing a full-face Halloween mask and cursing loudly, and refused to leave when asked. When police arrived, Taylor continued to act up and was arrested, a police statement said.

The Game said officers overreacted.

After fight with city, Ludacris performs at college

Johnson City, Tenn. – Ludacris has finally performed for East Tennessee State University students after weeks of arguments with city officials.

The concert had been scheduled at city-owned Freedom Hall Civic Center, but City Manager Pete Peterson rejected the contract saying he had security concerns.

School officials then allowed the event to be held in the school’s Memorial Center, where an estimated 5,000 people showed up.

“Ya heard it took a lot to get (me) here, right?” the 28-year-old rapper asked the crowd after his first song Thursday night.

Many students thought the city rejected the contract because Ludacris’ songs include profanity, references to drugs, violence and misogyny.

“I can understand where people are coming from, but at the same time, this is America and we have freedom of speech,” said senior Jennifer Davis. “I have the choice if I want to go see something like this or not.”

Tennessee to issue Elvis Presley license plates

Memphis, Tenn. – The folks who keep the world supplied with Elvis T-shirts and coffee mugs have a new project in the works – an Elvis Presley license plate.

Not a fake Elvis license plate, mind you, but a real one sanctioned by the state of Tennessee.

Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. can move ahead with its plan when 1,000 orders for the plates are assured. The state requires that minimum number of sales to approve a so-called specialty license plate, which costs $35 more than a regular tag.

The license plate would feature an image of Presley with a guitar and “1956” in large, bold numbers.

That was the year Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” made No. 1 on the pop music charts.

The would be available only for cars registered in Tennessee. Proceeds would go to the Regional Medical Center, the Memphis region’s main publicly supported hospital and home of the Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center.

Tennessee already has 150 such plates, which brought in $8.4 million last year.

Jennifer Lopez’s ex-husband drops lawsuit against her

Los Angeles – Jennifer Lopez’s first ex-husband has dropped his lawsuit claiming she fired him as manager of her Pasadena restaurant without cause.

Ojani Noa’s attorney did not say why he asked the court to dismiss the suit with prejudice, which would prevent Noa from refiling.

Attorney David deRubertis did not return a call Friday from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Noa sued Lopez last year in Superior Court, alleging she fired him six months after he took the job at Madre’s restaurant for $1,000 a week.

Noa and Lopez met when he was a waiter at a Miami restaurant. The two married in 1997 and divorced a year later.

Lopez’s was married to choreographer Cris Judd before she married singer Marc Anthony.

Judge refuses to dismiss charges against R. Kelly

Chicago – Singer R. Kelly is a step closer to trial after a judge refused Friday to dismiss charges in a three-year old case against him for allegedly engaging in videotaped sex acts with an underage girl.

Kelly has pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of child pornography.

Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan rejected defense arguments that prosecutors have been too vague about when the alleged crime took place, said county state’s attorney spokeswoman Marcy Jensen.

Prosecutors claim the video was made sometime during a nearly three-year span between January 1998 and October 2000. They cut 18 months off their original timeframe of November 1997 to February 2002 after a judge agreed in June that the span was too broad.

Kelly, whose first name is Robert, won a Grammy for the gospel-like song “I Believe I Can Fly.” He’s also known for sexually charged music like “Bump N’ Grind” and “Ignition.”

The next court date was set for Dec. 9.