Newman’s own restaurant victim of bitter cold

Westport, Conn. – Frigid weather most likely caused a pipe to burst in Paul Newman’s new restaurant, damaging part of the dining room and forcing the restaurant to close for repairs, fire officials said.

A cracked sprinkler pipe damaged the rear dining room early Monday. Firefighters were called to the 128-seat restaurant about 1 a.m. and found water flowing from the ceiling.

“Obviously we’re a little irritated and frustrated,” said co-owner and chef Michel Nischan. “We were really on a nice little roll there.”

Nischan said the water caused mostly cosmetic damage, but the restaurant could be closed for up to a week.

Fire Chief Christopher Ackley said the crack in the pipe was probably caused by the cold weather.

The Dressing Room restaurant, open since October, is housed in two former barns. It is co-owned by Newman, 82.

Arrest warrant issued for Daniel Baldwin

Newport Beach, Calif. – A judge issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for Daniel Baldwin after he failed to appear in Orange County Superior Court on charges that he illegally took another person’s car.

“He had an arraignment scheduled and he did not appear so a bench warrant has been issued,” said Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. “I was sitting in court. He most definitely did not show up.”

The 46-year-old actor’s manager, Daniel Spilo, said, “You guys need to get your facts straight and call us back,” but declined further comment. A second call to Spilo wasn’t immediately returned because he was in a meeting.

Baldwin was charged in December with two felony counts of unlawfully taking a car and receiving stolen property. He could face up to three years in prison if convicted, Emami said.

Baldwin had been free on bail since he was arrested in Santa Monica in November while driving a white 2003 GMC Yukon that had been reported stolen in Orange County.

Baldwin, brother of actors Alec, Stephen and William Baldwin, appeared in the TV series “Homicide: Life on the Street” and the movie “Car 54, Where Are You?”

Web site becomes Urban battlefield

Nashville, Tenn. – Keith Urban, the country singer, has filed a lawsuit against Keith Urban, the painter from New Jersey, claiming the painter’s Web site violates federal trademark laws.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court, says Keith D. Urban of Wayne, N.J., is using his keithurban.com domain in a deceptive manner and for commercial purposes.

The Web site includes the statement: “You have reached the site of Keith Urban. To those who don’t know, oil painting is one of my hobbies.” It then directs viewers to a gallery of paintings and offers a limited edition of prints for sale.

The singer – whose Web address is keithurban.net – argues that the New Jersey man is misleading people into believing the Web site belongs to him and is selling merchandise as if it were produced or endorsed by him.

He accuses the painter of federal trademark infringement, dilution of a federally registered trademark, federal unfair competition and violation of the anti-cybersquatting consumer protection act and the Tennessee consumer protection act.

The New Jersey Urban didn’t respond to an e-mail sent Tuesday through his Web site seeking comment.

Ozzfest free this year

Los Angeles – It’s the most startling news to hit the heavy-metal circuit since Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat.

The wizard of the Ozzfest is going back on the road this summer and this time the tickets to his 25-city tour will be free.

“It’s our 12th year and we wanted to shake it up a bit and do something different,” Osbourne’s wife, Sharon, said Tuesday.

Ticket prices for Ozzfest, which have ranged from $35 to $150, were beginning to rise beyond the reach of the rocker’s loyal fans, his wife said, and he didn’t want that to happen.

“It’s not saying that I’m now Mother Teresa or that Ozzy is a saint, but you know what? He’s been doing this a long time and his audience has been really good to him,” Sharon Osbourne said. “So if he goes out one summer of his life and he doesn’t get paid, big deal.”

Osbourne has been wooing corporate sponsors to cover the cost of the tour. So far, his wife said, six have signed up.

The tour kicks off July 7 in Los Angeles, with stops planned in San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Dallas, New York, St. Louis and several other cities. A final list of dates and stops, as well as performers, is still in the works.