Rapper indicted for not paying bill at hospital

Phoenix – Rapper DMX has been indicted on felony charges by a grand jury in Arizona for allegedly trying to get out of paying a hospital bill.

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas says the 37-year-old rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, has been charged with one count of theft and one count of taking someone else’s identity.

Authorities say Simmons went to Scottsdale’s Mayo Clinic in April, said his name was “Troy Jones,” and received care with the intent of not paying the bill.

Simmons’ attorney, Cameron Morgan, wasn’t immediately available for comment Tuesday.

Simmons was arrested Saturday at a Phoenix mall.

A spokesman for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s office says the rapper was released from jail Sunday night.

Waxwork of Amy Winehouse unveiled

London – Madame Tussauds unveiled a waxwork of Amy Winehouse on Wednesday complete with her signature beehive, black eyeliner and a bright yellow minidress.

Winehouse’s hair and 5-inch black heels make the model nearly 6 feet tall. The wax Winehouse’s dress resembles one the singer wore to the BRIT music awards in 2007, when she won best female solo artist.

Her sailor-inspired tattoos are lovingly reproduced, including a lightning bolt, horseshoe and pin-up girls on her arms.

The singer’s parents, Mitch and Janis Winehouse, attended the unveiling, but the soul diva did not. Her father said she was working and would see the waxwork in the next few weeks.

“This is the reward for her musical achievements and her talent,” Mitch Winehouse said, adding the model bears an “incredible” likeness to his daughter.

This is the first time Tussauds has made a model of Winehouse, which joins other celebrities’ including likenesses of Madonna and Justin Timberlake.

Bale mum at Spain’s ‘Dark Knight’ premiere

Barcelona, Spain – Christian Bale swept into Barcelona on Wednesday night to attend a glittering Spanish premiere of “The Dark Knight,” appearing calm as he greeted fans a day after reports surfaced that his mother and sister had accused him of assault.

A 15-car motorcade delivered Bale and his co-stars to the red carpet, where the 34-year-old actor greeted hundreds of fans outside the city’s Coliseum Theater. Bale spent half an hour signing autographs, looking relaxed in a tailored dark blue suit and asking each autograph seeker’s name.

Around 25 camera crews waited outside the theater. Bale did not speak to reporters and made no comment about the allegations that he assaulted his mother and one of his three sisters at a London hotel on Sunday.

Then the Welsh-born actor who plays millionaire recluse Bruce Wayne and his bat-winged alter-ego entered the theater to watch the film.

Bale said through his lawyers the assault allegations were false Tuesday, hours after he was arrested, questioned by London police and released on bail.

Ethan Hawke and wife welcome daughter

New York – Ethan Hawke and wife Ryan Shawhughes are the new parents of a baby girl.

“Clementine Jane Hawke was born on Friday … in New York City,” Hawke’s publicist Mara Buxbaum told The Associated Press in an e-mail Wednesday.

The couple were married last month in New York. Hawke, 37, has two children from his marriage to Uma Thurman.

His screen credits include “Training Day,” “Dead Poets Society,” “Great Expectations” and “Before Sunset.”

Singer Ashanti now tourism ambassador

New York – Grammy-winning singer and Long Island native Ashanti has a new gig: tourism ambassador.

The R&B singer was introduced Tuesday at a news conference as one of nine ambassadors who will promote tourism in Nassau County on Long Island.

County Executive Thomas Suozzi placed an orange blazer with a tourism patch over her white dress at the event at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, where 16 tourists were offered an all-expenses-paid tour of Nassau. Ashanti sang at Suozzi’s two mayoral inaugurals in her native Glen Cove.

Ashanti says it’s “amazing” to be asked to “give something back to the community.” The singer recently released her fourth studio album, “The Declaration.”

50 Cent sues Taco Bell in NY over ad campaign

New York – 50 Cent has sued Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food restaurant chain is using his name without permission in advertising that asks him to call himself 99 Cent.

The rapper says in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that the Mexican-themed chain features him in a print ad asking him to change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent. His real name is Curtis Jackson.

The rapper’s court papers say the ad is part of Taco Bell’s “Why Pay More?” campaign, which promotes items for under a dollar, including Cinnamon Twists for 79 cents, Crunchy Tacos for 89 cents and Bean Burritos for 99 cents. The papers say the Irvine, Calif.-based company sent a bogus letter requesting the name change to the news media but not to the rapper.