Cher harassed at Nashville club

Nashville, Tenn. – A Nashville man has been charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication after he repeatedly harassed Cher at the famed honky-tonk Tootsies Orchid Lounge.

Police say 36-year-old Calvin Hutton Houghland tried to make contact with Cher early Wednesday morning and was asked to leave the club. He complied, police said, but returned a short time later and grabbed Cher by the waist as the singer-actress sat in a roped-off area of the lounge.

Houghland was escorted from the bar, but returned again. When security blocked his attempts to approach the singer, Houghland called police to say he’d been assaulted.

Police say Cher declined to prosecute but Houghland asked to be arrested.

Houghland failed a self-requested field sobriety test. His bond was set at $3,000.

Victim acquitted in pub fight case

London – A British court on Wednesday acquitted a former pub manager of taking a bribe to drop assault charges against Amy Winehouse’s husband.

A jury deliberated for three hours before finding James King not guilty of trying to pervert the course of justice (the equivalent of obstruction of justice in the U.S.).

The singer-songwriter’s husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, has admitted beating up King in a barroom fight in 2006 and then offering him $400,000 to keep quiet about it.

King, who suffered a broken cheekbone, said he was intimidated into withdrawing the assault claim.

Three other men also pleaded guilty to involvement in the plot. They and Fielder-Civil all face jail terms when they are sentenced next month.

Winehouse, 24, and Fielder-Civil, 26, were married in Miami in May 2007. He was arrested in November and has been in jail ever since.

Spielberg to direct ’39 Clues’ mystery

New York – A multimedia-multiauthor narrative being planned by the U.S. publisher of the Harry Potter books has picked up a famous patron: Steven Spielberg.

DreamWorks Studios has acquired the film rights to “The 39 Clues,” a mystery series-online game that Scholastic will debut in September. Spielberg, director of “Jaws,” “Schindler’s List” and the “Indiana Jones” films, says he’s hoping to direct.

“‘The 39 Clues’ takes creative leaps to expand the story experience from the pages of the books to multiple stages of discovery and imagination,” Spielberg said Wednesday in a joint statement issued by DreamWorks and Scholastic Media. “Together with Scholastic, we have the opportunity to develop this property that says ‘film,’ ‘family,’ ‘fun’ and ‘franchise.”‘

“The 39 Clues,” which also features a set of 355 collectible cards, is a planned 10-book series about a powerful, mysterious family that lives in upstate New York. The first installment, “The Maze of Bones,” was written by Rick Riordan, author of the best-selling “The Lightning Thief.” Jude Watson and Gordon Korman are among those who will write future volumes.

Trouble finds McGraw

Nashville, Tenn. – If Tim McGraw isn’t looking for trouble, it must’ve been looking for him.

Fan video shot Tuesday in Auburn, Wash., shows the country singer help eject an unruly fan.

McGraw shouts “Get rid of this guy,” summons security and helps arriving crew members haul him onstage. When the heavyset fan moves toward McGraw, the singer threatens him with a cocked fist as he’s hauled away.

The band’s performance of “Indian Outlaw” never stopped. And as if on cue, McGraw steps to the mic and picks up with the line “I ain’t lookin’ for trouble ….”

A statement from McGraw’s representative says he witnessed the man rush up and attack a female, and he intervened when security couldn’t respond quickly enough.

Jolie-Pitt Foundation donates $1M to kids

Los Angeles – Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s love for children is by no means limited to their own: The couple have donated $1 million to help kids affected by the war in Iraq, the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict announced Wednesday.

The organization, which Jolie co-chairs, will distribute the donation, made through the couple’s Jolie-Pitt Foundation, to four organizations working on behalf of children who have lost parents, homes and schools in Iraq. Children in the U.S. who have lost parents in the conflict will also benefit.

The money will be divided between the Armed Services YMCA Operation Hero Program, which provides military children with counseling and educational support; Women for Women International, which will provide books, school supplies and other basic necessities to Iraqi women and children; the International Rescue Committee, which will repair three schools and offer classes for more than 2,500 students; and NineMillion.org, which will give school uniforms and learning materials to more than 2,000 displaced Iraqi kids.