T.I. begins federal prison sentence

Forrest City, Ark. — T.I. entered an Arkansas federal prison Tuesday to begin a year and a day sentence on a weapon charge.

The rapper made a concertlike entrance to the Forrest City low-security prison — showing up late inside of a black conversion van with tinted windows.

T.I. (real name: Clifford J. Harris Jr.) was to report at noon, but the deadline passed as guards outside blocked reporters and onlookers from coming near the facility on a rural state highway.

It was not immediately clear if T.I.’s late arrival would affect his plea deal with prosecutors.

Federal prison spokeswoman Linda Thomas said the Atlanta rapper would be known inside by guards as federal prison inmate No. 59458019.

Traci Billingsley, another prison spokeswoman, said the prison had no special protections prepared for the rapper. The low-security prison has double-bunked cells and a large fenced exercise yard, where inmates in white jumpsuits could be seen Tuesday morning.

“We treat all our offenders in the same manner,” Billingsley said.

T.I., 28, was arrested after trying to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers from undercover federal agents in 2007.

Cole at home after kidney transplant

New York — Natalie Cole is recovering at home after a successful kidney transplant.

Her spokeswoman, Maureen O’Connor, says Cole was released on Sunday from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

O’Connor says Cole, who had the kidney transplant surgery on May 18, is “doing quite well under the circumstances.”

The 59-year-old singer underwent the operation immediately after learning that a donor organ had become available.

The daughter of Nat King Cole had been receiving dialysis three times a week since September. But she still continued to perform in support of her latest album, the Grammy-winning “Still Unforgettable.”

Elizabeth Taylor home from hospital

Los Angeles — Elizabeth Taylor says she’s home from the hospital and “feeling great.”

The 77-year-old actress sent a tweet to her fans on the Twitter micro-blogging site Tuesday, announcing she was home after a hospital stay. She thanked them “for all the love and support.”

Publicist Dick Guttman said Taylor was admitted Friday to an undisclosed hospital “for a routine visit.”

Taylor, an avid Twitter user, had sent a tweet Friday asking a friend to get her puppy past hospital security.

Meg White and Jackson Smith wed in Nashville

Nashville, Tenn. — White Stripes drummer Meg White has married fiancé Jackson Smith in Nashville.

The 34-year-old rock drummer’s publicist said in a statement Tuesday that the ceremony was part of a double wedding Friday in the backyard of White’s musical partner, Jack White.

Smith is the son of punk singer Patti Smith and the late guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith of the rock band MC5. The younger Smith is also a rock guitarist.

The other couple that wed Friday was Jack Lawrence and his girlfriend Jo McCaughey.

Jack Lawrence is the bass player in Jack White’s other musical projects: the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather.

‘Jon & Kate’ draws huge audience

New York — “Jon & Kate Plus 8” drew a huge audience for its fifth-season premiere, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Boosted by scandal and a media siege, the TLC reality series attracted 9.8 million viewers Monday night — more than double the audience for its fourth-season finale several weeks ago.

“Jon & Kate Plus 8” was already TLC’s most popular show as it chronicled the challenges of raising eight young children. But there were newcomers watching Monday who may never have heard of the show until the recent rash of magazine covers and online bulletins.

Jon and Kate Gosselin, the parents of twins and sextuplets, have recently been swamped by media coverage that alleged they had cheated on each other.

The couple continued to deny the allegations on Monday’s episode. They acknowledged their marriage is in trouble but lashed out at the media firestorm surrounding them.

“Did I ever think I’d see myself on the front of the tabloids?” Kate said, “or see those words that are there? No. It kills me!”

“I did not sign up for a public scrutiny of everything,” said Jon.

Simpson appeals armed robbery conviction

Las Vegas — O.J. Simpson has appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court to overturn his convictions for armed robbery and kidnapping during a a Las Vegas hotel room confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers.

The appeal arrived Tuesday at the Supreme Court in Carson City.

The former football star, actor and advertising pitchman asks the high court to throw out his conviction on grounds that include judicial misconduct, insufficient evidence, a lack of racial diversity on the jury and errors in sentencing and jury instructions.

The document criticizes Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass and accuses prosecutors of improperly asking questions about allegations of witness intimidation in front of the jury.