People in the news

‘Hurt Locker’ producer barred from Oscars

Los Angeles — A producer of the war story “The Hurt Locker” will not be allowed to attend the Academy Awards because of e-mails he sent urging academy members to vote for his movie. But he will receive an Oscar if his film wins best picture.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the action Tuesday against producer Nicolas Chartier, who violated Oscar rules that prohibit mailings promoting a film by disparaging another.

Chartier sent e-mails seeking support for The Hurt Locker,” “not a “$500 million film” — an obvious reference to best-picture contender “Avatar.” Chartier apologized in a subsequent e-mail.

While Chartier cannot attend Sunday’s ceremony, he would receive his Oscar later if “The Hurt Locker” wins.

Simpson ‘little bit angry’ with John Mayer

Chicago — Jessica Simpson says she’s “a little bit angry” with ex-boyfriend John Mayer for an interview he gave to Playboy magazine in which he called the singer “sexual napalm.”

In quotes provided by Harpo Productions, Simpson says on today’s episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that she doesn’t want people “to know how I am in bed.” In the interview, Mayer talked about Simpson’s sexual ability and said Simpson “is like crack cocaine to me.”

Simpson also told Winfrey that she is “absolutely” comfortable with her weight and that she loves her curves. The singer says she’s “not going to ever be size 0 and I don’t want to weigh 90 pounds.”

Sarah Palin’s new gig: late-night comedian

Burbank, Calif. — Sarah Palin says she’s going to play Tina Fey in an upcoming Las Vegas show.

Just kidding.

The former Republican vice presidential nominee turned into a standup comic on Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show” Tuesday, dropping one-liners about the White House, Congress and Fey — the “Saturday Night Live” star known for her impression of the former Alaska governor.

Palin told Leno’s audience she planned to speak at a gun-rights convention: “Be there or else,” she warned them.

She said Alaska is different from California. In Los Angeles, “when people have a frozen look on their face, I find out it’s Botox.”

And she’s happy she’s not vice president. “I would not know what to do with all that free time,” she quipped.

Hulu losing ‘Daily Show,’ ‘Colbert Report’

New York — The popular video Web site Hulu is losing two of its most popular offerings: “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.”

Hulu announced Tuesday that Comedy Central was pulling its shows from the site beginning March 10. Both “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report consistently rank among Hulu’s most watched programs.

Comedy Central, which is owned by Viacom Inc., was a relatively late arrival to Hulu, which is co-owned by NBC Universal, Fox Entertainment Group and the Walt Disney Co. (which owns ABC). When “Colbert” and “The Daily Show” were added in June 2008, some technology blogs such as Techcrunch.com said it signified Hulu’s arrival as the pre-eminent provider of TV programming on the Web.

Attorney: Jackson kids not exposed to stun gun

Los Angeles — Michael Jackson’s children were never exposed to a mail-order stun gun recently delivered to the family’s home, an attorney for the late singer’s mother said Tuesday.

Child services workers are investigating the incident, but attorney Adam Streisand said the stun gun was confiscated before any harm was done. Streisand represents Jackson’s mother, Katherine, who has custody of her son’s three young children, Prince Michael, Paris and Prince Michael II, also known as Blanket.

Streisand said the weapon was ordered by the 13-year-old son of Jermaine Jackson, Jafar, and sent to the Jackson family home in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles. Jermaine Jackson’s children also live in the home.

“Jafar opened the package in his bathroom and tested it on a piece of paper,” Streisand said in a statement. He said security and Katherine Jackson heard the sound and confiscated the weapon immediately.

He said Michael Jackson’s oldest son, Prince, saw the stun gun after it was taken by security.

No charges for model Campbell in driver flap

New York — Police say model Naomi Campbell likely won’t face criminal charges in New York City after her driver said she hit him from the back seat of her luxury SUV.

The driver told police Campbell hit him from behind and his head struck the steering wheel, causing bruising under his right eye. He pulled over and got out to speak to a traffic agent, who alerted police.

Police on Tuesday issued a harassment report in consultation with the district attorney’s office because no officer witnessed what took place in the black Cadillac Escalade. The move came after the driver decided not to pursue the matter. The report doesn’t carry any penalty.

Campbell previously pleaded guilty to assaulting people hired to work for her.

Fire delays Lil Wayne’s sentencing in gun case

New York — Lil Wayne was ready Tuesday to go to jail, but his court date went up in smoke.

While the rap star was heading to his sentencing after pleading guilty in a 2007 gun case, a fire shut down the courthouse and postponed the already-delayed proceeding.

Having braced to start up to a year behind bars, he was unhappy about the postponement, said his lawyer, Stacey Richman.

“Once you make up your mind to do something, you want to do it,” she said.