CARRBORO, N.C. (AP) – A popular fan magazine and Web site devoted to Bruce Springsteen soon will be based in North Carolina.

Chris Phillips, editor and publisher of Backstreets, which has covered Springsteen since 1980, will relocate to Carrboro from Washington.

Phillips, 33, and his small staff track and review concerts, give news updates about Springsteen and his E Street Band, sell merchandise and host a lively message board where fans can chat and exchange tickets.

The decision to move south was strictly personal, Phillips said recently. He and his wife, Laura, are both Duke University graduates, and have always considered relocating to the Triangle area.

“I’ve seen quite a few Springsteen shows (in North Carolina) over the years, and we always thought it’d be a good place to settle down,” Phillips said. “We’re essentially just an office.”

The local music scene attracted Phillips to the area. His office in Carr Mill Mall is just a quick walk away from Cat’s Cradle, a local rock club.

“Chapel Hill was on top of my list for all sorts of reasons,” he said. “The music scene was one of them.”

On the Net:

http://www.backstreets.com

Raitt dedicates tune to Bush

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) – Winding up her summer tour across Europe, Bonnie Raitt drew thunderous applause at the Stockholm Jazz Festival for dedicating a classic to President George Bush.

“We’re gonna sing this for George Bush because he’s out of here, people!” Raitt crowed Tuesday night before she launched into the opening licks of “Your Good Thing (Is About to End),” a cover that was featured on her 1979 album, “The Glow.”

The song, written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, has been sung by several notable performers, including Mable John and Lou Rawls.

Raitt’s comments resulted in a round of applause and even whistles from among the estimated 3,000 concertgoers at the Swedish capital’s annual jazz event held on the banks of the downtown Skeppsholmen island.

Swedes are skeptical of Bush, and the Scandinavian country refused to support his efforts in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The Grammy-winning singer is no stranger to political activism. Her Web site urges fans to learn more about preserving the environment and she was a founding member of MUSE, or Musicians United for Save Energy.

On the Net:

http://www.stockholmjazz.com

http://www.bonnieraitt.com/

Aging Prunes sue old label

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Two members of the 1960s rock band Electric Prunes sued their record label and a company that published their songs, alleging in two separate lawsuits the companies failed to pay them royalties totaling $1 million.

Bass player Mark Tulin filed the lawsuit Monday in Superior Court against Damo Productions Inc., which the lawsuit alleges recorded albums for the rock band.

Tulin and lead singer James Lowe also filed a separate lawsuit Monday against Newcomer Music Publishing Co., which the lawsuit alleges published the band’s songs.

Tulin and Lowe were representing themselves in the two lawsuits, each asking for $500,000 in damages.

Damo Productions and Newcomer Music officials could not be located for comment Tuesday.

The companies’ business licenses were suspended in the late 1960s, according to the California Secretary of State.

In the lawsuit against Damo, Tulin alleges the company owes him royalties from album sales based on a 1966 written contract.

Tulin and Lowe allege in their lawsuit against Newcomer that they are owed royalties based on an oral agreement they and the company agreed upon in 1967.

The Electric Prunes were formed in Seattle in 1965 and recorded more than a dozen albums. Their biggest hit was the 1965 song “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night.”

Rose’s restaurant robbed

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Pete Rose’s Palm Beach County restaurant was broken into and burglars made off with over $10,000 in sports memorabilia.

Collector jerseys, an autographed football and a pair of Muhammad Ali boxing gloves were among the items stolen in the early Tuesday morning heist at the Pete Rose Ballpark Cafe, a Boynton Beach police report said.

“I didn’t know about (the robbery) until I got here,” baseball’s career hits leader told WFOR-TV in Miami as he surveyed the damage.

According to the report, police responded to the break-in at 4:34 a.m. after receiving a call from a security officer at a nearby hotel. Police suspect the break-in happened between 2:30 a.m. and 4:15 a.m.

A broken glass panel on one of the restaurant’s doors had been smashed, police said.

TV footage showed several blank spaces on the restaurant’s wall where jerseys had been hanging. A Johnny Unitas jersey and a Shaquille O’Neal jersey from his days with the Orlando Magic were among items not taken.

Donald trumps Bird in casino bid

FRENCH LICK, Ind. (AP) – Donald Trump bested two casino groups – including one backed by hometown hero Larry Bird – for the bid to build a casino in this struggling community where movie stars once vacationed.

The State Gaming Commission awarded the contract to Trump on Tuesday, at the end of two days of public hearings. Commissioners said the billionaire developer had been unanimously endorsed by a local committee in the southern Indiana community about 60 miles northwest of Louisville, Ky.

Trump promised to open the casino by the end of 2005 and give $10 million to the French Lick Springs Resort & Hotel and the West Baden Springs Hotel for restoration. Trump’s casino proposal includes a deli, a buffet and an entertainment lounge. Trump has the added draw of Indiana golfer Fuzzy Zoeller as a partner.

The casino is to be built next to the French Lick resort, one of two in the area popular with celebrities before the 1929 stock market crash.

The commissioners said they weren’t as impressed by the offer made by a group that includes Bird, the president of the Indiana Pacers.

Knotts to be honored

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Don Knotts’ hometown is planning several tributes to one of its favorite sons, including a possible film festival next year.

Knotts, who celebrated his 80th birthday Wednesday, will be honored over the coming year for his contributions to the film industry, Mayor Ron Justice said. That includes a possible site where people could learn about the comedic actor, his films and his connection to Morgantown.

“He’s always remembered his roots,” Justice said. “He is our favorite son.”

Knotts, who lives in Beverly Hills, Calif., is still mainly identified with the role that won him five Emmys, that of bumbling Deputy Barney Fife on the ‘60s family comedy “The Andy Griffith Show.”

Recently, he has been performing in regional theater with fellow comic Tim Conway. He’s also done voices for animated Disney films, and is now doing the voice of Turkey Mayor in the “Chicken Little” movie.

Mr. Big goes to Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) – Chris Noth, who played Mr. Big on HBO’s “Sex and the City,” greeted fans in Israel at Judaism’s holiest site, the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Noth is on a 10-day tour of Israel, sponsored by the Israeli Tourism Ministry. He also filmed a commercial Monday for a brand of Israeli deodorant.

“I feel great solidarity, as a New Yorker, being here in Israel,” the actor told reporters Tuesday. “I hope to show Americans that they should come here.”

Incoming Tourism Minister Gideon Ezra presented Noth with a certificate of appreciation.

“This visit is very important to us,” Ezra told The Associated Press. “Many celebrities have come to Israel, and we take very good care of our visitors.”

“Sex and the City,” starring Sarah Jessica Parker, was shown on a local TV channel and gained wide popularity among Israelis. Noth played one of Parker’s boyfriends on the show, which ran for six seasons.

Earlier this year, Madonna canceled three Israeli stops on her Re-Invention tour because of violence in the region.

Noth dismissed the dangers of visiting Israel as “nonsense.”

He recently finished filming a new movie, “The Perfect Man.”

Gallery to show Vicious items

LONDON (AP) – A London art gallery plans to document the doomed punk romance between Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen.

Among the items in a retrospective punk show opening at the Hospital gallery in September is a blood-splattered poster from room 100 of New York’s Chelsea Hotel, where Vicious allegedly stabbed Spungen to death on Oct. 12, 1978.

Art dealer Paul Stolper and editor Andrew Wilson, who own a trove of original Pistols’ posters, T-shirts and handwritten lyrics displayed in the show, told the Independent on Sunday newspaper that items from the couple’s hotel room had been sold by Vicious’ mother, Anne Beverley, who died in 1996.

They couldn’t say where the blood on the poster for the Pistols’ album “Never Mind the Bollocks” came from.

Vicious was charged with second-degree murder, but died of a heroin overdose, at age 21, before standing trial.

The gallery’s show, which also includes clothes from the shop run by punk pioneers Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, runs Sept. 24 to Jan. 23.

‘Shark Tale’ to head festival

TORONTO (AP) – “Shark Tale,” a computer-animated comedy featuring the voices of Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renee Zellweger and Angelina Jolie, will be a gala presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival Sept. 9-18.

“Shark Tale” also features the voices of Jack Black and Martin Scorsese. It is set in the underwater underworld when a timid vegetarian shark named Oscar is fingered as the killer of a shark mob boss’ son. It is set for release Oct. 1.

Organizers also announced this week that there will be a pair of matinee galas for the first time in the festival’s 29-year history. The North American premiere of “Shark Tale” will be one, and another title will be revealed later, bringing the total number of galas to 20.

On the Net:

http://www.e.bell.ca/filmfest/2004/default.asp

Steeple up for grabs

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) – The steeple of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, where the band R.E.M. first performed together in 1980, is in dire need of restoration and its owners are offering to give it away to someone willing to take on the expensive job.

The 135-year-old steeple is all that remains of the church after it was destroyed in 1990 to build a condominium complex. The owners of the Steeplechase condos kept the spire as a historic artifact, but the group is too small to raise the funds necessary to restore it. Replacing the roof alone would run about $8,200.

“The association can, in no way, collect that much money,” said condo association manager Kate Hinton recently, adding that the owners want to give the artifact to someone able to afford the restoration.

In 1980, R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe and guitarist Peter Buck moved into converted apartments in the church and held the band’s earliest practices there. The group, which also included bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry, gained international prominence with hits including “Losing My Religion” and helped solidify Athens’ reputation as a launching pad for popular music.

Britney’s beau is a daddy

Almost-stepmom Britney Spears’ rather complex family tree just sprouted another branch.

Actress Shar Jackson, the ex-girlfriend of Spears’ fiance Kevin Federline, gave birth Tuesday to her second child by the pop star’s future husband, reports E!Online.

Jackson, who played Niecy on “Moesha” during the teen sitcom’s 1996-2001 run, went into labor at an Orange County, Calif., hospital.

Federline, a dancer, missed the 10:30 a.m. delivery, but arrived at the hospital a few hours later. Spears did not accompany him.

It was not known whether Jackson and Federline’s latest production was a boy or girl. The ex-couple already have a 2-year-old daughter, Kori. In all, the 27-year-old Jackson now has four children.

Jackson and Federline, 26, were a couple for about four years before Federline went bonkers for Britney last spring.

In April, Spears, fresh off her 55-hour Vegas marriage, and Federline went public with their romance; the pregnant and dumped Jackson went public with her ire.

“There are two little kids – Spears better be prepared to baby-sit,” Jackson told Us Weekly.

Spears recently told People magazine that she definitely “plans to meet Federline’s kids.”

The 22-year-old “Outrageous” singer, currently laid up with a knee injury, also said she definitely plans to have her own kids.

“I see myself with four or five,” Spears said.

Mary-Kate to be home soon

After six weeks at a treatment facility for a health-related issue, Mary-Kate Olsen, the brunette half of the Olsen twins, is “doing well” and her fans can “expect her to return home soon,” publicist Michael Pagnotta said Tuesday.

The 18-year-old actress has been reported to be battling an eating disorder.

People magazine said Tuesday that Mary-Kate will be released this weekend, return home to her family and begin preparing for college in the fall.

Mary-Kate and her blond twin sister, Ashley, turned 18 in June. They plan to attend New York University in the fall.

They’ve been acting together since they were 9 months old, most notably on the sitcom “Full House” and in a series of direct-to-video movies. They’ve also attached their names to a line of products ranging from clothing to beauty items to home decorating merchandise.

Their most recent movie, “New York Minute,” did poorly at the box office after its May release.

Dunst, Gyllenhaal split

One of Hollywood’s popular power couples is history: Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal have broken up after nearly two years, reports USA Today.

“They remain very close still and are the best of friends,” said Dunst spokesman Stephen Huvane.

Dunst, the costar of “Spider-Man 2,” and Gyllenhaal, who appears in the disaster epic “The Day After Tomorrow,” were introduced in September 2002 by Gyllenhaal’s sister Maggie, who starred with Dunst in “Mona Lisa Smile.” The couple share a Los Angeles home and a German shepherd mix, Atticus.

Huvane and a spokeswoman for Gyllenhaal say the couple split some time ago, but won’t be specific.

In happier couple news: Don’t believe reports about Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake breaking up. “We are solid and I love him,” Diaz tells Us Weekly.

Martha not amused by King

Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart slammed talk-show host Larry King on Monday night after he joked that she could do a makeover on her cell when she goes to jail later this year, reports IMDB.com.

The 63-year-old businesswoman was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice by a New York jury and was sentenced to five months in prison and another five under house arrest by Judge Miriam Cederbaum.

On “Larry King Live,” which was recorded prior to Stewart’s sentencing, King infuriated the usually calm star when he made the joke while quizzing her over the trial.

Stewart snapped: “It’s not a joking matter. I’m afraid to be incarcerated. It’s a lack of freedom. My freedom is taken away.”

But Stewart did reveal she has already made plans for how to cope with jail – she’s going to write a self-help book.

“It’s going to be a bestseller,” she said.

Ronstadt has no regrets

By Knight Ridder Newspapers

Linda Ronstadt said she will continue to praise Michael Moore and his film “Fahrenheit 9/11” onstage despite an angry reaction at a Las Vegas concert.

“This is an election year,” she told The Los Angeles Times. “I want people to get their head up out of their mashed potatoes and learn something about the issues and go and vote. … I’m not telling them how to vote. I’m saying, get information about the issues.”

When Ronstadt praised Moore and his documentary Saturday at the Aladdin hotel-casino, some in the audience stormed out of the theater and tore down concert posters.

The casino’s president said he didn’t allow the singer back in her luxury suite afterward and she was escorted off the property.

Ronstadt, 58, told The Times that her remarks were “modest,” adding: “They didn’t throw me out.”

“I didn’t even know there was trouble,” she said. “Those places operate like little city-states. They are all-powerful. And I had already said I never want to come back.”

In Los Angeles, there were about 100 calls for refunds for Ronstadt’s performance at the Universal Amphitheatre Tuesday night.

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