DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Michael Jackson has stirred a small controversy in the United Arab Emirates by entering the ladies room in a shopping mall.

The pop star’s publicist said Jackson, who arrived in Dubai this week as the guest of a champion rally driver, did not understand the Arabic sign on the door and left the bathroom as soon as he realized his mistake.

In the statement released late Tuesday, Jackson’s publicist, Raymond K. Bain said: “Upon his exit (from the ladies bathroom), he was recognized and a crowd ensued. He had to wait in a nearby bookstore until police arrived to escort him through the crowd.”

But local newspapers reported that the 47-year-old performer did not quickly leave the bathroom and was spotted applying makeup before leaving.

Jackson’s host, the Emirates champion rally driver Mohammed bin Sulayem, dismissed the story as rumor.

“People are always interested in gossip and in portraying a negative image of (Jackson),” bin Sulayem told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “The reality is that he’s an easy person to be with, not demanding and not difficult.”

Bin Sulayem said Jackson was considering buying property in Dubai. This week’s visit is his second after a stay in August.

“He likes the place and we want him to stay for good here. He likes what he saw and we should try to convince him to buy,” he said.

Though it has been reported that Jackson has purchased acreage on Bahrain’s Amwaj Islands, his publicist has denied it.

Since his June acquittal on child molestation charges, Jackson has made several trips to Bahrain as a guest of Sheik Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the son of Bahrain’s king.

—

NEW YORK (AP) – A former member of 2 Live Crew has filed a lawsuit against Ice-T and Jay-Z, claiming he is entitled to royalties for a song made famous by Jay-Z as part of his top-selling “The Black Album.”

In a filing Monday in U.S. District Court, Marquis Ross claims he wrote lyrics and a beat similar to those featured in the chorus of “99 Problems,” which was eventually copyrighted by Jay-Z.

Ross alleges that Jay-Z’s 2003 and 2004 recordings are based on a song by the same name that was released a decade earlier on Ice-T’s “Home Invasion” album.

The lawsuit alleges Ross was asked by Ice-T to appear on that track and had performed parts of it before their collaboration.

Ice-T put his own name on the copyright, but didn’t include Ross and refused to pay royalties to the 2 Live Crew rapper until 2005, when he made a “partial payment” of $10,000, the lawsuit claims.

A spokeswoman for Jay-Z didn’t immediately return a call from The Associated Press Tuesday for comment. A spokesman for Ice-T also was unavailable for comment.

Ross is requesting back royalties and punitive damages.

—

LONDON (AP) – Princess Diana’s spare wedding dress – a replica made in case the one she wore got damaged – is to be auctioned.

Diana tried on the ivory silk gown, an exact copy of the dress she wore, on the morning of her wedding, auctioneer Cooper Owen said Wednesday.

The only difference between the dresses is that the actual one she wore had Queen Mary’s lace sewn on to the front, while the replica had a copy of the lace, the auction house said.

The dress is expected to fetch more than $90,000 at the Dec. 7 sale of celebrity memorability at the Proud Gallery Camden, in north London.

Millions of television viewers around the world watched Diana marry Prince Charles on July 29, 1981. The couple divorced in 1996.

The original gown is part of an exhibition about the princess at Althorp, her family’s country home near Northampton, central England.

A replica of the wedding dress worn by the Duchess of York, which was also a standby, will also be auctioned and was expected to fetch around $10,000. A vest worn by James Dean in the movie “Giant” was predicted to go for around $58,000.