Howard Stern makes Sirius move
Radio shock jock Howard Stern, whose show was dropped earlier this year from stations that objected to his sometimes vulgar humor, said Wednesday he will leave FM radio to broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. beginning in 2006, Reuters reports. The move is the latest in what has been a tumultuous year for the show. In April, Clear Channel nixed the show in six of its markets after getting fined $495, 000 by the Federal Communication Commission over indecent material. Two months later, the The Howard Stern Show‘s parent producer, Infinity Broadcasting, put Stern back on the air in five of those six markets, plus four new ones on Infinity radio stations. But the fines kept coming. Infinity is reportedly facing a $1.5 million penalty for an episode that included sexual references that government watchdogs say crossed the line. While Sirius’ 600,000 subscribers is a far smaller audience than Stern‘s current listeners on broadcast radio, the move to satellite radio will undoubtedly give Stern more freedom. But Stern is proving to be an expensive commodity for Sirius, which said it needs 1 million new subscribers to cover the cost of the five-year deal. The company estimates total production and operating costs for the show to be about $100 million annually.
P. Diddy ordered to pay hefty child support
A family court judge in New York on Tuesday ordered Sean “P. Diddy” Combs to pay $35,000 a month in child support for the 10-year-old son he had with fashion stylist Misa Brim, Reuters reports. Westchester County Family Court Judge David Klein said Combs must also pay more than $398,000 in retroactive support as well as all medical, dental and education expenses for his son, Justin. The hip-hop mogul was also ordered to maintain a life insurance policy and to pay $60,000 in legal fees to Brim’s attorney. “This is not about child support, it’s about adult support,” Combs‘ lawyer, Stephen Gassman, said. “Any increase in support will be likely utilized to enhance Misa Brim and her two other children’s lifestyle rather than in any way benefit Mr. Combs‘ already well provided for son.”
Republicans accuse Michael Moore of bribery
The Michigan Republican Party is accusing Michael Moore of bribery and has asked four county prosecutors to file charges against the filmmaker, The Associated Press reports. Moore, a Michigan native, is on a 60-city pre-election tour of the country in a bid to get those who usually don’t vote to the polls this year, arguing they could make the difference in the presidential race. At stops at three Michigan universities, Moore offered students items including underwear, potato chips and Ramen noodles in exchange for their promise to vote. The GOP said Moore‘s offerings, whether it be a clean dorm room or a year’s supply of Tostitos, violates Michigan’s election law, which prohibits a person from contracting with another for something of value in exchange for agreeing to vote.
Tiger Woods ties the knot
Golf champion Tiger Woods, 28 married his girlfriend, 24-year-old Swedish model Elin Nordegren, in Barbados Tuesday, Reuters reports. According to the Barbados Daily Nation newspaper, basketball star Michael Jordan, a close friend of Woods, and talk show host Oprah Winfrey were reported to have been among the 150-odd guests. The pair met at the 2001 British Open when Nordegren was working as nanny to the children of Swedish professional golfer Jesper Parnevik. “I have a balance in my life,” Reuter reports Woods said earlier this year. “Ever since Elin came into my life, things just became a lot better. Someone you can bounce things off, somebody who is a great friend. We do just about everything together.”
Police find Beatle sister’s suitcase
Police Tuesday recovered the suitcase that had been stolen from the late George Harrison‘s sister, Lou Harrison, but did not find the stolen photos of her and her brother, the AP reports. Harrison went to Little Rock, Ark., to donate her personal, signed copy of a 1964 Beatles album to the Bill Clinton presidential library when she found a window of her car smashed in and her suitcase gone. Photographs of George and Lou Harrison and songsheets had been taken from the suitcase, but they were not of great value, Lou Harrison said. When police found the suitcase, the only item left inside was a personal phone book.
CMA Awards head to NYC
The Country Music Awards are moving to New York next year, Reuters reports, marking the first time the ceremony has been held anywhere other than Nashville, Tenn., since its 1967 inception. “Some might question why the CMA awards would come to New York City,” New York’s mayor Michael Bloomberg told Reuters. “They should go and ask Garth Brooks, who packed Central Park, or Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, who all sold out [Madison Square] Garden.” The awards are scheduled to take place at the Garden in November 2005.
Kit Bowen contributed to this report.
