HOLLYWOOD - Top Story
Sales of the teen pop band 'N Sync's newest album Celebrity sank 75 percent this week, selling 460,000 units, Variety reports. Last week, Celebrity sold almost 1.9 million copies. The band ceded the top spot to the seventh compilation album called Now 7, from the Now That's What I call Music series. The album, which features tracks from Janet Jackson, Destiny'' Child and 'N Sync, sold over 620,000 discs.
Ailing
Jean-Paul Belmondo remained in stable condition following an emergency overnight transfer to St. Joseph's hospital in Paris by a medical emergency plane, Reuters reports. The French actor collapsed at his villa on the Mediterranean island of Corsica and was undergoing treatment in Bastia. Belmondo, 68, collapsed on stage in 1999 with heart trouble during a performance. He was flown to Paris in serious condition Wednesday with his face partially paralyzed.
After being treated for a respiratory infection, doctors released Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos from a hospital, The Associated Press reports. Angelopoulos, 66, was admitted Tuesday night to the University Hospital on the island of Crete.
Deaths
Maureen Reagan, the daughter of former President Ronald Reagan, died Wednesday afternoon after a five-year battle with cancer, Reuters reports. Reagan was the daughter of Reagan's first wife, actress Jane Wyman. She was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 1996, but after a period of remission, the cancer spread. She returned home after a final round of radiation treatments at a Sacramento area hospital.
In Court
The arraignment for Dennis Rodman on charges of disturbing the peace was postponed for a third time on Wednesday, AP reports. The former NBA player faces four misdemeanor charges prompted by complaints during his 40th birthday bash at his home in Newport Beach, Calif., which featured live performances by two rock bands. Rodman arrived at his party via helicopter. The arraignment was postponed after Rodman's attorney filed a motion to dismiss the case.
Peter Davison, better known for his role as Dr. Who, made a citizen's arrest Wednesday after a 15-year-old allegedly stole his video camera, BBC News reports. Davison reportedly chased and caught the youth after his car was broken into in a London suburb. He held the youth down until police arrived. The camera contained footage that Davison had just taken at a nearby hospital where his girlfriend had just given birth to a baby boy.
The Recording Industry Association of America filed a request with U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Patel on Tuesday, seeking an Oct. 1 hearing that could shut down Napster once and for all. According to Reuters, the RIAA said Napster "knowingly and willfully set out to build a business on copyright infringement on an unprecedented scale." The RIAA also is pressing ahead for immediate damages that could hit close to $100 million.
In General
Frank R. Pierson has been elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Reuters reports. Pierson, who penned Cool Hand Luke and Dog Day Afternoon, succeeds Robert Rheme, who served the maximum four-year term as president.
The TV production company Artist Television Group laid off 18 of its 38 employees on Wednesday, AP reports. ATG had only two shows picked up this fall, an Ellen DeGeneres comedy and a reality show called Lost in the USA, compared to last year's five. Company backer Michael Ovitz was once known as the most powerful man in Hollywood. He built Creative Artists Agency and was president of Walt Disney Co. before a falling out with Michael Eisner.
George Harrison has moved into a luxury villa in the Swiss canto of Ticino, where he was recently treated for a brain tumor, Reuters reports. The former Beatle bought the 14-bedroom house from London-based wine merchant Timothy Abegg.