AP - The immigration department said Wednesday it was conducting a character assessment of Snoop Dogg, including his criminal history, as Australia considers whether to grant the rapper a visa for a concert tour later this year.
AP - Novelist Salman Rushdie won an apology Tuesday from a former bodyguard who attacked his character, a court decision the author hopes will set a new precedent for high-profile English libel trials.
E! Online - The Emmy awards and fall season premieres are just around the corner, so it's time to recognize some of America's great television thespians. Or better yet, the actors pretending to be Americans. You thought we hadn't noticed the influx of Brits infiltrating our airwaves?
E! Online - Yesterday, the Internet was buzzing that Paula Abdul didn't approve of American Idol's decision to hire a fourth judge, songwriter Kara DioGuardi.
Reuters - Peter Buck of R.E.M., "SNL" star Amy
Poehler and novelist Jonathan Lethem are among the curators of
a limited-edition series of CDs that will mark the 20th
anniversary of North Carolina independent label Merge Records.
Reuters - Australia has lifted a visa ban on
Snoop Dogg, with a new government clearing the way for the
gangsta rapper to tour in October in a double act with Ice
Cube.