Firms battle over Eminem royalties

Although he is not a party to it, Eminem is at the center of a new lawsuit filed against his labels, Aftermath Records and Interscope Records. The Bass Brothers' FBT Productions and Joel Martin's Em2M have a recording contract with Eminem that dates back to 1995, before he became the most popular rapper on the planet. The firms filed a lawsuit Monday over the split of digital royalties due for Eminem's recordings, saying the labels owe them more than $650,000 from 2002 to 2005. The suit claims that the labels should be paying half of the net receipts from downloads and master ringtones rather than the lesser artist royalty rate based on sales.

The claim is similar to a class action lawsuit filed by the Allman Brothers and Cheap Trick last year against Sony BMG. Both cases center on the interpretation of older recording contracts regarding digital royalties. The lesser artist royalty rate is usually between 10 percent and 14 percent, while the licensing rate calls for the artist to receive 50 percent.

Method Man arrested for weed possession

Believe it or not, Method Man smokes weed. The Wu-Tang Clan rapper, the scribe of many a marijuana-related rhyme and costar of the movie How High, was arrested for possession of marijuana last week in New York. Police said they pulled over the rapper's Lincoln Navigator for expired registration as he attempted to enter the Battery Tunnel in Brooklyn on his way into Manhattan. Police said they found Method Man--real name Clifford Smith--in possession of 28 grams of marijuana. He was also arrested on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle under the influence and driving an uninsured motor vehicle. He was eventually released the following morning.

EMI accepts acquisition offer

The marathon merger dance between Warner Music Group and EMI Group may be over, as EMI has recommended its investors accept a cash offer for the business from European private equity firm Terra Firma, for £3.2 billion ($6.30 billion). If the deal proceeds, it will end a lengthy and unsuccessful process in which EMI and Warner circled one another in an attempt to acquire the other. Terra Firma has not yet indicated what it will do with the EMI business, which includes a star-studded roster of artists, such as Coldplay, Norah Jones, Gorillaz, and Robbie Williams.

"The EMI board received a number of proposals from several different parties," EMI chairman John Gildersleeve said in a statement. "Terra Firma's offer is the most attractive proposal received and delivers cash now, without regulatory uncertainty and with the minimum of operational risk to the company."

Stapp accused of throwing bottle at wife

Is an Orangina bottle a deadly weapon? That's the crux of the legal case for Scott Stapp, who saw his charge of aggravated assault against his wife reduced yesterday to a misdemeanor when a judge determined that the uniquely shaped bottle, which Stapp allegedly threw at his wife Sunday, was not a deadly weapon. The former Creed frontman was arrested at his home in Palm Beach Sunday on charges of aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony.

Police were called to the house after Stapp allegedly threw the Orangina bottle at his wife's head. The bottle missed her head and broke. Stapp, 33, and wife, Jaclyn Neshiwat, a former Miss New York USA, married in February 2006 in Miami. Immediately following their wedding, Stapp was arrested for public intoxication at Los Angeles International Airport.

Paula Abdul hurts self, saves dog

Today's entry in the no punch line necessary department comes from Paula Abdul, who broke her nose after falling down while trying to avoid stepping on her pet Chihuahua Tulip. The former pop singer and American Idol judge tore cartilage in her nose and fractured her toe in the incident, her publicist David Brokaw told the syndicated entertainment TV show Extra. Abdul was recovering from the mishap and will appear on American Idol tonight and its season finale Wednesday. "She's a little sore, but is doing fine," Brokaw said.

"I took a nasty fall...trying not to hurt my dog," Abdul said. "I bruised myself on my arm...my chest, my waist all the way down to my hip. All from my little chubby Tulip." The dog was not hurt, Brokaw said.

Lordi making horror film

Lordi, the mask-clad heavy metal monster band from Finland, is bringing its costumed brand of horror to the big screen. Band leader Mr. Lordi, whose real name is Tomi Putaansuu, told the Associated Press that the group is working on an English-language fright feature called Dark Floors. They began shooting the film this month and are planning to premiere it in Finland at the end of the year. Lordi is currently promoting the flick at the Cannes Film Festival.

"In a way, it is traditional horror film, but a traditional modern horror film," he told the AP. "It has monsters obviously in it. It has some twists in the plot, of course, it has some horrific scenes and a horrific mood; it is more like a psychological thing. Lordi goes to the twilight zone."

The group's other members are known as Amen the Unstoppable Mummy, Awa the Vampire Countess, Ox the Hellbull, and Kita the Alien Manbeast. Band members said they wanted to star in a horror film after winning last year's Eurovision Song Contest with their anthem "Hard Rock Hallelujah."