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Pope Benedict XVI blesses the crowd. But will he give Live 8 his blessing? PHOTO: EPA

Leonardo DiCaprio has filed a police report over an attack at a party that left him needing 12 stitches in his neck, police said on Tuesday. The star of The Aviator and Titanic said he was the victim of assault with a deadly weapon and needed hospital treatment for his wounds.

Singer Billy Corgan said on Tuesday he plans to revive The Smashing Pumpkins, his Grammy-winning band that broke up in 2000 after more than a decade of blending alternative rock with the avant-garde. In full-page advertisements in Chicago newspapers, the bald-headed Corgan said, "I want my band back, and my songs, and my dreams."

Bob Geldof told Italy's rock stars Tuesday there was no excuse to miss the Rome stage of the Live 8 concert next month, as some of the country's top acts hesitated over playing "the biggest concert of your life." Rome will host a huge free concert in the Circus Maximus -- the ancient Roman chariot race track -- on July 2, one of eight events around the world aimed at focusing the world's attention on

poverty reduction, but some big stars are wavering.

In other Live 8 news, Geldof called on Pope Benedict XVI to join the protest near next month's G8 summit to add his voice to the throngs who will be calling for action to help Africa. Geldof said he had written to the Pope about his campaign but had only received a photograph of the Pontiff in return.

Twentieth Century Fox and comic book publisher Marvel Enterprises on Tuesday said they sued Sony Pictures and Revolution Studios to thwart the release of Zoom's Academy, a film they say infringes on their popular X-Men feature films. Both films feature children with special powers feared by the government and shunned by society, who are taught to harness and develop their abilities in a special school, said Fox in a statement.

One of the murkiest rapper murders of the 1990s finally came to court , eight years after a series of shootings and assaults widely attributed to a turf war between East and West Coast rap record labels. Tight security, including metal detectors and guards, marked jury selection and opening statements in federal court in Los Angeles in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the city of Los Angeles by the family of Notorious B.I.G. The family says a police officer played a role in the rapper's 1997 death.

The union representing Hollywood screenwriters launched a campaign on Monday to gain a labor contract for writers, producers and editors who work in the booming field of reality TV shows. The Writers Guild of America argues that the creative teams behind the camera on such hit shows as Survivor, The Apprentice and The Bachelor routinely work far longer hours at much lower pay than their counterparts in scripted dramas and sitcoms.

Two of the producers of the Oscar-winning movie about soul singer Ray Charles are now turning their attention to another dead entertainer, Rodney Dangerfield, the comic famed for the signature phrase, "I can't get no respect." Hollywood trade paper Daily Variety reported in its Tuesday edition that producers Howard and Karen Baldwin will base their project in part on Dangerfield's memoir It's Not Easy Bein' Me, which was published four months before he died last October, aged 82.

A novel range of memorabilia celebrating Michael Jackson's acquittal on child sex charges is popping up on the Internet: slices of toast bearing the embattled superstar's spectral image. Fans toasting a jury's decision to find the "King of Pop" not guilty say the grilled bread, which is going for up to US$300 per slice, magically popped out of their toasters at the exact moment Jackson was acquitted a week ago.

"This is a wonderful memento of this historic day that you will cherish for years to come," boasted one seller on the eBay online auction site.

"As I was watched the jury's verdict being announced on June 13, 2005, my toast popped up just as Michael was acquitted!," said another enterprising seller trying to cash in on Jackson's vindication on all charges against him.

One slice of toast, bearing an elaborate image of the singer's face, complete with trademark hairstyle and round glasses, has fetched US$300 in bids. -- agencies
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