Rushdie rips publisher

Salman Rushdie criticized his publisher yesterday for pulling a novel about the prophet Muhammad and his child bride over concerns about angering Muslims. Rushdie, whose novel "The Satanic Verses" led to a death decree in 1989 from Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, said Random House's decision not to publish Sherry Jones's "The Jewel of Medina" "is censorship by fear, and it sets a very bad precedent." (AP)

British rock star Gary Glitter will be deported to Britain Tuesday after completing a 27-month sentence in Vietnam for molesting two young girls, his lawyer said. Glitter, 63, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was arrested in November 2005 at Ho Chi Minh airport as he tried to leave the country and sentenced to three years in jail following a one-day trial. (Reuters)

Donald Trump has agreed to buy Ed McMahon's Beverly Hills house for an undisclosed amount and allow McMahon to continue living in it. Trump told the Los Angeles Times he plans to buy the home from the lender and lease it back to McMahon.

Actor Christian Bale, 34, won't face charges on an alleged assault on his mother and sister last month in London, prosecutors said yesterday, suggesting the decision was based in part on the family members' wishes. Britain's Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement that while it "treats all incidents which take place in a domestic context seriously, it's important the views of complainants are also taken into account when making decisions in such cases." (AP)

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain and the Republican National Committee for using his song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Browne filed a copyright infringement lawsuit yesterday in US District Court in Los Angeles seeking a permanent injunction as well as damages. (Los Angeles Times)

Warner Bros. is bumping "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" from its planned November release into next summer. The sixth installment in the blockbuster franchise about boy wizard Harry now will open July 17 rather than Nov. 21, the studio said yesterday. Studio President Alan Horn said the Writers Guild of America strike had "impacted the readiness of scripts for other films - changing the competitive landscape for 2009." (AP)